Imagine your favourite Mediterranean foods…
Now imagine them with enhanced nutritional value and a lighter environmental footprint.
This is precisely the vision behind the innovative food products developed within the framework of EXCEL4MED!
Reinventing Mediterranean diet through science and sustainability
Our partners at ELGO-DIMITRA are leading the way in creating innovative dairy prototypes (cheese in brine and yoghurt) enriched with bioactive compounds recovered from fruit by-products.
These novel food products bring together taste, nutrition and sustainability, demonstrating how agri-food side streams can be transformed into high-value ingredients.
Fruit by-products are often overlooked, despite being rich in valuable bioactive compounds. Through advanced recovery and valorisation processes, EXCEL4MED gives these resources a second life, integrating them into everyday foods that are already part of the Mediterranean diet.
The result is not just a reduction in food waste, but a concrete example of how circular economy principles can be applied along the agri-food value chain, from production to consumption.
The developed prototypes are designed to remain familiar to consumers while offering added nutritional benefits, and show that sustainability and consumer acceptance can go hand in hand, especially when innovation is rooted in traditional food systems.
With this, EXCEL4MED demonstrates how Mediterranean staples can evolve to meet modern challenges. And these novel food products are a step towards healthier diets, reduced waste and more resilient food systems.
As the project progresses, EXCEL4MED continues to explore how research and innovation can bring healthier and greener foods to our tables, without losing sight of taste, tradition and quality.
