Sophisticated sauces, creamy liqueurs, nutritious bars. Imagination was the beginning of the challenge, talent allowed the final realization.
The presentation of the five new food products based on carob, an endogenous resource in the Algarve, took place on January 31st, at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, in Faro, and the score awarded by the jury was high.
Composed of representatives from the Nabeiro Group and the Algarve company Grand Carob as well as food industry entrepreneurs, university professors and EHTA trainers, the jury was unanimous in recognizing the exceptional quality and market potential of these products.
The ALFA-BIO project, launched by EHTA, aims to revolutionize the gastronomic sector. The focus is sustainability and the valorization of local products, such as carob, a traditional ingredient from the region and an integral part of the Mediterranean lifestyle and the Mediterranean Diet.
Products presented by students included “Sweet Chilli”, a sweet and sour sauce that combines the natural sweetness of carob with a spicy touch; “Cordial”, a creamy liqueur that reinterprets carob in a sophisticated version; “Alfabites”, healthy snacks that offer a nutritious and delicious alternative to quick snacks; “Carobyaki”, an innovative version of teriyaki sauce, enriched with the unique flavor of carob, and “ALTflavours”, a BBQ sauce that promises to revolutionize barbecues with its distinct and innovative flavor.
For Esmeralda Nogueira, a final year student on the Kitchen Management and Production course, tackling this project and presenting it, just a few days before finishing the training, “was an added value, not only to challenge ourselves, exploring new perspectives, approaches and techniques cuisines, but also to provide deeper knowledge about how are born the products we consume daily, that is, the journey from the origin of raw materials to their design and production, until they reach our tables”.
The connection to the business sector is one of the added values of this EHTA project, as highlighted by its coordinator, Abílio Guerreiro: “ALFA-BIO, in addition to being a milestone in the practical training of students, establishes a model of collaboration between academia and the business sector, promoting innovation and sustainability in Portuguese gastronomy. Partnerships with small local producers were fundamental to the success of the project, highlighting the potential of Algarve carob as a versatile and sustainable ingredient”.
ALFA-BIO products promise to open new horizons in the gastronomic market, redefining the use of carob and highlighting the Algarve as a region at the forefront of sustainable production and gastronomic innovation.
These same products will be presented to the public, this Monday, February 5th, at the Employment Exchange taking place in Vilamoura, as part of a Gastronomic Demonstration that the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School will hold at this event.
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