The EXTRAVAL initiative in which Ingredalia participates secures funding of over 1 million euros

The Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), an agency of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, through the Missions Program, has approved the EXTRAVAL initiative, obtaining total funding of €1,399,240 in which Ingredalia has secured a grant of €178,576 for the study of extraction and valorization techniques for agri-food waste, as well as the treatment of bioproducts for use as functional food supplements.

In the European Union, approximately 700 million tons of agricultural waste are generated each year. In southern European countries, agricultural production and fish products constitute a highly significant fraction of national income; Spain being one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables worldwide. However, 47.5% of this production is not utilized in the value chain. A similar situation occurs in the fishing industry, leading to management and environmental pollution problems.

EXTRAVAL emerges with the objective of generating possible innovative pathways to improve the sustainability of the agri-food industry through the valorization of by-products, specifically plant waste, leading to high-added-value solutions through the development of new technologies and innovative applications with environmentally friendly processes.

For the research and development of this project, a consortium has been formed that includes companies from the agri-food and waste management sector (Cabomar and Trasa), companies with experience in biotechnological processes (FRESH BUSINESS and INGREDALIA), and end-user companies for the packaging, electrical-electronic, and paint sectors (RODENA & RIVERA and PINTURAS PINAY).

Missions Science and Innovation Program

The Missions Science and Innovation program aims to support strategic sectoral initiatives for business innovation within the framework of the State Program for Business Leadership in R of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017-2020. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of five missions, identified in the call for their great relevance to Spain’s future challenges and in line with some of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda:

1. Safe, efficient, and clean energy for the 21st century.
2. Sustainable and intelligent mobility.
3. Promote a large sustainable and healthy agri-food sector.
4. Drive the Spanish industry in the industrial revolution of the 21st century.
5. Provide sustainable responses to diseases and needs arising from aging.

The program does not consist of proposing specific technologies, but rather technological, economic, and social challenges or milestones to be achieved, which respond to the country’s needs and address existing capabilities. Therefore, the projects it has supported have been selected both for their innovative excellence and for their contribution to fulfilling the established missions. Specifically, the EXTRAVAL project addresses Mission 4, generating an efficient system for recycling and valorization of industrial waste within a circular economy framework.