And while Serbia lags behind more developed countries in many respects, it is also proud of its young, talented people who win awards at knowledge competitions. The Biljna tajna student team stands out among the best. The uniqueness of their innovative product VeYo made from almond pulp—probiotic yogurt is recognized all over the world, and we spoke with Milica Milutinović, B.Sc., an engineer from the Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade, about the inspiration for its creation and the successes that followed.
Their story begins during the preparation of the thesis of Milica and her colleague Sara Živanović, in which they should have included a detailed analysis of almond pulp. After discovering the untapped potential of this raw material, they began to devise ways to use it. Since they prefer plant alternatives to milk, in agreement with the other members, they came up with the final solution—a probiotic eco-drink based on almonds. At that moment, the team Biljna tajna was born, and the implementation of the idea was supported by Professor Marica Rakin and colleagues from other faculties, with whom they are very good friends.
– While Sara and i worked for months in the laboratory on technological development, the techno-economic aspect and business model were created by our colleagues Duška Rakin and Tamara Živanović, students of the Faculty of Economics, and the graphic design and marketing plan was realized by Aleksa Simić, a student of the Faculty of Agriculture—says Milica Milutinović.
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The uniqueness of the VeYo product
The almond-based probiotic drink is made from the pulp that remains as a by-product after the production of almond milk, which until now was considered waste. Its importance is reflected in the technological improvement and improvement of environmental protection because, unlike the existing herbal drinks on the market, it is produced exclusively from waste pulp and retains exceptional quality. It is also an example of implementing the circular economy concept at the national level.
Obtaining a quality, nutritionally rich and tasty product required a lot of work in the laboratory to find the right recipe and ideal conditions for this type of fermentation. The most interesting part for everyone, says Milica, was the taste testing, with the addition of vanilla flavoring or freeze-dried fruit. They are currently working on improving, optimizing, and protecting the product so that everything is ready for the next steps they are planning.
Prepared by: Katarina Vuinac
Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ELECTROMOBILITY.
