Greenfill wheat is a growing market
Greenfill wheat is a growing market
By Amanda Dunn
WHEAT for use in an extruded form as packaging is already developing into an emerging market. Now further developments could see the starch-based products compete with moulded polystyrene, offering an even more lucrative market.
The current "greenfill" product, based on extruded wheat flour, is an alternative to polystyrene loosefill. Developed by London-based manufacturer Greenlight Products and modified in conjunction with Northants-based miller Heygates, it has proved so successful it is now entering export markets as both a finished product and raw material.
Greenfill production already accounts for about 1000t/year of wheat and could increase six-fold, says Laurie Pearson, technical manager at Heygates. "Compared with the polystyrene alternative, Greenfill is more environmentally friendly, made from a renewable source and is now also price competitive."
But at £8m/year loosefill is a relatively small market, says Greenlight technical director Bruce Yeo. "Our target is to make added value products, such as moulded packaging for electrical items."
To achieve that further research is needed, which is being backed by funding of over £200,000 for a three-year LINK project.
"In conjunction with Brunel University and Norwich Food Research Institute, we are trying to use the best engineering and the best starch technology to take this product one step further, enabling it to stick together and simulate polystyrene blocks.
"Being a more value added product this will lend itself to shipping throughout Europe, particularly for companies with pan-European operations," says Mr Yeo.
Last years £30,000 HGCA Enterprise Award presented to Heygates is being used to research suitability of different wheat varieties.
"We have found that certain wheat varieties give us greater volume in the end product. Were trying to determine which one will give us the largest volume," says Mr Pearson.
To date, more than 120 different wheat varieties have been trialled. Talks are also ongoing with plant breeders about new varieties.
Mr Yeo hopes this research will result in the development of an improved flour blend offering further justification to export the raw material for production abroad. *
"The product is made by first removing bran, then heating, moulding and expanding the flour by steam before blowing it into a foam that looks like polystyrene chips," says Robin Guy, a senior research assistant at the Chipping Camden Food Research Association was involved in developing the process. "After bran and other natural grain by-products, approximately 76% of raw material ends up as finished packaging. The final product is environmentally friendly and decomposes into a starch solution once in contact with water."
Making greenfill
"The product is made by first removing bran, then heating, moulding and expanding the flour by steam before blowing it into a foam that looks like polystyrene chips," says Robin Guy, a senior research assistant at the Chipping Camden Food Research Association was involved in developing the process. "After bran and other natural grain by-products, approximately 76% of raw material ends up as finished packaging. The final product is environmentally friendly and decomposes into a starch solution once in contact with water."