Innovation
Although many of our products are traditional, we also remain in a state of constant evolution! We want to always continue improving and expanding the range of products we offer to ensure maximum value!
In fact, we have had our own Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D+i) department since 2009. Although our innovation efforts begin on the farms, they are also applied to our whole range of processing and preparation techniques, and also to the ways in which we package and market our products, to ensure that everything we do is efficient, creative, and sustainable. Of course, we could not accomplish all of this alone; we also benefit from collaboration with our local growers, customers, and strategic partners.
PATENTS
An improved process for production of chopped-nut-and-sugar dessert toppings.
The first breakfast cereal based on hazelnuts. This is a crunchy, great tasting product that is salt-free and rich in fibre.
Obtenció d’una fibra antioxidant natural que redueix el colesterol. Aquesta fibra, anomenada Fiberox, prové de les pells de l’ametlla i l’avellana.
AN EXTRACT DERIVED FROM CAROB PULP WITH HYPOLIPIDEMIC PROPERTIES AND PROCEDURE FOR ITS OBTAINMENT – ES 201630218
Obtainment of functional ingredients derived from carob pods and able to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.
R&D projects
HULLinFOOD
Unión Nuts, SCCL leads and coordinates the Project HULLinFOOD: Bioactive ingredients for nutraceutical and functional foods from almond hull by-products with a zero-waste approach in a cascading biorefinery system, together with LEITAT as a technological center.
HULLinFOOD project seeks to provide solutions to two of the most complex challenges that modern society faces: (i) the need of healthy and functional foods to tackle the increase of global levels of diseases and (ii) the need for the transition to lineal business model to circulars ones, improving environmental impact of industrial systems. From these challenges, a new innovative and sustainable strategy emerges thanks to the upcycling of the almond’s hull (by-product of almond processing) as a new source of food ingredients with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, hypoglycemic and hypocolesterolemic properties. Almond’s hull is a rich by-product containing a wide range of bioactive components with high added value. Nonetheless, almond’s hull is mainly being employed as livestock feed and as biomass raw material to generate electricity. Thus, the potential use of using almond’s hull as a source for obtaining bioactive compounds would be highly beneficial for human consumption, increasing the availability of sustainable, resilient, safe, and healthy food ingredients by implementing circular strategies and valorisation processes to convert almond’s hull into innovative and natural functional ingredients and nutraceuticals.
You can find more information here.
Project CPP2022-010079 funded by:
GO REGEN_ALMOND
Unió Nuts, SCCL leads and coordinates the REGEN_ALMOND project: Environmental and economic viability of implementing regenerative agriculture practices in traditional and organic almond cultivation, together with Vivers Viladegut, SL and Ecoconreus.CAT, SCCL and with the participation of IRTA as a technology center.
Global food chains, market competition and industrial processes have considerably increased the productivity of the agricultural sector, but environmental and sustainability challenges remain great. Farmers and their cooperatives, and the agricultural world in general, have the opportunity and responsibility to protect the territory while fulfilling the purpose of feeding the population safely, responsibly and sustainably. Its sustainability strategy focuses on three strategic priorities: climate, land and water and people. Each of these priorities has a clearly defined focus to advance resilient supply chains, generate shared value for customers and drive positive changes in the operating and sourcing communities. One of the options that exists to achieve these objectives is to adhere to agroecological management, which has the premise of maintaining yields while offering additional ecological benefits, using practices such as not plowing the land excessively, adding vegetation cover, applying organic soil amendments, with the idea of balancing agricultural productivity and ecological functionalities and thus improving resilience to external biophysical disturbances such as erosion, droughts, pests, etc. Another option that is currently being implemented regenerative agriculture and food systems to be more resilient and sustainable is regenerative agriculture, which aims to rationalize resources, doing things better with less. The idea is based on feeding crops correctly, trying not only not to impoverish the soils, but also with the idea of regenerating them, also reducing emissions and the impact on biodiversity.
The main objective of the project is to demonstrate the environmental and economic viability of implementing regenerative agriculture practices in 4 almond farms of different typologies (irrigated, dryland, conventional and organic), located in different regions of the provinces of Lleida and Tarragona and which start from different realities and problems.
Action of the PAC Strategic Plan 2023-2027 co-financed by:
GO REGSUNUT
Unió Nuts, SCCL participates in the project REGSUNUT: Survival of hazelnut cultivation in Camp de Tarragona: Value of treated wastewater as a complement to conventional water resources, with the Comunitat de Regants del Pantà de Riudecanyes, who leads the project, and the participation of IRTA as the technology center and coordinator.
The current drought situation suffered by the Camp de Tarragona in recent years not only threatens to significantly reduce hazelnut production and quality in the area, which are closely related to the water they receive during the season, but also to kill trees and force entire plantations to be replanted. The reduced availability of water for irrigation in the counties of Camp de Tarragona is a limiting factor for the profitability of the hazelnut sector, and it is necessary to explore other alternative sources of water such as treated wastewater from urban centres to avoid production and quality losses due to water stress and using a water source that until now has been considered a water source. Thus, the general objective of the project is to validate the use of treated wastewater in hazelnut trees to study their physiological and agronomic response and to be able to recommend or not their use and to find out whether they are an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of the sector and its adaptation to climate change.
You can find more information here.
Action of the PAC Strategic Plan 2023-2027 co-financed by:
CIRPOL
Unió Origen SCCL, and Unió Nuts SCCL, participate in the European project Life CYCLOPS: Recovery of polyphenols from residues from the olive oil and wine industry.
LIFE CYCLOPS aims to technically and economically demonstrate a sustainable technology to recover and value polyphenols from olive oil and wine industry waste, promoting a circular economy and zero waste model.
“LIFE CYCLOPS is a European project co-financed by the LIFE Programme (LIFE21 ENV/ES/CYCLOPS 101074544), the European Union’s funding instrument for environment and climate action.”
AGROSUFICIENTS
Project developed within the framework of the Singular Projects promoted by the Department of Business and Labour of the Generalitat de Catalunya. These projects aim to generate employment through the creation of new business projects, new lines of business, new companies, new markets, within the framework of the social and cooperative economy and taking advantage of strategic opportunities in the sector of activity itself, or in the territory.
QUALINUT
Unió Fruits, SCCL. leads and participates in the QUALINUT Operational Group: Analysis and improvement of the critical points of the almond transformation processes.
The main objective of the project is to identify and describe the main conditioning factors and defects caused by new almond varieties in the industry and to study whether some of them can be corrected through adaptations in agronomic management in the field. This knowledge will allow to have relevant information, improving the industrial processes in which the new varieties intervene and in this way be able to increase the economic profitability of the processing industry.
Project to produce added value from carob pulp
Use of carob pulp to produce flours, fibres, tannins and sugars with a low glycaemic index. These products have applications in the food industry for production of bread, pastries, desserts, breakfast cereals, sweets, wine, pet foods, pharmaceutical products, baby food, and sports energy products.
Project for genetic improvement of the marcona almond variety
Project for genetic improvement of the marcona almond, with the objective of producing a much more productive, late-flowering variety (to avoid the risk of frosts), which is also self-pollinating and more conducive to industrial processing. A project carried out jointly with Catalonia’s Agro-Food Research and Technology Institute (IRTA).
Experimental farms
Creation of experimental farms with the aim of selecting the most suitable varieties based upon each farm’s soil, climatic conditions, and hydrological needs. A project carried out jointly with the IRTA.
Accreditation by the GACC (General Administration of Customs of China) as an authorized exporter of Spanish almonds
Compliance with the requirements set out in the protocol signed between Spain and China on March 31, 2023, to obtain accreditation by the Chinese customs authorities for UNIÓ Nuts as a company authorized to export raw shelled Spanish almonds to China. This compliance involves the periodic inspection and auditing of specific farms and processing plants, among other obligations.
Innoàpat Food Community
Ketrenovin
Microbiota
Identification of new ingredients able to modulate human and animal microbiota by using industrial biotechnology, omic technologies and big data technologies. Project cofounded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under the FEDER Catalonia Operative Programme 2014-2020 with number of expedient COMRDI15-1-0029. More info
Fiberox
Obtainment of a natural anti-oxidant fibre derived from the inner skins of almonds and hazelnuts, with applications for production of pastries, biscuits and chocolate bars.
Breakfast cereals
Our R&D department has developed the first breakfast cereal based on hazelnuts. This is a crunchy, great tasting product that is salt-free and rich in fibre.
Bitter Almond Detection and Eradication Task Force
This program, which is led by the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, aims to develop methods and systems to identify and eliminate bitter almonds. A number of companies in the sector are taking part in the program with the aim of improving all processes, from the field to the end client. Unió Nuts is focusing its efforts on identifying bitter almond on trees.
