UP4HEALTH

• Core focus: Valorise plant-based food and beverage by-products, rich in polyphenols and other biomolecules, which are often treated as waste with disposal costs and environmental impact.
• Four high-value ingredients: Obtain natural fruit water, high-polyphenol dietary fibre, oily fruit extracts and prebiotic xylooligosaccharides (XOSs).
• Zero-waste biorefinery: Develop and implement a novel, cost-effective process that can be scaled up affordably.
• Seasonal adaptability: Adapt the process to seasonal, locally sourced feedstocks (olives, grapes and almonds).
• Business model validation: Address the bottlenecks and investment costs of upgrading processing facilities.
• Market validation: Validate the ingredients for functional food, nutraceutical and cosmetic applications.

Results

• Scalable biorefinery model: The project showed that food industry by-products can be upcycled into safe, effective and market-ready bio-based ingredients.
• Health potential: Nutritional analyses revealed strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential in the extracted compounds.
• Functional food prototypes: The project developed and tested drinkable gels, snack bars and yogurt, which retained desirable organoleptic and technological properties.
• Cosmetic product: The project developed a product with moisturising, antioxidant and hypoallergenic properties.
• Market readiness: Some ingredients are already being considered for integration by functional food and nutraceutical companies.

Impacts

• Environmental: Cuts waste and disposal burdens, and reduces waste management costs for olive mills, wineries and nut manufacturers.
• Economic: Gives nutraceutical, food and cosmetic companies access to new, natural, clean-label ingredients aligned with market trends.
• Social: Creates sustainable jobs and resilient supply chains rooted in local biomass availability.
• Consumers: Targets the elderly, athletes and health-conscious people seeking products that support health and wellness.
• Path to market: Next steps are final regulatory validation of XOSs, industrial partnerships and, where needed, clinical trials to support health claims.
• Scale-up: The project coordinator is planning a flagship industrial biorefinery in Navarra, Spain.
• Long-term legacy: Demonstrates how existing food technology and new business models can unlock underexploited by-products, supporting sustainability, economic development and healthier lifestyles.