The finalists will present their products to a panel of industry experts in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition on June 7, competing for a slice of the £3,500 prize fund and go on represent the UK at the European final in October 2022.
The UK heat of this Europe-wide competition is organised by UK food and drink research organisation Campden BRI, in conjunction with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST).
This year’s finalists are:
- Crack(er)ed it (University of Nottingham): Fruit and oat-based artisan crackers made using excess fruit pomace from fruit vinegar production.
- Avena Grains (Nottingham Trent University): Granola Infusions is a crispy granola pot served with oat drink, freeze dried berries, roasted nuts, and a dried oat powder dusting that is combined with a berry powder to boost vitamin C content.
- Fortifibre (Manchester Metropolitan University): It’s product FiBAR looks to recycle unused fruit pulp into high fibre cereal bars.
- Pea.zza (University of Surrey): A reformulated gluten-free, high protein and sustainable frozen pizza dough made from a blend of buckwheat flour and pea protein.
- Crumble Up (University of Leeds): Reportedly the ‘first-ever’ upcycled fruit crumble made using okara, a by-product of soymilk production and ‘wonky’ apples.
Patricia Florit, education coordinator at IFST said: “It has been great to see more amazing entries this year and I’m looking forward to seeing who will represent us in the European finals.
“10 years of competition and you can still feel the excitement every year by everyone who participates in coordinating this event.”
The winners will be announced at the evening event held at Tesco Heart Building where participants will be able to enjoy some socialising and meeting other industry professionals
Bertrand Emond, membership ambassador, orofessional development and culture excellence lead at Campden BRI, added: “The food industry faces fundamental challenges including reducing our environmental impact, meeting growing global demand for food, producing more from less as pressure increases on resources, and reformulating and creating new products to meet diet and health requirements.
“Using science and innovation effectively will be critical to survival and competitive advantage. We must support efforts to unlock, nurture and drive innovation in the industry that helps us to meet these challenges.”
Meanwhile, Food Manufacture spoke to the gold prize winning team from last year’s Ecotrophelia competition in this exclusive interview.