Navarra continues to strengthen its position as a leader in agri-food innovation, with the development of new plant-based protein products offering high added value and clear industrial potential.
The strategic project Hidropep, driven by the NAGRIFOOD cluster and coordinated by Grupo AN, has concluded after three years of research with tangible results ready for market transfer.
Among the developments are functional confectionery, protein-enriched bread, microencapsulated probiotics and plant-based meat alternatives, including burgers, nuggets and escalopes made from pea and fava bean protein.
Applied innovation with industrial impact
One of the project’s key achievements has been improving the purity of protein ingredients and obtaining compounds with enhanced functional properties, alongside the validation of scalable technological processes, essential for industrial deployment within the food sector.
These results will accelerate the market entry of innovative solutions aligned with major consumer trends such as alternative proteins, healthy eating and sustainability.
Public-private collaboration driving the sector
The project has brought together leading companies in the sector—including Sanygran, Monbake, Nucaps and El Caserío de Tafalla—alongside knowledge centres such as the University of Navarra and CNTA, with support from the Government of Navarra.
This collaborative model strengthens the regional ecosystem, fostering connections between research and industry and accelerating the development of solutions with real industrial impact.
Navarra as a plant-based innovation hub
The progress achieved through Hidropep highlights Navarra’s potential as a foodtech and plant-based protein innovation hub, capable of delivering competitive solutions at an international level and addressing the challenges of the food transition.
With a strong ecosystem, advanced technological infrastructure and robust public-private collaboration, Navarra offers an attractive environment for the development and industrialisation of high value-added agri-food products.
Source: Navarra Capital