{"id":52456,"date":"2025-09-28T11:10:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T09:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.axfoundation.se\/?p=52456"},"modified":"2025-09-29T09:06:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T07:06:37","slug":"broccoli-sausage-an-innovation-from-the-processing-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.axfoundation.se\/en\/news\/broccoli-sausage-an-innovation-from-the-processing-stage","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBroccoli Sausage\u201d \u2013 An Innovation from the Processing Stage\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Just in time for the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29, pea patties with broccoli leaves \u2013 leaves that otherwise would have gone to waste \u2013 are being launched. The idea comes from the processing stage in the project <\/span><\/span>The Whole Plant \u2013 More Harvest Becomes More Food<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em>.<\/em> For the second year in a row, broccoli leaves are being turned into ingredients for delicious dishes instead of decomposing in the field.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The "Broccoli Sausage" is a good example of how important the processing stage is in product development. The idea was born at Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd in H\u00e4ssleholm.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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From Waste to Resource: A Holistic Approach to Swedish Vegetables<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

It is common for the leaves and stalks of Swedish-grown, nutrient-rich vegetables to be discarded. This biomass is left in the field or thrown away because it is difficult to sell. Making use of the entire plant and turning waste into a resource is at the core of the <\/span>Whole Plant<\/span><\/i> project, which Axfoundation runs in collaboration with partners across the entire value chain.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Broccoli is a good example of an underutilized resource. The familiar florets found on store shelves make up only about 15 percent of the plant\u2019s biomass. The equally nutritious leaves account for nearly half of the total biomass. This means there is great potential to significantly increase the yield if some of the leaves are also harvested.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But even though the leaves are just as nutritious as the florets, they are fibrous, and it isn\u2019t obvious how they can best be used. The idea for a solution was sparked at the crucial middle link in the chain from farm to fork \u2013 Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd in H\u00e4ssleholm.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But let\u2019s rewind.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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How Do You Actually Make Broccoli Mash?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

In 2024, Axfoundation gathered stakeholders from across the value chain to lay the foundation for a large-scale test of how to make use of broccoli leaves. Project partner Sevan<\/a> was interested in mixing broccoli mash into falafel and yellow pea patties, but it was unclear how to process the broccoli leaves on a large scale.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 We couldn\u2019t find anyone who could mix, heat, cool down, and then package the leaves into a mash, says Veronica \u00d6hrvik, Axfoundation\u2019s project manager for the <\/span>Whole Plant<\/span><\/i> project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem was raised at an innovation meeting at Tors\u00e5ker Farm<\/a>. One of the participants, Anton Wallin, business and product developer at Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd<\/a>, recalled how the company packages blended rhubarb into sausage-like plastic casings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 I thought, if it works with rhubarb, which is quite tough and fibrous, it should work with broccoli too. It\u2019s the same machines used for both meat and vegetarian sausages \u2013 the only difference is the packaging, says Anton Wallin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back at work, Anton shared the idea with his colleagues. They immediately responded positively. The critical factor was ensuring the heating process would meet requirements for color and food safety, while also satisfying customer Sevan\u2019s needs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 Sevan wanted us to blanch first and then chop. But we reversed the order \u2013 we chopped the raw leaves, packed them, and then heated them afterward. And it worked well, says Anton Wallin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The broccoli mash was tested and approved. Sevan was satisfied, and production could begin. The chopped broccoli leaves became an ingredient in yellow pea patties, which were sold frozen through Martin & Servera \u2013 and sold out quickly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The broccoli florets you see on the store shelf make up only about 15 percent of the plant\u2019s biomass. The equally nutritious leaves account for nearly half of the total biomass.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Innovation at Every Step \u2013 From Field to Finished Dish<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Now it\u2019s harvest season again, and the success is being repeated. Anton Wallin at Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd considers broccoli mash a practical product and emphasizes the importance of making use of all by-products.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 We\u2019re already buying broccoli, so it\u2019s extremely important to use what\u2019s there \u2013 especially since the leaves are so nutritious. The challenge is getting customers to see the value. It\u2019s about communicating correctly, not saying it\u2019s discarded leaves, but presenting it as tasty broccoli leaves, says Anton Wallin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Veronica \u00d6hrvik at Axfoundation agrees, adding that pricing is key if the innovation is to scale and last over time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 It would make more sense to talk about cost per nutrient, not just cost per unit, says Veronica.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cbroccoli sausage\u201d is a good example of how important the processing stage is in product development. Innovation doesn\u2019t always happen in the kitchen among chefs and sensory experts. More often, it happens in the steps between primary producer and end consumer \u2013 where raw materials are handled, treated, processed, and packaged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 What we do in the kitchen at Tors\u00e5ker Farm is only one part of what\u2019s needed to make an innovation take off. Most of it is about connecting the entire value chain so that innovation also happens there, says Veronica \u00d6hrvik.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd, integrating innovation into daily work is natural. It\u2019s a pragmatic effort aimed at solving problems, and Anton Wallin is quick to stress that it\u2019s not about individual credit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 Most of it is teamwork.<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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About The Whole Plant \u2013 More Harvest Becomes More Food<\/h2>\n
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In the <\/span>project<\/span> <\/span>The <\/span>Whole<\/span> Plant \u2013 <\/span>More<\/span> Harvest<\/span> Becomes<\/span> More<\/span> Food<\/span><\/span><\/em>, partners from <\/span>across<\/span> the <\/span>value<\/span> chain<\/span> collaborate<\/span> to make <\/span>underutilized<\/span> by-<\/span>products<\/span> more<\/span> accessible<\/span> to the <\/span>food<\/span> industry<\/span>. The <\/span>method<\/span> for <\/span>processing<\/span> broccoli <\/span>leaves<\/span> was<\/span> optimized<\/span> by Gr\u00f6nsakshallen Syd in fall 2024.<\/span>\u00a0Patties made from Swedish yellow peas and broccoli leaves have been developed and are produced by Sevan and sold by Martin & Servera. After this year\u2019s broccoli season, frozen chopped broccoli leaves will also be sold directly by Martin & Servera.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

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