From Side-Streams to Solutions: EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025 Showcases Pea-Based Innovations in Jelgava

From 15 to 25 September, the programme brought together 23 participants in eight teams to develop sustainable and market-ready solutions for pea processing side-streams. Participants joined design thinking workshops, prototyping sessions, and pitching masterclasses, supported by more than 10 mentors from the food, innovation, business, and design sectors.

Teams worked on two real-life challenges set by ASNS Ingredient: Expanding Non-Traditional Markets for Purified Pea Starch through Fermentation, exploring how fermentation technologies can create new, high-value markets for purified pea starch, and Unlocking Non-Food Potential for Pea Inner Fibre After Wet Processing, developing non-food applications for pea inner fibre to transform a low-value by-product into innovative and sustainable materials.

The final pitch showcased eight inventive concepts highlighting the untapped potential of pea processing side-streams: Mindskin Labs – neuroactive postbiotics for mental health cosmetics; Modular Blocks for Fungi Farming – modular block systems for efficient mushroom cultivation; PeaFibre Microbiome-Integrated Horse Bedding – horse bedding made from pea fibre with an integrated microbiome that absorbs moisture and converts waste into compost; PHYTO-SHIELD – sustainable crop-protection mats from pea fibre and marine bioactives; Koji-Fermented Prebiotic Pea Syrup – a koji-fermented pea syrup with prebiotic benefits; SPROUTIE – biodegradable seedling pots made from pea fibre; PEASHN – eco-friendly pea-based packaging material; and AgriHue – plant-based paints made with renewable pea starch and natural pigments.

An expert jury awarded €1,500 cash prizes to the best solutions in each challenge. In the Purified Pea Starch Challenge, Kārlis Valainis and Līga Irbe Mikosa won with AgriHue, a plant-based paint concept made from renewable pea starch and natural pigments. In the Pea Inner Fibre Challenge, Julia Shipitsyna-Buchholz and Anna Strence triumphed with PeaFibre Microbiome-Integrated Horse Bedding, an innovative horse bedding that keeps stalls dry and converts waste into compost.

Reflecting on the event, Ilze Laukalēja-Broka, Manager of EIT Food Hub Latvia, said: "Initiatives like Challenge Labs truly push us to think beyond our usual comfort zones. Too often we solve problems we already know, but to create unique and groundbreaking products we need to explore the unexpected. This year, it was a pleasure to collaborate with ASNS Ingredient, giving participants the chance to literally look beyond the pea. Our partners perfectly embody this mindset—ASNS, as a smart-nutrition producer of peas, encourages the food industry to rethink its possibilities; BirgerMind, a health technology start-up, helps food innovators bring their ideas into a new deep-tech dimension; and LBTU, as a life sciences university, connects fundamental science with practical solutions. This combination captures the very essence of EIT Food—bringing together diverse expertise to inspire and create something truly impactful."

Challenge Labs is an EIT Food initiative aimed at improving food systems by bringing together students, scientists, entrepreneurs, and professionals to co-create innovative solutions. In Latvia, the 2025 edition is implemented by EIT Food Hub Latvia, which is formed by the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU), the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), and the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (LLKC), in cooperation with BirgerMind, providing organisational and prototyping support, and ASNS Ingredient, which sets the business challenges and awards cash prizes for the best solutions.