Objective
ECOF2AT will address two interrelated problems: the lack of processes that fully valorize agri-food waste in EU and around the world, and the need of the food industry to find economical, healthier and sustainable alternatives to currently used solid fats. The EU agri-food system generates enormous quantities of residues every year, many of which remain significantly underutilised despite containing valuable nutrients and health promoting bioactive compounds. Among these residues, spent coffee grounds and rice bran are two abundant lipid-rich by-products generated by coffee processing and rice milling, respectively. Despite their high lipid content and the presence of valuable bioactive compounds, these materials are still largely directed toward low-value uses such as animal feed, composting or energy recovery. At the same time, the food industry relies heavily on a limited set of solid fats, including milk fat and butter, tallow, cocoa butter and palm oil. However, cocoa butter is expensive and subject to supply volatility, while palm oil raises well-known environmental concerns due to its association with deforestation and long supply chains. Transforming lipid-rich agri-food residues into structured fats capable of replacing or complementing conventional solid fats would represent a major opportunity for both the circular bioeconomy and the food sector. ECOF2AT will do that by developing the manufacturing technology to transform the lipid fractions of rice bran and spent coffee grounds into sustainable, low-cost functional fats to directly replace both traditional fat ingredients and bioactive compounds (e.g. vitamins, antioxidants) in fortified food, promoting sustainable food production, improving product quality and production efficiency in terms of costs & environmental impact. Due to their biocompatibility and health benefits the ECOF2AT materials could be exploited also in pharmaceutical & nutraceutical formulations and for cosmetic applications.
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 engineering energy and fuels renewable energy
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture sustainable agriculture
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds cereals
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science domestic animals animal husbandry animal feed
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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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) ERC-2026-POC
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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.
10129 Torino
Italy
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.