Inspiring CO2 circularity by introducing carbon transformation to our plates

Informazioni relative al progetto

C - 2C - Protein

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101188544

DOI

10.3030/101188544

Data della firma CE 13 Dicembre 2024

Data di avvio 1 Settembre 2024

Data di completamento 31 Agosto 2026

Finanziato da

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Costo totale

Nessun dato

Contributo UE

€ 2 442 727,56

Coordinato da

SOLMEGIA MONOPROSOPI I.K.E.
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - C - 2C - Protein (Inspiring CO2 circularity by introducing carbon transformation to our plates)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-09-01 al 2025-08-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The C-2C-PROTEIN project tackles two global challenges: climate change and food scarcity. By 2050, population growth will raise protein demand by >70%. Current protein sources face limits:
Animal proteins: resource-intensive, high emissions
Plant proteins: land/water heavy, volatile supply chains, allergen risks
Microbial/algal proteins: often poor taste/colour/acceptance
The EU prioritises sustainable food systems. Solmeyea’s HVF technology converts industrial CO2 into MEY™ protein—a non-GMO, safe, carbon-negative, tasteless and colourless ingredient. It integrates seamlessly into foods and offers versatile functionality (binder, stabiliser, egg replacer).

Objectives
a.Project Management – smooth execution, QA, risk and financial control, FOAK flagship planning.
b.Market Preparation – B2B outreach, application co-development with FMCGs, FSSC 22000 certification, IP growth, targeted communication, consumer awareness.
c.CO2 Utilisation – scale demo fermentor to TRL 8, validate downstream processing, assess techno-economics.
d.Protein Production – demo-scale fermentation + downstream, 22 t/year output, with packaging, QC, functionality testing.
e.Strategic Positioning – regulatory readiness, industry partnerships, reinforce Europe’s sustainable protein independence and climate goals.

Pathway to Impact
a.Environmental: 1 kg MEY™ protein absorbs ~2.4 kg CO2, ~30× more efficient than forests; uses 99% less land & 98% less water vs. soy. In contrast:
a1.Imported soy: +4.5 kg CO2eq/kg
a2.EU soy: +2.0 kg CO2eq/kg
b.Precision fermentation: +5.0 kg CO2eq/kg
c.Food system: allergen-free, no sensory compromises, supports sustainable diets.
d.Economic: ~€190M revenue & 170 jobs by 2029; attract top-tier EU scientists back from the US, boosting competitiveness.
e.Policy: Direct support to Green Deal, Farm to Fork, Fit-for-55, UN SDGs.

SSH Integration
a.Consumer studies & communication to secure trust.
b.Stakeholder engagement (events, social, web) for awareness.
c.Regulatory and business alignment with EU policies.
Just Transition: EU lost ~80,000 auto jobs in 2024; CCU-protein plants sustain hundreds of jobs per site, thousands indirectly. EU rollout (2030–40) could create tens of thousands of direct and hundreds of thousands of total jobs, reinforcing cohesion and bioeconomy goals.

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

Scale-Up & R&D Progress
Pilot scale: TRL 8 fermentation, 10 clean 50 g/L runs in 4 days; ~50 kg/week food-grade protein; CO2 unit ready for dry-runs.
Fermentation R&D: 43% protein content; semi-continuous process for higher productivity; continuous fermentation targeting 3× output.
DSP R&D: proprietary extraction yields clean protein & lipid fractions; solvent-free, food-grade quality.

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)

Solmeyea has achieved a first time ever integration of CO2-based glucose-substitute bioconversion with its own proprietary white microalgae fermentation to produce food-grade proteins at industrially relevant yields and timelines. This approach delivers:
a.High productivity at industrial scale: 1,200 L contamination-free fermentations at 50 g/L in 4 days, enabling 10× faster growth rates than best performing autotrophic microalgae cultivation systems.
b.Nutritional breakthrough: biomass protein content increased to 43% through proprietary fermentation optimisation, surpassing typical microalgae protein levels (30–35 %).
c.Process intensification: semi-continuous and continuous fermentation under development, targeting 3× productivity increase (50 g/L/day), exceeding current state-of-the-art for microalgae cultivation.
d.Proprietary DSP innovation: trade-secret extraction method enabling clean separation of protein and lipid fractions without organic solvent residues, ensuring food-grade quality.

Potential Impact
1.Industrial scale: one facility converts 500,000 t CO2/year → 165,000 t protein/year.
2.Land & water-light, climate-resilient protein for food chains.
3.Pilot already producing 50 kg/week, scaling to 200–400 kg/week.

Key Needs
1.Commercial demo in 2026 (CO2 + fermentation integration).
2.Regulatory compliance: EFSA Novel Food, GRAS in US.
3.Partnerships with FMCGs (Danone, Zott, Nestlé, Mondelez).
4.CAPEX for first >1,000 t/year facility.
5.Ongoing IPR (patents + trade secrets).

Bioreactor

MEY Protein powder

Off-gas fermentor