With the aim of developing innovative foods that take advantage of the high nutritional value of bagasse for human consumption, ImpactTaste, a dynamic platform aimed at young nonconformists who want to add value to the food industry. This challenge arises from the collaboration between Hijos de Rivera, the Galician family corporation specialized in the production, marketing and distribution of beverages, and blend hub, the innovation platform for the food industry based in Murcia and production centers on three continents.
El bagasse It is the result of the pressing and filtering process of the beer wort obtained after the first phase of the beer brewing process. It is estimated that the European brewing industry produces more than 7 million tons of bagasse annually, according to data from the European Life Brewery project. Thus, in Hijos de Rivera, beers such as Estrella Galicia or 1906 Reserva Especial also generate a large amount of bagasse during their production process that is currently 100% revalued.
For this reason, for Hijos de Rivera bagasse is recognized as a by-product, being used entirely for animal feed, especially for beef consumption, as it is a food rich in protein. Precisely the high value of some of its components such as lipids or cellulose, in addition to the already mentioned protein, provides complementary paths to explore new solutions with high added value, becoming one of the main lines of action of its R&D+ department. Yo.
Both companies have now joined forces to develop innovative ideas that explore new ways to valorize bagasse through healthy and sustainable food products: new drinks, snacks, etc. Thus, ImpacTaste challenges final-year university students, graduates and doctoral students with an interest in food, technology and innovation to develop innovative business models around healthy recipes and products made from bagasse. All those who wish to register for ImpacTaste can do so through their page website until next May 10, proposing an initial development idea.
From this first challenge, those responsible for the selected ideas will obtain, between May and June, support and training from Hijos de Rivera and Blendhub, benefiting from the experience of both companies in the creation and development of sustainable and innovative solutions. In this way, they will have follow-up in matters such as market research, branding or production.
In mid-September the five best teams will present their projects which, in addition to being evaluated by a jury that will distribute financial prizes of between €1.000 and €3.000, may be selected to continue their development.
