What can a Sicilian pesto teach us about upcycling, flavour development and culinary science?

A culinary lens on how REDUCED creates taste from side streams

At REDUCED, we often say we take a gastronomic approach to developing food ingredients. But what does that really mean? And what exactly is “upcycling” in food?

Let’s unpack it through a familiar example, not because we make Sicilian pesto, but because building a great pesto tells you a lot about how we work.

 What is upcycling?

Upcycling in the food industry means taking high-quality side streams—byproducts from farming or food production that would normally be discarded—and turning them into something new, valuable, and delicious.

Think tomato skins left over from sauce production or spent onion pulp from juice extraction. These materials still carry flavour, nutrition, and culinary potential. So instead of letting them go to waste, we give them a second life.

A thought experiment: The Pesto Brief

Imagine a global food brand comes to us with a request:

“We want a new savoury ingredient inspired by Sicilian pesto. Clean-label, additive-free, made from 100% real food. It should taste amazing, mix easily into products, and last two years at room temperature.”

They’re not asking us to make traditional pesto. They’re asking us to apply our gastronomic mindset, combined with technical and sustainability goals, to solve a complex brief using real ingredients.

The REDUCED way: 5 principles in action

Inspired by endless food co Matthew Orlando's philosophy, we don’t see waste—we see opportunity. Our version of this pesto-like ingredient would use:

• Upcycled tomato skins and offcuts

• Spent onion pomace and garlic skins

• Roasted leftover bread

• Olive oil pulp

• Red pepper trimmings

These side streams still carry remarkable flavour and nutritional potential. But not all are created equal. That’s why we carefully select suppliers who can provide side streams with the highest sensory quality. Just as a chef chooses the best produce, we source only the materials that meet our standards for taste, consistency, and functionality. It's a holistic approach—one that starts long before production and ensures food safety, quality, and outstanding flavour from the ground up.

To get the most out of each side stream, the key is to pre-treat them with care. Here’s how we would do it:

• Bread is roasted for deep umami.

• Tomato skins are gently steamed.

• Garlic peels are dried at high heat for aroma.

• Other ingredients infuse slowly in water to release flavour.

• Olive oil fats are reintroduced to help extract aromatics.

Every step builds the complexity of the final product. Nothing is added without purpose.

One of our favourite tools is koji fermentation—an ancient technique that unlocks flavour complexity.

When added to a development like this, broken rice koji helps:

• Naturally produce sweetness and umami

• Add unique aroma compounds to the final food

• Generate non-commercial enzymes that create unique flavours

• Add a subtle, layered complexity through fermentation

It’s not just about taste. It’s about creating ingredients with character.

We come from hospitality, so flavour is always front and centre. But to meet the technical standards of large food companies, we pair that creativity with scientific rigour.

• Our chefs drive product ideas and flavour profiles.

• Our scientists ensure stability, compliance, and ESG alignment.

This is how we develop ingredients that are clean-label, innovative, and CSRD-friendly, without compromising taste.

We’ve built REDUCED around people who love great food. Chefs, scientists, flavour nerds—if it doesn’t pass our own taste test, it doesn’t leave the lab.

That’s our golden rule. And that’s why this Sicilian pesto-inspired solution would be carefully fine-tuned until every member of our team would want to eat it.

Why It Matters

Creating ingredients this way isn’t easy. But it leads to solutions that save time, simplify supply chains, reduce emissions, and, most importantly, taste amazing.

We don’t make pesto. But we do turn side streams into savoury gold.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating delicious, clean-label, upcycled savoury formulations, whether it’s sauces, soups, ready-made meals, hybrid products or plant-based innovations.

What could we explore and create together? Book a meeting today