Key Takeaways
- Rigorous selection: three projects chosen from nearly 50 nominations in the Circular Gastronomy Challenge 2025.
- Key technologies: Nordic seaweed cultivation without freshwater, a cloud-based kitchen management system, and fermentation of agricultural byproducts into soy sauce.
- 2026 development: dedicated technical support for scaling the three solutions industrially.
Raw Material: Marine Biomass as a Protein Substitute
Kobb, a project by Cajsa Torell in Glommen, isolates the umami component of Nordic seaweed through cultivation that requires no traditional agricultural inputs. Zero freshwater, zero fertilizers, zero soil. The seaweed's cellular structure delivers a crisp texture that breaks down rapidly under heat, releasing natural glutamate.
Kitchen Logistics: The Algorithm as a Tool
Brigade, developed by Sarah Holmkvist Arnason in Skellefteå, converts menus into shopping lists calibrated to the gram. The cloud-based system removes human guesswork from portion estimation, reducing structural waste in professional kitchens through standardized workflows.
Fermentation: From Plant Residue to Umami
I Rest My Case, by Lisa Ö Grennberger at Stillinge Gård, processes pea and wheat byproducts into a Swedish soy sauce. Extended fermentation produces an umami profile comparable to traditional products, with a flavorful crumb byproduct that can be reused as a dry seasoning.
2026 will serve as the testing ground for the industrial scalability of the three systems, with technical support aimed at ensuring replicability beyond the experimental stage.
