ANI, through the Born from Knowledge (BfK) program, is once again partnering with the Ecotrophelia Portugal Prize, promoted by PortugalFoods, to award the best project born from scientific knowledge.
University students are challenged to develop an eco-innovative food product. The 2024 edition began on Monday (February 5) and runs until May 22.
Multidisciplinary teams of 2 to 6 members, composed of students and researchers from the national scientific and technological system, are invited to submit their proposals to the Ecotrophelia Portugal Prize. Finalist products will be presented at the National Competition, and the winner will represent Portugal at the European level.
The food products to be developed must be innovative and sustainable, covering all aspects from concept, formulation, production method, and packaging to marketing, business, and sales plans, while also ensuring nutritional and sensory quality.
Throughout the process, university students will have access to 12 hours of training for project and business plan development, thanks to a collaboration between the European organization and EIT Food. The course is already available here.
The Ecotrophelia Portugal Prize serves as a natural innovation lab for academia, with the primary goal of identifying and recognizing projects created by students and researchers in higher education that can make the agri-food sector more innovative, sustainable, and competitive.
In the previous edition, the grand prize went to the Spirulife team, composed of Food Biotechnology students from the University of Aveiro. They introduced their Spirulos: green, spiral-shaped breadsticks combining broccoli, spirulina (a protein, vitamin, and antioxidant-rich microalga), and Aveiro sea salt, as well as chia seeds. These 100% vegan, healthy, oven-baked snacks utilize the entire broccoli, minimizing food waste. Additionally, their industrial process prioritizes sustainability by using less water—factors that strongly influenced the jury’s decision.
This marks the eighth edition of Ecotrophelia in Portugal, organized since 2017 by PortugalFoods with support from various entities in the agri-food sector. At the European level, the competition has been held since 2008, involving more than 4,000 students and 500 educational institutions, resulting in the development of over 860 eco-innovative food products, more than 100 of which have been industrialized or marketed.
Applications are open until May 22.
