Clara Bilbao

The Technology Centre has assessed the nutritional quality, bioavailability and various safety aspects of alternative protein ingredients and food products developed as part of the European LIKE-A-PRO project.

GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), has played a key role in the European LIKE-A-PRO project, an initiative funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe aimed at developing new, sustainable, safe alternative protein sources for human consumption.

The project, which is coordinated by the National Centre for Food Technology (CNTA) and is due to conclude this month, has brought together 42 organisations from 17 countries across different sectors of the food value chain with the aim of promoting innovative ingredients and products capable of contributing to food systems that are more sustainable, resilient and adapted to the population’s future nutritional needs  

GAIKER led activities related to assessing the nutritional quality, bioavailability and certain safety aspects of 12 alternative protein ingredients and 16 food products developed by the consortium as part of the LIKE-A-PRO project.

The technology centre analysed various nutritional and safety parameters to characterise protein ingredients and end products, based on protein digestibility, essential amino acid composition, the bioavailability of these amino acids, and the presence of certain antinutritional factors, with the aim of estimating protein quality and its potential nutritional value.

The in vitro tests carried out included mutagenicity and genotoxicity tests, assessments of allergenic potential, and studies of simulated gastrointestinal digestibility and intestinal bioavailability using human intestinal epithelial cell models.

In addition to the experimental work, a comprehensive review was carried out of the European regulatory framework governing food safety and novel foods. This analysis identified the relevant regulatory requirements for assessing alternative protein ingredients and foods formulated from them. Integrating experimental evidence with regulatory analysis made it possible to develop a scientific strategy, focus on aspects covered by legislation, and anticipate any additional requirements in terms of information, assessment, labelling and risk management.

However, the studies carried out are only an initial assessment and do not, in themselves, mean that regulatory approval will be granted or that the ingredients and products assessed will be put on the market.

In this context, the results obtained confirmed the potential of these new protein sources to contribute to a more sustainable diet, without compromising the food quality and safety standards required for putting them on the market in the future.

Overall, the activities carried out as part of the LIKE-A-PRO project highlight the importance of including nutritional characterisation, early safety assessments and analyses of regulatory aspects from the very earliest stages of developing new foods based on alternative proteins.

The LIKE-A-PRO project received funding from the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101083961.
Funded by the European Union. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held liable for them.

The final event of the European project brought together key players from the sector to present the results of the technologies developed and explore new ways to implement them.

The European SYMBIOREM project, in which the GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), took part, held its final event in Brussels on September 29. The event provided an opportunity to present the results of the bioremediation technologies developed and tested at the demonstration sites, their potential for upscaling, and the regulatory and funding implications for the future of the environmental biotechnology sector.

The event focused on the theme “Restoring ecosystems, recovering resources: bioremediation solutions for a sustainable future”, and highlighted the fact that nature-based solutions can deliver environmental and social benefits, and contribute to restoring contaminated soil and water in a sustainable way.

Twelve bio-based solutions at eleven sites
SYMBIOREM took on the challenge of soil and water pollution by developing 12 bio-based technologies and strategies at 11 sites across Europe and the United States. The event outlined the solutions tested in the various demonstration projects, the results achieved, the participatory methods used to engage local communities, and the recommendations made to make it easier to incorporate them into public policy.

Co-creation and support in decision-making
The innovatory nature of the project meant that it went beyond just designing and testing advanced technologies. The partners also developed tools for engaging communities, circular business models, social impact assessments and analyses of the perspectives of the players involved. The results presented included a practical tool to aid decision-making, designed to help select the most appropriate bioremediation solution in each context.

Regulation and ways to expand implementation
The final round table looked at the regulatory frameworks needed to roll out these technologies on a larger scale, the driving factors and barriers in European and national legislation, and the evidence and business cases required by public authorities and the agricultural and industrial sectors to prioritise bioremediation over conventional approaches. It also covered the importance of training, the integration of digital advancements and communicating the social benefits of these solutions.

As part of the project, GAIKER coordinated the work package dedicated to developing bioremediation and restoration strategies for contaminated soils. Its work included isolating and characterising indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms, and designing, developing and optimising cell biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatments. It also studied genetic bioaugmentation strategies aimed at improving the metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons.

Information about the project and GAIKER’s work
SYMBIOREM was funded by Horizon Europe and coordinated by the University of the Basque Country, and developed innovative solutions from 2022 that combine different bioremediation technologies to restore contaminated soil, sediment and water in a more effective, sustainable, cost-efficient way.

Project website: https://symbiorem.eu/

The SYMBIOREM project received funding from the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101060361.

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101060361.Funded by the European Union. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The GlyTECH project is conducting research into glycans obtained from marine macroalgae and processing them to produce new biomolecules of biomedical interest, while also working on developing the knowledge required for the future development of diagnostic tools, active ingredients and therapeutic strategies.

GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is taking part in GlyTECH – Marine Glycobiotechnology Applied to Human Health, a fundamental collaborative research project coordinated by the AZTI Marine and Food Research Centre, and funded by the Basque Government through the ELKARTEK 2025 programme. The aim of the project is to improve our understanding of marine glycans, their structure, processing and biological activity, so that we can then look into new biotechnological applications in the field of human health.

Glycans are biomolecules that play an essential role in a number of cellular processes, including communication, signalling and recognition mechanisms. Their involvement in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes has made glycobiology an area of growing interest in terms of identifying biomarkers and developing new therapeutic strategies, particularly in fields such as cancer, immune-related diseases, infections and neurodegenerative disorders.

In this context, the polysaccharides found in brown macroalgae, such as fucoidan, laminarin and alginates, are of particular interest due to the diversity of their structures and the various biological activities reported for these biomolecules, including their antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-tumour, anticoagulant and antithrombotic properties. These properties can vary significantly depending on characteristics such as the composition, structure, molecular weight or degree of sulphation of the glycans.

GlyTECH is looking to conduct in-depth research into the relationship between the structure of these biomolecules and their biological function. To this end, the project is studying the controlled processing of marine glycans using enzymatic tools, with the aim of obtaining oligosaccharides with a more defined structure and analysing how these transformations alter their properties and biological activity. The project is tackling two major technological challenges. On the one hand, the aim is to develop enzymatic tools and genetic engineering strategies that will make it possible to selectively process marine glycans and produce molecules with defined structural characteristics. On the other, it aims to characterise the interaction of these glycans and the oligosaccharides derived from their processing with biological systems, with a view to better understanding their mechanisms of action and identifying the structures of greatest biomedical interest.

The research is structured around four complementary activities focusing on functionalising and characterising marine glycans with biomedical potential, developing multifunctional enzymes to process them, studying marine enzyme systems, and applying genetic engineering tools to understand and optimise the transformation of these biomolecules.

GAIKER is involved in three of these activities and is co-leading the one dedicated to applying genetic engineering tools to process bioactive glycans together with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). In this field, the Technology Centre will produce strains of marine bacteria with specific genes inactivated (knock-outs) to confirm how enzymes involved in breaking down and transforming marine glycans function. This approach will make it possible to identify which enzymes are involved in specific hydrolysis processes and gain a better understanding of how oligosaccharides with different structural characteristics are formed.

GAIKER is also involved in the biological characterisation of glycans and oligosaccharides obtained through enzymatic processing. To this end, human cell models will be used to assess their safety and study various bioactivities of interest to health.

These activities will include studying their immunomodulatory potential, analysing the interaction of marine glycans and their derivatives with immune system cells, and evaluating the cellular mechanisms involved in the response to these biomolecules, among others. Overall, this work will help to establish links between the structure of the oligosaccharides obtained, their processing and their biological activity, thereby making it easier to identify the most promising candidates for future biomedical applications.

Also involved in the GlyTECH project, led by AZTI, are the Biobizkaia Health Research Institute, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and GAIKER, bringing together complementary expertise in marine biotechnology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology and nanotechnology. This collaboration will make it possible to improve our understanding of marine glycans and their mechanisms of action, and explore new opportunities for applying them in biomedicine, thereby strengthening the Basque Country’s scientific and biotechnological capabilities.

Project funded by the Basque Government

GAIKER will take part in the 4th Meeting on Innovation in Food Packaging in the Basque Country, organised by ontzi | BASQUE FOOD PACKAGING Innovation Hub. The event, which will take place on 24 September at the Ilgner Building in Barakaldo (Bizkaia), is intended to serve as a hub for networking opportunities for food companies, solution providers, experts and other players in the packaging value chain, with the aim of tackling the challenges posed by the new regulatory and competitive landscape for packaging in Europe.

During the event, GAIKER will have a stand, where it will showcase its expertise and technological capabilities in the fields of packaging, materials, polymers, recycling and the circular economy. It will present some of the latest technological developments in these fields, including the recovery of agri-food waste and by-products to produce biopolymers of bacterial origin, the formulation and compounding of biopolymers and bioplastics with improved properties for packaging, and the use of recycled plastics such as rPET and recycled polypropylene from a closed-loop system to produce packaging for fifth range products (pre-prepared, cooked, vacuum-packed and ready-to-eat after reheating). It will also demonstrate prototypes or preliminary materials from representative projects such as the European E-OILé, Elkartek BIWIN2 and the CIRCULAR PACK projects.

This event is an opportunity to share knowledge and bring together the expertise of the various players in the sector.

Please feel free to come and visit our stand