Two competitors – one shared challenge: KMC and Avebe join forces to improve the flavour profile of potato protein at Plant2Food

Author: Marianne Solkær

Editor: Ida Kirsten Elbæk

Potato protein is a promising ingredient for the plant-based food sector - nutritionally valuable and functionally versatile. But there's still one key aspect that needs improvement: off-flavour. Through the Plant2Food research- & innovation platform, Europe’s two largest potato starch producers, KMC (Denmark) and Avebe (Netherlands), have joined forces with researchers to tackle the flavour challenge head-on.  

How do you unlock the full potential of a plant-based side stream by purifying the protein for human consumption? 

The REFINES project highlights this exact question alongside both industrial and academic partners at Plant2Food. Focusing on potatoes, the goal is to uncover the molecular origins of off-flavours in protein-rich plant side streams and to discover new microbial enzymes that can selectively eliminate unwanted taste compounds. By doing so, the project aims to give food producers the scientific insight and technological tools needed to convert these underutilised streams into high-value, clean-label consumer-ready alternatives to animal protein. 

During the three-year project, researchers will study how unwanted flavours in potato protein develop during processing and explore ways to remove them. Aarhus University will investigate the underlying mechanisms, while DTU develops a screening platform to identify fungal enzymes that can neutralize off-flavours. The most promising enzymes will be tested to assess their effectiveness in real-world applications.

REFINES is currently in its early research phase, focusing on mapping, analysis, and enzyme discovery. The next steps will involve scaling the findings and assessing how they can be implemented in the companies’ production facilities.

Europe’s two largest potato starch producers, KMC and Avebe are partnering with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Aarhus University (AU) to turn this vision into reality. 

A rare kind of collaboration

In an industry where proprietary knowledge and commercial secrecy are the norm, it is rare for two global market leaders to engage in an open, pre-competitive research partnership. But that is exactly what KMC and Avebe are doing through the REFINES project at Plant2Food.

Both companies are the dominant players in the global potato starch industry with decades of experience as well as their own innovative R&D and well-established customer bases. Despite this, they’ve chosen to share knowledge and build mutual trust, all without the protection of intellectual property. KMC ‘s Head of R&D Line Bach Christensen and Avebe’s Director Ronald Apeldoorn have played a central role in driving the collaboration forward.

They both emphasize that working at a low technology readiness level (TRL) and without intellectual property protection, allows them to focus on creating shared knowledge that can potentially benefit the entire sector.

Not only is this collaboration a way to address a common challenge, but as a strategic move to foster innovation and progress within the plant-based food industry:

“Avebe and KMC are partners in this project - we approach it in a balanced, equal way. And when things get tricky, we talk openly about it even though we are competitors. But because we are operating at a low TRL, the project provides a unique opportunity for us to engage in this collaboration. That is our starting point. However, when it comes to implementation, we both need to take the findings further and adapt them to the specific conditions of each company. At that stage, the solutions become tailored to either KMC or Avebe or any other company,” says Ronald Apeldoorn from Avebe.

“Potato protein is a quite narrow research field, but the way we’re working here - identifying off-flavours, understanding when and how they occur, and using enzymes to address them - is valuable not only for us, but for the whole industry. It requires trust and respect and by doing this together, we can go further than either of us could have done on our own,” says Line Bach Christensen from KMC.

This spirit of openness and collaboration - even between competitors - is precisely what the Plant2Food platform was designed to foster: A pre-competitive, IP-free space where industry and academia can work side by side to drive innovation and make new knowledge accessible, fostering faster and broader adoption of plant-based solutions.

From side stream to high-value food ingredient

Potato protein side streams from starch production are rich in protein and approved for human consumption, but their use in food is limited due to an off-taste. REFINES aim to change that by creating a molecular understanding of these off-flavours and identifying enzymes capable of selectively removing specific compounds.

“We need to identify what the off-flavours are, find their specific components and understand how and when they are produced. Only then can we try to remove them,” Line Bach Christensen from KMC explains.

From a human consumption point of view, potato protein is a very interesting product. It can be compared to animal protein, which is quite unique for a plant-based source. This gives the product a huge potential to support the move toward a more sustainable and plant-based food system.

“If we succeed in reducing these off-flavours in line with clean label expectations, our potato proteins can truly support the food industry in shifting towards more plant-based and sustainable solutions. That’s our main goal”, states Ronald Apeldoorn from Avebe.