2022 Edition

INNOVATI FOODS is an innovative company that researches, develops and commercializes a new generation of functional foods – polyfunctional foods by recycling by-products from the wine industry, reducing in this way the negative impact on the environment and increasing the viability of agriculture (zero organic waste). Grape is the largest fruit crop in the world, with a production estimation of more than 80 million tons in 2022. Approximately 75% of produced grapes are used for wine production, whereas 20–30% represent waste products – grape pomace (including skins, seeds and stems). Over 14.5 million tons of grape by-products are produced annually in Europe and their disposal can have a major impact on the environment; most wineries discard it without pretreatments, often causing soil poluation. Environmental regulations and high waste disposal costs have led to the transformation of these by-products into useful products, promoting the principle of sustainable development. Due to the increasing attention paid to the sustainability of agricultural products and consumer demand for the use of natural over synthetic compounds, there is great interest in the utilization of grape by-products as food additives, nutraceuticals, ingredients used in functional foods/dietary supplements, medical remedies, fertilizers, animal feed, antimicrobial components, cosmetics, and  finally as biomass for biofuels.Grape pomace is rich in bioactive substances, especially polyphenols, proteins, lipids, soluble dietary fibre (SDF), insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) and minerals Hence, several innovative ways have been proposed for a sustainable reutilisation of grape pomace. The development of functional food products using grape pomace adds value to this agricultural by-product, and will ultimately benefit grape farmers everywhere.