UPCYCLED FOODS: GETTING THE GOODNESS OUT OF CHERRY WASTE

We will innovate agricultural food production by using cherry waste to create new foods rich in compounds with health benefits. This reduces agricultural waste, increases sustainability and promotes health.

TRANSFORM FOOD PRODUCTION USING AGRICULTURAL WASTE

Kent is the largest cherry producer in the UK, which is highly beneficial for its economic growth and employment. Cherries are sold as high-class fresh fruit, but supermarkets won't sell lower grade fruit e.g. bruised, soft or discoloured (60 tonnes/year). These are wasted, transported by lorry to landfill, negatively impacting productivity, carbon emissions and sustainability.

The "waste" cherries are a high-value nutritious food. Our business uses them to produce a highly tasty, nutritious, and healthy CHERRY JUICE. In the last 10 years our production has grown from 2000 litres/year to 35,000 litres/year, and there is a growing demand. As a result of the juicing, we generate CHERRY POMACE - the skin and flesh by-products. This goes to landfill, despite its high nutrition content. Due to its bioactive components, pomace has potential to be developed into new food products with health benefits or be added to existing foods as a nutraceutical or colorant.

USING R&D TO GROW AND DEVELOP OUR BUSINESS

Cherry juice and pomace are rich in molecules called anthocyanins, which have scientifically proven and broad-ranging health benefits. Worldwide, cherry juice is widely consumed due to these benefits. In this project we will work with the University of Kent to determine the levels of anthocyanins, and their health properties, in our cherry products. Having this precise information will allow us to do two things: 1) develop a unique selling point and new marketing strategies aimed at major supermarkets; and 2) generate a new business plan to process and use our healthy cherry pomace for food products. A growing consumer demand for sustainable and healthy products that reduce waste provides a major opportunity to expand by targeting a wider customer-base. This will create jobs, promote economic growth and reduce agricultural waste.

DELIVERABLES

-Scientifically analyse anthocyanin levels in our cherry juice and pomace, establish their bioactivity, health benefits and prebiotic properties.

-This will provide us with routes to new markets, increasing production and sales, and providing data for a new business plan to use the pomace effectively.

-Scale-up (double) our juice production, enabling us to sweep up all local cherry waste, significantly decreasing food-waste and carbon emissions.