Hemp Project | The Rowett Institute | The University of Aberdeen

Hemp Project

Hemp has been a traditional part of Scotland’s industry and is suited to both the climate and the growing conditions in the main agronomic areas, especially parts of the Borders, East Lothian, Fife, Angus, Moray and the Black Isle. Apart from financial benefits directly for farmers and producers, hemp also brings environmental advantages due to its capacity for carbon sequestration, contributing to a greater biodiversity, land recovery and remediation. Hemp could play a role in the development and expansion of a low carbon, environmentally responsible industry, bringing a new ‘cash-crop’ to Scottish agriculture and offering new job opportunities across the supply chain.

Uses of hemp

Hemp Facts

Hemp is in the small plant family Cannabaceae consisting of 170 species in 11 genera. The most familiar edible member of this family is the hop used to flavour beer. Cultivated throughout recorded history, hemp probably originated in southeast Russia. A government licence is required for its cultivation due to certain forms of the plant being the source of illegal psychoactive drugs. The plant has many uses and three main groups of hemp cultivars are recognised for their distinct properties: fibre, food and drugs (medicinal/recreational). All these forms are botanically speaking the same species and look very much alike, which is why hemp has suffered from an image problem. Hemp was more widely grown in the past for fibre and does have a history of cultivation in Britain, including Scotland.
Memorable facts:

The American Declaration of Independence was printed on paper made from hemp fibre
The first jeans sold by Levi Strauss were made from hemp fibre for miners involved in the California Gold Rush of 1853

Max Coleman; Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Hemp Research

Since 2012; the Scottish Government have funded research at the Rowett Institute to investigate various high-protein food crops, which grow, or have the potential to be grown in Scotland. The focus has been on providing healthy and sustainable food, as well as opportunities for the sector to diversify into new markets. Among these crops is agricultural hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Hemp has an excellent nutritional profile being a rich source of protein (36%), dietary fibre (26%), healthy fats (6%) and micronutrient minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and zinc. It also contains a wide variety of bioactive phytochemicals, with potential to impact on wellbeing.

“Hemp is ideally placed to provide dietary protein diversification,as well as to boost daily fibre recommendations. It has wide and versatile uses and is a symbol of the new agricultural revolution”

Dr Madalina Neacsu and
Professor Wendy Russell;
Rowett Institute

Manuscript describing the chemical composition of hemp (pdf)

Image Credit: Gabrielle Reith (Small Stories) https://gra-small-stories.co.uk/

Hemp as a Growing Medium

Green Grow Food is a nature-based and circular economy business, where we care for Scottish quality food and urban and rural communities. Our mission is to implement the innovative solutions in food production processes and outputs across Scotland to tackle climate change and to improve topsoil regeneration. In cooperation with the Rowett Institute, we started to use two parts of hemp plants: the seeds (high grade) and the stalks (low grade).
We use the hemp seeds to create balanced ready-to-cook meals, functional foods for plant-based protein intake for vegans and health/environment conscious people. When associating mushroom protein with a fibre, we obtain a functional protein. A functional protein or whole protein is a food source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of each of the nine essential amino acids necessary in the human diet. We also use the hemp stalk fibre as a functional substrate for mushrooms cultivation - including bast fibre & inner hurd (low grade hemp), between several agricultural lignin-based by-products, conventionally considered as waste and not valorised enough (coffee grounds, oat husks, saw dust, spent grains from the brewery industry)

Dr Isabella Guerrini de Claire; Green Grow Food

Hemp as a Building Material

A true circular bio-based economy aims to replace fossil-based resources and processes by sustainable alternatives which exploits renewable biomass for the generation of products used in our daily life. The current trend in fungal biotechnology—the production of fungal-based biomaterials—will contribute to both. For this reason we identified fungi as an optimal example of the circular economy models and we proceed in our investigation with a ‘circular economy in action’ framework, learning by creating a fungi science open lab concept, to provide hands-on knowledge and support to other fungi based startups in Scotland and around the world to share knowledge on how to create DYI biomaterials and biopackaging alternatives to plastic. We operate a novel approach across biology, design and architecture. Our activities span from fungi biomaterials to bio-inspired design and bio fabrication. Our mission is to accelerate our transition to sustainable material creation and use

Iain Findlay; Aurora Sustainability Group

Hemp as a Food Success

Good Hemp began in 1998 when the founders started experimenting with hemp seeds in their farm in Devon UK. Since then the business has grown developing a unique expertise from growing the crop to setting quality standards, from developing processing techniques to understanding relevant applications and consumer trends in health, wellbeing and clean label foods. Good Hemp are now the leading hemp seed ingredient producer and hemp consumer brand in the UK and Europe, producing everything from plant-based milks, creams and proteins, to oils and seeds

Dave Shaw; Good Hemp

Scottish Hemp Group

The Scottish Hemp Group was founded in 2019. It is an open group that welcomes all sectors from primary producers to consumers. The group’s mission is “to support and promote hemp in Scotland for food, feed, energy, biomaterials and as cash-crop promoter of circular green economies and new markets”. If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the Scottish Hemp Group, please get in touch.

For more hemp recipes link see our Taste of Plants recipe pages
Hemp’s role in diet biodiversification and reducing greenhouse gas emissions link to blog

Hemp Futures

Hemp Futures was an online art/science gathering which showcased the importance of hemp. Scientists from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute received funding from SEFARI Gateway and teamed up with their partners (James Hutton Institute, SRUC and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) and the multi-arts venue; The Barn in order to demonstrate the wider benefits of Hemp. HEMP Futures gave makers and those involved in craft and design the opportunity to engage with scientists and consider the sustainable credentials and versatility of hemp as a valuable, truly zero waste, zero net emissions crop. The event featured notable Danish textile designer Tanja Kirst, part of The Mindcraft Project 2020. Kirst’s artistic, research-driven and experimental approach to hemp demonstrate the great potential of this crop to catalyse a major shift towards sustainable textile production.