PROMISEANG aims to develop novel proteins from under-exploited marine sources, including marine invertebrate and macro algae, discards and industrial biowaste, through fermentation using fungi, yeast or bacteria. This should generate new microbial protein biomass that meets market requirements for food, animal feed and non-food products. A technically and economically viable bio-refinery for microbial-based protein production will be demonstrated, allowing for high yields, reduced production times and costs, minimal environmental impact and increased availability of proteins in the EU. Taking a zero-waste approach, PROMISEANG will also recover and synthesise non-protein bio-compounds and molecules for food, feed and non-food applications. Another goal is to formulate zero-waste procedures for producing proteins via fermentation of non-conventional marine biomass, using the proteins to create nutritious, high-valued, sustainable food, feed and non-food products.
The project aims to:
•understand the requirements for use of marine food bio-waste as a fermentation substrate;
•use biomass fermentation to produce sustainable, healthy, protein-rich microbial extracts;
•confirm nutritional value, safety and health benefits of the new products;
•determine the sustainability of the new proteins compared to available alternatives;
•foster development of the circular economy by recovering bioactive compounds from fermentation side streams;
•maximise project impact through exploitation activities and dissemination of results.
PROMISEANG is expected to:
•identify underexploited or unexploited protein sources by determining the nutritional and metabolite profiles of over 30 types of marine biowaste;
•extrapolate findings to any type of food biowaste, contributing to the development of new bio-based protein fermentation processes and reducing food waste;
•identify 10 marine food by-products that are suitable biomass fermentation substrates and validate and optimise two biomass fermentation processes;
•increase the availability of high-quality proteins in the EU and reduce reliance on imports by mobilising protein streams from alternative sources and delivering five high-quality protein extracts;
•create 7 non-protein ingredients using residual biomass;
•develop nutritious, healthy, safe and sustainable products by creating over 30 formulations and delivering at least 4 food, 5 feed and 3 non-food prototypes;
•draw up 6 sets of guidelines for production of proteins and other biomolecules via biomass fermentation;
•enhance the resilience, circularity and sustainability of biobased marine protein industries.
