{"id":769503,"date":"2026-06-29T19:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/769503\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:45:12","slug":"welsh-researchers-turn-food-waste-into-potential-new-source-of-vitamin-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/769503\/","title":{"rendered":"Welsh researchers turn food waste into potential new source of Vitamin C"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Cheerful Buddha Raspberry and Mint Functional Mushroom Sparkling Drink \u2014 developed by BIOVIT, which focuses on natural vitamins and minerals derived from plants, fungi and algae.<\/p>\n

Mark Mansfield<\/p>\n

Researchers in Wales are investigating whether waste from fruit and vegetable processing could be transformed into a new source of natural Vitamin C, in a project aimed at reducing food waste and cutting reliance on synthetic ingredients.<\/p>\n

Scientists at Swansea University are working with Tenby-based nutrition company BIOVIT<\/a> on the Innovate UK-backed project<\/a>, which will explore whether vitamins and minerals can be recovered from agricultural and food-processing waste.<\/p>\n

BIOVIT\u2019s initial research suggests up to 60% of the vitamins and minerals contained in fruit and vegetable material are lost during processing, creating an opportunity to recover valuable nutrients that would otherwise go to waste.<\/p>\n

The research is being led by Swansea University\u2019s Natural Products BioHUB<\/a>, with scientists developing extraction techniques that could pave the way for a commercially viable source of natural Vitamin C.<\/p>\n

If successful, the project could help create new ingredients for food, drink and nutritional supplements while supporting Welsh Government ambitions to promote the circular economy, improve resource efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

The collaboration follows BIOVIT\u2019s success at the 2026 IFE Manufacturing Ingredients Awards<\/a>, where its Circular Vitamin C concept won both the Enabling Technologies for Ingredients award and the overall Innovation of the Year prize.<\/p>\n

Dr Farooq Shah, Director of Swansea University\u2019s Natural Products BioHUB, said the project aimed to turn a waste product into something of significant value.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking something traditionally viewed as waste and exploring whether it can become part of the solution to some of the biggest challenges facing modern food systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy connecting BIOVIT\u2019s commercial ambition with Swansea University\u2019s expertise in natural products, chemical process engineering, green chemistry and biotechnology, we can help turn food-processing waste into high-value ingredients with real-world applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a strong example of how university and SME collaboration can support circular manufacturing, strengthen regional supply chains and help position Wales at the forefront of the green economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

BIOVIT founder and chief executive Ky Wright said most vitamin supplements still relied on synthetic ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on a mission to improve the health of people and the planet through natural vitamins and minerals.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost supplements and fortified foods still rely on artificial vitamins, often produced through synthetic processes. We believe there is a better way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with Swansea University gives us access to the research expertise needed to develop natural Vitamin C from fruit-processing waste. If successful, this project could help us create a new class of circular, clean-label ingredients for food, drink and supplement brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scientific innovation<\/p>\n

Professor Chedly Tizaoui, of Swansea University\u2019s Department of Chemical Engineering, said the research combined scientific innovation with practical commercial applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes this project particularly compelling is the combination of scientific challenge and commercial relevance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows us to address a real-world problem rooted in local waste streams, while applying advanced chemical engineering principles and green extraction approaches to recover valuable micronutrients from fruit-processing residues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to establish a robust, scalable route to natural Vitamin C that supports circular production and wider food innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is supported by Innovate UK through its Launchpad: Net Zero Industry, South West Wales collaborative research and development programme.<\/p>\n

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\n the people of Wales.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cheerful Buddha Raspberry and Mint Functional Mushroom Sparkling Drink \u2014 developed by BIOVIT, which focuses on natural vitamins…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-769503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/769504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}