Kern Tec and the EIC Accelerator: Food From Fruit Pits

Kern Tec, founded in Austria in 2019, makes food ingredients from the kernels inside apricot, plum and cherry stones, a by-product of the fruit industry. The kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, compounds that release cyanide, which stop them being eaten in quantity. Kern Tec's EIC project said it had "developed a process to remove these cyanogenic substances and therefore detoxify the seeds", turning them "from waste to superfood", according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,450,000 towards a €3.54 million project from March 2023 to May 2025. The only published report, from the first period, says the grant made "the implementation of this technology at an industrial scale and the achievement of TRL8 feasible", and that the design of the industrial prototype plant had been finalised and a patent filed. In September 2023 Kern Tec raised a €12 million Series A led by Telos Impact, with PeakBridge and the EIC Fund, according to its press release.

Where Kern Tec Stands Now

Kern Tec's website sells kernel oils, pastes and dices for confectionery, snacks, dairy alternatives and cosmetics. In April 2025, after the EU announced 25% tariffs on US almonds, it pitched apricot kernels as "a crisis-proof almond alternative", saying it "can process apricot kernels on an industrial scale", according to its release. Austrian state aid records show four further grants totalling €791,119 in 2025, North Data reports.

The Technology: Removing Cyanide Compounds

Kern Tec treats the seeds and their protein-rich press cake to remove cyanogenic glycosides, producing a food-safe protein powder, according to the project objective; it also sells oils pressed from the kernels. The first-period report says pilot trials fixed the process control for different raw materials and gave the data to design an industrial prototype. It says about 100,000 tonnes of apricot, cherry and plum pits are wasted each year in the EU; the 2023 press release gave 500,000 tonnes landfilled in Europe.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project's aim was an industrial-scale cyanide extraction plant at TRL8. The first-period report documents the plant design, market research pointing to dairy alternatives and confectionery, and a patent. Whether the plant was built and reached TRL8 is not documented on CORDIS, which has no final report. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. Process control finalisedDeliveredFirst-period report.
2. Industrial prototype designDeliveredWork package 3 done.
3. Plant at TRL8UnverifiedNo final report.
4. Commercial productsDeliveredOils, pastes on sale.

The Money

In 2023 Kern Tec said it had "signed purchase orders for its ingredients worth millions of euros in revenues over the coming years". Its accounts, for years ending in March, are filed in Austria but available only through paid services, so actual revenue is not public. Besides the EIC grant and equity, it received about €2.43 million of Austrian state aid from 2022 to 2025.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Kern Tec says Europe imports most of its almonds, 92% of them from California, and that apricot kernels offer a local substitute from a waste stream. The EIC backed that idea with both grant and equity. Its public record ends before showing whether the industrial plant works.

The Verdict

Kern Tec and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.