PROMISEANG was recently showcased at the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) Cluster Projects’ Workshop on Food & Feed Ingredients, held in Brussels on 9 June 2025. The event brought together representatives from CBE JU-funded projects, Horizon Europe initiatives, European institutions, industry stakeholders and research organisations to discuss the latest developments in bio-based food and feed innovation.

PROMISEANG participated in the workshop following an invitation from CBE JU, reflecting the project’s relevance within the growing European ecosystem of sustainable food and feed solutions.

Representing the project, researchers Celia Costas Sánchez and Carla Cameselle Llanos from the Universidade de Vigo attended the event, with Celia Costas Sánchez presenting PROMISEANG’s vision and achievements to an audience of experts working across the bioeconomy sector.

The workshop focused on innovative approaches for producing sustainable food and feed ingredients from a variety of biomass sources, including aquatic feedstocks. Throughout the day, participants explored opportunities and challenges related to scaling up bio-based solutions, commercialisation pathways, market adoption and regulatory frameworks.

PROMISEANG’s participation provided an excellent opportunity to share the project’s work on the valorisation of marine resources and the development of sustainable, high-value products derived from blue biomass. The event also enabled the project team to engage with other EU-funded initiatives, identify potential synergies, and exchange knowledge on emerging technologies and market trends shaping the future of the food and feed sectors.

As one of the largest thematic portfolios supported by CBE JU, food and feed innovation plays a crucial role in Europe’s transition towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy. The workshop highlighted the importance of collaboration between research organisations, industry actors and policymakers to accelerate the deployment of bio-based solutions and address future societal and environmental challenges.

PROMISEANG is grateful to CBE JU for the invitation and the opportunity to contribute to these important discussions. Events such as this strengthen connections across the European bioeconomy community and help ensure that innovative marine biomass solutions continue to advance towards real-world applications.

The project looks forward to building on the insights gained during the workshop and continuing its contribution to the development of sustainable food, feed and bio-based value chains across Europe.

Advancing Blue Biomass Solutions for a Sustainable Bioeconomy

On May 21, the PROMISEANG project was proud to participate in the Circularis BioCluster workshop held during the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE) 2026 in The Hague, Netherlands. Organised jointly by the PROMISEANG and VALORISH projects, the workshop brought together researchers, industry representatives, and sustainability experts to explore innovative pathways for transforming marine biomass and fish industry by-products into high-value products.

A Collaborative Workshop on Blue Biomass Valorisation

As members of the Circularis BioCluster, PROMISEANG and VALORISH joined forces to organise the workshop “Blue Biomass to High-Value Products”, highlighting the growing role of marine resources, alternative proteins, and circular bioeconomy strategies in Europe’s sustainable transition.

The session provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, showcasing cutting-edge research and practical approaches to maximise the value of marine biomass while reducing waste across the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

PROMISEANG was represented by Alicia Paz from Universidade de Vigo, who presented the project’s work on marine resource valorisation and innovative technologies for transforming blue biomass into sustainable products.Her presentation highlighted how PROMISEANG is developing solutions that contribute to a more circular and resource-efficient blue economy by unlocking the potential of underutilised marine resources and fish processing side streams.

The workshop also offered an opportunity to discuss a critical aspect of bioeconomy innovation: consumer acceptance. As marine biomass-derived products gain traction, understanding societal perceptions and building consumer confidence remain essential to ensuring successful market uptake.

Presentations and Key Topics

The workshop featured contributions from experts representing PROMISEANG & VALORISH.

Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including:

• Introduction to the Circularis BioCluster and its mission to foster circular bioeconomy innovation.

• Overview of the VALORISH project and its work on fish by-product valorisation.

• Overview of the PROMISEANG project and its marine biomass valorisation activities.

• Multi-scale computational strategies for bioprocess assessment and optimisation.

• Marine resource valorisation technologies and applications developed within PROMISEANG.

• Sustainable bioeconomy approaches for the utilisation of fish industry waste.

• Computational approaches supporting fish protein by-product valorisation for bioactive peptide production.

• Modelling waste biorefineries to enhance the recovery of valuable compounds from fish processing residues.

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-supported circular economy strategies for fish industry by-products.

These presentations demonstrated how digital tools, biotechnology, and sustainability assessment methodologies can work together to create new value chains while reducing environmental impacts.

Strengthening Collaboration Across the Blue Bioeconomy

Beyond the technical discussions, the workshop fostered meaningful dialogue among researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers working towards a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy. The event reinforced the importance of cross-sector collaboration in addressing challenges related to biomass utilisation, waste reduction, resource efficiency, and sustainable food systems. It also highlighted the strong synergies between the projects within the Circularis BioCluster ecosystem.

PROMISEANG is delighted to have contributed to this successful workshop and to the broader discussions taking place at EUBCE 2026. The project remains committed to advancing innovative solutions for marine biomass valorisation and supporting Europe’s transition towards a resilient, circular, and sustainable blue economy.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the workshop and engaged in the discussions. Special thanks go to our sister project VALORISH and all speakers and participants who helped make the session a success.

Stay tuned for more PROMISEANG events, project updates, and results as we continue our journey towards unlocking the full potential of marine biomass.

The PROMISEANG consortium meeting held in Pamplona on Thursday, 29 January 2026 brought together project partners for an intensive day of coordination and strategic discussion, hosted at the Centro Europeo de Empresas e Innovación de Navarra (CEIN). The meeting opened with a welcome and agenda overview, setting the tone for a focused exchange on progress, challenges, and next steps as the project moves toward its next reporting phase.

A significant portion of the day was dedicated to in-depth Task Force sessions, where partners presented recent technical advances, identified blockades, and jointly explored solutions. Particular emphasis was placed on defining a clear and realistic pathway toward the next reporting period, with constructive input from the Project Officer helping to refine priorities and suggest potential amendments. These discussions encouraged transparency and cross-partner learning, strengthening overall project coherence.

In the afternoon, attention shifted to transversal work packages, including Communication and Dissemination activities as well as Project Management. These sessions ensured that technical progress is matched by effective coordination, visibility, and alignment with contractual obligations. The meeting concluded with a consolidated review of agreed actions, deadlines, and responsibilities, providing clarity and momentum for the months ahead. The day was rounded off with a guided tour of Pamplona and a joint dinner, reinforcing collaboration beyond the meeting room.

Special thanks to our partner MOA Foodtech for hosting the meeting, handling the logistics and showing us around their labs, where they are working intensively on PROMISEANG advances.

Author: David Salcines

With the global population estimated to reach 10.3 billion by the mid-2080s the world faces a challenge in terms of food sustainability making necessary for food production to evolve to meet this growing demand in a way that does not compromise our planet or the health of its inhabitants. Alternative sources for protein production, which currently relies heavily on animal sources with their associated environmental impacts, is a key area of focus for ensuring a more environmentally friendly food future. In Europe, for example, protein consumption averages 82 grams per person per day, of which 49 grams come from animal products and only 33 grams from plant sources. It is also important to note that, in many developed countries, protein consumption exceeds recommended requirements, contributing to overfeeding that is often unsustainable.  

To address these challenges, alternative sources of protein that are both healthy and sustainable must be found. The report “Meat Alternative” by the European Academics Science Advisory Council EASAC 2025 identifies protein production through biomass fermentation as one of the main alternatives for sustainable protein production for food. This process involves the use of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, algae and fungi to generate protein-rich biomass through fermentation. This method has the advantage is that it not only produces protein, but also contributes to environmental sustainability by minimizing the use of land, water, and energy compared to conventional animal agriculture. Additionally, products fermented from microorganisms are not only a source of protein, but can also offer a balanced nutritional profile, with essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. However, it is important to note that nutritional content can vary depending on the microorganism used and the fermentation process employed.  

Despite these advantages, there are significant technical and economic barriers to make  protein production through microbial fermentation a viable alternative. One of the main challenges is the lack of adequate industrial infrastructure for large-scale food production. Many existing fermentation facilities were originally designed for other purposes and are not suited for commercial food protein production. The scaling-up process requires optimizing both the fermentation process and post-processing methods including  the search for more sustainable carbon sources, such as agricultural or marine waste, and the need to develop new facilities capable of supporting large-scale production. These innovations are crucial to reducing production costs and making alternative proteins competitive with animal proteins in terms of price and availability. 

The PROMISEANG project tackles these challenges by developing novel proteins from underexploited marine sources through advanced microbial fermentation, turning marine discards and industrial biowastes into high-quality, nutritious protein biomass suitable for food and feed applications. The project also evaluates the nutritional value, safety, and sustainability of these new fermentation-derived proteins compared to conventional sources, expands the availability of alternative proteins within the EU, and fosters circular bioeconomy solutions that reduce reliance on imports and lower the ecological footprint of protein supply chains. 

References 

https://easac.eu/projects/details/meat-alternatives 

https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS 

On 24th of September, at the I Transnational Congress of the Water Campus of Young Researchers in Ourense, researchers from the AA1 and BIA groups at the Universidade de Vigo presented the last results of PROMISEANG project aiming to obtain new proteins via microbial fermentation.
Through microbial fermentation, the PROMISEANG project is exploring ways to enhance EU protein independence while supporting the circular bioeconomy.
This conference is especially aimed at early-career researchers and seeks to provide a space for dialogue and the dissemination of research results, promoting knowledge exchange, shared learning, and the creation of collaborative networks among the new generation of scientists.

The PROMISEANG project is coordinated by the Universidade de Vigo, with the participation of three of its research groups: AA1 (Agricultural and Food Research Group – Investigacións Agrarias e Alimentarias), BiotecnIA (BIA – Industrial Biotechnology and Environmental Engineering Group), and OE7 (Knowledge Organization Group – Organización do Coñecemento).

The contributions to the AQUAXI Congress were delivered by:

• Aida Ochogavias, from the BiotecnIA group (BIA).
• Paz Otero, Celia Costas, Carla Cameselle, Pengren Zou, Ziyang Jia, and Kaifeng Zhao, from the AA1 group.

Further information:

• AQUAXI Congress Website
• AQUAXI Programme (Spanish)
• AQUAXI Congress on LinkedIn

Every year, the fishing and livestock sectors generate vast amounts of animal by-products. For farmers, food producers, and researchers, these side streams represent not just a challenge but a major opportunity. Proteins, oils, bio-ingredients, and innovative materials can be extracted and reintroduced into the economy, contributing to a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

On 22 October 2025 (11:00–13:00 CEST), the Circularis BioCluster — a collaboration between the EU-funded projects VALORISH, ONE EARTH, and PROMISEANG — will organise a webinar dedicated to these opportunities.

Participants will discover:

• Biotechnological solutions such as fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis, and nutrient recycling.
• New processes to transform by-products into animal feed, cosmetic ingredients, biofertilizers, and more.
• The challenges and opportunities that industries face when valorising animal by-products.

The session is designed for food and animal producers, scientists, and stakeholders who want to understand how innovation in by-product valorisation can reduce waste, cut costs, and open new revenue streams.
Don’t miss this chance to gain practical insights and join the conversation on how to build a more circular future.
 

Event details:

Date: 22 October 2025
Time: 11:00–13:00 CEST
Location: Online

Register here

A newly published review titled “Metal Complexes with Hydroxyflavones: A Study of Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities” by Ljiljana E. Mihajlović, Monica Trif, and Marijana B. Živković provides a thorough and up-to-date analysis of coordination compounds formed between hydroxyflavones (OH–F) and transition metals. These compounds have gained increasing attention due to their promising anticancer and antimicrobial activities, and their relevance in the context of natural product-inspired drug design.

Flavones, a subclass of flavonoids, are plant-derived molecules long recognized for their wide spectrum of biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and vasodilatory properties. In particular, hydroxyflavones—flavones bearing hydroxyl groups on their core structure—are known to be versatile ligands capable of coordinating metal ions through multiple binding modes. The review emphasizes that metal chelation often enhances the biological activity of these molecules compared to the free ligands, likely due to increased lipophilicity, stability, and interaction with biological targets.

The authors classify more than 100 coordination complexes reported between 2010 and 2024 according to their coordination motifs, such as maltol-like, acetylacetonate-type, catecholate-type, and mixed-ligand structures. Importantly, nineteen out of twenty-two studies reviewed concluded that metal complexation significantly improved biological activity, especially in cancer cell lines and microbial models.

The review also addresses current limitations in the pharmaceutical development of [M(OH–F)] complexes, particularly their low aqueous solubility. To overcome this, the authors propose structural modifications—including the introduction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles—as well as incorporation into advanced drug delivery systems such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), PLGA nanoparticles, and natural polymer-based carriers like chitosan and alginate. These strategies aim to enhance solubility, bioavailability, and selective targeting, paving the way for clinical translation.

In addition to summarizing biological activity, the review provides critical recommendations for future research, calling for rigorous chemical characterization (NMR, HRMS, EA, XRD), assessment of complex stability in biological media, and more comprehensive biological assays—including evaluation on both cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines, and proper use of reference compounds.

Monica Trif, one of the co-authors, is affiliated with the Centre for Innovative Process Engineering (CENTIV) GmbH in Syke, Germany—one of the partners in the PROMISEANG project consortium. Her contribution reflects the strong research collaboration within the PROMISEANG framework, which supports the development of bio-based and sustainable chemical innovations.

The study acknowledges financial support from the PROMISEANG project (grant agreement No. 101036768), funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Additional support was provided by the MET-EFFECT project and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.

The full article can be accessed here: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/8/250 

On Thursday, July 17th, 2025, partners from the Circularis Biocluster—which brings together the EU-funded projects PROMISEANG, VALORISH, and ONE EARTH—met online for their first internal cluster workshop. The session focused on sharing technical updates and aligning early-stage results across the three projects, all of which work toward the sustainable valorisation of agri-food side streams.

From waste to value: Early results

The workshop opened with a brief welcome from the cluster managers before diving straight into the science. The first session brought together researchers Lorenzo Bertin (UNIPM), Sebastian Wendeborn (FHNW), Yamini Satyawali (VITO), and Anna Laura Eusebi (UNIVPM), who presented early findings from their respective projects.

Topics included the characterisation of raw materials and the initial conversion of cheese whey into PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids)—compounds with potential uses in health and feed applications. Other work focused on the processing of chicken feathers and fish scales into peptides and organic fertilisers, highlighting the biocluster’s shared ambition to turn low-value residues into high-impact bioproducts.

These case studies reflect the wide range of feedstocks being explored and the diversity of technologies under development. They also illustrate how different industrial residues can be repurposed to meet bioeconomy goals across multiple sectors.

Technical highlights: Extraction and hydrolysis

The second half of the workshop focused on key processing technologies. Laura Oleaga (PESCANOVA) and Borja Lagoa (ANFACO) presented work on oil extraction techniques, such as Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES), subcritical water extraction, and supercritical CO₂. These methods aim to increase efficiency and sustainability in isolating valuable compounds from complex waste materials.

They also shared advances in the bacterial hydrolysis of fish by-products to produce protein hydrolysates, compounds that could play a role in sectors ranging from animal nutrition to soil health. Both speakers stressed the importance of adapting process conditions to the highly variable nature of raw materials—something all three projects are actively addressing.

The session highlighted how technical collaboration between industry and research partners is essential to move these processes from the lab to market.

PROMISEANG Project update

Eloy Miranda (UVIGO) presented a summary of PROMISEANG’s recent progress, focusing on the use of marine food by-products for the development of sustainable ingredients. The project has identified suitable raw materials—such as fish by-products and macroalgae—for biomass fermentation, with promising results in both solid-state and liquid fermentation processes. The analysis helped identifying some of the samples as rich in protein content and an interesting potential towards the elaboration of nutritional supplements. An additional screening on heavy metals also helped securing the selection of the safest samples, discarding the ones reaching close to the recommended limits.

PROMISEANG is working toward the production of high-value protein extracts and additional non-protein compounds like polyphenols and chitosan. These ingredients will be valuable in different food, feed and non-food applications.

Looking ahead

This first internal meeting marked an important step in strengthening collaboration between the three biocluster projects. By pooling results and aligning technical efforts, the Circularis Biocluster aims to accelerate the development of circular bio-based value chains grounded in real industrial needs.

Stay tuned—in the coming weeks, the biocluster will announce its first external workshop, a public-facing event jointly hosted by PROMISEANG, VALORISH, and ONE EARTH. This will open the door for more stakeholders, researchers, and industry actors to engage with the work and explore potential synergies.

The upcoming event will be a key moment to broaden impact and share early insights with the wider innovation ecosystem. More details coming soon.

May has marked a significant turning point for the PROMISEANG Project, with the successful completion of two major milestones: the first Review Meeting and the latest General Assembly. These events offered invaluable opportunities to reflect on progress, refine future plans, and strengthen collaboration across the consortium.

On May 6th, the consortium gathered for its first Review Meeting, covering the project’s initial reporting period. This session brought together all Work Package Leaders to present detailed updates on the achievements to date. The review was enriched by insightful feedback from experts and representatives of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), whose guidance will be instrumental in shaping the next phase of the project. Each team presented detailed updates, highlighting the strong collaboration and scientific innovation.

Only a few days later, PROMISEANG partners reconvened in Budapest for a new General Assembly, hosted in hybrid format by the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest. This two-day event brought together technical teams from across Europe—both on-site and online—for intensive discussions and strategic planning.

Key Preliminary Findings, showcasing promising early results:

• Comprehensive Biomass Characterisation
• Selection of Promising Substrates
• Positive Fermentation Outcomes

These findings mark an encouraging step towards the project’s overarching goal: to transform non-conventional marine resources into sustainable, high-value proteins.

The General Assembly also served as a crucial platform to:

• Review technical and scientific achievements to date
• Aligning on to upcoming priorities for the second year of the project
• Integrate recommendations received during the recent review

Each Work Package shared progress updates, contributed to dynamic exchanges, and collectively defined new action lines to accelerate our shared objectives.

PROMISEANG continues to push the boundaries of sustainable biotechnology, transforming underutilised marine biomass into high-value food, feed, and non-food applications. This work not only supports the EU’s bioeconomy goals but also addresses the need for innovative, circular approaches to protein production.

We extend our sincere thanks to all consortium partners for their unwavering commitment, and to the CBE JU for their continued support.