UB students win the third prize at Ecotrophelia Europe 2025 for food innovation
After winning the 16th edition of Ecotrophelia Spain, a team of students from the Master’s Degree in Food Research, Development and Innovation at the University of Barcelona has won third prize in Ecotrophelia Europe 2025, a European food innovation competition that promotes student creativity and talent to transform the future of the food sector. The competition took place on 7 and 8 October, as part of the Anuga international food fair in Cologne (Germany), and brought together 18 teams from 18 countries competing with highly innovative proposals in food.
After winning the 16th edition of Ecotrophelia Spain, a team of students from the Master’s Degree in Food Research, Development and Innovation at the University of Barcelona has won third prize in Ecotrophelia Europe 2025, a European food innovation competition that promotes student creativity and talent to transform the future of the food sector. The competition took place on 7 and 8 October, as part of the Anuga international food fair in Cologne (Germany), and brought together 18 teams from 18 countries competing with highly innovative proposals in food.
Noja, food innovation and environmental commitment
The proposal presented by the UB team is an alternative sauce to soy sauce called Noja, made from carob, which is allergen-free and sustainable. Its creators are Cristina Mangas, Júlia Nicolás, Laia González and Núria Martínez, students from the UB’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, who won the prize in the 16th edition of Ecotrophelia Spain last September.
The tutors of the Noja project are Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and head of the Biomarkers, Exposome and Nutritional and Food Metabolomics research group at the UB , and Jess Padilla, from the FATE (Food Agri Tech Europe) association.
The students say that their sauce “is a sustainable and local product, with a lower salt content than the competition, and very versatile,” which is “especially designed for people who are allergic to soy or who cannot consume it.”
The recipe is entirely plant-based, free of the 14 main allergens and low in salt, making it suitable for consumers with allergies or coeliac disease, or for those who want to reduce their salt intake. Noja is packaged in a 250-ml recyclable glass bottle that conveys quality and environmental commitment, which enhances the appeal of this new food experience.
Ecotrophelia Europe: 25 years of food innovation
Beyond the competition, which began in 2000, Ecotrophelia has become a network of educational excellence in food innovation that mobilizes higher education institutions and national federations of food industries in Europe. The Ecotrophelia network has become a benchmark educational model supported by the European Union, as an active agent for the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship among students.
Multimedia gallery
Noja is an alternative sauce to soy sauce, made from carob, which is allergen-free and sustainable.
Júlia Nicolás Marzo, Cristina Mangas Villa, Laia González Gibert and Núria Martínez Bel.
