Project description
New biocontrol product to keep fruits and vegetables safe
Nearly half of global fresh produce is lost in the post-harvest stage due to spoilage, mainly because of fungal contamination. Fungal growth poses a risk to consumers owed to the secretion of mycotoxins, carcinogenic and immunogenic metabolites naturally produced by fungi. Harvested produce has been traditionally protected with chemical-based solutions. However, these products leave residues that are hazardous for consumers and the environment. To address this issue, the EU-funded ANTOFERINE project will develop and bring to market an innovative antifungal solution of natural origin to protect fruits and vegetables in the post-harvest stage. The product is composed of polyphenol extracts, obtained through a solvent-free extraction process that isolates them from vineyard waste. The innovation will significantly reduce food losses and contribute towards a circular economy.
Objective
The agro-food sector is facing today crucial challenges. With a global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, meeting the global demand for food supply would not only require increasing production, but also to prevent food losses. Close to 50% of the global fresh produce, mostly fruits & vegetables, is lost in the post-harvest stage due to spoilage during transport and storage, with 80% caused by fungal contamination. Besides damaging product quality, fungal growth poses a risk to consumers due to secretion of mycotoxins, carcinogenic and immunogenic metabolites from fungi. The cumulative cost of post-harvest losses exceeds €200 billion annually. To prevent these losses, post-harvested produce has been traditionally protected with chemical-based solutions. However, besides the direct risk for applicators, these products also leave residues that are hazardous for consumers and the environment. Trying to find a balance between the prevention of losses and reducing risk for consumers, the EC has set residue allowance limits for synthetic compounds and seeks to replace them with natural alternatives. In response, we at Antofénol present an innovative antifungal solution of natural origin to protect fruits & vegetables in the post-harvest stage. The efficacy of our product relies on its unique composition of polyphenol extracts, obtained through a solvent-free extraction process that isolates them from vineyard waste. Importantly, besides contributing to reduce the huge post-harvest losses that affect the food sector, we would be contributing to the European circular economy by promoting valorization of an abundant agricultural waste. Altogether, the main goal of this project is to finalise the development of our biocontrol product and take our extraction process to the industrial scale. To meet these goals, in Phase 1 we see necessary to conduct a Feasibility Study that help us define the best strategy to overtake key milestones and lead us to market readiness.
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.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture viticulture
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
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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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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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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.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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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) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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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.
22640 Plestan
France
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.