Phenoliva: Turning olive waste into nutritional gold
The olive oil industry generates vast amounts of waste: only 20% of the olive constitutes oil, while the remaining 80% comprises by-products. Managing this waste, known as olive pomace, poses significant environmental and economic challenges for Mediterranean countries.
Phenoliva, an innovative project supported by EIT Food, is transforming this issue into an opportunity by extracting valuable antioxidants from olive pomace. The innovation reduces waste, promotes sustainability, and opens new revenue streams for the olive oil industry.
The challenge of olive pomace waste
Olive pomace, the byproduct of olive oil production, is notoriously difficult to manage due to its chemical instability. Disposal of it can be environmentally hazardous and economically wasteful.
Olive pomace cannot be composted because soil microbiota are unable to break it down (1). As a result, when left unused, it is often discarded in landfills, where it poses potential risks to nearby aquatic ecosystems. This inefficiency also represents a missed opportunity to extract compounds like phenols, which are rich in antioxidants and hold immense value in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.
Motivated to address this inefficiency, in 2015 ETH mechanical engineer Claudio Reinhard joined the Laboratory of Food Biochemistry at ETH Zurich, led by Professor Laura Nyström. There, Reinhard began experimenting with ways to repurpose olive byproducts, driven by a clear vision to improve the olive oil industry through sustainability and a fully integrated circular economy.
A circular vision
Thanks to ETH Zurich’s partnership with EIT Food, in 2019 Phenoliva was able to receive funding to start their work. Since then, Phenoliva has developed an innovative extraction process to isolate phenolic compounds from olive pomace, creating antioxidant-rich ingredients for multiple industries. This solution integrates into existing olive oil production systems, enabling scalability without disrupting operations.
The extracted antioxidants have potential applications in health-focused food products, dietary supplements, and cosmetics, catering to the rising consumer demand for natural, sustainable ingredients.
Phenoliva has also the potential to bring together regions across Europe, fostering collaboration between olive oil producers, the food industry, research institutes, and academia. These partnerships not only drive innovation but also create opportunities for new businesses and additional income streams for local SMEs.
In recognition of their work, in October 2021 Phenoliva won the prestigious EIT Food Impact Prize in the Circular Economy category. That same year, Professor Laura Nyström and Claudio Reinhard launched Gaia Technologies to bring their innovation to market. The founders credited EIT Food’s support as a crucial step in transforming their idea into a viable product.
"I think it is key that we are offering two solutions for diminishing food waste: we're working with the sidestream material from olive oil mills and utilising that waste better, but we can also use our extracted antioxidants to extend the shelf life of different types of food products."
Bitter challenges and bright horizons
According to Professor Nyström, the two main challenges that need to be addressed next are the bitter taste of phenolic compounds and the cost of large-scale extraction. Regulatory approval is another hurdle, with Phenoliva working to ensure that its extracts are recognised as safe and appealing for use in food products without being labelled as additives, which could deter consumers.
Looking ahead, the innovation holds potential to inspire similar waste valorisation initiatives in other agricultural sectors.
"We’ve also discussed using a similar approach with date fruit pits with some collaborators in the United Arab Emirates. So yes, I think a similar philosophy and approach can be utilised for other types of foods or food production streams."
Phenoliva demonstrates how innovation can transform waste into opportunity, offering a blueprint for tackling environmental challenges across the food industry. By supporting similar projects, businesses and policymakers can drive the shift toward a circular economy. For consumers, embracing products made with sustainable ingredients can help build a future where waste is minimised, and resources are optimised. With Phenoliva leading the way, the olive oil industry is proving that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.
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References
- FoodUnfolded: Reusing Olive Waste | Ask the Expert | FoodUnfolded
