Protein crumbs supported by Food eHub

In the past year, the entrepreneurship programme Food eHub at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, has helped a number of local startups to get funding. They have received a total of almost half a million DKK distributed among four innovative companies, all of which are working to solve some of the challenges of the future through food - among other things by developing protein products to combat malnutrition.

The company Nutrilution will fight malnutrition in the elderly with protein-enriching crumbs that can be added to cooking. Photo: Nutrilution.

8 October 2020 by Lise Bundgaard

In the past year, four innovative companies have been able to continue their entrepreneurial adventures with funds from the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Future Food & Bioresource Innovation, EIT S and Early Cash.

In total, they have received no less than DKK 449,806.

This has been achieved with the help of Food eHub at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, which has been launched worldwide to support talented students with entrepreneurial dreams in the field of agriculture or food.

- New companies bring new solutions to the market, but it can be difficult to get started on your own. That is why we offer networks, mentors and advice to, for example, find the necessary funding that can make it easier for entrepreneurs to take the leap from idea to action, says Charlotte Bay, who is the manager and entrepreneurial consultant at Food eHub and an experienced food entrepreneur.

Plant-based protein crumbs to combat malnutrition

Food eHub is based in The Kitchen in Aarhus and at the Department of Food Science, which has been located in Agro Food Park in Skejby near Aarhus since the end of 2019, but it is an offer for all students at Aarhus University.

This opportunity has been seized by a number of talented entrepreneurs from various fields of study over the past year. Within the framework of Food eHub, they have worked diligently with everything from plant-based straws to fermented beverages - and even a company that wants to fight malnutrition with protein-enriching crumbs has emerged.

Josephine Quist, a medical student at Aarhus University, is the entrepreneur behind the innovative protein product "procrumbs" and the founder of the company Nutrilution, which has received almost 100,000 DKK from EIT Seedbed and the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship.

- In Denmark, every fourth person over the age of 65 is malnourished. This results in the elderly becoming more fragile, reduced bone density, poorer quality of life and increased mortality risk. In my student job as a nursing substitute, I have experienced inappropriate nutrition in the elderly, and this gave me the idea for "procrumbs", says Josephine Quist, and elaborates:

- The plant-based "procrumbs" can replace breadcrumbs in any type of cooking - from apple pie to lasagna and breading - and with its high protein content it may help solve typical problems in connection with malnutrition in the elderly.

From loose idea to first customer in 14 months

In just 14 months, Josephine Quist has gone from loose idea to finished product and her first customer, and she is certain that Food eHub has played an important role.

- Food eHub has been an invaluable support in terms of getting things moving. When you launch a startup, it is a really messy experience, because there is no guideline, there is no recipe to follow. Food eHub has helped me find a direction and get on with the project through discussions on everything from food technology to financing. The money from the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship, of which DKK 10,000 was earmarked for market research, has been absolutelycrucial in relation to getting in touch with potential customers, says Josephine Quist.

- Although Nutrilution is a one-man business, I have not been on my own. I have had invaluable support from Food eHub and Charlotte Bay - and from the other entrepreneurs in the network, she concludes.

CiFOOD Aarhus University Centre for Innovative Food Research

Protein crumbs supported by Food eHub

Plant-based protein crumbs to combat malnutrition

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