HEARTchest Featured in Agrotec Magazine

HEARTchest Project Featured in Agrotec Magazine 

The HEARTchest project, developed by CITAB, is one of the highlights of the latest issue of Agrotec magazine, through an article dedicated to the development of the premium olive oil “Porca de Murça-Castanha Judia Fused”—a product resulting from the combination of scientific research, tradition, and the promotion of Trás-os-Montes’ local resources. 

Under the title “From Tradition to Innovation: Olive Oil Flavoured with Trás-os-Montes Chestnuts Wins International Awards”, the article details the product’s development journey, noting that the project “has once again put Trás-os-Montes in the spotlight on the international agri-food scene”, highlighting the potential of food innovation when grounded in scientific knowledge and the promotion of local products. 

The article also details the co-creation process, the tests conducted at the Kitchen Lab and UTAD’s Sensory Analysis Laboratory, and the international recognition the product has achieved, including several gold medals in international competitions. 

In the article, Carla Gonçalves, a CITAB researcher and project lead, emphasises that: 

“HEARTchest demonstrates that food innovation can arise from tradition when we bring together science, producers, and consumers. This flavoured olive oil showcases the region’s exceptional ingredients and demonstrates how co-creation can transform knowledge into real products with high market potential.” 

The publication concludes that “HEARTchest stands as an example of a new approach to agri-food innovation: collaborative, participatory, and deeply rooted in the region”, reinforcing the project’s contribution to promoting the chestnuts and olive oil of Trás-os-Montes, as well as Portuguese agri-food excellence.