RefreSCAR “Spotlight On…” Webinar n°6

On the 28th of January, the three winning teams of the 1st RefreSCAR Hackathon presented their solutions to the online protein-enthusiast community for the 6th RefreSCAR “Spotlight On” webinar titled “Protein Value Chains: Winning Solutions from the 1st RefreSCAR Hackathon”.

The webinar began with intros from the 2 keynote speakers Giulia Bizzo (DG RTD) and Francisco Castro Alves (DG AGRI) whom were also present at the in-person event.

🥇 Team Lucky Beans – First Place

The solution presented by Lucky Beans centred on improving the value chain for Irish faba beans, a promising source of sustainable plant protein, by creating a cooperative processing framework. This uses dry fractionation and thermal treatments to convert faba beans into high-quality, food-grade protein ingredients with improved functionality, flavour and sustainability attributes. By enabling better processing and ingredient quality, the team’s proposal strengthens local producer cooperation and enhances competitiveness in plant protein markets.

🗣️ Team members: Ricardo Uribe Alvarez | Ever Hernandez Olivas | Siyi (Christine) Feng

🥈 Team ProTaste – Second Place

The ProTaste solution focused on the ability to predict functional and sensory outcomes of protein ingredients before they are formulated or processed. The team presented a predictive model that estimates bitterness, solubility and nutritional quality of protein hydrolysates, factors that can make or break consumer acceptance and product performance. By giving manufacturers and innovators a tool to anticipate protein behaviour, ProTaste’s model helps to shift product development from trial-to-error to data-driven, predictive design.

🗣️ Prof. Dr. Veronika Somoza | Dr. Andreas Dunkel

🥉 Blended Finance Team – Third Place

The Blended Finance Team earned third place with an innovative approach to a systemic challenge: financing across the protein value chain. The team proposed an improved blended finance model that combines public and private funding to support local agri-food ecosystems from farm to fork. Their approach highlights how financial innovation can be a driver for sustainable development and resilience in European protein systems.

🗣️ Mark Wulfrancke | Evelien Decuypere | Jonas Claeys

Watch the Webinar

A recording of this webinar is available on RefreSCAR’s YouTube channel for all those interested in the future of sustainable protein innovation.