Context
The BIOPRO project builds on the HARTZIBIDE and ALHOBIO projects, consolidating a line of research focused on obtaining high value-added biotechnological ingredients through fermentation processes based on microorganisms.
This previous work made it possible to develop, at laboratory scale (TRL 3–4), fermentation processes for microalgae and filamentous fungi—both submerged and solid-state—using food by-products as a nutrient source. Microalgae and filamentous fungi are considered novel alternative protein sources with high nutritional value and are expected to play a significant role in the transition towards more sustainable and healthier food systems.
BIOPRO now addresses the challenge of scaling up to pilot level (TRL 5–6), a key step towards the future industrial implementation of these processes. On the one hand, the project focuses on the production of microalgae under heterotrophic conditions, a more competitive strategy in terms of cost and yield; on the other, it addresses the solid-state fermentation of wine industry by-products using filamentous fungi. In addition to producing biomass for applications in human and animal nutrition, BIOPRO aims to develop prototype functional products—such as protein extracts, pigments, enzymes and hydrolysates—with potential applications in food, nutraceuticals and health, thanks to their possible antioxidant or antimicrobial bioactivities.
Objectives
General objective
To obtain high value-added biotechnological products—including new protein sources, bioactive compounds and food ingredients—through fermentation processes using microorganisms, thereby contributing to the circular economy and supporting the implementation or diversification of industrial activities associated with their exploitation.
Specific objectives
- To scale up the growth process of a previously selected microalgae species through dark, high-density fermentation, using sugar-rich by-products as a carbon source.
- To develop and scale up cell disruption, fractionation, concentration and thickening processes for microalgal biomass, aimed at obtaining proteins, protein hydrolysates and pigments using mechanical techniques compatible with industrial scale.
- To scale up and optimise the solid-state fermentation of wine by-products using a selected filamentous fungal species, in order to obtain an ingredient for animal feed at pilot scale, employing a stirred reactor adapted to this process.
- To assess the bioactivities and technological functionalities of the products and compounds obtained, as well as the effect of drying or preservation processes on these properties.
- To propose a biorefinery scheme integrating both fermentation processes, aimed at the full valorisation of the selected by-products and their future industrial implementation.
Expected impact
The BIOPRO project seeks to generate significant industrial, technological and socio-economic impacts:
- Boosting the biotechnology business ecosystem, by encouraging the creation of new companies or the diversification of existing ones in the fields of by-product management and the development of biotechnological ingredients. In this context, the project results may strengthen previous initiatives in the Basque Country related to microalgae and fungi production, as well as the manufacture of equipment for solid-state fermentation.
- Stimulating innovation ecosystems, through alignment with regional cooperation initiatives such as the ALGAKIN ecosystem, promoted by NEIKER, AZTI and the UPV/EHU, and aimed at developing new activities linked to microalgae and macroalgae production in the Basque Country.
- Promoting new ingredients and functional compounds for the feed, food, nutraceutical and health markets, responding to the sector’s need for sustainable, low-cost raw materials derived from by-products.
- Valorising food by-products, by offering generating companies viable and sustainable alternatives for the management of biodegradable organic waste, with particular attention to wine industry by-products. The project seeks to demonstrate their use as raw materials for biotechnological processes, helping to reduce management costs and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the food sector.
Key results
The biorefinery process proposed in the BIOPRO project for white wine pomace (Txakoli) has made it possible to increase its added value through the production of a range of products and compounds for use in sectors such as animal feed, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.
- The extraction of polyphenols through the different treatments and washing processes developed in the project, using organic solvents and heat application (between 95 and 200ºC), makes it possible to obtain polyphenol-enriched extracts with antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity, enabling their use in both food and cosmetic applications.
- Solid-state fermentation of the pomace using three selected species of edible filamentous fungi makes it possible to obtain protein increases in the final product that triple the levels initially present in Txakoli pomace. This makes the fermented product a potentially more valuable ingredient for incorporation into animal feed, including aquaculture feed.
- The liquid obtained after washing the white wine pomace contains sugars and other nutrients that make it a promising substrate for the growth of microorganisms such as microalgae. Fermentation trials indicate that high productivity can be achieved (around 0.47 g biomass/g sugars consumed), along with biomass containing around 45% protein.
- Disruption of this biomass using techniques such as High-Pressure Homogenisation (HPH) makes it possible to obtain two value-added products with nutritional properties distinct from whole biomass: a protein extract (55% protein) with improved digestibility, and a lysed biomass with a high content of pigments, minerals such as zinc and iron, and monounsaturated fatty acids. The three products obtained show a suitable nutritional profile of interest for food applications as ingredients in functional beverages, soups, pasta, bakery and pastry products, or in nutraceuticals in the form of concentrates or tablets as food supplements.
Publications
Valorisation of white grape pomace sugars for optimized heterotrophic cultivation of Auxenochlorella protothecoides: A sustainable food ingredient
Manso, J. Ibarruri, I. M. de Marañón and M. Cebrián. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies 2025 Vol. 100 Pages 103906
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2024.103906
From waste to value: Upcycling white grape pomace through a multiproduct biorefinery approach.
M. Manso, S. Agnihotri, P. R. Lennartsson, I. M. de Marañón, M. Cebrián and J. Ibarruri. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 2025 Vol. 13 Issue 4 Pages 117249
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117249
