Scientists develop platform that transforms pig blood into high-value ingredients

Source and Photography: Agricultural Report What do a natural colorant, a protein capable of improving the texture of food, and a compound with antioxidant potential have in common? Although it may seem hard to believe, they all come from the same place: pig blood. This is precisely what a team of researchers from the School of Food and the School of Biochemical Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) has achieved through the development of "Bloodref", a technological platform that allows the valorization of this by-product of the meat industry and transforms it into three high-value ingredients, with potential applications in the food industry and, in the future, in the pharmaceutical field. The first of these products is a concentrate rich in hemoglobin that can be used as a natural colorant for food. Its development fits into the trend of the food industry towards ingredients of natural origin and "clean label" formulations, driven by consumers ...