Project description
Sustainable lipopeptides for cleaner food systems
Agro-industrial residues are often wasted despite their potential as sustainable, high-value food ingredients. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SMART-LIPOPEP project aims to reverse this trend. Specifically, it will convert tomato seed proteins and olive pomace lipids into natural food-grade lipopeptides through environmentally friendly enzymatic processes. The project will develop lipopeptides with tailored emulsifying properties and potential health-promoting functions to stabilise food emulsions and improve the delivery of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. It will also investigate the digestive behaviour of lipopeptide-stabilised emulsions and bioactive delivery systems in both model and real food matrices. Overall, SMART-LIPOPEP will contribute to a circular bioeconomy by valorising agri-food by-products, reducing waste, and supporting the development of healthier and more sustainable food systems.
Objective
SMART-LIPOPEP aims to develop sustainable enzymatic strategies to transform agro-industrial residues, specifically tomato seed proteins and olive pomace triglycerides, into food-grade lipopeptides (LPs) with tailored interfacial and bioactive properties. These amphiphilic molecules will act as innovative, natural, clean-label emulsifiers capable of stabilising food emulsions while encapsulating fish oil and enhancing the delivery of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA).
By valorising abundant Mediterranean by-products, the project addresses the urgent need to reduce food waste and supports circular economy paradigms.
The research integrates protein and lipid extraction, enzymatic catalysis, proteomics, bioinformatics, and advanced colloidal characterisation to design LP families with multifunctional behaviour. Their antioxidant activity and oil-encapsulation ability will be explored through a dual approach, including in-silico modelling and in-vitro validation in both model and real food systems. Digestibility and bioactive release will be evaluated with dynamic gastrointestinal simulations, ensuring both technological performance and nutritional relevance.
The project will be hosted at the University of Granada under the supervision of Prof. Julia Maldonado-Valderrama (colloidal and interfacial physics) and co-supervision of Prof. Pedro J. García Moreno (enzymatic processing and delivery systems). A six-month secondment at TH Köln (Prof. Ulrich Schörken, green biocatalysis) in collaboration with Prof. Petra Siegert (FH Aachen, microbial aminoacylases) will reinforce expertise and broaden methodological scope. Aligned with the MSCA Green Charter and EU Sustainable Development Goals, SMART-LIPOPEP advances zero-waste food systems and healthier diets. Beyond functional foods, outcomes may also impact other relevant sectors such as cosmetics and biobased surfactants.
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
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
18071 Granada
Spain
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.