Stay informed and register to our newsletter.

Partners SSICA, IRIS and University of Parma use different extraction and analytical procedures to get the most out of peas, chickpeas and coffee residues.

Don't miss our presentation on 22 October, 2020 on "Legumes, coffee and fungi agro-industrial side streams as alternative sources of proteins". Join the conference!

As you may know, last week, between 22 - 24 September 2020, the European Research & Innovation Days policy conference took place. But this year the event came with a twist!

The virtual organization of Science is Wonderful! 2020. An online exhibition that showcased the 40 most promising EU-funded research and innovation projects that are currently undergoing implementation. Projects that are making deep impact in our everyday lives such as, Slowing down global warming, improving our cities, preventing hunger and drought, fighting cancer and of course repurposing food waste!

YES! PROLIFIC had the great honor of being a part of this event and have our very own booth, where visitors from all around Europe and the world, come and talk with the team and learn more about the project.

More than 10.000 people have participated in this year's Science is Wonderful! event.

From our side, the team has managed to prepare 2 videos. One of them is a generic overview of the project and it's objectives, while the other was an explanatory video that was shot in the laboratory of the University of Bologna, which showcased how antimicrobial properties can be added in a food packaging wrap.

Below you can see some photos/screenshots of the PROLIFIC Booth as well as the participants.

An external view of the PROLIFIC Booth view.

As can be seen from the photos, a lot of people were interested in our endeavor and approached the booth in order to talk to us, see the produced videos and also see our showcased products!

You can still visit our booth!

If you missed it, fear not! The Science is Wonderful! 2020's door are still open until the end of October! Everybody can register an account and will be able to visit the whole virtual expo.

You can register an account and visit the expo here: https://research-innovation-days.ec.europa.eu/register. The whole experience is like a video game!

The Prolific booth can be found in Pavilion 3, Booth #45.

The whole PROLIFIC consortium would like to wholeheartedly thank the European Commission for choosing us to participate and showcase our efforts, trying to minimize the footprint of food waste, by trying to reuse agro-industrial residues in order to repurpose them, in other industrial applications.

Two experiments on FLEW fungi were performed, one of which was the same protocol that was applied to the legumes, while the second one was slightly modified, in order to improve protein isolation.

The extracts show 33% of protein content (as determined by Kjeldhal method) in the first case and 40% in the second one. Both results are highly promising and are certainly more encouraging than the previous ones that were obtained with the ultrasound and enzymatic-assisted extraction.

The next steps are to assess the actual quality of the proteins and also their integrity.

It is with great pleasure that we are announcing that our project, will be one of the 40 projects that has been chosen to participate in Science is Wonderful! 2020 event that will take place from 22-24 September 2020.

Science is Wonderful! brings the world of science, research and innovation to the public. This year, the European Commission is innovating and organising the exhibition exclusively online to reach more European citizens than ever before. The event will take place as part of the European Research and Innovation Days, which will bring together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to apply our reach and communication skills into action, and have a real impact by showing children, students and citizens what their and researchers’ roles are in the post-crisis context. This year, the exhibition will also reach hundreds of stakeholders from all over Europe as part of the European Research and Innovation Days – giving researchers the opportunity to highlight some of our amazing results build our network and identify future opportunities.

Find out more information about the event here: https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/news/science-is-wonderful-2020_en

We will keep you informed on how you can participate at a later stage! Looking forward to e-meet you in 22 of September!

Since its inception in 2014, BBI JU has contributed to the development and structuration of the bio-based industry sector in Europe. Through 123 projects funded by BBI JU, 924 beneficiaries from 37 EU Member States and Associated Countries are laying the foundations for a green recovery of Europe. With funding worth €706 million, the vast majority of BBI JU projects are developing new sustainable bio-based chemicals, materials and products with a lower environmental impact than their fossil-based alternatives. By using mostly organic waste and sidestreams from agro-food industry and forestry, leveraging investments and creating jobs in rural areas, these projects are paving the way for a truly circular economy in Europe.

BBI JU Executive Director Philippe Mengal commented on the occasion of the publication launch: ‘Our projects are developing a vibrant and sustainable bio-based economy in Europe. The high creation rates of skilled jobs, the leveraging of investments and collaboration links between academia and industry prove the success of the BBI JU model. Moreover, we have achieved this while contributing to the fight against climate change and protecting the environment. I can say with assurance that the bio-based industries can play an essential role in the green recovery of Europe.’

Read the full publication for more information about BBI JU’s impact.

1. The nutritional and chemical composition of food by-products;
2. Potential health effects of food by-products based on in vitro and in vivo studies;
3. Contaminants and undesirable compounds occurring in food by-products as a result of food processing/storage;
4. Potential applications of by-products from the food or cosmetic fields;
5. The safety and regulation of food by-products.

The paper is titled "State-of-the-Art Production Chains for Peas, Beans and Chickpeas—Valorization of Agro-Industrial Residues and Applications of Derived Extracts". Below you can read the Abstract of the paper:

The world is confronted with the depletion of natural resources due to their unsustainable use and the increasing size of populations. In this context, the efficient use of by-products, residues and wastes generated from agro-industrial and food processing opens the perspective for a wide range of benefits. In particular, legume residues are produced yearly in very large amounts and may represent an interesting source of plant proteins that contribute to satisfying the steadily increasing global protein demand. Innovative biorefinery extraction cascades may also enable the recovery of further bioactive molecules and fibers from these insufficiently tapped biomass streams. This review article gives a summary of the potential for the valorization of legume residual streams resulting from agro-industrial processing and more particularly for pea, green bean and chickpea by-products/wastes. Valuable information on the annual production volumes, geographical origin and state-of-the-art technologies for the extraction of proteins, fibers and other bioactive molecules from this source of biomass, is exhaustively listed and discussed. Finally, promising applications, already using the recovered fractions from pea, bean and chickpea residues for the formulation of feed, food, cosmetic and packaging products, are listed and discussed

The paper is published in Open Access status and can be downloaded, by clicking the PDF icon below. For future reference, you can find it also in our Documents section.

DOWNLOAD PDF [DOI: 10.3390/molecules25061383]

The European Union’s sustainable development strategy includes the 17 SDGs defined by the UN as the targets to reach by the end of 2030. This study shows how the BBI JU granted projects contribute to the SDGs mainly by promoting sustainable industrialisation and sustainable economic growth. Other key contributions are the replacement of fossil-based products and improving the opportunities to feed the world under challenging climatic conditions. The report also reflects how the BBI JU projects create new jobs in rural areas while preserving the biodiversity and the beauty of nature.

This study details the contribution of different types of BBI JU actions to the relevant SDGs. The flagship biorefinery projects are contributing to a large extent to promoting sustainable agriculture and energy consumption. At the same time, flagship projects are combating desertification, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity in areas where biorefineries are located. For instance, the LIGNOFLAG flagship project is contributing to the SDG 13 ‘Climate Action’ by producing bio-based ethanol that is expected to reduce the CO2 emissions up to 95%, compared to its fossil-based equivalents.

When it comes to BBI JU Demonstration Actions, an illustrative example is the contribution of the Dendromass4Europe project to SDG 12 ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’. The project is developing an effective and sustainable way of using natural resources for the packaging industry while adding value to forestry resources without burning or mulching them.

All the SDGs have been mentioned at least once in the reporting by the projects, and at least ten BBI JU projects reported a contribution to as many as 12 SDGs. The study describes the contribution of the granted BBI JU projects at the end of 2018.

You can find the full report by clicking the link.

The highly successful event brought together the bio-based industries community and facilitate open discussion on the impact, achievements and strategic direction of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) programme, as well as the latest developments in the bio-based industries sector.

More than 600 participants made BBISF2019 a huge success.

Below you can see some photos from the PROLIFIC booth.

The protein concentrates have been carefully used for further processing, in order to maintain their nutritional qualities. The basic technological procedures have included mixing the proteins with other bulk ingredients during dough-preparation, The basic flour ingredients were comprising organic spelt and emmer (ancient wheat) flour mixtures in case of small baked goods and spelt flour for the bread, respectively.

Both product categories have been using sourdough technology, meaning a natural fermentation of the dough with starting natural yeast cultures. All other ingredients used were also of organic origin. In order to increase the acceptability of these innovative products, other protein-rich seeds have been added (chia, linseed), enhancing also the rustical appearance of the PROLIFIC baked goods.

Below you can find some photos of the product.

The second edition of the Stakeholder Forum is a one-day public event that will bring together the bio-based industries community and facilitate open discussion on the impact, achievements and strategic direction of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) programme, as well as the latest developments in the bio-based industries sector. .

As stated above, an exhibition with 100 BBI JU granted projects and key BBI JU partners will be available throughout the event.

The projects exhibition will showcase technologies, processes and products developed by the BBI JU beneficiaries and their concrete added value for the EU citizens' everyday lives. Bringing 100 granted projects together in one venue will allow the participants to network with the project representatives and facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

The participation of key BBI JU partners will allow the participants to get information about relevant EU programmes, complementary funding instruments, regional/national representatives, and other support measures and initiatives working on the advancement of the EU bio-based industries sector.

If you are interested, you can find more information in the BBI JU Stakeholder's Forum official page.

Register now to make sure that you are part of the day as the registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is mandatory and free of charge. The final deadline is 25 November.

The pictures show the first attempts to incorporate fungal residues into a grain/protein extrudate matrix.

1. The picture above shows the basic product, without the use of residues (for comparative purposes)

2. Basic product

3. Extrudate with 10% FPOhp fungi I fundi extract content.

4. Extrudate with 10 percent FPOhk fungi l fungi extract content.

5. Extrudate with 10 percent FPOhk fungi l fungi extract content - Result with deviating parameters

6. Extrudate with 10 percent FPOhk fungi l fungi extract content - Result with deviating parameters

7. Comparison Basic product and extrudate with 10% FPOhk fungi l fungi extract content.

8. Sample with different concentrations of an additive (Color depending on the added extract and proportions)

9. Sample with different concentrations of an additive (Color depending on the added extract and proportions)

10. Coextrusion process

11. Extrudate with 10 percent FABw fungi l fungi extract content - Sticks

12. Extrudate with 10 percent FABw fungi l fungi extract content - Sticks

13. Extrudate with 10 percent FABw fungi l fungi extract content - Pillows

Figures 1 and 2 show a comparative product without the use of residues. Figures 3 to 7 show the first results. The content of (dried) fungal residues in the extrudate is 10 %. Depending on the extrusion settings, size, shape and bulk density may vary. The colour of the extrudates can be adjusted depending on the type and added quantity of residues (Figs. 8 and 9). Figures 10 to 13 show a co-extrusion process and possible products. The content of fungal residues is also 10%. It's worth mentioning that use of such processes in vegan/vegetarian meat substitutes is conceivable.

Anuga, the world’s largest trade fair for food and beverages, breaks new grounds for the developments of the entire industry.

It is one of the most important industry meeting point as the figures of 2019 once again impressively demonstrate: By figures of 2019, over 7,500 exhibitors and about 170,000 visitors participated in the fair!

IGV on behalf of the PROLIFIC consortium participated in the leading food fair in Cologne i. From 9th – 13th October 2021, Anuga hosted exhibitors and trade visitors from all over the world to discover 10 trade shows and 11 trend themes as well as numerous events and congresses.

This programme combined with the largest number of participating exhibitors makes Anuga the trade fair highlight of the food and beverage industry!

IGV circulated some of the project's flyers and networked between stakeholders. Some extrudates and product examples were also presented.

Sebastian Lies, in the middle presenting the overall idea of the PROLIFIC project to interested parties.

Two small brochures presenting the objectives of the project, as well as the project's leaflet in the front.

The workshop was organised in Trieste, Italy and hosted by our partner Illycaffè and highlighted approaches aiming to produce more sustainable materials, such as biodegradable and bio-based polymers for food packaging.

The workshop took place in Area Science Park in Trieste, Italy.

Below you can find a slideshow contain some photos of the event. The full agenda alongside the given presentations can be found in the Workshop's page.

All presentations have been uploaded to the event page of the site.

On behalf of the PROLIFIC consortium we would like to wholeheartedly say thank you to all presenters and participants that attended the workshop and we're looking forward seeing you in the next workshop that will be organized by our partners IGV in Germany.

The article is titled "Application of power ultrasound in the food processing industry" and presents the use of Power ultrasound as an emerging and promising technology in the food industry.

Throughout the article IRIS' engineers Edurne Suarez, Óscar Rodríguez and Simona Neri, presents the overview of their work performed in 3 projects that they are involved in, SHEALTHY, AGRIMAX and of course PROLIFIC.

You can find the full article over at Food Hub Magazine's website. If you wish, you can download the full issue of September's 2019 magazine here (in Italian language, only).

Keep up the great work, IRIS!

On behalf of the PROLIFIC Consortium we are delighted to announce that we are organizing our first workshop, titled "Residual Biomasses for Eco-compatible and Sustainable Food Packaging".

The Workshop will be held on September 11th & 12th, 2019 in Trieste Italy and is being organized by our colleages at ILLYCAFFE to trigger the discussion about the potential of biorefinery concepts based on residual biomasses.

With this workshop we aim to highlight one particular aspect of the PROLIFIC project; PROLIFIC seeks new technological and industrial solutions to transform agrifood waste into food products, animal feeds, packaging materials and cosmetic ingredients.

You can find out more information about the workshop here.

EuroFoodChem XX (20th) Conference was held from 17th to 19th June 2019 in Porto, Portugal, under the auspices of the Food Chemistry Division of the European Chemical Society (FCD-EuChemS) and the Portuguese Chemical Society (SPQ).

The PROLIFIC project was represented by Dr. Luciano Navarini of ILLYCAFFE. Dr. Navarini opened the day with the Plenary Lecture entitled "New Trends in Coffee Research: in Chemical Perspective". Part of his lecture was the presentation of the PROLIFIC project, its overall idea and its objectives.

Some photos of Dr. Navarini's lecture are shown below:

Each European citizen produces approximately 200 kg of municipal biowaste per year, what makes between 118 and 138 million tonnes of biowaste annually across Europe. Under-developed waste management has become a huge burden for many European countries due to the environmental negative impact of the large volume of waste generated. The materials and resources are being lost what contributes to the under-utilisation of biowaste and its potential recovery into high-value products. The biowaste can be transformed into green energy, organic fertilizer, feed, biopesticides, bioplastics and many others biobased products.

The main biowaste management systems that currently exist in EU are landfilling (40% up to 100% in some Member States), incineration, composting and digestate (25%), which represent one-way flow systems. Biowaste management process from collection to treatment and disposal must be optimized in order to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. Recycling of biowaste makes a considerable contribution to GHG emission mitigation, since there is high organic content in municipal solid waste.

Currently, EU attention is directed towards climate change, energy crisis and a lack of key resources. Biowaste could play a huge role to combat these challenges. The use of biowaste as a resource allows to move closer to the EU’s common objectives by reducing the amount of waste disposed in landfills. There are possibilities to utilize biowaste for energy production as an opportunity to efficiently use renewable energy and to decrease the energy dependence of Member States. Energy recovered from biowaste in the form of biogas or thermal energy can help in the fight against climate change.

In December 2015, the EC published the European Circular Economy Package that paved the way for a resource-efficient society and sustainable recycling industry across Europe. Biowaste prevention- part of the Waste Framework Directive, stimulates Europe’s transition towards a circular economy. The circular economy strategy will boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable growth and generate new jobs across EU. The circular economy strategy goes beyond the waste hierarchy by designing circular resource flows at regional and global level and between industries. Transition to a circular economy will require changes in the whole value chain; in product design identifying new methods turning waste into products, new business and market models and changes in consumer behaviour.

On behalf of the PROLIFIC project, Mr. Jürgen Engerisser from PLEURETTE attended the event and succesffully networked between the rest of the participants and initiated discussion regarding possible future synergies.

Pictures from the event:

Vitafoods Europe is the annual event where the global nutraceutical supply chain come together to do business. Providing the perfect platform for generating new business and building profitable relationships, Vitafoods Europe is the only dedicated event covering the industry's four key areas from ingredient to shelf. Vitafoods Europe brings together 1,100+ of the most innovative global suppliers and 21,000+ senior decision-makers who are looking to source nutraceutical ingredients and raw materials, services and dietary supplements

CELABOR participated the Exhibition on behalf of the PROLIFIC consortium. CELABOR's representatives Dr. Job Tchoumtchoua and Dr. Sébastien Cajot presented the objectives of the project to the visitors and distributed some informative leaflets.