On this occasion, we are also very proud that Valladolid has been chosen as the venue for this celebration, a city and region where CARTIF is firmly established and from which it works to promote innovation, in a region that boasts legumes recognized with the Protected Geographical Indication quality label, such as Tierra de Campos lentils, Armuña lentils, and Fuentesaúco chickpeas.
This is an opportunity and a day to raise awareness, even more so if possible, about the importance of pulses and the fundamental role they play in our diet and, more broadly, in transforming food systems towards more resilient, efficient, inclusive, and sustainable forms.
I particularly love the slogan used to advertise this year’s celebration: “Legumes of the world: from modesty to excellence.” In a world of refined trends and the pursuit of great sensory pleasures, the essence of the nutritional importance and roots of a food that is readily available, easy to prepare, inexpensive, and whose consumption is linked to multiple health and environmental benefits has been diluted.
Why are legumes a cornerstone of a healthy diet?
Legumes and the prevention of metabolic diseases
Legumes are a nutritional mainstay: they provide high-quality vegetable protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and key minerals such as iron, zinc, and magnesium. Regular consumption is associated with improved cardiovascular health, better glycemic control, and a significant role in the prevention of metabolic diseases. In addition, their low glycemic index and high satiating capacity make them clear allies in the fight against overweight and obesity.
Just last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its concept of a healthy diet with the latest scientific evidence and guidelines derived from that evidence. The exact composition varies according to the characteristics of each individual, the cultural context, and the local foods available. However, the WHO states that four main concepts should be integrated: adequacy, providing sufficient essential nutrients; balance, the right amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates; moderation, limiting the consumption of foods that are harmful to health; and diversity, incorporating different food groups.
I can’t think of any food that meets these criteria more broadly than legumes, as they provide essential nutrients in adequate amounts, contribute to a proper distribution of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in the diet, promote consumption patterns based on minimally processed foods, and fit naturally into varied and culturally adapted diets.
Innovation in plant-based protein: extrusion, fermentation, and 3D printing
Innovation is a key strategy for creating value in this area and, without a doubt, a strategy for achieving a stable future for pulses. There is a good opportunity to boost legume consumption through food technology to facilitate their digestibility, nutrient bioavailability, and sensory acceptance, aspects that we are actively working on at CARTIF through the development of advanced technological solutions using extrusion-texturization, 3D printing, membrane technology, fermentation, and advanced characterization of plant proteins.
And not just for our health, but also for the environment.
Legumes play a strategic role in agricultural systems: they fix atmospheric nitrogen, improve soil fertility, and reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, contributing to more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. Integrating them into crop rotations promotes biodiversity and improves soil health, which is key in the context of climate change. Technological innovation applied to the field, known as agritech (sensors, digitization, precision agriculture, or new varieties better adapted to water stress), is essential to maximize their productive potential. In this sense, and in line with these needs, water, which has gone from being a simple operating cost to becoming a strategic risk in legume cultivation, allows for better water efficiency.
Legumes, Agenda 2030, and Sustainable Development Goals
The FAO recognizes the potential of pulses to contribute to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pulses are directly aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), as they are an accessible, nutritious, and sustainable source of protein. They also contribute to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by reducing the environmental footprint of diets and promoting more balanced food models. For this impact to be real, coordination between governments, agencies, and the productive sector is essential, promoting agricultural, trade, and innovation policies that support those who grow them and encourage their consumption. Technology, knowledge, and tradition must go hand in hand.
You may have noticed that, with all this, there is a clear and unambiguous final message, which is precisely one of the calls of today’s celebration: #LoveLegumes.
When we talk about 3D printing, the first thing that usually comes to mind is metal parts or plastic prototypes. But lately, there is a new player on the scene: food. Yes, you heard right…digitally designed foo printed layer by layer, almost as if it were an engineering part.
When eating becomes a challenge
For most people, eating is a daily pleasure. For more than 2 million people who suffer dysphagia, every meal can become a real challenge: unsuitable textures, bland dishes or meals that lack visual appeal can make eating anything but enjoyable. Imagine having to face this kinf of diet every day… your appetite would surely decrease a little too.
In addition, feeding other population groups also presents challenges. In the case of children, it is essential that they receive the nutrients necessary for their development, but adapted to the textures and flavors they enjoy most. The same is true for extended space missions, where the diet must be not only nutritious, but also appetizing and varied.
It is in this context wthat 3D printing is a game changer: it allows the creation of safe, nutritious and visually appealing foods, tailored to each person´s need.
Going one step further, 3D printing could also be a way to solve the food insecurity suffered by millions of people, allowing nutrients that are not readily available to be concentrated in tailor-made foods.
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing food, liquids, or saliva, affecting the passage from the mouth to the stomach, and can be caused by neurological problems (such as Parkinson’s disease or stroke), mechanical problems (obstructions), or esophageal problems (reflux, stenosis).
A creative workshop…that´s edible
3D food printing is not simply a machine that “sprays puree” onto a plate. It is a veritable edible creative workshop, where each dish is designed with a purpose: to have a special texture and be pleasing to the eye… and to the taste!
With this technology, we can work with a wide variety of food matrices: vegetable purées, creams, doughs, vegetable proteins, cereal mixes, and more.
Each ingredient is deposited in a controlled manner to build the food in layers, with the aim of defining the final structure of the product and obtaining textures adapted to each need. Yes, even a basic purée can go from dull to worthy of applause… or at least a “wow.”
“3D printing is a game changer: it allows the creation of safe, nutritious and visually appealing foods, tailored to each person´s need”
3D food printing: from the machine to the dish
If you’ve ever used a pastry bag, you already have a rough idea of how the system works. The printer deposits the ingredients layer by layer following a predefined design, with laboratory precision. Everything is programmed before pressing the “print” button in a precise manner to achieve the desired texture, shape, flavor, composition, and even nutritional content.
Think of it as an “à la carte” dish, but in a technological version: you can play with shapes, colors, densities, and flavors to personalize each dish.
But what makes a food item printable?
This is where science comes in.
It’s not just a matter of “putting it in the printer and that’s it”: the texture and consistency of each ingredient determine the possibility of forming the 3D structure and maintaining its shape once printed.
Controlled viscosity: the ingredient must flow easily through the nozzle but remain stable when deposited. It is a perfect balance between fluid and firm.
Elasticity and cohesion: the final texture depends on the food retaining its shape, making it easy to chew and swallow while also being pleasant to the palate.
Best of all, this precision, which allows for the creation of customized foods, opens the door to more efficient processes, optimizing the use of resources and reducing environmental impact by:
The use of raw materials: by-products or surpluses from the agri-food industry can be recycled, giving them a new lease of life in the form of nutritious foods.
On-demand production: only what is needed is printed, reducing food waste from overproduction without demand.
Efficiency in formulation: each recipe is precisely designed, optimizing nutrients and minimizing waste, combining nutrition and sustainability.
At CARTIF, we see 3D food printing as a technology that enables innovation to explore new textures, shapes, and possibilities. Every food item we print is a step toward more practical and creative ideas, demonstrating that innovation is built little by little… layer by layer.
Every October 16th, we celebrate something that unites us all: food. This year, we also commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), an institution that, since 1945, has worked tirelessly to ensure the right to a dignified life through something as essential as food. Eight decades later, the message of World Food Day continues to call for the collaboration of all of us who are part of the system’s challenges: “Hand in hand for better food and a better future.”
A simple sentence, yet filled with shared responsibility. Because feeding the world in a fair, sustainable, and healthy way is not only the task of major international organizations. It also involves each of us — in every decision we make, in every food we choose, in every process of innovation. Every small contribution matters. That’s why I ask to myself, and we should all ask ourselves: How can I help?
A look toward the great transformation of food
The way we produce, distribute, and consume food defines not only our health but also the planet’s. The recent publication of the EAT–Lancet Commission 2.0 report (2025), presented a few days ago at the Stockholm Food Forum, once again highlights the urgent need for a Great Food Transformation, based on three pillars: health, sustainability, and justice.
The inclusion of the justice pillar is no coincidence. The global context we live in, marked by strong geopolitical instability, rising food prices, the emerging impacts of climate change, and other cascading effects, continues to undermine food security and, consequently, human health. Social injustice is growing, and the resilience of nations is increasingly fragile. Although current food systems have, to a large extent, managed to keep pace with population growth and ensure sufficient caloric intake for many, they remain the main driver of planetary boundary transgression and require joint and urgent action grounded in these three pillars.
The EAT–Lancet report reminds us that the global adoption of healthy diets derived from sustainable food systems would safeguard our planet and improve the health of billions of people. It also warns that, if we fail to act, the world risks falling short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and other key actions linked to the future of food..
Professor Johan Rockström, one of the study’s authors, summed it up clearly: “The world’s food production threatens climate stability and ecosystem resilience. It is the single greatest driver of environmental degradation” His words resonate strongly on this FAO anniversary, reminding us, as the organization has done for eight decades, that food should not only nourish us but also protect the very land that makes it possible
Source: Twitter Johan Rockström
“The world´s food production threatens climate stability and ecosystem resilience. It is the single greatest driver of environmental degradation”
This call to action is not directed solely at governments or institutions. It speaks to all of us: researchers, producers, companies, and consumers. Because food is not an isolated process; it is a living, interconnected system in which what we decide at one end has consequences at the other.
How can I help?
Remember that every action counts. Ending hunger, preserving our ecosystems, ensuring the food of the future, and understanding the impact this has on the world — it’s a lot, isn’t it?.
It all begins with the choices we make every day. We can choose local and seasonal foods, eat more plant-based meals, drink tap or filtered water, buy only what we need and reduce food waste, use reusable packaging, choose minimally processed foods, value the effort behind every product that reaches our table, and support sustainable farming practices.
Becoming aware means understanding that the food we choose is also a tool for change. It’s in our hands to help build a model where the health of people and the planet are not opposing goals, but two sides of the same coin. When that awareness multiplies, it turns individual action into collective strength.
Seasonal fruits. Source: Freepik
CARTIF: innovation at the service of a fair and sustainable food system
At CARTIF, we firmly believe that science and technology are key allies in achieving this transformation. That’s why we work hand in hand with companies, public administrations, and society to develop technological solutions that address the major food and environmental challenges of our time.
From our Food Area, we focus on the valorization of food and food by-products, promoting the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.
We are advancing in food industrial processes decarbonization, driving technologies that reduce the environmental impact of new food production. In addition, we are currently an active partner in the Vision4Food EU project, which aims to tackle the challenges associated with food systems through the development of tools and models that help us move from strategy to action within territories.
I can only say thank you for your help! And may every day be a happy World Food Day for everyone.
Do you believe in second opportunities? At CARTIF, we believe in RElife!
Bagasse is the residue left after crushing, pressing, or macerating fruits, seeds, or stems to extract their juice. It’s a very common byproduct in the production of foods and beverages such as wine, beer, and plant-based drinks. We naturally refer to “oat bagasse,” “beer bagasse,” or “grape bagasse,” yet in other similar cases, we use specific names like okara or magaya. Why is this?
The difference lies in the cultural context and historical use. Magaya is a traditional word from northern Spain—especially in Asturias and Galicia—where cider production is part of everyday rural life. Due to its continuous presence and local value, this waste product has earned its own name. The same is true of okara, a term of Japanese origin that refers to the residue left over after making soy milk or tofu, widely used in the traditional cuisine of Japan, Korea, and China. When a waste product has been historically used in food or daily life and has acquired social or economic value, it is common for it to receive a specific name. Naming it is a recognition of its value and usefulness.
Magaya
Residue from pressed apples used to make cider
Okara
Insoluble parts of soybeans that remain after filtering soybean mash during the production of soy drinks or tofu
There are other examples of food by-products with their own names that reflect this tradition of use: pomace, the solid residue left over from grape pressing and used to distill spirits; middlings, the product of sifting flour and used in animal feed; brine, the liquid left over from cheesemaking or pickling, rich in salts and nutrients; molasses, a thick by-product of sugarcane or beet refining that can be used for fermentation or animal feed; or whey, a protein-rich liquid left over from cheesemaking and transformed into beverages or supplements. These names may sound strange, but they all have one thing in common: they are by-products, the “leftovers” after making something… and they still have a lot to offer.
CARTIF researcher at the food laboratory making tests with meat products.
Giving leftovers or waste a second life or a second chance is called valorization. It’s about turning what seemed like an end into a new beginning. It’s about reincorporating them into the value chain so they can have life again, a Revival. At CARTIF, we like RE: the Challenges of innovation, the Rewards of the food industry, the Recirculation of resources, and the Revalorization of waste. Because, for us, throwing away is not an option. And not only because the new Law on the Prevention of Food Loss and Waste has been in force since this year, but because innovating solutions to return this value to the food chain itself has been in our DNA for 30 years.
From meat processing waste, we obtain high-value ingredients such as heparin, functional fats, and proteins. From magaya, we extract natural pectins for food and cosmetic applications. With okara, we develop protein-rich, healthy, and sustainable snacks. And what’s left of all that? We also reclaim it: we transform it into biostimulants for agricultural soils. And then, when we’ve exhausted all other options? We continue to use it to produce biogas, hydrogen, and syngas, generating energy and thus closing the loop.
At CARTIF, we believe that waste isn’t trash, but rather resources waiting for a second chance. Through innovation, science, and collaboration with industry, we’re demonstrating that a more circular model is possible. Will you join the Revalorizar challenge and help us give this “waste” a proper name?
I’ll start by adapting a saying: “One man’s by-product is another man’s treasure.” That is, we can use the waste generated during the production stages of the industry—in this case, the agri-food industry—in a wide variety of ways and with a multitude of applications in different areas.
And how is this done? Well, in our case, we extract (or at least try to) various components of meat byproducts, such as proteins, by applying a series of “tricks” in the laboratory.
To put things in context, let’s first give a brief introduction to proteins. They have a series of properties, such as their structure, that we can use to our advantage to extract them from the matrix in which they are found. As you know, the basic organization of proteins is a “skeleton” of amino acids, known as the primary structure, which, depending on its combination, results in one protein or another. However, apart from this basic organization, we will also have other, slightly more complex aspects: the folding and three-dimensional structure of that chain of amino acids, known as secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures. This spatial organization is what allows proteins to perform their multiple functions, because it gives rise to the physicochemical interactions between them and other components, applicable from the cellular level to the component level within a food.
Source: Instagram @ifas_publication
Once the theoretical framework is introduced, we can delve deeper into the practical part, which is more entertaining, or so they say. If we change some condition in the laboratory of our protein of interest, such as temperature or pH, we can disturb it enough for it to denature. When a protein denatures, it loses its three-dimensional structure, sometimes in a more dramatic way and, therefore, irreversible. Thus, we can extract them and uncouple them from the rest of the components because we have altered the established chemical bonds.
One way to denature proteins is to change their pH values as desired. By changing the pH of the sample containing proteins, we change the interactions between them and the medium, altering their structure and behavior, for example, affecting their solubility. First, we change the pH, causing them to leave the sample and solubilize in water. Once they are removed from the rest of the sample, we change the pH again, causing them to no longer have charges available to interact with water and precipitate. Finally, by shaking them, we isolate them from the rest of the components of our raw material to obtain a protein concentrate.
And now it’s time to get creative, because after the intricate laboratory process, we move on to the kitchen! These proteins we’ve obtained can be used, for example, as a dietary supplement or as an ingredient in food. This opens the door to endless possibilities, but without forgetting the most important thing: we reduce industrial waste, eliminating byproducts and enabling product development and improvement, because, as they say, nothing goes to waste here!
And that, among many other things, is what we do at CARTIF, we try to use the byproducts of the agri-food industry as widely as possible to reduce the waste it creates, while always supporting a healthy diet.
When we see a pig, we all tend to think that every part of it can be used: its delicious hams, pork cracklings, chorizo, loins…..including, as the saying goes “even its walk”. However, at CARTIF we know there ir more beyond that: a great variety of by-products and waste generated during the stages prior to the production of all these products.
A similar situation occurs in the sheep sector. Is not only about milk, used for cheese, or meat, such as suckling lamb, but many types of waste also appear throughout the processing stages, such as skins, viscera, or blood, whose treatment entails, apart from its environmental impact, an additional cost for companies.
The cattle sector, in turn, shares common challenges with the previous ones, facing the management of a long list of waste products such as manure, slurry, blood, bones, viscera, and skins, among others.
In the current context where sustainability and circular economy principles are gaining increasing relevance in industrial processes, waste recovery in the meat industry emerges as a key strategy to optimize resources and reduce environmental impact. The activities of the sheep, pig and cattle sectors (which together account for up to 75% of national meat production) offer enormous potential for the full utilization of their waste. In short, we can talk not only about excellent products (milk, cheese, chorizos or hams), but also about good practices by meat companies, closing the production cycle by generating added value through waste recovery. In most cases, these type of waste are managed by external handlers, representing an additional cost for producers. For this reason, all by-products generated in the meat industry require efficient management and call for innovative ideas to turn them into valuable products.
Source:
An analysis of the meat production process, according to Nedgia, estimates that a cow produces 50kg of manure per day, which amounts approximately 18,250kg/year (1). When the cow arrives at the slaughterhouse, approximately 40 to 50% of its weight consists of by-products, such as bones, blood, hide, víscera, inedible fat and rumen content, all of which must be properly managed.In addition to this, processing a cow at the slaughterhouse may require between 500 and 1,000 liters of water (2), which subsequently becomes a wastewater stream that also needs to be treated.
Approximately 40 to 50% of a cow weight consists of by-products
On the other hand, animal hides are already valorized in the textile and footwear industries, but currently, their demand has decreased compared to other fabrics and synthetic leathers. Therefore, efforts are being made to find alternative applications for their utilization. From hides, as well as from bones and cartilage, collagen can be extracted- a product highly sought after by the cosmetics industry due to its many health benefits. Collagen helps create a protective barrier on our skin against external agents, provides firmness and resilience, promotes wound healing, delays the effects of aging and reduce wrinkles, among other benefits (3). Moreover, its use is associated with improvements in the treatment of common diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis and osteoarhtritis.
According to the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AEND), from the age of 25, collagen production in a healthy person begins to decline, and it is estimated that by the age of 40, the body produces only half as much collagen as it did during adolescence, with this decrease becoming more pronounced in women after menopause (4). Moreover, one of the reasons why our bones weaken is due to the lack of collagen in the body (5). Many of us remember seeing our grandmothers boiling cow bones to extract collagen, straining the broth for consumption; when refrigerated, this broth would turn into a gelatin rich in collagen. Today, it is possible to replicate this process in the laboratory to obtain concentrated collagen as a nutritional supplement, which requires a purification process that presents various challenges related to obtaining pure collagen, free of fats and other proteins.
Illustration of young skin layers and components
Illustration showing layers and components of aged skin
Regarding blood, this fraction represents approximately 3–7% of the live weight of the animal, depending on the species, and has traditionally been used in the production of food products (such as blood sausages and others). However, it is also possible to use it for obtaining food colorants or for the extraction of hemoglobin and/or protein that can be incorporated into various products for human or animal consumption. Once the blood has been collected and treated, plasma can be separated from hemoglobin, or the entire fraction can be dried to obtain a protein-rich product.
Another meat by-product is the intestines of animals, which are currently used in the production of sausages such as salchichón, blood sausage, chorizo, and regular sausages, among others. However, the utilization of this fraction (and its associated economic value) remains quite limited. For many years, it has been known that intestines are a rich source of heparin, a highly demanded medication worldwide due to its clinical use as an anticoagulant. The process of obtaining highly pure and stable heparin requires a lengthy preparation and laboratory treatment. Numerous challenges must be overcome during its extraction, such as selecting the most appropriate extraction and purification methods. In addition to using resins, there are other methods that allow heparin to be isolated from other compounds (proteins and other contaminants). Furthermore, it is essential to ensure the stability of the active ingredient, which involves evaluating whether it should be kept in solution or subjected to a drying process.
The valorization of waste from the meat industry is surrounded by many uncertainties, but in this sea of questions, CARTIF emerges, with its researchers studying and developing new processes for the treatment of these by-products, generating new knowledge and finding viable and sustainable technological solutions to these challenges, thereby offering added value to the meat industry.
CARTIF is firmly committed to this line of research, supporting companies in the meat sector in valorizing all their waste, including slurry, for transformation into various products — whether food, energy (such as renewable gases), or even agronomic products (such as organic fertilizers).
As we have seen, it is not only the pig from which everything can be used — even, as the saying goes, “its very walk.”
Co-author.
Pedro Acebes. Researcher at Agrifood and Processes Division
Informe trimestral de indicadores económicos marzo 2025. Sector vacuno de carne. Ministerio de Agricultura, pesca y alimentación. Gobierno de España.
Área de precios. Informe semanal de coyuntura. Precios Coyunturales. Semana 5-2025 del 27 de enero al 2 de febrero. Subsecretaría Subdirección general de análisis, coordinación y estadística.
Plan territorial de Ordenación de residuos de Tenerife. Residuos de mataderos, decomisos, subproductos cárnicos y animales muestras.
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste Comunicaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas 2003. Cedrés, José F.
