VALENCIA, 20 Dec. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Taking advantage of lost fruit as a loss of production in agricultural activities to obtain high-value bioproducts, including products for the cosmetic industry, is the objective of ‘Frutalga’, an industrial research project, led by Ainia, which has the participation of Sitra, AVA-Asaja, IDiBE and Prospera Biotech.
Food production and consumption systems are responsible for 26% of global CO2 emissions. Developing innovative alternatives to achieve longer carbon cycles by obtaining high-value bioproducts is key to developing a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy. Therefore, Frutalga aligns itself with the main objectives set by the European Green Deal to achieve emissions neutrality by 2050.
Specifically, Ainia explains in a statement, the project proposes to develop an innovative decarbonization solution, economically viable, through the valorization of new products with high added value through different technologies.
These technologies cover the mixed cultivation of microalgae and bacteria for biofertilizer products, based on nutrients recovered from residual fruit; the pure cultivation of microalgae for cosmetic products, from nutrients from residual fruit and even processes to obtain extracts of interest for cosmetic products, from residual fruit and microalgal biomass.
Developing solutions to the problem of food loss and waste – which accounts for 6% of total global greenhouse gas emissions – is a priority for the EU.
Frutalga constitutes, therefore, an alternative and innovative solution inspired by the biorefinery concept to valorize the fruit losses generated in the first stages of the chain and which represent 22% of the total volume of losses and waste. The solution is especially necessary for the Valencian Community due to its enormous weight in the Spanish fruit sector.
The project is financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency with the help of the Comunitat Valenciana Program European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027.