TCI Co., Ltd. has been reutilizing agricultural by-products which are usually considered as useless in order to exploit the resources and discover the nutritional and effective ingredients in plants. We have identified the novel values of by-products by our exclusive extraction technologies for the effective ingredients, and developed high-performance products by these by-products.
( English provided by company. )
“Sustainability” is one of the essentials of competitiveness in the future. Based on the concept of sustainability, TCI is scoping out the business operation to cover social responsibility, environmental protection, and business development simultaneously. We are looking forward to the balance between business development and sustainability. We have been simplifying and automating our operation and manufacturing by our profession, biotechnology. We improve the process of resource recycling and reuse, and provide benefits to human health. We are creating the irreplaceability with this circular economy model.
We are an ODM manufacturer for developing and producing functional beverages, dietary supplements and facial masks. Based on the development and the manufacturing technologies focusing on agricultural biotechnology, we have established the business model which features the concept of the “Circular Economy for Agricultural Materials”. We have developed functional beverage and food products made by by-products such as banana peels, banana stamens, unripe jujube fruits and unripe ponkan fruits (thinning fruit), peanut skin, longan shells, and red quinoa shells etc. We have been creating high additional values for by-products with our state-of-the-art extraction technologies. For instance, we have developed the coffee product with additional iLiver® Longan Shell Extract which has abundant content of flavonoids that can improve liver detoxification. In 2018, TCI has obtained the Excellent Manufacturer of Circular Economy recognized by the Industrial Development Bureau, MOEA (Taiwan).
We exploit red quinoa shells by “four consecutive processes” to fulfill comprehensive circular economy and re-utilization. First, red quinoa after hulling is edible and can be used as a staple food. We cultivate red quinoa by organic farming in TCI Sunrise Park. Second, red quinoa shells can be used to make red quinoa extract which can be added to make the functional drink with pomegranate enzymes and red quinoa extract. This product can facilitate the synthesis of collagen and provide the effects of anti-aging and anti-wrinkles. Third, the dregs of red quinoa can be re-utilized. We add the dregs of red quinoa to make organic noodles with red quinoa. The dregs have been used as the source of dietary fiber added in a staple food that can improve digestion. Fourth, the dregs left after the manufacturing process for noodles can be fermented by microorganisms to make organic compost. The compost will be used as the fertilizer for the farmlands for red quinoa in TCI Sunrise Park. The circular economy has been established.
Benefits
- We re-utilize 800 tons of agricultural by-products every year and have created the product value equals to 200 times of the by-product cost.
- We spend about NT$27 million purchasing agricultural by-products every year.