Now in its fifth year, Ecotrophelia challenges teams of UK students to develop an innovative, eco-friendly food and drink product. See the panel below for the five shortlisted teams.
The competition has been fierce this year with more teams than ever competing for a place in the final and a slice of the £3,500 prize fund.
A panel of food expert judges carefully assessed the entrants before picking the final five.
The shortlisted teams will pitch their innovative new ideas to a panel of experts or ‘dragons’ on Tuesday June 6, before the winning team and runners up receive their prizes at Campden BRI’s open day on Wednesday June 7.
“It’s fantastic to see so many young people engage with this competition and put forward such innovative products,” said Bertrand Emond, Campden BRI’s head of membership and training.
‘High hopes for the teams’
“Last year’s winning team went on to win bronze prize in the European final with their algae-based iced dessert so we have high hopes for the teams again this year.”
The ‘dragons’ are senior food experts from across industry including Marks & Spencer, Coca-Cola, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelēz, Sainsbury, Tesco, Warburtons, Food Manufacture, Institute of Food Science and Technology and Campden BRI.
This year’s entries included teams from: London Metropolitan University; Nottingham Trent University; The University of Reading; The University of Nottingham; The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in Northern Ireland; Harper Adams; Cardiff Metropolitan; and The University of West London.
The winning team will go on to represent the UK and compete against 19 other European national teams at the Ecotrophelia European final at Food Matters Live in London in November 2017.
Europe-wide competition
The UK heat of this Europe-wide competition was organised by UK food and drink research organisation, Campden BRI, in conjunction with the Institute of Food Science & Technology, the independent qualifying body for food professionals in Europe.
Last year’s Ecotrophelia UK winners scooped the gold prize for their low-fat, non-dairy ice cream made with algal protein called Från Början.
Both members of the team, Ryan Clifford and Dominic Urban (see picture above), were apprentices at Unilever.
They were sponsored by the company while studying for a BSc in Science and Food Technology at Nottingham Trent University.
Ecotrophelia UK 2017 shortlist
- Colipop: A cauliflower-based savoury snack that uses advanced techniques in tunnel drying systems to create crunchy cauliflower bites without the need of frying – University of West London
- Lagom Veg: Dried spiralised vegetables infused with chilli and lemongrass that makes infused ‘spaghetti’ when hot water is added – Nottingham Trent University
- Yasai Caulirice Sushi: Sushi-style rolls that combine crunchy cauliflower rice with fresh-tasting vegetables – University of Reading
- Chocolate Strawberry Torte Donut: A baked cacao donut that has been dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with freeze-dried strawberry pieces and topped with a dairy free white chocolate drizzle – University of Reading
- Windfall Fruit Jelly: natural jelly desserts made without gelatine and suitable for vegans. Made from fruit juice, no added sugar or preservatives from fruit which would normally be wasted – London Metropolitan University