{"id":85021,"date":"2022-12-27T14:39:39","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T12:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technion.ac.il\/blog\/food-bites-processed-healthy\/"},"modified":"2022-12-27T14:39:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T12:39:39","slug":"food-bites-processed-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technion.ac.il\/en\/blog\/food-bites-processed-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Bites: Processed & Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do energy bars and ready meals have to be unhealthy? We\u2019re told processed food is \u201cjunk food\u201d that is bad for us. But does it always have to be? Processed foods fill certain needs in our lives: we might not have the time to cook on a particularly busy day, wish to pack a pick-me-up after a day of running around, or long for some comfort food. Can we have all of that, while also being confident that we are eating healthily?<\/p>\n

In an international event funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), students from Turin, Helsinki, Madrid, and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology worked to design and develop new shelf-stable processed food products that are healthy. The groups were part of the Food Solutions project and chose to look at processed foods as a fact of life, recognizing an opportunity to offer foods that are both healthy and environmentally friendly. The two Technion teams won gold and silver medals respectively for their innovative ideas.<\/p>\n

\"Group<\/a>
Group photo, R-L: Prof. Uri Lesmes, Michal Halfon, Ari Yolles, Eden Freundlich, Prof. Avi Shpigelman, Caroline Hali, Prof. Maya Davidovich-Pinhas, Neta Shimony, Noa Ben David-Zinn, Rauf Nasyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe think of \u2018fresh\u2019 and \u2018natural\u2019 as the healthy and \u2018green\u2019 choices,\u201d Associate Professor Maya Davidovich-Pinhas<\/strong>, one of the teams\u2019 guides, explained. \u201cBut that\u2019s not quite true. Modern processing methods, based on scientific knowledge, can preserve, and even enhance the food\u2019s digestibility and nutritional values. When you think about it, food processing has been a part of human history for millennia; it\u2019s what enabled people to preserve food for winter, make it safe for prolonged periods, and carry it on long journeys. Even cooking is a form of processing food, which makes nutrients easier to digest, renders the food safer, and removes toxins and pathogens. Health-consciousness, a scientific approach, and new technology enable us to do the same things in smarter ways, and to get novel healthy food solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of products\u2019 environmental footprint, the teams said fresh products require cold storage and cold transportation, which have a high energy cost that shelf-stable products do not incur. Fresh products also spoil quickly, and often go to waste. \u201cOne needs to look no further than the local greengrocer\u2019s, at the fruit or vegetables that are imported from across the globe, but will be thrown away at the end of the day if they\u2019re not sold,\u201d the teams commented. \u201cWe wanted to create a product that harnesses the benefits of modern processing methods and changes negative connotations about processed food.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first team, \u201cOmeleTofu,<\/strong>\u201d won the gold medal for an instant vegan omelette that is ready to eat after just adding water. This tofu-based product is offered in two flavors: mushroom or shakshuka. The product is produced using freeze-drying, a process first developed for medical applications and space travel that, unlike heat-based drying methods, better preserves the food\u2019s nutritional values. The team included graduate students from two faculties: Yael Friedler from the Faculty of Data & Decision Sciences and Neta Shimony, Eden Freundlich, Noa Ben David-Zinn, Rauf Nasyer, and Caroline Hali from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. The idea for the omelette, they say, came from Neta\u2019s vegan boyfriend, who was struggling to find healthy food options that wouldn\u2019t require much time to prepare and would match his dietary needs. The prototype development was supported by Garuda Labs, which helped the team with culinary aspects and implementation of the technology.<\/p>\n

\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea<\/a>
The OmeleTofu team. R-L, sitting: Rauf Nasyer, Neta Shimony. Standing: Caroline Hali, Noa Ben David-Zinn, Eden Freundlich. (Missing from the photo: Yael Friedler)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n