Award for research team of the Agricultural University of Athens
FrieslandCampina Hellas recently organized the 2nd Innovation Competition “ΝΟΥΝΟΥ Ιdea Challenge” on the sustainability of the dairy sector, which aims at identifying dynamics in innovation and entrepreneurship in research teams that are engaged in enhancing sustainability in the Greek dairy sector. An open call invited research teams from universities and research centers across Greece to develop and present potentially commercially exploitable research ideas, with the ultimate goal of highlighting successful case studies that have concrete and measurable effects in reducing the environmental footprint and protecting the environment, as well as an overall more efficient and sustainable management of natural resources.
In this context, 32 research teams from different universities and research centers across Greece submitted their proposals. AUA’s research team comprising Mr. Papamichalopoulos Argyris, graduate of the interdepartmental graduate program “MBA in Food & Agribusiness” of the Agricultural Economics & Rural Development Department and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Professor Effie Tsakalidou and Associate Professor Andreas Drichoutis won one of the four prizes and more specifically the prize: Collaboration with FrieslandCampina Hellas structures in Wageningen with respect to the idea "Creation of a distillery for the production of alcoholic beverages (spirits) from whey” This research idea aims at solving the whey management issue, which for small and medium-sized Greek cheese making units is a by-product difficult to handle and thus still remains an important environmental pollutant. The main use of whey so far is in animal feed, but most of it is discarded in the environment, mainly in the sea, lakes and rivers, distorting the balance of these ecosystems to the detriment of the inhabitant organisms. With the proposed solution it is possible to develop products of high added value, for which an important part of Greek consumers (~ 66%) would be willing to buy and consume. For more information you can visit these links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99fgQFTc5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08-zQ5O3tmk
