From plot to commercial production – upscaling of Swedish protein crop

In this project, we investigate what efforts need to be made to achieve a full-scale production of alternative protein crops in Sweden with the aim to meet an increased demand for Swedish vegetable proteins.

In Sweden, there is great potential in cultivation, development, processing, and export of plant-based foods. Today, cropping of lentils and lupines for food is mainly small-scale and there is a need for more large-scale cultivation and further processing to develop the market. Examples of scaling-up problems are availability of seeds in sufficient quantities, the need for new technology and equipment for the farmer, efficient handling of large quantities (incl. drying) and available efficient plant protection products.

Increased knowledge on cultivation of protein crop at farm level and improved cultivation techniques means that agriculture and the processing industry can go from small-scale to large-scale.

In our project, we work together with researchers, farmers and food producers and will jointly describe the current situation and the need for development around Swedish vegetable proteins. In 2022 and 2023, field trials will be carried out on cultivation of lentils and lupins in Skåne and on Öland. In these experiments, we study, among other things, eight lentil varieties and four lupine varieties to see which varieties are best suited for cultivation in Sweden.

In another experiment, various plant protection products against weeds will be tested in lentil cultivation. Practical drying experiments will also be carried out at RISE mobile lab dryers to validate the knowledge of drying alternative protein crops for Swedish conditions. The project will deliver a proposal on working methods and relevant technical solutions as well as advice for cultivation, handling and drying to scale up the cultivation of two protein crops.