The Extracts by Nature project stems from a growing global trend toward developing a new beverage category that prioritizes health while also addressing the need for a circular and sustainable economy.
These trends naturally impact and create opportunities for the Agrofood and Logistics sectors. By establishing a scalable and replicable regional circular supply chain, the project aims to have a long-term impact that extends beyond the region and potentially crosses national borders.
Project Goals
The project focuses on developing a distillation process that extracts essential compounds (such as aroma, flavor, and active substances) from residual streams to naturally and sustainably enrich healthy beverages and food. To optimize this process, the project will develop a mature soft drink (natural, alcohol-free, and sugar-free), where aromas and active compounds are recovered from agrofood chain waste through the distillation process. A key objective is to ensure that the supply chain for this process remains highly scalable and circular, ultimately forming the foundation for a new brewery in West Brabant.
The processes, components, and knowledge developed in this project will be applicable to other breweries both within and beyond the region. This creates added value for all stakeholders involved—from farmers to the hospitality industry and research institutions—while directly contributing to sustainability, knowledge development, and regional innovation.
Research Areas
Throughout the project, multiple research questions will be explored, including:
- Application of innovative developments related to non-fermentable and non-digestible sugars
- Alternative carriers for essential compounds in the distillation process, resulting in a completely alcohol-free final product and production process
- Methods and processes for measuring active compounds during and after the distillation process
- Sustainable shelf stability: developing a final product with a market-standard shelf life without artificial additives or refrigeration.
