Four transnational sustainable food projects have been awarded a share of €1.1m announced by the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.

The Irish researchers answered a call for funding projects under the European Research Area Network (ERA-Net).

The four projects fall under the umbrella of Era-Net for Sustainable Food Production and Consumption – ‘SUSFOOD2’.

Projects that received funding include:

  • BIOCARB-4-FOOD – exploring environmentally friendly and efficient extraction techniques for carbohydrates and valorisation of remaining biomass (rich in bioactive compounds), to sequentially obtain novel carbohydrate-based extracts and fibres from already commercialised seaweeds and under-utilised sea grasses.
  • MEFPROC - aims to bridge gaps in scientific and technical knowledge currently preventing uptake of moderate electric field (energy-efficient low-cost process).
  • ImPrOVE - aims to fully valorize pomace (fruit waste) by using a combination of existing and innovative processes to extract and use the natural and highly functional compounds which have potential in high-value applications in diets, and as bio-additives in food and beverages.
  • PLATEFORMS - aims to produce in-depth knowledge on how food practices are affected by socio-technical innovations in food provisioning platforms, and communicate success stories of sustainability to platform owners and policy makers and aims to promote sustainable food choices.