Title
Portuguese food ingredients producer is looking for European partners for an EUREKA Project: Developing a functional and nutritional coffee enriched with lablab bean protein extract.
AbstractA Portuguese R and D performing SME producing food ingredients is developing new food products based on Lablab beans (lablab purpureus). They are looking for European partners to apply to the next EUREKA open call. The sought partners must have proficiency in bean protein extraction and coffee roasting. This collaboration aims to leverage their expertise to enhance knowledge, improve quality, and optimize both the protein extraction process and the preservation of coffee flavor.
DescriptionThe project aims to harness the unique advantages of Lablab beans—such as their high nutritional value, sustainability, and minimal water requirements—to meet the growing demand for functional, eco-friendly beverage options. By creating a functional coffee enriched with protein extract, we strike a balance between preserving the authentic flavor of coffee and enhancing its nutritional content with Lablab bean protein extract. Beyond meeting consumer demands, this initiative contributes to broader environmental and agricultural goals by supporting the cultivation of Lablab beans, which bolster soil health and thrive with minimal water.
The SME seeks to participate in the Eureka network project (open call).
The company seeks partnership under research and development cooperation agreement
Advantages and innovation
The primary advantages and innovations revolve around prioritizing nutritional value, sustainability, convenience, market differentiation and economic benefits. Leveraging the growing trend towards functional beverage, the company aims at marketing coffee, enriched with protein-rich fractions extract from Lablab bean, to a diverse audience. This product capitalizes on the demand for nutritious, convenient, and environmentally sustainable functional beverage option.
This beverage aims to provide both energy and nutrition, offering a convenient and flavorful option for those seeking dietary wellness as a nutritious, convenient, and environmentally sustainable functional beverage option. This product brings an innovative and sustainable functional coffee to the market supporting the cultivation of a crop that bolsters soil health and thrives with minimal water and offering a practical, nutritional option for everyday consumption.
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
The company is looking to establish a strategic partnership with a distinguished European company renowned for its expertise in bean protein extraction and coffee roasting to ensure the preservation of the bean protein s nutritional quality when integrated into other products and capable of delicately roasting the coffee beans to perfection while maintaining their flavor and aroma.
The goal and the technical challenge will be combining innovative agronomic research with advanced food science techniques. We aim to explore various methods for converting Lablab beans into flour, focusing on achieving the optimal flour formulation in terms of granulometry, relative humidity, and the removal of anti-nutritional factors to be suitable to protein extraction, without compromise the nutritional integrity and functional properties, and achieving high yields of quality protein.
One of the main technical challenges of the project is to effectively extract protein-rich fractions from Lablab beans while preserving their nutritional integrity and flavor. This involves developing and optimizing extraction techniques that yield high-quality protein extracts suitable for incorporation into coffee without compromising its taste or texture. Additionally, ensuring the stability and shelf life of both the coffee and protein extract in the final product presents a technical challenge, particularly in maintaining these properties while utilizing recyclable packaging materials. Overall, overcoming these technical challenges requires innovation and precision in extraction methods, formulation, and packaging design to deliver a superior functional beverage that meets consumer expectations for taste, nutrition, and sustainability. After acquiring mastery over the product s formulation and protein enriching process and the product becomes marketable, the company aims to explore a diverse range flavours and protein content for the functional coffee. This includes ensuring that the nutritional content remains consistent across different geographic regions and genetic variations, maintaining the quality and appeal of the product.
Framework program
Eureka
Call title and identifier
Eureka Network Projects call
Submission and evaluation scheme
Eureka Evaluation scheme in two phases (International and National)
1. International application to the Eureka platform
2. National application in Portugal to the dedicated notice
Anticipated project budget
1.5-2.1 Million
Coordinator required
No
Deadline for EoI
01/01/2025
Deadline of the call
01/01/2025
Project duration in weeks
130
Web link to the call
https://eurekanetwork.org/opencalls/network-projects-all-year/
Project title and acronym
Project title: Developing a functional and nutritional coffee enriched with lablab bean protein extract
Acronym: LabCoffee