Agriculture

A Greek company offers for licensing and know-how transfer a patented cottonseed valorisation technology that significantly reduces the gossypol content of cottonseed, enabling the conversion of an underutilised agro-industrial by-product into higher-value protein feed ingredients. The technology creates new opportunities for the feed industry and the broader plant-protein value chain while supporting the industrial utilisation of an abundant agricultural resource. Cottonseed is an abundant by-product of cotton production and cotton ginning, widely available in many cotton-producing countries. Despite its high protein content and valuable nutritional properties, its wider utilisation is restricted by the presence of gossypol, a naturally occurring compound that limits its use in feed applications. As a result, a significant proportion of the potential economic value of cottonseed remains untapped. Growing global demand for sustainable protein sources, resource-efficient production and the valorisation of agro-industrial by-products is creating new opportunities for technologies capable of increasing the value of existing biomass streams. The proposed technology directly responds to these market trends through a proprietary processing method that significantly reduces the gossypol content of cottonseed, enabling its transformation into higher-value protein feed ingredients suitable for further industrial processing and commercial exploitation. By upgrading an abundant agro-industrial by-product into a higher-value resource, the technology supports circular bioeconomy principles, promotes resource efficiency and contributes to the development of more sustainable agri-food value chains. The technology has been successfully developed and validated at laboratory scale and is supported by experimental results and technical documentation. The next development phase aims to demonstrate the process under pilot-scale conditions and prepare it for full industrial implementation. Potential industrial users include companies involved in cottonseed processing, cottonseed oil production, compound feed manufacturing, oilseed processing, plant protein ingredients and other agri-food sectors seeking innovative solutions for the valorisation of agricultural by-products and the development of higher-value products. The technology is available for commercial deployment through licensing, know-how transfer and technical cooperation agreements. The company is seeking industrial partners interested in evaluating the technology, integrating it into existing production processes and supporting its commercial deployment in international markets. Advantages and innovations: The technology is protected by a granted Greek patent and is supported by specialised implementation know-how. By significantly reducing the gossypol content of cottonseed, it addresses one of the main barriers limiting its wider industrial utilisation while enabling the production of higher-value protein feed ingredients. The technology contributes to the valorisation of a widely available agro-industrial by-product, supporting the development of new products and the more efficient use of existing resources. The process can be adapted to different industrial applications and is available for commercial exploitation through licensing, know-how transfer and technical cooperation agreements. Expected role of a partner: The company is seeking industrial partners active in cottonseed processing, feed manufacturing, plant protein ingredients, oilseed processing and the wider agri-food sector. Prospective partners are expected to possess the production infrastructure and technical capability required to evaluate, validate and industrially deploy the technology. The preferred cooperation model is based on licensing, know-how transfer and technical cooperation agreements aimed at adapting the technology to the partner's production requirements and supporting its commercial exploitation. The commercial framework may include an initial technology evaluation or access fee, engineering and technical support services, milestone-based payments and ongoing royalties or production- or sales-related remuneration, depending on the scope of the agreement. The industrial partner will normally be responsible for financing, industrial scale-up, regulatory compliance, manufacturing, quality assurance and commercialisation. The inventor will provide the available technical documentation, proprietary know-how, training and the agreed technical support throughout the technology transfer process.