Plenary - Breakthrough Innovation AM
Innovation AM will spotlight breakthrough scale-ups and academic projects.
- A New Era in Natural & Fermented Ingredients for Clean-Label Foods - Jens Legarth, Ferm Food
- Leveraging Microalgae for Cleaner and more Nutritious Plant-Based Offerings - Hugo Valentin, Edonia
- The Power of Microorganisms to Produce High-Quality Proteins - Luísa Cruz, MicroHarvest
- Leading the Upcoming Microbial Revolution - Thomas Bibette, REVOBIOM
- Transforming Food Industry Side Streams into Sustainable, High-Value Ingredients - Christopher Snyder, Nomy
- How One-Step Plant Protein Production Unlocks Better Taste, Texture, and Affordability - Dr. Pekka Lehtinen, Happy Plant Protein
- Final Scale-Up TBA
- Bridging the Gap between Industry & Research - Stella Spanou, Aarhus University
- GIANT LEAPS - Dr. Paul Vos, Wageningen University & Research
- HealthFerm - Innovative Pulse and Cereal-Based Food Fermentations for Human Health and Sustainable Diets - Kristof Brijs, KU Leuven
Food fermentation has been used for millennia, but our knowledge of the impact of fermented foods on human health and the possible role of gut microbiota in it is limited. Microbial consortia and fermentation processes are, hence, not designed for optimal health outcomes. At the same time, fermentation technology represents a major opportunity to increase the incorporation of plant-based proteins in diets.
The multi-actor consortium HealthFerm brings together first-class researchers, food companies, and dissemination partners to enable the transition from traditional to sustainable grain-based fermented foods and diets that deliver health benefits to consumers by design. This will be achieved by (1) disentangling the interaction between food fermentation microbiomes, grain-based foods, and the human gut microbiome and health and (2) using microbial resources and fermentation technology to develop healthy pulse and cereal-based food and diets that cater to the desires and needs of EU citizens. Drawing from a community science approach, HealthFerm will identify micro-organisms and metabolic pathways that may result in desired nutritional and health effects. The impact of microbial fermentation on raw materials will be examined at the molecular level. Fermentation technology will be used in the production of grain-based liquid and (semi-)solid foods. The impact of these foods on human health and the gut microbiome will be assessed in a number of intervention trials. Consumer acceptance of fermented foods, their technologies, and their role in the transition towards a more sustainable healthy diet will be studied in different social contexts.
