BIOVEGE. High added value products from Andalusian vegetable waste.
DOMCA, together with five other companies and four technology centres, launched the BIOVEGE project. Subsidised by CDTI with 1.17 million euros through the INTERCONNECTA programme and supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the project has a total budget of 2.4 million euros to achieve the objective of providing an outlet for the enormous quantities of fruit and vegetable waste generated by the Andalusian market garden in the form of high added value products such as sustainable packaging with improved properties, and additives or preservatives for the preparation of healthy foods. Led by Alhóndiga La Unión, the project has involved companies such as Torres Morente, Neol, Ecoplas and Morera y Vallejo, as well as AIMPLAS, TECNALIA, CIDAF and the Cajamar Las Palmerillas Experimental Station. Each of the partners has contributed its knowledge in one phase of the project. From waste recovery to the development and validation of new sustainable packaging and bioactive ingredients. BIOVEGE has been supported by the Ministry of Competitiveness and financed in the 2015 call of the FEDER INTERCONNECTA programme, through the CDTI and FEDER funds. This project has resulted in new developments from residues of products harvested in the Almeria market garden. For example, different types of films biodegradable and biodegradable oriented netting for the packaging of different agricultural products. In addition, from other waste fruit and vegetable products such as tomatoes and peppers, it has been possible to extract active substances such as vitamins, antioxidants and colouring agents that have made it possible to obtain innovative products such as: single-dose vinaigrette sauce supplemented with freeze-dried tomato and olive oil, gazpacho, etc. ready to blend made from freeze-dried tomato, pepper and cucumber by-products, antioxidant preparations for meat products, tomato/pepper flavoured flours with high antioxidant capacity and natural colouring agents from freeze-dried red pepper by-products as a substitute for synthetic colouring agents.
