Project description
Sustainability and health impact of non-alcoholic beer
Beer is the most consumed alcoholic drink worldwide. However, the negative impacts of alcohol have led to a significant increase in the consumption of non-alcoholic beer (NAB) as an alternative. Unfortunately, despite a more health-conscious consumer base and improved manufacturing processes, little is known regarding the health impact of NAB. Additionally, the industry needs to introduce more recycling efforts. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the SHE-NAB project aims to study the effects of NAB on health and to develop novel waste valorisation practices for use in NAB manufacturing, as well as a healthier NAB prototype. To achieve this, it will use metagenomics, synthetic microbial ecology, and metabolism modelling to valorise waste and improve health benefits during production.
Objective
Beer is the world’s most consumed alcoholic drink but its alcohol content has a negative impact on health. The consumption of non-alcoholic beer (NAB) has rocketed recently, driven by changes in manufacturing processes and a more health-conscious consumer base. In Europe, the market size is estimated in $22 billion (2022). Despite its potential for diet improvement, the impact of NAB on health has been barely investigated. Moreover, this expanded market is not reusing its by-products properly and generates considerable waste. The aim of this project is to address this lack of information by elucidating the contribution of NAB to health, and by implementing waste valorisation practices to generate products with added value for the circular economy. By applying the latest methods in metagenomics, synthetic microbial ecology approaches and metabolism modelling, SHE-NAB will provide a proof-of-concept for the rational design of a novel NAB prototype, helping to deliver on EU health and sustainability priorities and to educate in the context of public health. After the generation of valorised waste products, we will harness the microbial potential of selected newly characterised strains with key functionalities (i.e: synthesis of bioactive molecules) to develop synthetic communities (SC) for the fermentation of NAB at small and pilot scale. By metagenomics and metabolomic data obtained during fermentation, ecological networks will be constructed to disentangle the contribution of each taxa to the traits of the final product and allowing a rational design of the SC to control fermentation processes. The final products will be assessed for health benefits using ex vivo gut models and cell assays. An effective two-way transfer of knowledge with industry will be achieved, particularly during a non-academic placement period, applying the SC developments at pilot scale and using valorised waste products for the production of healthy NAB in a commercial brewery environment.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies fermentation
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
R93 Carlow
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.