An Israeli startup, CarobWay, proposes a fair, hi-tech supply chain to make products from locust beans, which science already counts as a superfood. Innovation is not based on genetic engineering but on cultivar selection and smart technology.
Sustainable development of the carob supply chain, continuity of its supply, and increased yields are aided by AI(Artificial Intelligence) that optimizes and automates fertilization and irrigation. Thus stimulating plant growth and maturation.
1) Carob tree, premise. History and territories
The carob tree-Ceratonia siliqua L, family Leguminosae-is a plant already known in Ancient Egyptian times. Its majestic foliage lends shade to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern terrains. From Portugal to the Canary Islands, from Southern Italy to North Africa and Israel, all the way to Iran. (1)
Its fruits (carob pods) are elongated pods, inside of which are 8-12 small sweet and nutritious seeds called carats, from the Arabic qīrāț. Carats, due to their uniform weight of about 0.2 grams, were in fact used as the unit of measurement (still in use today, with standard calibration) for precious materials such as gold and diamonds.
2) Resilience
The carob tree withstands drought and dry soils well. It tolerates high temperatures, even up to 50°C, brackish water and pollution well. Conversely, it does not tolerate water stagnation or extreme frost.
It grows on light, even sandy or rocky soils. The fruits are harvested by beating the locust beans with long canes in summer. And the sun-dried pods change color from green to brown.
3) Nutritional virtues
The nutritional profiles of locust beans vary depending on the part of the plant but also on genetic, cultural, seasonal and environmental factors. Sugars account for about 50 percent, followed by insoluble fiber, in which locust beans are very rich (about 40 percent).
The protein-concentrated in the seeds, which contain about 18-19% of it-is characterized by the presence of hydroxyproline, an amino acid essential to produce collagen (often lacking in people on a plant-based diet). Irrelevant fat (0.2-1%).
Minerals-potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium-and bioactive compounds abound. Mainly phenolic acids, inositols (especially d-pinitol), gallotannins and flavonoids, with high antioxidant potential. In addition to the florotannins.
4) Health virtues
A recently published scientific review (Gioxari et al., 2022) highlights the convergence of human and animal experimental studies, (2) where they show:
– in healthy adult individuals, a correlation between carob intake (in snack form) and satiety, with reduced hunger pangs (compared with chocolate snacks ), (3)
– in patients with hypercholesterolemia, the reduction of ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol following administration of locust bean pulp and/or fiber,
– on humans and animals, the reduction of the glycemic curve (glycemic index, insulin) after meals and the decrease of inflammatory states in diabetic subjects.
Studies on the favorable interaction between carob intake, microbiota, and metabolism also deserve to be explored. As well as on the possible role of carob extracts in cancer prevention. (4)
4.1) Health claims related to botanicals. The case of carob
Italy, it may be recalled, is at the forefront in the EU in evaluating the scientific evidence for health claims related to botanicals. Thanks to the extraordinary work of dear friend Bruno Scarpa, a visionary former executive of the Ministry of Health, who also promoted the development of the BelFrIt list. (5)
The Italian Ministry of Health guidelines on health claims-which operators can use on their own responsibility, as clarified by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU, 2020. See footnote 6)-on a number of botanicals, already provide for locust bean extract:
- ‘regularity of intestinal transit,
- Emollient and soothing action (digestive system),
- Modulation/limitation of nutrient absorption and facilitation of satiety‘. (7)
5) Uses in food and feed
Carob fruits have always been used in human and animal nutrition because of their naturally sweet flavor and low cost of production. The food industry has rediscovered carob in recent years, no longer just as a base for alcoholic fermentation or a cocoa substitute but to develop innovative products with functional properties. Bakery and confectionery products, fortified foods, fermented and non-fermented dough, milk drinks, and carob-based water decoctions. (8)
Locust bean seeds are highly valued both for their excellent nutritional profiles-18.6 percent protein with excellent assortment of amino acids, 5.2 percent sugars, 2 percent mostly unsaturated fats, 78 percent (9)-and technological versatility. Their endosperm, rich in the polysaccharide galactomannan (80-85%), is mainly used to produce locust bean gum (E 410), used as a food additive with stabilizing, thickening and flavoring properties. Also to reduce fat in Apulian burrata. (10)
6) CarobWay, the Israeli startup dedicated to carob.
CarobWay
is a startup created in 2020 in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, to develop an innovative carob supply chain project, from seed to plate. So as to integrate intensive cultivation-assisted by innovative technologies and AI-with the production of carob-based ingredients using 100 percent of the fruit.
‘We are the first enterprise to have integrated research and innovation to select and produce carob seeds, cultivate carob with intensive and precision agriculture, and process its fruits. To make healthy products from its seeds, pulp and pods‘ (Udi Alroy, CEO and co-founder of CarobWay).
6.1) Selection of cultivars, fair remuneration to farmers
CarobWay agronomists , through a dedicated app, collected data to identify the carob cultivars most likely to have the highest productivity, the lowest water and maintenance requirements, and the best flavor. With the goals of:
- produce more seeds, to obtain the valuable locust bean flour,
- derive more fiber, for applications in nutraceutics,
- get a the sweetest pulp, since ‘everything that goes into the food industry has to be tasty,’ as Udi Alroy explains. (11)
The selected carob cultivars are supplied, along with the innovative technologies, to local farms with which the startup has supply agreements. Under these agreements, CarobWay buys the entire crop at a price set so as to ensure a decent income for farmers. Fair trade.
6.2) Automation and AI in agriculture
Land management is fully automated. Sensors collect relevant data on the plant’s water and fertilizer needs in relation to soils and climate. Their real-time processing, thanks to AI(Artificial Intelligence), makes it possible to control and predict the necessary interventions-even in relation to possible plant diseases-and thus both expenses and harvest quantities.
This system has already also improved the growth and fecundity of the carob tree. Trees thus reach maturity in only 4 years, instead of 7 years as before. And harvesting has also been mechanized, to prevent the traditional beating of pods with canes from damaging the flowers that will ripen the following year. (11)
6.3) Supply chain sustainability
The sustainability of the CarobWay supply chain begins with the fair remuneration of farmers, as noted. But also by the choice of a traditional plant, present in Israel for at least 3,000 years, which can now bring life and income to otherwise unusable land.
The circular economy also finds satisfaction in a project where CarobWay uses the carob fruit in its entirety, without waste. Both the seed, to produce locust bean flour, and the pod pulp rich in sugar and fiber. The orchards will then be equipped with solar panels, for renewable energy. (12)
6.4) Output
Reinventing the carob supply chain, for CarobWay, also means developing 15 products designed to innovate foods and food supplements. Natural sweeteners without contraindications, low glycemic index carbohydrates, prebiotic dietary fiber and veg proteins, phenolic compounds and other bioactive substances.
7) Interim Conclusions
From Israel we gather this great example to follow on how to restore vigor to traditional crops with technological innovation that respects nature and people.
All the more extraordinary will be the innovation as crops can be developed in compliance with the requirements of organic production. To enfranchise this biblical plant from the ever lurking poisons (13)-of agrochemicals.
Dario Dongo and Alessandra Mei
Notes
(1) Eleonora Guerri. Carob tree: history of a plant with a thousand uses. AboutPlants.eu. https://www.aboutplants.eu/notizie/ecologia/carrubo-storia-di-una-pianta-dai-mille-usi
(2) Gioxari A, Amerikanou C, Nestoridi I, Gourgari E, Pratsinis H, Kalogeropoulos N, Andrikopoulos NK, Kaliora AC. (2022). Carob: A Sustainable Opportunity for Metabolic Health. Foods. 2022 Jul 20;11(14):2154. doi: 10.3390/foods11142154
(3) Papakonstantinou E., Orfanakos N., Farajian P., Kapetanakou A.E., Makariti I.P., Grivokostopoulos N., Ha M.A., Skandamis rand’ P.N. (2017). Short-Term Effects of a Low Glycemic 50 he Index Carob-Containing Snack on Energy Intake, Satiety, and Glycemic Response in 40 g Normal-Weight, Healthy Adults: Results from Two Randomized Trials. Nutrition, 2017 42:12-19. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2017.05.011.
(4) Gregoriou G, Neophytou CM, Vasincu A, Gregoriou Y, Hadjipakkou H, Pinakoulaki E, Christodoulou MC, Ioannou GD, Stavrou IJ, Christou A, Kapnissi-Christodoulou CP, Aigner S, Stuppner H, Kakas A, Constantinou AI. (2021). Anti-Cancer Activity and Phenolic Content of Extracts Derived from Cypriot Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Pods Using Different Solvents. Molecules. 2021 Aug 19;26(16):5017. doi: 10.3390/molecules26165017
(5) Dario Dongo, Andrea Piccoli. Dietary supplements, the BelFrIt list of permitted botanicals. FARE (Food and Agriculture Requirements). 24.7.17
(6) Dario Dongo. Health claims on botanicals, the Court of Justice provides clarity. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 13.10.20
(7) Ministry of Health (2012). Ministerial reference guidelines for physiological effects applicable pending definition of claims on “botanicals ” https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pagineAree_1268_listaFile_itemName_2_file.pdf
(8) Rodriguez-Solana R., Romano A., fortif Moreno-RojasJ.M. (2021). Carob Pulp: A Nutritional carol and Functional By-Product Worldwide Spread in the Formulation of Different Food. Products and Beverages. A Review. Processes. 2021;9:1146. doi: 10.3390/pr9071146.
(9) Mahtout R., Ortiz-Martinez V., García M., Gracia I., Hernández-Fernández F., Pérez de los Ríos A., Zaidia F., Sanchez-Segado S., Lozano-Blanco L. (2018). Algerian Carob Cause Tree Products: A Comprehensive Valorization Analysis and Future Prospects. Sustainability. 2018;10:90. doi: 10.3390/su10010090
(10) Trani A, Gambacorta G, Gomes TF, Loizzo P, Cassone A, Faccia M. (2016). Production and characterisation of reduced-fat and PUFA-enriched Burrata cheese. J Dairy Res. 2016 May;83(2):236-41. doi: 10.1017/S0022029916000078
(11) Ariel Grossman. Smart tech cultivates biblical superfood for the 21st century. https://nocamels.com/2022/12/smart-tech-cultivates-biblical-superfood-for-the-21st-century/ NoCamels. 11.12.2022,
(12) H. Granato, Developing a sustainable carob supply chain. https://www.vitafoodsinsights.com/sustainability-and-transparency/developing-sustainable-carob-supply-chainpodcast Vitafoods Insights. Podcast, 17.11.21
(13) EFSA(European Food Safety Authority) (2020). Modification of the existing maximum residue level for deltamethrin in carobs/Saint John’s breads. EFSA J. 2020 Oct 27;18(10):e06271. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6271.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Law from the University of Bologna, she attended the Master in Food Law at the same University. You participate in the WIISE srl benefit team by dedicating yourself to European and international research and innovation projects.
