The Fusion Rolls team, consisting of students from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, the Faculty of Biotechnology - Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and the Lusíada University of Porto, emerged as the big winner of the 8th edition of the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal award with their sustainable and nutritious dehydrated fruit rolls. This award, organized by PortugalFoods, brought together more than fifty university students from across the country, committed to creating food products that will make a difference in the future.
In the eighth edition of the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal Award, promoted by PortugalFoods to distinguish and stimulate young entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector and strengthen the link between industry and academia, one product stood out among the eight finalist projects: Fusion Rolls, healthy fruit rolls developed by three students from different universities in Porto.
The Fusion Rolls team won the ECOTROPHELIA Gold Award, worth 2,000 euros, and the right to represent Portugal in the European competition, to be held in Paris in October. They also received the UPTEC Incubation Award, which aims to reward and stimulate entrepreneurship in Portugal, offering 4 months of incubation and participation in the prestigious startup school. Additionally, the team was also distinguished by UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, where they will be incubated and integrated into the business idea acceleration program of the Startup School.
The second prize was awarded to the Trinca-Espinhas team, competing with crackers made from fishbone flour, wheat flour, and rosemary. This team, made up of students from the Faculty of Biotechnology - Universidade Católica Portuguesa, received the ECOTROPHELIA Silver Award with a monetary value of 1,000 euros. Biscuits made from fishbone flour, a healthy snack with prickly pear leaves and spicy seasoning, and a beetroot energy bar for high-performance athletes were other projects awarded by the jury.
For Deolinda Silva, Executive Director of PortugalFoods, the latest edition of the ECOTROPHELIA Portugal Award “once again highlighted the entrepreneurial capacity, the spirit of unity, and the highly qualified skills of the students in solving complex problems in the agri-food industry and responding to consumer trends. The younger generations are undoubtedly very committed to building a more sustainable world and view the principles of the circular economy and innovation as ingredients for a fair, balanced, and sustainable diet”.
These projects reflect the diversity and creativity of the participants in the competition. These distinctions highlight the talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of our students, reinforcing the Faculty of Biotechnology's commitment to promoting academic excellence and sustainability.
