COLLABORATION COULD MAKE OUR FOOD HEALTHIER AND LAST LONGER

A collaborative project between Gloucester-based Everfresh Natural Foods, Camden BRI and Holmach, a leading provider of thermal processing, has been awarded a £650,000 grant by Innovate UK. It will help improve the nutritional qualities and shelf life of baked goods, using sprouted grains and pasteurisation without detrimentally affecting the taste and texture of products.

The project comes after encouraging initial research in the area.

Tom Russell, Managing Director at Everfresh, said: “We hope this grant will help us discover just how beneficial the process is to the nutritional qualities of our products. We’re also excited to be working with Holmach on a unique pasteurisation method, which could dramatically extend the shelf life of breads and cakes without adding unnecessary additives. Both sides of the project look likely to produce baked goods which involve less processing, preservatives and additives, but produce highly nutritional end products that do not sacrifice taste or texture.”

Everfresh will work with Camden BRI, the Chipping Campden-based scientific services organisation which supports the food and drink industry, to identify which sprouted grains produce the best product.

Holmach will explore how pasteurisation, involving steaming products once packed, is able to extend their shelf life to allow removal of additives and help lessen food waste in stores. The team will also review novel packaging materials and systems that deliver food safety and shelf-life for sprouted grain baked goods.