Project description
Safe and efficient biotechnology delivers the rare precursor to human oligosaccharides
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third most abundant component of human milk after lactose and lipids. They benefit breastfed infants by preventing infection, maintaining immune homeostasis and supporting a healthy gut microbiota. Interest in HMOs is increasing, not only as a supplement to infant formula but also in other nutritional and biomedical applications. However, their production requires L-fucose, a rare monosaccharide with limited natural availability. The EU funded FucoPol project will enable the Portuguese SME 73100 to validate their platform for large scale production of high-purity, high-quality FucoPol. This novel, patented, bacterially fermented biopolymer is a natural source supporting production of pure L-fucose.
Objective
73100 have developed and patented a novel bacterial fermented biopolymer – FucoPol – as a natural source for the efficient production of pure L-fucose. L-fucose is a rare monosaccharide with limited natural availability and a precursor of complex carbohydrates, as Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs). HMOs, which are highly abundant in human milk but not in infant formula, have been recently recognised as natural molecules with high potential for nutritional and biomedical applications. Despite the increasing market demand of these “specialty carbohydrates”, large scale production of HMOs is currently not feasible. Current technologies are hindered by the complexity and costs related to the attempt to increase the availability of the core component L-fucose. In fact, this monosaccharide acts as building block for HMOs, representing over 60-70% of the oligosaccharides portion in human milk. FucoPol – as natural source of pure monosaccharides - solves the main industrial issues related to L-fucose production such as the complexity, costs and efficiency. FucoPol bio-based platform offers a sustainable solution for industrial-commercialization of HMOs, by significantly increasing L-fucose availability. Completing the innovation project objectives will result in the validation of the platform and enable the production of large amount of high-pure L-fucose to meet the quality/quantity industrial demand for this rare sugar.
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 other engineering and technologies food technology
- engineering and technology chemical engineering biochemical engineering
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies fermentation
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.3.2.4. - Sustainable and competitive bio-based industries and supporting the development of a European bioeconomy
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.3.2.1. - Sustainable agriculture and forestry
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.3.2.2. - Sustainable and competitive agri-food sector for a safe and healthy diet
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
7040-220 IGREJINHA EVORA
Portugal
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.