Gastrogust Cuinats and Mafrica (Matadero Frigorífico del Cardoner) together with the Eurecat technology centre have carried out the 5-PROTEG project which has developed three meat protein-based pre-cooked convenience food dishes which bring added nutritional value especially suitable for the elderly segment of the population in good health.
The project has been coordinated by the INNOVACC cluster and involved using meat trimmings to craft dishes in the pre-cooked convenience food range, in other words prepared, cooked and packaged for distribution. It has also been supported by the Alícia Foundation which has helped with assessing culinary techniques for the seniors in good health segment.
A number of ideas have been developed and three have been selected to join the pre-cooked convenience food range. This makes it possible to include the high protein content nutritional declaration, while one of them also has the source of fibre declaration which brings nutritional value to the dish and adds to its benefits for the target segment.
The project has pinpointed the healthy senior segment’s nutritional requirements to be met by the ingredients in its pre-cooked convenience food dishes. It has also conceptually designed and evaluated the dishes by combining the trimmings with other locally-sourced ingredients. Finally, the project has checked that the three dish prototypes maintain their properties throughout their 90-day shelf life.
Nutritional and quality requirements for senior segment
Several studies were conducted in the second stage of the 5-PROTEG project including shelf-life estimation, monitoring microbiological parameters to ensure food safety and taste durability, nutritional assessment by characterising the composition of macronutrients and micronutrients, and finally sensory analysis to ensure the dishes would be up to standard for the end-consumer. The last stage of the project involved checking the results derived to make sure the dishes met all the nutritional and quality requirements for the healthy senior segment.
The project was run from March 2019 to September 2021 on a €212,000 budget. It was funded through Operation 16.01.01 (cooperation for innovation) in the Catalonia Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 by the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda in the Government of Catalonia.
