Greek-Swedish food scientist Angeliki Triantafyllou wins European Inventor Award 2026 for advancing oat-based drinks

• Angeliki Triantafyllou receives the European Inventor Award 2026 in the ‘Industry’ category for developing a patented enzymatic process that improved the taste, texture and stability of oat-based drinks
• Her invention increased protein solubility without breaking down proteins, enabling products suitable for applications such as coffee
• The patented process helped transform oat drinks from a niche product into a widely adopted dairy alternative
• The award was presented during the European Inventor Award 2026 ceremony in Berlin today

Today, the European Patent Office (EPO) has awarded Greek-Swedish food scientist Angeliki Triantafyllou the European Inventor Award 2026 in the Industry category for developing an enzymatic process that improved the stability, taste and functionality of oat-based drinks. According to academic studies, up to 65% of the world’s population has a reduced ability to digest lactose. While plant-based alternatives have long existed, early oat drinks often suffered from grainy textures, bitterness and poor performance in applications such as coffee. Triantafyllou’s invention helped overcome these limitations, enabling stable, protein-rich oat drinks suitable for everyday use and industrial production.

The European Inventor Award recognises inventors whose innovations provide answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The other finalists in the Industry category were Evangelos Eleftheriou and his team from Greece and Switzerland for developing key technologies that improved how digital data is stored, read and processed, and Giuseppe Crippa and his team from Italy for developing a method for the rapid, local production of semiconductor probe cards.

“This award is an amazing honour for me and a well-deserved acknowledgement of the fundamental importance of the food sector. An area where advances in research and modern technology pave the way for meeting the challenges that our planet is increasingly facing, mirroring our strong commitment towards an innovative, healthy, resilient food system development,” said Triantafyllou.

Improving oat drinks for everyday use

Oats have long been considered a promising raw material for dairy alternatives, but earlier production methods struggled to produce drinks with the taste, appearance and functionality consumers expected. Increasing protein solubility often required enzymes that broke proteins into smaller fragments, leading to bitterness, unwanted browning and reduced stability during processing.

Triantafyllou developed a process that combines protein deamidase with amylases to increase protein solubility while preserving protein structure. The resulting oat base has improved taste, a whiter appearance and a finer, more stable foam. These properties proved particularly important for coffee applications and contributed to the development of oat drinks designed specifically for baristas.

Bringing food science from the laboratory to consumers

The invention emerged from research at Lund University in the early 1990s, where scientists were exploring ways to create value from oat by-products while developing alternatives for people with lactose intolerance. Triantafyllou joined the project while completing her PhD in biotechnology and played a central role in refining the enzymatic process and preserving the nutritional benefits of oats.

Together with colleagues at Oatly, she developed an enzymatic process that combines protein deamidase enzymes with amylases to solubilise oat protein while degrading starch. This patented process, owned by Oatly, helped enable the launch of their Barista range, which expanded the appeal of oat drinks beyond consumers with dietary restrictions and into the mainstream market.

Today, compared with conventional dairy milk, oat-based alternatives can require less land and water and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Triantafyllou continues to develop enzymatic processes through Cerealiq AB, focusing on next-generation oat- and legume-based beverages.

All the winners of the 2026 edition of the European Inventor Award were announced at a ceremony today in Berlin. You can stream the ceremony online here. Find more information about the invention’s impact, the technology and the inventors’ stories here.