FreshiT
The team is composed of four chemical engineers active in the areas of process and product design and optimization, process scaling, and the evaluation of the environmental footprint and sustainability of various products and processes. They share a common vision for developing innovative products with superior nutritional characteristics under the principles of sustainability and long-term viability.
The FreshiT team focuses on applying gentle treatments to fresh fruits to preserve their nutritional content, flavor, and other organoleptic characteristics, thereby extending the products' shelf life. Specifically, FreshiT is dedicated to developing new fruit processing technologies aimed at extending the shelf life of fresh produce through the application of sustainable and mild treatments. In particular, we propose using osmotic dehydration on various fresh fruits with alternative osmotic agents instead of traditional sugar and glucose syrups. Special emphasis is placed, within the framework of the circular economy, on enriching the osmotic medium with antioxidant agents. Another innovation of FreshiT is the application of edible coatings to the osmotically dehydrated products, utilizing prebiotic fibers and applying gentle thermal drying techniques to develop products with an extended shelf life.
Challenges and Mitigation:
- The seasonality of the product.
- The final characteristics of the product.
The issue of product seasonality was addressed by developing products with different seasonal availability. The final product characteristics were improved through numerous tests and refinements of the process conditions and parameters.
The program substantially helped us prove that the solution we designed is feasible in its implementation and leads to high-value final products. Both the logistical and advisory support served as a catalyst in developing our solution and bringing us one step closer to launching it in the market.
