Pilot 1 / Value Chain 3: Food By-Product Reuse
Oat and carob by-products from food processing are typically underutilised, even though they have nutritional value and could be reused in food production.
This creates avoidable food-processing waste and limits the development of healthier circular food products.
The Crete food value chain incorporates oat- and carob-processing by-products into enriched bakery formulations. Development focuses on preparing an enriched dough that can be used consistently by bakeries. This approach was selected in place of producing a separate enriched flour, because direct formulation gives greater control over dough performance and practical use in bread making.
Prototype production examines the behaviour of the dough throughout preparation and baking. The work includes dough stability, rising ability, maturation, recipe composition, production conditions and storage parameters. Organoleptic quality is considered alongside nutritional characterisation, so that the resulting formulation can be assessed both as a food product and as a workable process for bakery operators.
The pilot brings together food-processing businesses, bakeries and research expertise to develop and test the recipes. Nutritional analysis and consumer acceptance form part of the development programme, while local distribution through the participating cluster is being explored. The research aims to create added value from food-processing side streams and develop nutritionally differentiated bakery products. Glycaemic performance and other health-related properties require the relevant measurements; they are not established solely by incorporating these ingredients.
The evaluated bread formulation uses 30% HiPrOat by-product from oat-beverage production and 5% liquid gluten. The gluten addition addresses crumb fragility and loaf structure in the fibre-rich formulation. Reported composition per 100 g includes 13.1 g protein, 8.7 g dietary fibre and 235 kcal. The comparison uses conventional white-bread reference ranges of 8–9 g protein, 2.5–3.5 g fibre and 250–270 kcal per 100 g. Qualitative evaluation describes satisfactory acceptance relative to whole-wheat bread. The reported glycaemic-index range of 50–60 is an estimate, rather than a measured glycaemic response.
Prototype testing considers dough stability, rising ability, maturation, recipe composition, processing and storage conditions. Nutritional characterisation is combined with organoleptic evaluation and consumer-acceptance work. The assessment therefore addresses both the composition of the bakery product and its practical suitability for producers and users. Intended nutritional properties are evaluated through the relevant analyses rather than inferred from ingredient inclusion alone.
Food processing in Crete generated oat and carob residues that were discarded or directed to low-value applications, although useful nutritional constituents remained in the material. An established route for systematically incorporating these by-products into the enriched bakery formulations investigated by CSSBoost was absent. Existing food-processing capabilities provided a starting point for formulation development, processing trials and collaboration with bakeries.
Development has progressed to a second production cycle and recipe optimisation. The tested bread has reported values of 13.1 g protein, 8.7 g fibre and 235 kcal per 100 g.
Recipe development and validation are ongoing. Glycaemic response has not been clinically measured. Further testing will support nutritional, shelf-life and consumer-acceptance assessment.