1st prize at The FOODIO Project!
The FOODIO, Food Solutions Master Class is an education project coordinated by the University of Helsinki in consortium with the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), IMDEA Food Institute, University of Hohenheim, TECHNION – Technological Institute of Israel -,the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and 3 food companies, Acesur, Valio and Herbstreith&Fox.
The challenge launched by FOODIO project has allowed students to collaborate directly with food industries and consumers internationally for the creation of new functional foods for future nutrition.
The FOODIO mentoring programme has been undertaken throughout 2018, involving 40 undergraduate, master and doctoral students from four European universities. The participants have organised their projects in four working groups to solve a challenge: to develop new healthy tasty dairy products using the fibre obtained from plant-based side streams from the food industry (olive oil and fruit juices).
The Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid was the venue for the FOODIO Final Gala on December 12.
During the gala, the four FOODIO working groups presented their products:
UNI-SAUCE a healthy cooking sauce
CRISPILISCIOUS a crispy and healthy snacking alternative
CHEEZY ROLL an innovative sustainable grilled cheese
VOUSSE: a kind of chocolate mousse that offers a delicious, sustainable plant-based dessert option for health and environmental conscious consumers, including vegans.
The jury tasted all the products in real time and assessed their value from the point of view of innovation, the ability to transform an idea into a truly new food product and to have an impact on sustainability, society and the economy.
The winning product was VOUSSE developed by FISPA FOODS a startup project of 10 students, from three universities in Finland, Israel, and Spain.
The winning team include Lital Cohen, Valeria Belochvostov (Biotechnology and Food Eng) and Michael Faivush ( Industrial Eng) from the Technion, mentored by Prof. Miriam Erez and doctoral student Ayelet Rosenfeld.
FISPA FOOD won a prize worth 2000 euros donated by project partner Valio, an important cooperative of dairy products in Finland. The health-related aspects in Vousse are emphasised through the nutritional claims of “source of fibre” and “reduced sugar”.
