OvoProtect received the first Food of the Future award

Por admin en Events, Technical talks

The development, driven by INTA, INCUINTA, and Bioinnovo, was selected from 135 proposals across Latin America. The initiative combines the nutritional contribution of powdered egg with specific antibodies to help protect the intestinal health of vulnerable populations.

 

OvoProtect, a biotechnological development aimed at integrating nutrition and intestinal protection into a single food product, won first place in the second edition of the Food of the Future Award. The initiative was developed by researchers from INTA’s Food Technology Institute, INCUINTA, and Bioinnovo, the technology-based company formed by INTA and Vetanco.

 

 

Organized by the Center for Research and Technical Assistance to Industry (CIATI) and the Science for Being Foundation, the contest distinguished five projects among 135 proposals from all over Latin America. The awards ceremony took place at the Buenos Aires Convention Center within the framework of Crossing Over LATAM BioExpo.

 

OvoProtect seeks to address a relevant health issue for children and older adults, especially when they present nutritional risk: the relationship between nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal infections, which can worsen the overall deterioration of health and hinder recovery.

 

“In our own families, we saw how hospitalizations of older adults could become complicated by gastrointestinal episodes that ended up affecting their general and nutritional status even further,” explained Luciana Rossetti, a researcher at INTA’s Food Technology Institute and team member of the project.

 

Based on this problem, the team set out to develop a food product that, in addition to supplying nutrients, would incorporate a protective function. The proposal combines proteins, energy, vitamins, and minerals with specific IgY-type antibodies present in the yolk of eggs from hens immunized against selected microorganisms.

 

Science and biotechnology applied to food

 

The project integrated complementary capabilities from the participating teams. INTA’s Food Technology Institute worked on product formulation and its nutritional, functional, and sensory evaluation, while INCUINTA and Bioinnovo contributed their expertise in antibody development, powdered egg production, and quality control.

 

The technology is based on passive immunoprotection: the antibodies incorporated into the food are designed to act against specific microorganisms in the intestine. The platform covers pathogens of gastrointestinal importance, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, Clostridioides difficile, rotavirus, and adenovirus.

 

 

“IgY antibodies, unlike antibiotics, prevent the specific intestinal adhesion of selected pathogens without affecting the gut microbiota,” explained Mariana Cap, a researcher on the project working at Bioinnovo alongside the INCUINTA team.

 

In trials conducted with human intestinal cells, specific IgY antibodies managed to inhibit more than 90% of Salmonella adhesion under the evaluated conditions. This result constitutes an experimental breakthrough in the development of the technology.

 

Andrés Wigdorovitz, Director of INCUINTA, highlighted the journey made by the team: “We saw that we could generate antibodies, we saw that the antibodies have activity, we saw that a food product could be made, we formulated a food product, and we tested it in vitro.”

 

A recognition that drives its commercial development

 

The Food of the Future Award represents an opportunity to give greater visibility to OvoProtect and advance on its path toward the market. Currently, the team seeks to partner with a food industry company to complete product development and move toward eventual commercial production.

 

“We believe that these types of awards or calls make it possible to highlight developments that are in the pilot phase and find partners to scale the products,” noted Rossetti. The researcher also highlighted the contribution of mentorships and specialized support to strengthen the commercial strategy and analyze the possibilities of market insertion.

 

 

The next stage involves working alongside an adopting company to define the final product, optimize formulations, and evaluate its sensory acceptability.

 

The recognition highlights the collaborative work between public research and biotechnological development, as well as the potential of the articulation between INTA and Vetanco, through Bioinnovo, to transform scientific knowledge into innovative solutions for health and food.