Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WHEATBIOME (Unravelling the potential of the wheat microbiome for the development of healthier, more sustainable and resilient wheat-derived food & feed products)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-01-01 bis 2024-06-30
Wheat, a central crop with high protein and energy content and with low growing requirements, benefits from soil and plant microbial communities for (1) restoring soils and protecting the crops and wheat-derived products against pathogens; (2) regulating plant metabolisms and overall crop quality; and (3) improving the production of nutritional and healthy food and feed products. However, the current data about wheat microbiomes is scarce. The WHEATBIOME project is advancing the knowledge on the wheat microbiome’s role in sustainable development through cutting-edge research and collaboration between academia, industry, food system actors and governmental authorities. The project is exploring microbiomes in wheat production systems from soil to plate aiming to:
• Understand the impact of biotic/abiotic factors on wheat microbiomes;
• Evaluate the impact of soil-plant microbiome interactions on wheat metabolism and nutritional quality to further develop a new decision support system (DSS) that will include sustainable farming practices for resilient and nutritious wheat crops;
• Discover new wheat fermentative microbiomes for development of novel fermented foods and feeds.
• Study microbial fermentations in food/feed quality and reduce food waste by recirculating wheat byproducts.
• Assess the impact of wheat nutrients and microbiome (prebiotics, probiotics, bioactive compounds, immunogenic proteins, etc.) on human/animal microbiota and health.
• Assess the perception of food system actors and citizens about microbiomes within food systems.
Overall, WHEATBIOME’s research and development actions, combined with a multi-actor approach, will boost the change in food systems towards sustainability.
WHEATBIOME is also contributing to the global demand for healthier and more sustainable food products by establishing protocols for developing alternative plant-based foods through fermentation, such as beverages, yogurt-like products, and cheese substitutes. Moreover, WHEATBIOME is pioneering in the identification of novel fermentative microorganisms isolated from wheat plants and soil to be used for healthier plant-based food development. WHEATBIOME is committed to developing innovative feed products that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable. The project is setting parameters for the development of feed products with enhanced nutritional profiles, achieved by fermenting wheat byproducts with selected microorganisms.