In Andalusia some 500.000 tons of fruit and vegetable by-products are produced that do not have any form of recovery, so their end is the landfill. From this waste, and in line with the philosophy of the circular economy, the Biovege project has made possible the extraction of high-value substances for the packaging and food industry. Specifically, different types of 23 µm thick biodegradable films have been developed from sugars obtained from watermelon and melon for use as shrink film for cucumber packaging and for the manufacture of weighing bags for all types of products agricultural.
On the other hand, from other waste fruit and vegetable products such as tomatoes and peppers, it has been possible to extract active substances such as vitamins, antioxidants and colorants that have made it possible to obtain single-dose vinaigrette sauce supplemented with 5% freeze-dried tomato and oil olive supplemented 1% with phenolic extract of green pepper obtained by pressurized fluids.
Led by Alhóndiga La Unión, four other companies have also participated in the project, such as Ecoplas, Morera and Vallejo Industrial, Torres Morente and Domca. The project has been technically led by AIMPLAS and other research centers such as Tecnalia, Cidaf and Las Palmerillas Fundación Cajamar have participated. In addition, it is subsidized by CDTI through the FEDER Innterconecta 2015 program.
