Associated Projects & Initiatives

Understanding microbiomes is one of the next great frontiers in science. Advancing this knowledge will unlock impactful solutions for individual and public health, drive innovations in food systems, and contribute to climate change mitigation. However, tackling this challenge requires addressing diverse research questions and fostering collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders.

To support this effort, we are proud to partner with various initiatives and research programs to expand microbiome literacy and bridge critical knowledge gaps. If you’re interested in collaborating with us, please reach out at info@microbiomesupport.eu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Explore these projects and initiatives through the links below to learn more. Visit the linked websites by clicking the logo.

Microbiomes4Soy: Healthier diets and sustainable food and feed systems through employing microbiomes for soya production and further use

DELICIOUS: Flavour, odour and texture improvements of plant-based dairy products using microbial fermentation products

Coordinator: RISE PROCESSUM AB

The market increasingly demands tasty and healthy plant-based dairy products. Innovative tools can enhance the fermentation industry’s ability to predict product flavour, odour and texture while also reducing pollution. With this in mind, the EU-funded DELICIOUS project aims to develop a new technology for producing affordable, tasty and nutritious plant-based dairy alternatives, such as cheese and kefir. By combining microbial products with plant-based materials, the project will encourage a shift towards plant-based diets and help lower the food industry’s environmental impact. It will focus on high-protein products enriched with vitamins, fibres and probiotics. To support commercialisation, the project will conduct safety assessments, nutritional simulations, consumer testing and techno-economic evaluations, along with developing a bioinformatics tool to predict product characteristics.

DOMINO: Harnessing the microbial potential of fermented foods for healthy and sustainable food systems

Coordinator: French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment

Food and beverage fermentation dates back 7 000 years. Despite this long history, we know very little about the benefits of such a diet. The EU-funded DOMINO project will study the health impacts of a diet based on fermented food (milk kefir) on a healthy population and a cohort suffering from metabolic syndrome to better focus on health biomarkers and inform dietary recommendations. We are also missing strategies to ensure food production sustainability. The project will thus carry out six plant-based fermented food case studies within the framework of citizen science. These food prototypes will help to develop an open-access database and new computational tools for profiling food microbiomes’ metabolic interaction during food fermentation and their overlap with the healthy gut microbiome.

TRIBIOME: Advanced tools for integration and synergistic inTeRconnectIon of microBIOMEs in resilient food systems

Coordinator:  ITENE

FOODGUARD: Microbiome applications and technological hubs as solutions to minimize food loss and waste

Coordinator:  Agricultural University of Athens

In a world grappling with escalating food waste, a silent crisis threatens the very foundation of our global food systems. Mountains of perishable goods are discarded, contributing to environmental degradation and economic losses. The urgency to find sustainable solutions is evident as we confront the dual challenges of meeting food demand and minimising waste. In this context, the EU-funded FOODGUARD project addresses the nexus of health, economics, and the environment. Specifically, its solutions aim to extend food shelf life, enhance safety monitoring, and accurately predict shelf life using cutting-edge tools. With pilot demonstrations in four countries, the project promises to minimise food loss, improve preservation methods, and foster transparency across the entire food value chain.

HOLiFOOD: Holistic approach for tackling food systems risks in a changing global environment

Coordinator: Wageningen University & Research

HealthFerm: Innovative pulse and cereal-based food fermentations for human health and sustainable diets

Coordinator: KU Leuven

Food fermentation is a natural process in which food components are converted by microbial growth of desired yeast and bacteria and enzymes. It is an ancient technique purported to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Food and health experts on the EU-funded HealthFerm project will advance fermentation technology and enable the transition from traditional to sustainable grain-based fermented foods. These will be rich in protein and designed to offer maximum health benefits to EU consumers. For optimal results, they will unravel the relationship between fermentation, the gut microbiome, grain-based foods and health. Moreover, they will identify and employ suitable microorganisms in the development of novel grain-based food sources and assess their impact on gut health.