Sustainability and technology: AZTI’s commitment to innovation in the food chain

ROGELIO POZO. CEO of AZTI.

In 2023, AZTI continued its mission to promote innovative projects based on science and technology, in order to move towards a healthier and more sustainable society. During 2023, we highlighted various initiatives in the areas of sustainability, business collaboration and health that demonstrate our strong commitment to innovation in the food chain and improving the quality of life.

Progress on food sustainability

With a multidisciplinary approach, AZTI has led efforts to assess, simulate and minimise the environmental impact of food products and processes. Collaboration, innovation and digitalisation have been key to this approach. In a global context characterised by challenges such as climate change, scarcity of natural resources and population growth, efficiency in resource use and process management has become critical.

We have focused on solutions based on artificial intelligence, water and energy savings, by-product recovery and circularity. These solutions enable companies to obtain global and sub-management indicators for more accurate decision making, reduce production costs and quickly adapt to market and regulatory changes.

We believe that efficiency and digitisation of processes, including improved predictive modelling and data collection, will increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the food chain. In addition, these initiatives will help mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing fuel consumption and carbon footprint. In this context, AZTI has promoted various initiatives such as promoting decarbonisation and the circular economy in fisheries, promoting new research methods such as environmental DNA or marine drones to obtain valuable information more efficiently, developing new technologies to protect marine species and reduce by-catch, recovering by-products such as bagasse or coffee grounds to produce more sustainable animal feed, and promoting new alternative proteins.

One of the innovations highlighted is Envirodigital, an environmental management software tool based on the Environmental Product Footprint. This digital tool integrates data and scientific models to assess the environmental impact of food products and processes. Companies can identify areas for improvement and reduce their environmental footprint.

Stimulation of economy, co-operation and innovation in the food chain

In this area, entrepreneurship and innovation in the food chain have been promoted. Among the initiatives to be highlighted is the FoodTech incubator and accelerator “Inkuba Sarea“, which aims to accelerate new emerging companies in the field of FoodTech. Also promoted was the “HUB Oarsoaldea Urdina”, which aims to diversify activities related to the Blue Economy and attract startups with disruptive innovations to address challenges in this sector, stimulating economic activity and social development through projects that move towards a more sustainable use of marine resources. This HUB focuses on five key areas: port electrification, marine 4.0 technologies, floating platforms, support for bio-ingredients start-ups and the creation of a food production facility.

The AZTInnova initiative promotes collaboration and co-creation to drive sustainable innovation in the food value chain. It facilitates knowledge and technology transfer and promotes collaborative research and development projects.

Support for a healthier society

Initiatives aimed at the obese and overweight population, particularly children, demonstrate AZTI’s commitment to a healthier society. An algorithm of nutritional recommendations based on the lipidomic profile has been developed to personalise dietary and supplementation recommendations.

The CoDiet project will test innovative technologies to monitor diet and its relationship with common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

An algorithm has also been developed to personalise the selection of fish according to the nutritional needs of different European populations. The Lipiwell initiative uses biomarkers and AI models to generate personalised nutrition and health plans to improve people’s well-being.

PUBLISHED IN ESTRATEGIA EMPRESARIAL. INNOVATION GUIDE