LeFOS – Sustainable recyclables from sugar beet residues

Sugar beet has shaped agriculture and industry in Saxony-Anhalt for centuries. While sugar production is highly optimised, the residues that accumulate still have untapped potential. The LeFOS project is developing innovative biotechnological processes to produce high-quality carbohydrates – so-called levans and fructo-oligosaccharides.

These carbohydrates show great promise as a food ingredient: as prebiotics, they can promote gut health, as hydrocolloids they can improve the texture of food, and as sweeteners, they can help reduce calories. Production is carried out using sustainable fermentation processes that are optimized by digital process control and machine learning.

A special focus is on scaling from laboratory to industrial scale. The entire process chain is developed in close cooperation with regional partners – from the processing of the residues to fermentation and product processing. At the same time, the sustainability of the process is ensured by a holistic assessment.

LeFOS strengthens Saxony-Anhalt’s position as an innovation location for sustainable bioeconomy and creates new perspectives for the regional economy. The result: higher added value from existing resources, new jobs in biotechnology and an important contribution to the transformation of the chemical industry.