PROALGAE

Description

The PROALGAE project aims at producing novel alternative proteins from microalgae and cyanobacteria biomass grown in agri-food by-products. Alternative protein sources from microalgae can contribute to society by producing a sustainable ingredient to help mitigate the increase demand for protein sources, being applicable on food and feed development.

The project focuses on both the bioremediation of agri-food by-products/effluents and at the same time the production of valuable biomass for the production of food and feed. The final goal is to recover nutrients from the agri-food by-products to provide novel protein sources, closing the loop in the agri-food sector in a circular economy approach. Microalgae-based processes will be used to treat the effluents and produce the microalgal biomass. The project includes the feasibility assessment of the cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria is specific agri-food by-products, the characterization of the produced biomass, and the evaluation of its application as food and feed. The environmental sustainability assessment and the estimation of potential production in prospective scenarios are also covered by the project scope.

Objectives

The general objective of the project is to recover nutrients through bioremediation from agri-food by-products (Subproject 1) and, to use these nutrients as culture media for growing protein-rich microalgae to be further applied as feed or food (Subproject 2).

Subproject 1. Microalgae as a novel protein source for food production:

1. To evaluate the nutrients recovery of freshwater agri-food effluents (as from beverage production and agriculture) through microalgae culture and, to optimize protein content in microalgae and improve its organoleptic characteristics with culture strategies and random mutagenesis.
2. To analyze the produced protein by means of quantitative and qualitative parameters and the microalgal biomass composition in terms of nutritional and safety characteristics aiming its food industrial application.
3. To develop food products with the microalgal biomass and protein hydrolysates as an ingredient to increase nutritional value and evaluate its sensorial acceptability and global quality.
4. Assess the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the proteins production from microalgae grown in agri-food effluents

Subproject 2. Microalgae culture in agri-food effluents as a novel protein source for feed production:

1. To evaluate the feasibility of bioremediation of high salinity agri-food by-products/effluents (such as cheese whey, aquaculture effluents and fish canning effluents) using microalgae-based bioprocesses.
2. To define the optimal culture conditions (such as influent loading, mixture of effluents, dilution, hydraulic retention time and solids retention time) for microalgae species Chlorella vulgaris and Tetraselmis chuii in high salinity agri-food by-products/effluents.
3. To develop a mathematical model to simulate microalgae growth in agri-food by-products/effluents, aimed at assessing the potential production in prospective industrial scenarios.
4. To evaluate the effects of alternative feed ingredients based on microalgal biomass grown in agri-food liquid effluent, on the growth, characteristics and composition of fish in aquaculture systems.

Impact

Results obtained within the PROALGAE project will expand scientific knowledge in the field of alternative proteins production from the perspective of the circular economy, based on the recovery of resources from agri-food by-products. From the scientific and technical point of view, the following relevant impacts will be obtained during the project:

• Feasibility assessment of a novel way of valorizing specific agri-food by-products: the nutrient recovery through the growth of microalgae biomass for the production of alternative protein.
• Proposal of new processing lines for the growth of microalgae on specific agri-food by‑products, involving pretreatment stages and the mixing with other by-products to improve the efficiency of the nutrient recovery for the biomass growth and the effluent remediation when needed.
• Guidance on the optimization of the operational conditions to enhance the proteins production by microalgae grown in different agri-food by-products strongly supported by a mathematical model for biomass production.
• Increased insight on the potential use of microalgae biomass as an alternative protein source of food and feed, including in-depth knowledge of nutritional value components and food-and-feed safety issues.
• Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of the use of proteins obtained from microalgae introduced into the diet as food and aquiculture feed.
• Sustainability assessment including the environmental, economic and social impacts of the alternative proteins production from microalgae in agri-food by-products, in order to foresee the feasibility of prospective large-scale production.

Funded by: Programa Estatal de I+D+i. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.