At the Alimentaria trade fair, the Eurecat technology centre is showcasing fermentation technology as an innovative tool for getting novel ingredients based on alternative protein from plant sources, insects, nuts, mushrooms and algae while also optimising the sensory and nutritional properties of plant-based proteins to help make the agri-food industry more sustainable.

With the world’s population expected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, food businesses have the challenge of finding new sources of protein to meet market demand in the coming years by consuming alternative protein from plant-based sources, algae and fungi, insects or cultivated meat.

“Eurecat is tapping innovative solid-phase fermentation processes with low energy use and environmental impact to modify the sensorial, technological and nutritional properties of new protein ingredients and make products such as, for instance, apple vinegar and kombucha, developed as part of the Ekoferm initiative to bring new value to vegetable by-products and surpluses,” says Pau Sentís, a researcher in Eurecat’s Nutrition and Health Unit.

“This research is being conducted by the joint Eurecat and University of Lleida (UdL) Food Technology platform,” adds Sentís, who is also presenting the PROVEG project at Alimentaria in which new plant-based foods have been designed and developed from plant protein sources including mushrooms, nuts and algae.

“We need a comprehensive approach to harnessing sustainable and healthy solutions for supplying protein ingredients in the future coupled with studies on their safety, protein quality and the impact they may have on the health of people and animals, studies such as the ones we are carrying out at the technology centre,” points out Nadia Ortega, director of the Nutrition and Health Unit at Eurecat.