The Danish fermented ingredient producer FERM FOOD ApS received EU authorization to market its fermented rapeseed cake ingredient for food. To receive authorization from the EU’s food safety authority, EFSA, applicants must conduct clinical trials and documentation, a costly process that usually takes years. FERM FOOD ApS can now produce fermented rapeseed cake for the food industry.

The use of rapeseed cake, a by-product of cooking oil production, was previously banned as a food ingredient. Fermented rapeseed cake is the new food protein source. Rapeseed cake contains 28-30% protein and is a more local answer to a protein source for food, the company notes. It is readily available to supply food producers and consumers on a large scale and at reasonable prices.

A Finnish applicant had their processed version of rapeseed cake authorized prior to this, but the specifications were narrow and not applicable to the typical Danish or EU rapeseed cake.

The Danish Industry Association for Grain and Feed, DAKOFO, comments on the new EU approval: “We are world champions in producing rapeseed in the EU. Therefore, the EU’s extension of the existing approval is a huge advantage for EU rapeseed production and EU plant proteins for food. Thanks to the Danish Food Administration’s Novel Food team, who have contributed with valuable guidance in the process,” says director Emil Dalsgaard Hansen from DAKOFO.

Rapeseed cake has one disadvantage, however: in its raw form, rapeseed cake obtained after pressing the seeds for oil contains glucosinolates, a substance that protects the plant against pests, bacteria, and mold. Glucosinolates give the seed its bitter taste, making rapeseed cake difficult to apply to foods. FERM FOOD’s patented process solves this challenge by utilizing millions of beneficial lactic acid bacteria and solid-state fermentation. When rapeseed cake is fermented with lactic acid bacteria, a biological process starts where new beneficial breakdown substances are produced and unwanted substances, including the bitter taste, are broken down. Therefore, FERM FOOD’s fermented rapeseed cake can be applied across many foods such as bread, cakes, pâté, sausages, and plant-based foods.

In addition to this, rapeseed gains preservative abilities after fermentation. This means that using fermented rapeseed cake in bread can naturally extend the shelf life of foods without preservatives.

“Clean-label foods have a high priority among consumers, and therefore fermented rapeseed cake is an obvious solution to replace both functional additives and preservatives in food, making the end-product more natural,” says FERM FOOD’s founder and CEO, Jens Legarth.

The food industry has shown great interest in fermented rapeseed cake. Danish bakery Vadehavsbageriet in the South of Denmark has already used fermented rapeseed cake in several breads, which are sold as bake-off in retail and for food service.

“With fermented rapeseed cake in bread, we can increase the protein level, improve the amino acid profile, and at the same time extend the shelf life of the bread completely naturally. We are working on even more products with this fantastic raw material in the development department,” says Jytte Kruse, CEO, Vadehavsbageriet.

The bread can be purchased through the Danish online retail shop nemlig.com and via the food service supplier Dansk Cater, and they will soon be served in public canteens in the South of Denmark.

According to Søren Lange, Head of Development at FERM FOOD ApS, 2025 will be the year where rapeseed cake is included in even more foods: “Customers have been waiting for the EU authorization to start their development of new clean-label and protein-rich products. So, I am convinced that consumers will be able to buy even more foods with fermented rapeseed cake by the end of 2025.”

Rapeseed cake

• Rapeseed is one of the most common and protein-rich crops in the EU.
• Rapeseed cake contains 28-30% protein, is rich in essential amino acids that the body cannot produce, and is packed with minerals and vitamins.
• In 2022, 894,000 tons of rapeseed were produced in Denmark alone (Statistics Denmark), corresponding to approximately 447,000 tons of rapeseed cake or 75 kilos of rapeseed cake per Dane per year (Statistics Denmark).
• The EU produces 19.8 million tons of rapeseed annually (AgriData, 2023). Rapeseed is the second-largest protein crop in the world after soy. Therefore, the yellow crop can be crucial for the EU to achieve greater self-sufficiency in protein, more robust value chains, and fewer soy imports.

The Novel Food regulation

The EU Commission’s Novel Food regulation sets rules that foods not used for consumption to a significant extent in the EU before May 15, 1997, cannot be marketed without EU approval.

The Novel Food rules mean that rapeseed cakes cannot be used in foods unless approved and only in specified amounts according to the corresponding food category.

The European Food Safety Authority EFSA administers Novel Food applications.

The EU’s authorization of new specifications for rapeseed cake for food can be read online.

Photos: Pexel