Rob Baan: "If you know today, you can do it today!

How can we better harness the hidden power of vegetables such as broccoli, leeks and cabbage for a healthier future? At Unlocking the Power of Bioactive Compounds, the closing event of Success4BioActives on Oct. 8, 2025, research, government and industry came together to exchange insights and plan for the future.

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The future is in a hurry

The introduction was provided by Jacques Smeets (alderman for the Municipality of Venlo) and René Kurvers (program manager Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo), in which they spoke about the importance of the campus and project Success4BioActives.

In an interview, moderator Lotte Sluiter asked Rob Baan (owner of Koppert Cress) about his vision of the future. His message was clear: "The future is in a hurry! If we already have research results on healthier food today, we don't have to wait another two years to implement them in practice.'

If it were up to Rob, we would significantly narrow the gap between research results and their practical application. Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo can play a role in this, by connecting parties. Rob: 'If I were a farmer, I'd spend half a day a week here on campus!'

Results on healthy plants, mild drying technology and sugar metabolism

Variety selection, processing or preparation: bioactive constituents can be lost in various ways. How can we preserve these substances as much as possible? In three substantive lectures, results from the model projects were shared:

• Mark Smits (HAS green academy) and Pim Vrehen (Compas Agro) showed how healthy plants in a healthy soil can produce more bioactive substances, substances that can benefit our health.
• Gijs Hendriks (Blue Engineering) demonstrated the innovative Gentle Dry technology that allows dried vegetables to be preserved while retaining their nutritional value.
• Colin Dohmen (Maastricht University) shared insights on how bioactive ingredients can contribute to a healthier sugar metabolism. For example, polyphenols can inhibit the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.