Project

FRUALGAE engage a multi-actor approach to, 1) address major challenges that exist in relation to post-harvest food safety and quality and significantly reduce food losses and at the same time, 2) through innovative solutions offers a means for significant and simultaneous saving of water, energy and resources and along the entire length of the post-harvest agro-food chain.

FRUALGAE brings together for the first time a unique combination of experts from diverse Mediterranean countries to develop new and innovative solutions for food processing, packaging and food chain management to reduce food loss and waste and offer solutions for waste water treatment while creating added value from microalgae biomass.

“FRUTALAGE aspires to reduce food loss and waste (FLW) by providing science and engineering solutions while simultaneously investing in capacity building directed at multiple actors across the agro-food chain to “feed knowledge” and establish the basis for sustainable food security.”

Food Products

Tomato is targeted as a high-value Mediterranean food product with the highest popularity in hydroponic greenhouse culture. Other popular leafy vegetables will also be targeted along with the tomato to demonstrate the transversally of the developed and validated processing, packing and ICT technologies to reduce loss and waste.

Basic and applied research

The project encompasses basic and applied multidisciplinary research in order to:

Develop, Optimize and Valorize Microalgae biomass production in hydroponic wastewater
Develop “-omic” tools for evaluating food safety quality and shelf life extension
Develop eco-friendly active packaging systems and cold chain management
Develop smart labeling systems for monitoring the quality and shelf life
Develop a Framework for the sustainability analysis development, a costbenefit analysis and LCA of the novel food packaging and chain optimization practices