Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Is sugarcane good for gut health?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Which Australian companies use sugarcane for nutrition?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

Who is upcycling sugarcane waste in Australia?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What is a circular food system?

Accepted Answer

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.

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