AiryBerry

Background

In recent years, veganism and healthy diet are becoming increasingly popular, as they improve consumers’ wellness and promote ecological character. Moreover, due to fast-paced everyday life, fast and easy snack choices remain a key driver in the growing market for nutritious “Ready-To-Eat” products. Lastly, the problem of food loss is continually increasing, as according to the UN, nearly half of the fruits produced worldwide are wasted every year. The new aerogels are designed as alternative food products, combining veganism, healthy eating, quick and easy consumption and reduced food waste using aerogels innovative eco-friendly technology.

Technology Overview

The aerogels/xerogels comprise a crosslinked hydrogel-forming biopolymer with a functional ingredient entrapped, comprising the solid and solute components of a liquid carrier. The liquid carrier is selected from the group consisting of fruit juices, vegetable juices, edible liquid by-products of the food industry, plant- or animal-based drinks, soft drinks, or any combination thereof. These compositions can be used as healthy snacks, food ingredients, food additives, or dietary supplements. They promote the feeling of satiety, which, combined with their appealing sensory characteristics, particularly taste and texture, make them healthy alternatives to high-calorie snacks.

The food compositions are storage-stable without added preservatives.

Learn more: https://berryairygr.wixsite.com/airyberry

Stage of Development

Today, the invention is in TRL* 4, with the next steps being:

• Production of aerogels/xerogels in an up-scaled environment for production of kilogram-scale batches.
• Production and validation in the food industry with capacities ranging from 50 to 500 kg/month.
• Production capacity for aerogels reaching 500 kg to 5,000 kg per month, or 0.5 to 5 tons per month, depending on the aerogel type, production process, and pilot plant infrastructure.
• Production could range from 1 to 50 tons per month representing mature technology, ready to meet large-scale industrial demands with consistent quality and reliability.
• A mature and fully optimized technology, with facilities designed to meet large-scale market demands across various industries capable of producing tens to hundreds of tons per month.

Benefits

Advantages of the new methodology and the new food products are:

• The new food products are prepared from sustainable and natural resources.
• The synthetic procedure is eco-friendly (no toxic chemicals or organic solvents used, no low or high temperatures required).
• No additives (e.g., food coloring, processed sugars or artificial sweeteners) are included in the new food products.
• No refrigeration of the new food products is required.
• The new food products are rich in dietary fibers, metals/trace metals, antioxidants and/or vitamins.
• The new methodology addresses the emerging problem of food waste via valorization of: (a) surplus fruits and vegetables, and (b) by-products of the food industry.
• Due to the unique synthetic methodology and composition, the new food products give consumers a unique taste and texture option that is not available in other competing products.

Applications

• Vegan and healthy diet products.
• Toppings for salads, yoghurt etc.
• Nutritious ready-to-eat snacks.
• 4Food supplements.

Opportunity

• Licensing recipes
• Spin-off services on characterization of aerogel ingredients for topping food products
• R&D projects of Horizon Europe, Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
• EIT Food – Impact Funding Framework

Patents

• GR20240100545