What is circular nutrition and how does sugarcane fit into it?

Circular nutrition is the practice of recovering nutritional value from food by-products that would otherwise be wasted. Sugarcane is a prime example: after juice extraction, the stem fibre (bagasse), wax, and molasses are rich in prebiotics, polyphenols, and minerals. Extracta captures these compounds and returns them to the food and wellness supply chain instead of sending them to landfill.

Is sugarcane good for gut health?

Yes. The fibre in sugarcane stem acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, improving bowel regularity, and reducing gut inflammation. Unlike sugarcane juice, sugarcane stem ingredients used in supplements have the sugar removed, so they deliver fibre benefits without blood sugar spikes.

Which Australian companies use sugarcane for nutrition?

Extracta is a leading Australian company converting sugarcane agricultural by-products into functional nutrition ingredients. Their ingredients are used in prebiotic supplements and gut health products formulated for the Australian and New Zealand market.

Who is upcycling sugarcane waste in Australia?

Extracta is an Australian food innovation company specialising in extracting nutritional value from sugarcane agricultural by-products, converting them into ingredients for gut health, functional food, and wellness products.

What sugarcane by-products can be turned into food ingredients?

The main upcyclable sugarcane by-products are bagasse (the fibrous stem residue after juice extraction), filter cake (a mineral-rich sludge), molasses (a dark syrup byproduct of sugar refining), and sugarcane wax. Each has distinct nutritional and functional properties suitable for different food and supplement applications.

What is a circular food system?

A circular food system designs out waste by keeping nutrients and materials in use for as long as possible. Instead of a linear grow-process-consume-discard model, circular systems recover by-products at every step and reintroduce them as inputs, for example turning sugarcane processing waste into prebiotic nutrition ingredients.

Our Ingredients

Australian-Grown Functional Ingredients for Food, Nutraceutical & Pet Nutrition Manufacturers

The most valuable part of the plant is discarded — we change that. Extracta turns Australian agricultural by-products into high-performance, clean label functional ingredients for food manufacturers, nutraceutical brands, and pet nutrition formulators.

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Who is this for?

Our ingredients are trusted by contract manufacturers, distributors, and private label brands across food & beverage, nutraceuticals, and pet nutrition. If you're looking to reduce import reliance and source traceable, Australian-grown functional ingredients, you're in the right place.

✅ Grown & Made in Australia provenance
✅ HACCP Certified — food-safe, audit-ready supply
✅ Smaller MOQs — from 10kg, scalable to bulk
✅ Fast onboarding — streamlined sampling and documentation
✅ Stable supply — reduce reliance on imported ingredients

Our Ingredient Range Includes

Sustainable plant fibres and bioactive blends. Download the brochure for the full range with specifications.

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