Alternative PROteins from MIcrobial fermentation of non-conventional SEA sources for Next-Generation food, feed and non-food bio-based applications

Informazioni relative al progetto

PROMISEANG

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101112378

DOI

10.3030/101112378

Data della firma CE 17 Maggio 2023

Data di avvio 1 Settembre 2023

Data di completamento 31 Agosto 2027

Finanziato da

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Costo totale

€ 4 535 097,50

Contributo UE

€ 4 535 097,50

Coordinato da

UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PROMISEANG (Alternative PROteins from MIcrobial fermentation of non-conventional SEA sources for Next-Generation food, feed and non-food bio-based applications)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-09-01 al 2025-02-28

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

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.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

Marine biomass selection and characterization
•Ensured supply of macroalgae; identified potential microbial strains for substrate conversion.
•Defined protocols and procedures, including biochemical pretreatment strategies.
•Conducted stakeholder surveys to identify needs, requirements and challenges.
•Selected 2 macroalgae species for extraction of SCP and non-protein bio-compounds.
Alternative protein development through fermentation
•Fungal strains selected based on food safety and culinary use; demonstrated salt tolerance.
•Achieved SCP production via SSF; protein yield optimization informed by critical variables.
•Enabled ultrasound-assisted collagen extraction throughout the development of an adaptive process.
Valorisation of non-protein biomolecules
•Extracted key biomolecules. Exploring of new sources.
•Identified marine residues rich in lipids; viscera and spine evaluated for food/feed/pharma potential.
•Obtained evidence of microbial fermentation increasing the lipid content—SSF-derived microbial lipids under assessment.
•Extraction of pigments and polysaccharides. Results exchanged among partners.
•Initiated PHA production testing.
•Integration of extracted bio-compounds into novel materials.
Sustainability assessment
•Market analysis contributed to LCA/LCC baseline.
•Defined technical balances for fermentation scale-up and digital optimization.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

The most remarkable fact of PROMISEANG is to have identified microorganisms capable of successfully performing solid-state fermentation (SSF) of marine discards, since there was no enough evidence in the literature about any advances on this matter. The findings with regard to the potentialities of Aspergillus oryzae CECT 2094 and Rhizopus oligosporus CECT 20169 for achieving this objective establish PROMISEANG as a pioneer in the valorisation of these biomasses.
Other results can be considered derivative and/or complementary to PROMISEANG, boosting the potential of exploitation of the project results as well as the enhancement of further collaborative research:
UVigo:
·A PhD Student performing research in PROMISEANG will participate with a IACOBUS internship at UMinho, which will be capital for the development of her thesis development, thus facilitating access to different research facilities and equipments.
·OE7 and AA1 groups have presented several project proposals to INTERREG program that can expand the exploitation of PROMISEANG results, as well as offer new inputs to improve the works already delivered. Development of Circularis bio-cluster with the projects One Earth, Promiseang and Valorish (possible expansion).