Food innovation without fear: Alegría Serna`s commitment to connecting science and society

At the Bankinter Innovation Foundation we are proud to follow the path of those who have gone through the Akademia programme and today are driving change from sectors as diverse as health, energy or, in this case, food.

Our protagonist today is Alegría Serna, biological engineer, innovation specialist and science communicator. From Cuina Lab – her food science visual communication project – to her current work at the Future Food Institute in Bologna, Alegría moves naturally between research, design and innovation strategy. Its mission is clear: to make us understand what we eat, why we eat it and how we can transform food systems to be more sustainable and healthier.

With a career that combines biotechnology, education and creativity, Alegría is part of a new generation of professionals who understand that food innovation is not just a matter of laboratories: it is also cooked up in social networks, in purchasing decisions and in people’s ability to interpret science without fear.

In this interview we talk about the challenges faced by the foodtech sector, alternative proteins and how artificial intelligence, fermentation or mycelium are changing the way we design our food. But also how to communicate to debunk myths, encourage critical thinking and open conversations that connect science and culture from the plate.

Cuina Lab: When Food Science Communicates Without Fear

Cuina Lab was born in Valencia as a direct response to a very specific problem: the disconnect between science and society in food issues. Alegría Serna, fresh out of university, detected a clear gap between scientific knowledge and the daily decisions we make about food. Especially when chemistry comes into play.

“We’re afraid of chemistry,” Alegria explains, and that fear fuels myths that distort our relationship with food. From the beginning, Cuina Lab set out to translate technical language into understandable and visual explanations, showcasing the beauty of the science behind what we eat.

The initial spark was an anecdote in their practices: “gluten-free” labels on products that naturally did not contain gluten. That awakened in Alegría the need to explain what gluten really is, and why demonizing it – without context or understanding – does not help anyone. This is how Cuina Lab was born: a space to communicate, dismantle myths and educate from rigour, but also from design and creativity.

The project started on Instagram, with visual content and always with a solid scientific basis. “Behind each publication there is a lot of research,” says Alegría. The good reception of the content by the public was the definitive impetus to consolidate the initiative. Today, Cuina Lab, in addition to connecting with people on social networks, also connects with universities and companies interested in disseminating food science from a critical and artistic perspective.

Food innovation: between the laboratory, the planet and society

From her work at the Future Food Institute, Alegría Serna analyzes food systems with a broad view: in addition to creating new products, it is about responding to a global urgency. Innovation in food must face complex challenges such as the climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity or public health.

One of the great challenges, he points out, is to achieve healthier and more sustainable food. To do this, it is necessary to rethink the ingredients we use today: replace them with more local, regenerative and resilient ones, capable of adapting to the available resources without compromising the future.

In this context, Alegría underlines something key that she has learned at the Future Food Institute: innovation cannot be separated from ecology. Redefining the relationship between biological systems and the planet’s resources is an essential part of change.

But it is not enough to innovate from science and technology. Another of the great challenges is how to integrate this innovation into culture. Technologies such as biotechnology, precision fermentation, alternative proteins or artificial intelligence already offer powerful tools to transform food. However, their true impact will depend on how people relate to them.

For Alegría, critical thinking is a fundamental piece: only if society understands these innovations, will it be able to adopt them consciously and responsibly. Technology without culture is like science fiction for the general public.

The future of food: more plants, less waste and more awareness

For Alegría Serna, the food of the future will be, above all, more diverse, more efficient and more personalised. A transition already underway that involves new ways of producing and consuming, without forgetting the pleasure of eating.

One of the big changes will be the increase in the consumption of alternative proteins: foods based on plants, mycelium, mushrooms, algae or insects, designed to improve taste and texture, and better adapt to consumer preferences. But functional foods will also gain ground, those that, beyond nourishing, have positive bioactive effects on health. There are many examples: from natural antioxidants to plant extracts obtained by biotechnology.

In countries such as the United States, which she recently visited, Alegría has seen this trend up close: products to reduce stress or improve sleep on supermarket shelves, something still uncommon in markets such as Spain, Italy or Colombia. But remember that not everything has to come in capsules or sachets: “Many of these functional compounds are already in everyday ingredients, such as ginger,” he points out.

In his opinion, beyond marketing, the important thing is to promote food awareness and a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based products. Cooking at home, knowing what we eat and why, is still key.

Other axes of change will be:

• The revaluation of by-products and the reduction of food waste, key to moving towards circular systems.
• The expansion of regenerative agriculture and urban production, integrating countryside and city and giving rise to a new generation of urban farmers.
• And a growing trend: sensory innovation, which seeks to enrich the consumer experience through flavour, texture or gastronomic creativity.

These ideas are not alone. They coincide with many of the conclusions of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s Future Trends Forum report, “Smart agriculture: the challenge of sustainable food“, which analyses how technology, bioscience and social innovation are redefining the way we produce and consume food.

Science education: the bridge between innovation and society

For Alegría Serna, science education is not an extra, it is the basis on which daily decisions are built in an increasingly technological world. And it does not refer only to those who work in science or innovation; also to society as a whole. “It helps us understand and question how the world works,” he sums up.

At a time of accelerated progress – new ingredients, biotechnological techniques, artificial intelligence in food – having an informed citizenry is key. Science education allows, for example, that we know how to read a label in the supermarket, understand what a product contains and why, or detect when a food fad is just that: a fashion.

But it also fulfills a deeper function: to bring science closer to society, to build bridges between research, industry and the consumer. At that crossroads, trust becomes essential. Because it is not enough to innovate: you have to know how to tell it well, with rigor and clarity.

In Alegría’s words, science education is the tool that allows us to advance at the same pace as technology. And, above all, it gives us the ability to choose consciously.

Mycelium, mushrooms, flavour and sustainability on the network

Although it sounds like science fiction, mycelium – the underground network of fungi – is already at the center of some of the most promising innovations in the food sector. Alegría Serna knows this well: she is part of the Mycelium Gastronomy Network, a global network of professionals that explores how to apply fungal biotechnology to the development of new sustainable products.

The versatility of mycelium is amazing. It is being used to create plant-based meats with a fibrous texture, biodegradable packaging materials, and even fermented ingredients. All with a clear focus: innovation with a positive impact on the planet.

But it’s not just about structure or sustainability. There’s a key sensory factor that mushrooms provide: umami, that deep flavor that generates pleasure and makes you salivate. Also present in cheese or tomatoes, the umami of mushrooms is especially valued in cultures such as the Japanese, and its use is spreading globally as a natural tool to transform the flavor of food without resorting to artificial additives.

“The interesting thing is how, thanks to fermentation and working with fungi, we can create foods with more intense, richer, more desirable flavors,” explains Alegría. In a world that is looking for alternatives to meat and sustainable formats, mycelium is not just a trend: it is a living technology.

Young people with criteria: science, art and technology to transform food

Alegría Serna is part of a generation that does not wait for others to change the system, but promotes transformation through knowledge, collaboration and action. For her, the role of young people in food innovation is not optional: it is essential.

“We have to have an active and committed role,” he says. But also a collaborative approach, adapted to the challenges of a globalised world, where artificial intelligence, biotechnology and ecological challenges require a critical and multidisciplinary look.

This ability to adapt to change and, at the same time, question it, is what defines the role of a new generation of professionals who, in addition to mastering technology, cross it with culture, art, sustainability and science. For Alegría, this is the key: to participate in projects that integrate diverse knowledge and that respect the balance between innovation and purpose.

In short, a youth that not only innovates; who understands what he does it for and for whom he does it.

From the garden to the stories: a transformed diet

The way we eat has changed profoundly in just two generations. Alegría Serna is clear: it’s not just about what we eat; also about how the environment that produces these foods has changed.

“The land is not the same anymore,” he says, recalling family conversations about how a tomato tasted decades ago. Soil transformation, intensive cultivation systems and population pressure have altered both the quality and the way of producing. Added to that is a key difference: our grandparents ate what was available in season. Today, we eat what we see on social media.

Food is no longer guided solely by the natural environment or local customs. Marketing, globalization and oversupply have turned each meal into a decision influenced by image and immediacy, rather than by context or tradition. In Alegría’s words, now “we consume a lot of images”.

But this transformation also opens up opportunities. In many cases, he points out, we can relearn from the past: go back to the local, to local products, to read labels and understand what is really behind each food.

Cooking, in addition, has become a weekend luxury. “Life goes very fast,” he explains, comparing his recent experience in an Italian village where the Mediterranean diet is still practiced calmly and with seasonal ingredients, with the accelerated day-to-day life in the cities.

Even the simplest things, like coffee, have become sophisticated. Between latte, matcha or cold brew, the traditional seems to have been displaced. “Now you go to a coffee shop and they don’t have a lifetime latte,” he jokes.

In this new scenario, the key is to find a balance between innovation, awareness and simplicity. It is not a question of going back; it is a matter of moving forward with criteria.

Akademia: Critical Thinking and Bridges Between Worlds

For Alegría Serna, her time at Akademia was a transformative experience, both professionally and personally. She remembers it as a space where students from all over Spain lived together with very diverse profiles, which allowed her to learn to think systemically and to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, something that she considers essential in any work environment today.

Akademia gave him a skill that he continues to use every day: critical thinking. Both to analyze data and to understand how to apply that knowledge in real contexts, with tangible impact. “It helped us anticipate problems and connect with the real world,” he says. That is why he does not hesitate to recommend the program to those who are finishing their degree: a gateway to the great challenges of the present from a perspective connected to innovation, strategy and business reality.

Throughout his career – which has gone through academia, industry, research and now dissemination – there is one competence that remains: adaptability. Be able to move between contexts, understand their dynamics, and build bridges between traditionally separate worlds. “That’s where scientific dissemination comes in,” he explains, “as a way of connecting knowledge with society.”

That ability to connect is, for Alegría, the heart of her current work: translating science into understandable, relevant, and visual messages. And to do so from a critical, creative and always collaborative perspective.

Science, Flavor, and Purpose: What’s Next

Alegría Serna continues to build bridges between science, innovation and society. From the Future Food Institute, she collaborates in projects on a European scale that seek sustainable alternatives to animal proteins, combining sea-based by-products with plant ingredients such as carob. All with a rigorous approach, but also with an eye on the consumer: how do we accept these new foods? What barriers still need to be overcome?

Although they do not yet work with lab-grown meat, Alegría recognizes that it is a growing trend, especially in Asia, where products such as cell-cultured chicken are already being marketed. “Scaling costs are still the biggest challenge,” he explains, “but in the next ten years, we’re sure to see it in supermarkets.” A prediction that fits perfectly with the lines of research being prepared by the Foundation’s Future Trends Forum for 2026, focused on synthetic biology, biotechnology and their applications in health and food.

At the same time, Alegría is taking a step further in its informative facet: it is about to launch the first scientific journal of Cuina Lab, a solo project that combines art, science and accessibility. Designed, written and edited by herself – with the visual support of her architect sister – this magazine is her way of bringing scientific knowledge closer to anyone, beyond the academic field.

This balance between the technical and the human, between the European scale and the personal project, between industry and cooking, is what defines his career. And also his time at Akademia, which he lived in the middle of the pandemic and which he remembers as a transformative experience. It gave him tools to think critically, work in a team with people from different disciplines and connect knowledge with the real challenges of the professional world.

Alegría Serna is the example of how an Akademia alumna can influence the food system on multiple fronts: from the laboratory to Instagram, from research to design, from science to taste. Because innovating in food is a matter of technology and it is also a matter of culture, communication and, above all, purpose.

Thank you very much, Alegría! And many successes!

If you want to know the testimonies of other Akademia alumni, you can see them here.

And if you want to know more about the Akademia program, we invite you to visit the Foundation’s website.