Objective:
Food producers often rely on plant-based proteins and other ingredients with specific functional properties such as solubility, emulsification, gelling, foaming, and viscosity. However, there is currently no standardized way to measure these properties. Different methods are used across studies and suppliers, making it nearly impossible for companies to fairly compare ingredient quality and functionality. This lack of standardization complicates ingredient selection and product formulation, especially for plant-based food innovations like meat analogues or mayonnaise.

Results:
The project identified the need for a single, standardized test method for each key functional property of food ingredients. For example, using one official, universally accepted method to measure protein solubility (e.g., Nitrogen Solubility Index, NSI) can unify reporting and simplify comparison. Standardizing these tests in both research and ingredient specification sheets enables clear, reliable, and transparent evaluation of ingredients.

Practical implications/recommendations:
For practitioners, adopting standardized testing procedures means easier, more accurate comparison between different protein or ingredient sources, saving time and reducing guesswork in product development. Ingredient suppliers can tailor their products to meet specific functional requirements more effectively, improving the match between raw materials and end-product needs. For example, in plant-based mayonnaise production, knowing the exact solubility of soy or pea protein isolates through a standard test helps optimize texture and stability. The main cost is the initial adaptation to standardized testing protocols, but the benefits include better product consistency, faster innovation, and potentially lower R&D expenses. Overall, embracing standard methods increases transparency and efficiency in ingredient selection, fostering competitive, high-quality food product development.

• A standard method to compare the functionality of food ingredients is needed
• A new method for determining protein solubility index (PSI) based on extraction…

Objective:
Marine algae from sublittoral zones are rich in minerals, proteins, and vitamins, offering a sustainable opportunity to enhance food nutrition without additives. However, their natural alginate content hinders bonding with other ingredients, creating challenges for food formulation and production. This project addresses the need to overcome these structural challenges to unlock algae’s full potential as a valuable food ingredient.

Results:
The project demonstrated that mild, natural pre-processing techniques—specifically, targeted treatment of algae with a calcium salt mixture under controlled temperature and time—effectively break down the problematic alginate mass. This approach preserves the algae’s valuable nutrients and minerals while improving its functionality for food applications. By optimizing pretreatment conditions, high-quality algae-based ingredients can be produced, suitable for storage and direct use in food manufacturing.

Practical implications/recommendations:
Practitioners can apply this mild pretreatment step before food processing to improve resource efficiency and product quality. Using the calcium salt treatment, algae become easier to incorporate into diverse food products, enhancing nutritional value sustainably. The method supports chilled or frozen storage, offering flexibility in supply chain management. Although this step adds some processing cost, the benefits include higher-value food products with natural nutritional enhancement, appealing to health-conscious consumers and creating new market opportunities. For food producers, this means tapping into algae’s potential while maintaining product quality and consumer acceptance, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and innovative food systems.

• Viva Maris

Objective
The global food system faces a major challenge: how to sustainably meet the rising demand for protein without worsening environmental degradation, land use, and climate change. Traditional farming is resource-intensive and vulnerable to weather and geopolitical instability. Practitioners need new, scalable protein sources that don’t rely on farmland, animals, or large water supplies.

Results
Solar Foods has developed Solein®, an entirely new type of protein produced from air, water, and electricity. Using a fermentation process similar to brewing, microbes are fed carbon dioxide and hydrogen, along with essential nutrients, to create a protein-rich powder made of whole microbial cells—up to 70% protein. Solein is nutritious (also containing fibre, iron, and B vitamins), highly versatile in food applications, and requires only a fraction of the land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat or even plant-based proteins.

Practical Implications for Practitioners

• Solar Foods
• Solein

Objective
The project tackles two major challenges: the unsustainable nature of current protein sources—especially animal-based ones—and the underutilization of rapeseed oil production waste. While rapeseed meal contains valuable proteins, no clean and efficient method had existed to extract them for human consumption without using harsh chemicals. This represented a missed opportunity for circular, local, and sustainable protein sourcing.

Results
NapiFeryn BioTech has developed an innovative and eco-friendly technology called ALSEOSTM, which extracts high-quality protein from rapeseed oil production waste. This solution transforms a common by-product into a sustainable, GMO-free, allergen-free, and highly functional plant protein—perfect for various food applications. The process is chemical-free, cost-effective, and delivers products with neutral taste and smell, suitable for both protein-fibre concentrates and protein isolates.

Practical Implications for Practitioners

• Rapeseed protein as a novel ingredient of gluten-free bread
• A new source of protein to save our planet
• NapiFeryn BioTech website

Objective:
This project addresses a key challenge in sustainable animal production—how to turn agricultural and food processing side-streams (often rich in fibre) into valuable feed sources. Traditional monogastric livestock (like poultry and pigs) have limited ability to digest fibre, reducing growth and feed efficiency. Farmers and producers seek more cost-effective and sustainable feed solutions without compromising productivity.

Result – A new solution:
Crickets, specifically Acheta domesticus and Teleogryllus testaceus, show exceptional potential to convert high-fibre biomass into animal protein efficiently. Unlike pigs and poultry, these insect species can grow well on feed sources with up to 26% fibre, such as sunflower seed meal, cassava plants, and even common weeds. Experiments demonstrated that crickets fed high-fibre sunflower seed meal (17% fibre, 33% protein) achieved growth rates comparable to those raised on standard chicken feed (5% fibre). This makes crickets uniquely suited to transform side-streams—otherwise underutilized or discarded—into high-value protein.

Practical recommendations and implications for farmers:

• Growth and survival of reared Cambodian field crickets (Teleogryllus testaceus)…
• Comparison of Diets for Mass-Rearing Acheta domesticus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) …

A diet too high in animal-based products, e.g., (red) meat and dairy foods, has a negative impact on both our environment and our health. The production of meat and dairy causes large amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. These gases harm the environment and contribute to climate change. In addition, livestock farming requires a lot of land, water, and energy. Most of the world's agricultural land is used for livestock feed production, with serious consequences such as deforestation and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, the modern, industrial way in which meat is produced to meet current consumption levels comes at the expense of animal welfare.

A transition from animal-based to plant-based foods – the dietary shift – is necessary to reduce the environmental impact of our diet and create a more sustainable food system. The production of plant-based proteins directly for human consumption requires significantly fewer resources and causes less damage to the environment compared to the production of animal-based proteins. Moreover, plant-based foods are generally lower in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and are high in fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, which have been associated to numerous health benefits. Reducing our meat and dairy consumption and replacing them more often with more sustainable foods such as legumes, whole grains, nuts, and vegetables, will reduce the carbon footprint of our diets while improving our health. 
 
 The dietary shift has impactful benefits to environmental and human health.

How can you contribute to a healthier and sustainable food system? 
To make a positive impact on the environment and your own health does not mean you have to switch to a 100% plant-based diet. Small changes in your diet can already make a big difference. 

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