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SWANSEA: University team works to turn food waste into natural Vitamin C

Swansea University scientists are exploring whether food-processing waste could be turned into a natural source of Vitamin C.

The work is part of a project with BIOVIT, a Tenby-based nutrition start-up, backed by funding from the UK innovation agency Innovate UK.

The team is examining agricultural and food-processing waste to assess how much of its vitamins and minerals can be recovered.

BIOVIT says its early research found that up to 60% of the vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetable material can be lost during processing — which the partners see as an opportunity for recovery.

Researchers from Swansea University’s Natural Products BioHUB are leading the scientific and extraction work alongside the company.

The aim is to offer a sustainable, natural alternative to the synthetic Vitamin C widely used in supplements and fortified foods.

If it works, the partners say the process could show how food waste can be converted into high-value nutritional ingredients, opening up new opportunities for greener manufacturing in Wales.

The project follows recent recognition for BIOVIT’s “Circular Vitamin C” concept, which won two prizes — including the overall Innovation of the Year award — at the IFE Manufacturing Ingredients Awards in March.

Dr Farooq Shah, director of the Natural Products BioHUB at Swansea University, said the team was taking something usually seen as waste and exploring whether it could become part of the solution.

He said combining the company’s commercial ambition with the university’s expertise in natural products, green chemistry and biotechnology could help turn food-processing waste into high-value ingredients.

“It is a strong example of how university–SME collaboration can support circular manufacturing, strengthen regional supply chains and help position Wales at the forefront of the green economy,” he said.

Ky Wright, founder and chief executive of BIOVIT, said the company wanted to improve people’s health using natural vitamins and minerals.

“Most supplements and fortified foods still rely on artificial vitamins, often produced through synthetic processes. We believe there is a better way,” he said.

He said working with Swansea University gave the firm access to the research expertise needed to develop natural Vitamin C from fruit-processing waste.

Professor Chedly Tizaoui, professor of chemical engineering at Swansea University, said the project paired a real scientific challenge with commercial relevance.

He said the goal was to establish a reliable, scalable route to natural Vitamin C drawn from fruit-processing residues.

The project is supported through Innovate UK’s Launchpad scheme for net zero industry in south-west Wales, and aligns with UK and Welsh Government ambitions on net zero and the circular economy.

It is the latest research tie-up for the university, which recently saw a Swansea firm win a grant to develop an eco-friendly way of tackling slugs.

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