Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry joins European project

It is estimated that 20 per cent of the food produced in the European Union for human consumption is currently lost or wasted. At the same time, the manufacture, processing, retailing, packaging and transport of this food contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as air, soil and water pollution and pressure on land use.

This is the basis for the new European research project "Orchestrating Food System Microbiomes to Minimise Food Waste", which includes the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry at the School of Biotechnology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. There are a total of 18 public and private partners from nine European countries.

"The Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry will actively participate in all the project's tasks, but the biggest input will be in the study of microbial cultures to replace synthetic chemical preservatives and in the development of new packaging solutions, a working group that will be coordinated by us, explains Paula Teixeira, principal investigator of the project in Portugal and member of the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry.

Throughout the project, the researchers will focus on five approaches for their potential contribution to improving sustainability in food processing, increasing food shelf life and reducing food waste based on monitoring and "orchestrating" food microbiomes and food processing environments.

Thus, the project will seek to develop predictive analysis models that incorporate information from the microbiome to predict shelf life; time-temperature indicators (TTIs), sensors and smart labels for dynamic shelf life labelling; methods for rapid detection of microbial food degradation indicators; systems for using microbial cultures to replace synthetic chemical preservatives and increase shelf life and food safety; and new packaging solutions aimed at preventing or reducing food spoilage and increasing shelf life.

The task linked to packaging development will be coordinated by CINATE's Packaging Laboratory, and aims to apply tailor-made gas barrier materials and packaging with active antimicrobial coatings.

Microorc - Orchestrating Food System Microbiomes to Minimise Food Waste" aims to help reduce food degradation and consequently food waste. To this end, "sustainable solutions - technologies, services, tools, policies and practices - based on the monitoring, utilisation and modulation of microbiomes in food and along the food processing chain will be developed within the scope of this project," she says.

Funded by the European Commission through the HORIZON Programme*, the MICROORC project brings together a consortium of 18 partners from 9 European countries, including the participation of global companies and technology SMEs such as Vizelpas - Comércio de Artigos Plásticos Limitada (Portugal), Christian Hansen (Denmark) and bioMérieux SA (France); producers and associations in the food sector such as Lusiaves-Indústria e Comércio Agro-alimentar SA (Portugal) and Primor Charcutaria Prima AS (Portugal); research institutions in natural sciences and technology and social sciences such as Nofima SA (Norway) and ESB-Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal); and a partner with specialised knowledge in dissemination, innovation and exploitation activities, CiaoTech S. r.l (Italy). The project began in November 2023 and ends in October 2027.

*European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under Grant Agreement N° 101136248.