Analysis of Upcycling Potential for Oat Pulp

With food trends shifting to healthier and plant-based alternatives, plant food production waste has significantly increased in recent years. A popular plant-based milk alternative in the U.S. is oat milk, and in the process of filtration, a byproduct called oat pulp is generated in excess. About 0.2 to 0.4 kg of oat pulp is produced per kg of oat milk, which leads to an estimated 228 million kilograms of this byproduct produced annually. Companies such as Chobani, which produce oat pulp, typically sell it to food waste recycling centers to be turned into biogas and fertilizer or send it to landfills. However, oat pulp contains extremely valuable fiber and minerals that could be isolated and used for higher-value products instead. This project aims to valorize this low-value byproduct into high-value products, such as a source of biofuel or a fiber additive. So far, the research has focused on the extraction and isolation of valuable compounds through acid digestion and energy, nitrogen, mineral, and moisture analyses. This compositional evaluation will be a stepping stone for further testing of the oat pulp. Future studies will include quantifying fiber content, extraction using dimethyl ether, and optimizing purification processes to yield commercial, oat pulp-based products.