Manchester Metropolitan University
Side dish
Nuffins
UNITED KINGDOM - 2023 Nuffins are sustainability focused, savoury muffins developed to upcycle low value, waste materials from the bakery and vegetable processing sector. Our headline flavour is cauliflower cheese!
Nuffins are savoury muffins which aim to combat the high levels of food waste associated with the bakery and vegetable processing sectors through upcycling and valorisation. This includes the whole cauliflower and it’s greens, apple pomace, bread ends and wonky carrots with the peel. This is crucial as there are 6 million tonnes of avoidable food waste from the food industry every year (Patel et al., 2021). Moreover, carrots are the most wasted vegetable with 24-50% of produce being unmarketable due to cosmetic issues (Porter et al., 2018). Globally, apple pomace is one of the most produced types of agri-food waste, with over 4 million tons a year (Gołębiewska et al., 2022). During industry sandwich making 40% of bread is lost due to the removal of crusts, and 20 million slices of bread are thrown away daily in the UK, making it a highly wasted food. Furthermore, most bakery waste is treated with anaerobic digestion which fails to utilise the bread to its full potential, so alternatives are necessary to reduce the negative environmental impact (Narisetty et al., 2021). Unused bread ends are briefly baked and then milled into a fine powder and incorporated into the muffin batter. The filling is composed of low value vegetable materials such as out of specification cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, wonky carrots and apple pomace, with some cheddar and spices. Nuffins can be enjoyed as a breakfast food, offered in a meal deal or on the go as a quick, healthier snack option.
