Zdravko, a cookie made from agricultural waste, won an innovation award

The 7th national competition for student teams of undergraduate and/or graduate studies of the University of Croatia in creating eco-innovative food products – 'Ecotrophelia Croatia 2021.' was held at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zagreb. The aim of this competition is to encourage student creativity, innovation, interdisciplinarity, and to promote food products in the European market, and the most innovative was the Not Your Ordinary Cookie team, which included Dora Šenjug, Virna Klara Tus, Fran Duspara, Dora Vlahović, and Hrvoje Magaš.

Everything from local farms

The winning team devised a healthy cookie named Zdravko, demonstrating that excellent and healthy food products can also be made from agricultural waste. – Potato peels are usually not used for anything; they are discarded, and we have shown that even what many consider waste can be turned into an innovative and healthy product that is not available in our market or the European market – notes Virna Klara Tus. Dora Vlahović adds that during the project implementation, the most important aspect for them was the ecological aspect, which they ultimately achieved since the flour used for the cookie is obtained from waste that is thus returned to use as the Zdravko cookie.
In addition to potato peels, which are extremely rich in fiber, the cookie also contains carob, dried figs, and hemp seeds, with all these products coming from local certified family farms to encourage domestic production.

And then to the market

– Our desire was to create a product that would offer potential customers something new and that would be made entirely from local ingredients. We also wanted to show that young people are capable of creating something innovative and of high quality, thus encouraging a new wave of change in Croatia. We are tired of inertia – emphasizes Fran Duspara.

After winning the national competition, this creative team eagerly awaits the global competition, which will be held in Cologne on October 10 and 11 as part of the international food industry fair 'Anuga'.

– After the global competition, our goal is to refine our cookie. Not so much the formulation itself but its sustainability, which means we want to extend its shelf life. Zdravko is also a vegan product without sugar and preservatives, and there is a market for it, so we hope that it could be found on store shelves in the future – concludes Dora Šenjug.

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