Project description
AI-supported fungi protein production and agricultural waste valorisation
The world’s ever-growing population demands increasing amounts of protein, a need that traditional sources cannot sustainably meet. Therefore, innovative approaches are required to procure high-quality protein efficiently and sustainably. The EU-funded ZEST project aims to use advanced technologies to optimise the efficiency of biomass resource utilisation and minimise the carbon footprint of food. Fungi-based protein and functional ingredients are promising solutions, because they can be produced globally by fermenting various agricultural sidestreams. The project’s strategy involves developing an advanced AI-supported fermentation production system to create a sustainable processing technology for production of a wide range of bio-based fungal products. ZEST will assess the economic viability and environmental impact of the developed production system.
Objective
The world's ever-growing population demands an increasing amount of protein, which cannot be sustainably met through traditional sources. Innovative approaches are key to procure high-quality protein both efficiently and sustainably. ZEST plans to harness technologies that can exert a global impact, by producing close to user, thus minimizing the carbon footprint associated with logistics from farm to table. Fungi-based protein presents a promising solution to this challenge, given its versatility in utilizing a variety of raw materials and its potential for global production. ZEST's strategy focuses on devising an enhanced fermentation production system capable of generating a diverse array of bio-based protein products. Our primary objectives include: 1) Developing an efficient, zero-waste automatic production system. 2) Designing a multipurpose bioreactor adaptable to substrates with varying viscosities and dry matter content. 3)Assessing the entire value chains to ascertain their economic viability, market potential, environmental impact, and sustainability of fungal-based products.
With the advent of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can embed process knowledge into control systems. This ensures accessibility across both geographical and educational barriers, thus equipping these solutions to deliver maximal impact on the climate crisis through their truly global applications. Our strategy incorporates an efficient, zero-waste automatic production system that integrates feedstock screening, fermentation condition monitoring and control, along with downstream processing control. We will employ a variety of agricultural waste streams as feedstock. Also, ZEST aims to assess a range of compounds for their potential applications across various industries. ZEST's approach is geared towards driving the state-of-art in protein production efficiency, yield, and quality, with broad applications in the burgeoning biobased industry worldwide.
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.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies fermentation
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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.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.6.6 - Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy
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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-JU-IA - HORIZON JU Innovation Actions
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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-JU-CBE-2023
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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.
2630 Taastrup
Denmark
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.