The project's goal is to develop methods to produce protein isolate from peas with a low sodium and low anti-nutrients content. The protein isolates are used for the production of plant-based foods that are tasty and healthy. The project is addressing public meals, which is an excellent platform since more than three million public meals are served in Sweden every day. Thus, there is great potential for making a large and long-lasting impact on society.

Production strategies that minimise the use of sodium-based chemicals will be developed to ensure the produced protein isolates have a low content of sodium and reduced anti-nutrient content while maintaining a high protein recovery yield.  After scaling up the optimized manufacturing process, isolates are produced which are then extruded into meat analogues. The functionality of the isolates and meat analogues is evaluated with chemical and physical analyses.

Attention is paid to the sensory qualities of the protein ingredients and products due to the change in salt content, and strategies to ensure consumer liking of low salt meals using these products will be developed. The developed meals will be examined with consumers in a relevant public setting to examine the implications of low salt initiatives in plant-based products. 

In addition, the production process will be assessed on a life-cycle basis to examine the sustainability of the newly developed process. The impact of reduced salt consumption in plant-based diets will also be assessed from a nutritional perspective accounting for wider societal impacts.

The work contributes with positive effects on the environment, public health and economy:

• Lower climate impact through increased consumption of tasty and sustainable foods based on plant proteins.
• Improved public health through a reduced intake of both salt and substances that inhibit the absorption of important minerals.
• Strengthening the Swedish food system and its supply readiness through domestic cultivation and production of plant proteins.

The project is now coming to a close and we are happy to invite interested parties to attend our online seminar where the main results of the project will be presented. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, November 11, from 13:00 to 15:00. The meeting is digital and the presentations will be in English. The application form and more information about the project can be found at the following link:

Final seminar Nov 11 2025: Participants

Det är brist på bra metoder för att minska näringsläckage från jordbruksmark, speciellt fosfor och speciellt i ekologisk odling. Förutom att näringsförlusterna betyder att man måste gödsla mer för att hålla uppe produktionen så är det ett stort problem att näringen läcker ut i vattendrag vilket leder till övergödning och i förlängningen algblomning och andra problem. För att återställa Östersjöns ekosystem är det därför viktigt att minska näringsläckaget från åkermarken.

Tillsättning av gips på åkermark kan minska läckaget av fosfor genom att öka aggregatstabiliteten vilket gör att jorden binder up fosforet bättre. I Finland produceras stora mängder gips som en biprodukt av konstgödselframställningen. Därför har flera stora projekt utförts i Finland, t.ex. SAVE, där man har visat att gips kan ha stor effekt på fosforutlakningen, till och med i hela vattenavrinningsområden. 

GYPREG-projektet, som delfinansieras av EU's program Interreg Baltic Sea Region, ska testa och demonstrera möjligheterna att gips på åkermark i andra länder runt Östersjön såsom Sverige, Polen, Lettland och Lituaen. 

I Sverige kommer vi att: 

1. Överföra kunskapen från de finska försöken till svenska intressenter översatt till svenska.
2. Göra en GIS-analys över arealen där det är mest relevant att använda gips på åkermark.
3. Utföra labbexperiment där vi testar effekten av gips och gips/kalkblandningar på svenska jordar.
4. Utföra fältförsök med gips. 
5. Utföra demonstrationer för svenska intressenter. 

Vill du få en överblick över GYPREG-projektet och dess aktiviteter i Sverige kan du titta på inspelning av första GYPREG-webbinariet från 10/4-2024. Här är del 1 och del 2.  

För att uppmärksamma Östersjödagen 29-08-2024 arrangerade GYPREG-projektet ett fältbesök till Sättragården utanför Upplands-Väsby. Medverkande var Kronprinsessan Victoria som fick både prova på att sprida gips för hand och med traktor samt se den snabba bindande effekten som gips har på en lerig jord. Se film på besöket här.  

The byproduct in the production of rapeseed oil is a rapeseed press cake, currently used as animal feed. As the press cake contains high levels of protein and nutrients, it could be processed to serve a more beneficial purpose as a food ingredient. However, the cake has a bitter taste and contains components that impede the absorption of nutrients. The project aims to find efficient and sustainable methods to treat the rapeseed press cake, eliminate its negative properties, and evaluate how different techniques affect its functionality in food production.

By ensuring that the press cake remains within the food system, we increase its sustainability, contribute to food self-sufficiency in Sweden, and create a potentially sought-after export product. RISE is collaborating with Skeby Gårdar and Linnaeus University in this three-year project, funded by Formas.

More efficient use of nutrients and recycled fertilizer products will pave the way for sustainable, climate-neutral food production, increased food and reduce eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.

CiNURGi supports many high level strategies

The main goal of CiNURGi is to support the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Regional Nutrient Strategy and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. Other supported frameworks are the EU’s new Circular Economy Action Plan of the Green Deal and Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan of the Farm to Fork Strategy. CiNURGi also contributes to EUSBSR PA Nutri and PA Bioeconomy.

Nutrient recycling will be studied from many angles including: 

• develop and promote standards for safe and sustainable recycling of nutrients
• develop strategies to implement nutrient recycling as a measure to improve national and regional nutrient balances
• increase the acceptance and use of recycled nutrients
• create business opportunities around nutrient recycling
• improve policy coherence regarding nutrient recycling in the Baltic Sea Region.

The CiNURGi consortium includes 24 partners and 13 associated organisations from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden.

Link to the project homepage CiNURGi - Interreg Baltic Sea Region (interreg-baltic.eu)

Electric weed control has traditionally had several drawbacks: 1. It was dangerous for the operator (but current technology is much safer), 2. high electricity consumption (but this solution should have significantly lower electricity consumption) and 3. far longer treatment time than herbicide spraying or tillage. But there are also many advantages of electric pest control: e.g. it can be used in organic farming and in water protection areas as it does not leave any chemical residues, electricity can be produced anywhere and therefore strengthens the resilience of Swedish agriculture (almost all plant protection is currently imported); weed control with electricity is also practical for autonomous solutions, as everything from the propulsion to the control mechanism can then be based on electricity. Also, one benefit of electric weed control is that it can affect the underground parts of the weeds, making it one of the few non-chemical alternatives to tillage that can affect perennial weeds.

In WEEDZAPPING we will: 

1. Evaluate an electrical low energy control (ELEC) method against annual and perennial weeds in a) sugar beet, b) potato, and c) wheat.
2. Determine the crop-weed selectivity of the ELEC method (i.e. whether it can kill weed plants close to the crop without damaging the crop) in the abovementioned crops.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of using ELEC as part of an integrated weed control strategy against perennial weeds, using couch grass (Elymus repens) as a model weed.
4. Perform a cost-benefit analysis of the ELEC in different scenarios. 

Today, the electric method is available as a handheld prototype that is designed to treat one plant at a time. In WEEDZAPPING, a version will be developed that can treat weeds over an area. It would also be possible to attach it to a robotic platform for autonomous precision weed control.

The funding for the project comes from the Swedish Agricultural Research Foundation, as well as in-kind from Enlightened Detection AB (contributing the electrical equipment) and Lyckeby starch (contributing with expertise and potato fields).

When it comes to electrifying work machines, the big question is how the machines will access electrical energy. Other technology is available and can be applied to the machines. In the previous project, we developed and demonstrated a modular battery replacement system that enables electric-powered work machines in various industries. In this project, we want to build on the results of the previous project and build on the parts that we consider to be the next step in bringing the ecosystem around the battery exchange system step by step to market. nbsp;

The long-term goal is to achieve a modular battery exchange system that enables industries such as agriculture and forestry to be electrified, with the aim of drastically reducing the environmental and climate impact of work machines.& nbsp;

The project strengthens the international competitiveness of the Swedish automotive industry by developing, applying and demonstrating new energy-efficient and fossil-free key technologies for electric-powered work machines. The project includes: 

• evaluate the developed machines in real-world use
• bring together stakeholders and develop a roadmap for bringing the battery replacement system to market
• energy efficiency forestry machine
• develop and evaluate small energy-efficient agricultural machinery
• research mobile recharging of battery packs with hydrogen and fuel cells
• final demonstration and communication

The main applicant for the application is RISE, and the co-applicants are a diverse group of project partners including large companies, SMEs, start-ups, research institutes, OEMs and subcontractors: Malwa Forest AB, Energifabriken AB, Hydraspecma AB, Hydraspecma Components AB, Traktorarvid AB and Regal Components AB.

Despite major international shortages, drinking water is still used to irrigate crops and for various industrial processes today. This is neither sustainable nor efficient. Therefore, a new pioneering research project is being launched at MDU, with the aim of creating efficient methods to convert industrial process water and wastewater into a valuable resource for crop irrigation.

Unity4Water combines the latest technology with social science. A research and demonstration facility will be built where recycled industrial process water - and wastewater - is used to grow vegetables. This approach both saves water and recycles nutrients, reducing the need for artificial fertilizers. To monitor the water and optimize crop growth, advanced technologies such as optical sensors, electronic noses, dynamic light, carbon capture technology, AI and machine learning will be used. The researchers also plan to use mini-drones equipped with multispectral cameras to measure plant health.

The project is interdisciplinary and brings together 29 partners. Researchers from MDU, RISE, Mitt University, Lund University, Biotech Heights and Chalmers Industriteknik have joined forces with representatives from several companies and industries, including TetraPak, Siemens, Mälarenergi, Eskilstuna Energi & Miljö, ICA Maxi, Swegreen and DirectCarbon.

Learn more about the project here! (Link)
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