Projects

Innovation Projects at national and international level

WHEATBIOME

Horizon Europe 2023-2026

ISANATUR plays a pivotal role in WHEATBIOME, focusing on scaling up fermented feed pre-prototypes and developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for optimized fermentation processes. This groundbreaking project harnesses the full potential of wheat crops through a strong collaboration between academia, industry, food system stakeholders, and authorities. WHEATBIOME aims to ensure sustainable food production by transforming wheat by-products into nutritious, healthy, and eco-friendly solutions. The project addresses key challenges such as feeding a growing population, maintaining soil health, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing Europe’s climate resilience.

ALEHOOP

Horizon Europe Project (2020-2025)

ISANATUR plays a key role in ALEHOOP, focusing on biomass management and aligning end-user product requirements. This innovative project demonstrates at pilot scale the potential of macroalgae (seaweed) and legume-based biorefineries to recover low-cost dietary proteins from residual plant and algae biomass. These proteins are being validated for diverse applications, including animal feed, food additives, and advanced nutritional products. ALEHOOP paves the way for sustainable solutions, transforming biomass into valuable resources that meet the needs of both consumers and industry.

UP4HEALTH

Horizon Europe Project (2020-2024)

ISANATUR successfully coordinated UP4HEALTH, a project that demonstrated at a pre-industrial scale the transformation of food industry by-products (olive pomace, olive stones, grape pomace, and nut by-products) into natural, healthy, and sustainable ingredients. These innovations, aimed at the nutraceutical and cosmetic sectors, addressed the growing demand for more sustainable and health-conscious products. UP4HEALTH set a milestone by tackling industrial, economic, and social challenges, promoting circular solutions that maximize resource efficiency and minimize waste.

LIGNOXOS

H2020 FTIPilot 2016

ISANATUR, in collaboration with ZADE, played a crucial role in the LIGNOXOS project, focused on developing and validating XOS as a high-quality prebiotic. The project successfully scaled up the production of the first ecological Xylooligosaccharide (XOS), derived from food industry by-products such as almond shells and olive stones. The process, grounded in circular economy principles, led to the creation of two XOS products: a high-purity powder (XOS 90) and a syrup (XOS 70). Both products were sent to Zade Vital for analysis and prototype development, marking a significant step toward the commercialization of XOS as a functional food ingredient. The project also included the preparation of the “Novel Food” application dossier for EFSA to ensure regulatory approval.

LIGNOFOOD

7PM Project (2013-2016)

ISANATUR participated in the LIGNOFOOD project, which focused on transforming lignocellulosic agricultural waste into valuable, healthy compounds like xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and xylitol. XOS, known for their prebiotic effects, support gut health, while xylitol, a low-calorie sweetener, serves as a suitable sugar alternative for diabetics. The project developed enzyme-based processes to efficiently produce XOS and xylitol, creating food products enriched with these ingredients to meet the growing demand for functional foods. LIGNOFOOD contributed to enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs in the rapidly expanding functional food market.

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