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SCALABLE CO2-BASED PRECISION FERMENTATION FOR FUNCTIONAL FOOD INGREDIENTS

Objective

FERM4FOOD aims to revolutionise the production of functional food ingredients by demonstrating the first integrated, scalable EU platform that converts industrial CO2 emissions into high-value, food-grade ingredients through precision fermentation with genetically engineered microorganisms. Targeting lactic acid, single cell protein, and microbial oils, FERM4FOOD addresses the urgent need to decarbonise the European food sector and reduce dependence on fossil and agricultural resources.

At demonstration scale (TRL7), real CO2 emissions captured from a brewery will be converted via advanced fermentation and downstream processing routes, ensuring food-grade purity, safety, and regulatory compliance. The resulting ingredients will be validated by their formulation into two innovative vegan consumer products—a protein-rich barista beverage and a functional beauty food pouch—demonstrating nutritional, functional, and market acceptance (through consumer panels).

The FERM4FOOD approach integrates advanced digital twin, life cycle (LCSA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) to ensure process efficiency, and regulatory compliance, while supporting scale-up and replication. Digital twins will enable real-time process optimisation and modelling, while integrated LCSA and TEA will provide robust data on sustainability, resource use, and economic viability, guiding decision-making for industrial deployment and replication across diverse food sector settings.

FERM4FOOD unites partners from research and industry to deliver new circular business models and an open-access digital platform for broader adoption. The project directly supports the objectives of the Horizon Europe Farm2Fork Work Programme by enabling climate-neutral, resource-efficient, and resilient food systems, contributing to EU leadership in sustainable biomanufacturing and the transition to a circular bioeconomy.

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.

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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)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

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.

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.

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2025-02

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Coordinator

AINIA
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 756 258,67
Address
CALLE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 5-11 VALENCIA PARC TECNOLOGIC
46980 Paterna Valencia
Spain

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

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.

€ 756 259,21

Participants (15)

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