In this article, Raffaele Mezzenga focuses on finding innovative applications for food waste proteins. After working at Nestlé Research Center, he began transforming food waste proteins into amyloid fibrils, a structure with the potential for various uses.  Mezzenga has shown that these proteins can be repurposed for applications such as carbon dioxide capture, bioplastics, and water purification. His research on amyloid fibrils even demonstrated that mice can digest them, suggesting potential for use in food. Mezzenga emphasizes that proteins, which make up about a third of food waste, are particularly valuable due to their versatility and complex chemical functionality. He believes his unconventional approach to repurposing food waste proteins has been successful, showing a promising direction in sustainable materials science.

https://cen.acs.org/food/food-science/Conversation-Raffaele-Mezzenga/103/web/2025/02