Dénia, epicenter of gastronomic innovation with the defense of the UA's final degree projects

Four students from the fifth graduating class of the Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts of the University of Alicante (UA) have defended their final degree projects (TFG) on July 20, 2026 in the Juan Chabás Library in Dénia.

Image: Juana Jordá speaks into a microphone during the defense of a Gastronomy final degree project, with a presentation screen and other attendees.

Juana Jordá speaks at the defense of the final degree projects in Gastronomy at the University of Alicante held in Dénia.

This event, organized by the Mediterranean Gastronomy Centre Gasterra UA-Dénia in collaboration with the Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and the Faculty of Sciences, has been an opportunity to present innovative research on sustainability, food innovation and the social impact of cooking to an evaluation panel.

Image: Group photo of students and teachers at the defense of the Final Degree Project in Gastronomy at the UA in Dénia, with posters from Gasterra and the City Council.

Final Degree Project Defense for the Gastronomy Degree at the University of Alicante in Dénia

Dénia, at the forefront of gastronomic training

The Mayor of Dénia, Rafa Carrió, and the councillor for UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, Raúl García de la ReinaThe mayor, along with the dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Antonio Sánchez, and the director of Gasterra, Juana Jordá, welcomed the attendees. The mayor congratulated the students of the fifth promotionCarrió stated that their work "represents an opportunity to reimagine how cooking can be a vehicle for social transformation and sustainability." She reiterated the Dénia City Council's commitment "to the implementation of the future Gastronomic Sciences degree program in the city" and announced that "we will soon be able to celebrate a very important piece of news for our city: the inauguration of the new Mediterranean Gastronomy Center at the Torrecremada estate."

Image: A woman speaks at a lectern during an academic presentation with a projection screen and three other people standing behind her.

Defense of Final Degree Projects in Gastronomy at the UA in Dénia

Research that redefines gastronomy

The defense of the final degree projects has put the finishing touch on a Development de four years with a multidisciplinary profile. The coordinator of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Degree at the UA, Professor Aranzazu Valdés, expressed her pride in this graduating class, which "demonstrates the potential of a solid, cross-cutting university education in gastronomy connected to the real challenges of the society and the food sector." The students, he adds, have approached gastronomy "from very current perspectives, such as sustainability, food innovation, the economy of products with differentiated quality or the social role of cooking in emergency contexts."

Designations of Origin and Sustainability

Student Camilo Franco Londoño, supervised by Antonino Martín Palacios, presented a "Comparative Analysis of the Added Value of Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) in the Trade Balance: The Cases of Spain, France, and Italy." His research, from an economic perspective, shows how PDOs generate value for agri-food exports, offering a strategy based on quality and sustainability. Spain, Italy, and France concentrate the 60 % of these certificates in the European Union.

Innovation in food utilization

Tania Valero Cortés, under the supervision of Professor Águeda Sánchez Albert, has focused her work on the "Valorization of spent grain from beer production for the development of enriched cookies." This research aims to incorporate spent grain, a residue with high nutritional potential, as a functional ingredient in cookies, contributing to the development of more sustainable foods with a better nutritional profile, while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.

Image: A student reads a document while seated in front of a laptop computer before two members of the evaluation panel during the defense of his final degree project.

Defense of Final Degree Projects in Gastronomy at the UA in Dénia

Psychology and marketing in food choices

Ksenia Yugas, under the supervision of Irene Portilla Tamarit, has presented "Food Choice: Cognitive Biases and marketing "Gastronomic." This work is a literature review on the psychological aspects that influence gastronomy, addressing emotional, cognitive and behavioral factors, and proposing strategies to optimize psychological well-being in the gastronomic field.

The defense concluded with the work of José Carlos Llorca Ferrer, supervised by Alicia Ferrández Ferrer, entitled "Feeding with Dignity: Gastronomy as a Tool for Community Resilience in Emergency Situations." This anthropological analysis of World Central Kitchen and Alicante Gastronómica Solidaria is based on the student's personal experience as a volunteer with the latter organization during the DANA storm.

The evaluation panel

The evaluation panel was chaired by Professor José Vicente Gimeno Beviá, with Borja Ferrández Gómez acting as secretary, and Enrique Moltó Manero, academic coordinator of Gasterra, as member.

Students from the fifth graduating class of the Gastronomy Degree at the UA, along with professors and authorities, after defending their final degree projects in Dénia.