Ecotrophelia Spain

Students from the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment (ETSIAMN-UPV) have won the Ecotrophelia Spain award. They will, therefore, represent Spain in the final of Ecotrophelia Europe, which will be held in Paris in October 2024.

The product they have developed is the TIU snack, made from 'raïm de pastor' or cat's claw, a wild mountain plant traditionally pickled in the Marina Alta and Safor areas.

Purificación García, Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship at ETSIAMN and the team mentor, describes TIU as a canned food that innovates on ancestral culinary techniques and a local product: "It recovers a local food and turns it into a global product with a touch of modernity".

Ecotrophelia Spain is a competition organised by the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which rewards eco-innovative products developed by students from universities and vocational training centres in the food sector.

This was the fifteenth edition of Ecotrophelia España and the fifth to be won by a team from the Universitat Politècnica de València.

Valencian tradition

The TIU appetiser recipe incorporates unique ingredients such as 'raïm de pastor' (Sedum sediforme) and complements them with aromatic herbs from the Valencian Community, such as savoury, rosemary and thyme. It is available in four flavours which, according to Purificación García, add a touch of modernity: citrus, oriental, with aromatic herbs and garlic; "its versatility makes it an ideal product to enjoy it with vermouth".

According to the team, 'raïm de pastor' is a traditional Valencian product from the Marina Alta and La Safor areas, home-made and sold in small quantities in local establishments rather than in conventional shops.

UPV Design Factory

The winning Ecotrophelia group comprises students from the Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and the Double Degree programme.

They are all part of Fornejant Ciència, a group of the UPV Design Factory, which sets itself each year to develop an innovative, economically viable and sustainable product that meets the Ecotrophelia criteria.

The team draws up a production, business and marketing plan. "They have to come up with a marketable product, including packaging. For this, they have great support from the YUDesign team at the UPV Design Factory".

The Fornejant Ciència team that won Ecotrophelia 2024 is made up of Andrea Arauz Gálvez, Aitana Selfa Cánoves, Cristina Canet Primo, Natalia Gómez Pérez and Aitana Dominguez Piña.

"For us, winning means receiving an award and recognising our joint effort and the drive to discover new horizons in the food industry. We are very excited to build on this experience to continue to innovate and grow together," they said.

On behalf of YUDesign, the team is made up of Alba Tomás Martínez, Claudia San Miguel Peñas and Lorenzo Soriano Martínez.

Fourth place for another UPV team

With another team's proposal, the UPV has achieved an excellent 4th place in the Ecotrophelia competition. It is the Kakiluxe frozen chestnut with a frozen persimmon foam covered in chocolate.

"The idea was to make the most of the persimmon, which is unsuitable for making jam. Frozen chestnuts are a product that is widely consumed here, although not of Valencian origin.

From an economic and environmental point of view, Kakiluxe is a sustainable product, as it uses small persimmons and surpluses.

The Fornejant Ciència team that created Kakiluxe is made up of Marta Cerdá Bernabé, María Gabriela Pascual Hergueta, Marcos García Hernández, María Fernanda Zambrano Navarrete, Carolina López Pérez; Almudena Crespo Herrera and Aïgues Vives Blat Fayós.

The YUDesign team included Alba Tomás Martínez; David García Mata; Aitana Olmos Nuño and Nicole Guillín Sánchez.