IRTA promotes the production of vegetable drinks and alternative proteins with native varieties from Catalonia

January 21, 2025

IRTA

El IRTA (Institute for Agri-Food Research and Technology) presents the results of the demonstration project LIQVEG, “Technologies for the production of vegetable drinks and the extraction of vegetable proteins”, funded by the Rural Development Programme of Catalonia 2014-2022. The main objective has been Promote the use of native varieties of cereals and legumes in the production of vegetable drinks and the extraction of vegetable proteins.

Xavier Felipe, a researcher in the Food Quality and Technology programme at IRTA and head of the project, highlights that “the main success of LIQVEG has been to provide the Catalan agri-food sector with knowledge of the process and technology for producing vegetable drinks and extracting proteins from legumes to produce protein concentrates”. These innovative technologies open up new possibilities for using cereals and legumes native to Catalonia as a local alternative to the raw materials currently used, which are mostly imported from other regions.

The demonstration days held at the center IRTA Monells They have focused on vegetable drinks made from cereals, such as oats, and legumes, such as lupine. They have also worked on protein concentration to obtain suitable ingredients to create products analogous to meat and cheese, with a similar texture and shape, but from the same raw material.

Transition towards more sustainable and local production

Until now, the most common way of processing vegetable drinks has been sterilization. This method, called UHT (Ultra High Temperature), allows conservation at room temperature, extending shelf life and facilitating marketing in more distant markets. However, the technology required is complex and only accessible to large organizations. The technology presented in this project is based on the pasteurization which, unlike the UHT method, requires refrigerated storage, but is much more affordable and encourages the consumption of local products. Thus, it can be stated that the project contributes positively to the sustainability of the Catalan agri-food system.

Although Catalonia does not traditionally produce large quantities of legumes, the agricultural sector could adapt to this production. In this way, the growing industry of vegetable drinks and alternative proteins could be supplied, making it economically viable. However, the project leader warns that “modifying production patterns to adapt to this new industry is a challenge. A transformation in agricultural and business dynamics will be necessary.”

The transition towards plant-based and other alternative proteins, driven by Europe to reduce dependence on animal protein, is a reality that will continue to grow. In fact, the European goal is to achieve a balance in the consumption of animal and plant proteins, thus obtaining both environmental and health benefits.

In this regard, Felipe highlights the advantages of vegetable protein as a more sustainable and economical alternative. However, he concludes that “the biggest challenge is to create products with vegetable proteins that are good, attractive and economical for the consumer. The speed of the transition will depend on this.”

The LIQVEG project is part of the IRTA's CiPA (Centre for Innovation in Alternative Protein), dedicated to promoting alternative protein as a basis for a more diversified and sustainable diet. The facilities at the IRTA centre located in Monells allow pilot tests of this type of ingredients and products to be carried out, and are available to the agri-food sector to facilitate innovation and promote local and more sustainable products.

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