At Indespan, we continue to promote food innovation, the development of new ingredients, and collaboration with different stakeholders across the food industry. On this occasion, we took part in the presentation of the Ceratopía project, held at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC). The event focused on enhancing the value of the carob tree as a healthy and sustainable food source.
Coordinated by the Association of Forest Municipalities of the Valencian Community (AMUFOR), the project aims to promote new food applications for carob, support biodiversity conservation, and contribute to forest fire prevention through the recovery of agricultural and forest areas.
Our CEO, Carlos Bernabé, participated in the round table discussion “Opportunities for the Carob Tree in the Mediterranean Region”, alongside Juanjo Rausell, President of the Bakers and Pastry Chefs’ Guild of Valencia; Sebastián Hevilla, Manager of the Valle del Guadalhorce Rural Development Group; Juan Manuel Micheo, Technical Advisor at Cooperativas Agroalimentarias de Andalucía; Juan José Rico, Innovation Agent at FEDACOVA; Javier Martínez, Innovation Agent at AMUFOR; and Eduardo Sanmartín, Director of EZSANSA.
The discussion provided an opportunity to explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding the carob tree, as well as the importance of developing innovative products that meet the needs of both producers and consumers.
Throughout the session, participants highlighted the need to raise awareness of the health and sustainability benefits of carob, generate added value for producers, and encourage collaboration between the different stakeholders across the food supply chain.
Following the event, we took part in the lunch with a selection of products that allowed us to showcase some of the possibilities offered by the ingredients we work with at Indespan.
Carob played a key role in several of the products presented, demonstrating its versatility and potential as an ingredient in the development of new food products.
We also showcased our Mediterranean Mix, which we used to make bread and rosquilletas (traditional Valencian breadsticks), two examples that highlight the potential of our solutions for the bakery industry.
In addition, attendees had the opportunity to discover Chocobag, our powdered preparation made from brewer’s spent grain and carob flour. It is a cocoa-free alternative for preparing cocoa-flavoured drinks and offers potential for use in other food applications.
Taking part in CERATOPÍA gave us the opportunity to exchange experiences with researchers, producers, and industry professionals, as well as to learn first-hand about the initiatives being developed to enhance the value of the carob tree.
At Indespan, we believe that collaboration between research and industry is essential to turning knowledge into real-world solutions. That is why our R&D department continues to work on the development of ingredients and products that create added value, foster innovation, and respond to the new challenges facing the food industry.
We would like to thank IATA-CSIC and the CERATOPÍA organisers for the opportunity to be part of this event and to contribute, through our experience, to promoting the potential of carob as an ingredient for the future.
