Life cycle assessment of protein production from wheat grass cultivated in a controlled vertical farming system

Food supply chain contributes about one quarter of the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The global protein demand is expected to keep increasing due to a growing global population, combined with changing social demography and other factors. Plant-based protein sources are considered to be one sustainable protein alternative. Wheat grass (Triticum aestivum), a plant rich in high-quality protein that can help prevent various diseases and is involved in oxidative stress, is one potential alternative plant-based protein source. Within the framework of the Fraunhofer lighthouse project "FutureProteins", Fraunhofer IME established the cultivation process for wheat grass in their novel OrbiPlant® vertical farming system under controlled environment, which offers potential advantages of reduced fertilizer use and year-round production at maximum yields. Extraction of proteins from harvested wheat grass was performed using mechanical press and ultrafiltration technologies which were developed by Fraunhofer UMSICHT. The produced protein concentrated powder can be used as ingredient in different products and has the potential to replace animal-based protein sources like cheeses. The objective of this LCA study was to compare the environmental impacts of protein production from wheat grass to that of a conventional protein source and to investigate the influence of the choice of handling multifunctionality.