Of the total plastic demand, approximately 40% is used to make packaging that is discarded within weeks or days. These short-life plastics bottles, containers, unit dose packaging, secondary packaging have important disadvantages regarding their usage and disposal. Traditional plastics are derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, used to produce large quantities of plastics that go to waste (38% go to landfills). Due to the increasing awareness of such environmental impact, there is a growing demand for packaging made from bioplastics (polymers derived from renewable resources or biodegradable polymers). For almost every conventional plastic there is now a bioplastic alternative available on the market that has the same properties with additional advantages. Currently bioplastics represent around 1% of the total plastic produced annually (2M in 2017) but the market is booming (20% growth annually) and many big firms are introducing bio-packaging in an attempt to position their products as green and include the sustainability claim. Moreover, about 80% of European consumers want to buy products which have minimal impact on the environment and will be willing to accept an additional charge in their shopping bag for sustainable packaging. Our project, BIOSNAP aims at taking full advantage of the bioplastics market growth and opportunities towards more sustainable products. We are providing a ready-to market, sustainable unit dose packaging that is 100% bio-based for food applications (olive oil, ketchup, or mayonnaise). Furthermore, it will be made of biodegradable and compostable materials in compliance with UNI EN13432. Our end users (food firms) will benefit from a premium and unique unit dose packaging on the market, and final consumers will benefit from its versatility and ease of use (one hand opening system), being able to safely dispose the packaging with the organic waste. The consortium expects to achieve a ROI of 15.3 from BIOSNAP.

BioBarr concerns the development of new bio-based and biodegradable food packaging materials by enhancing barrier functionalities to the biopolymer PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) and by validating the new material in the food industry environment. PHAs is potential substitute for conventional polymers, since they possess similar properties; respect to polylactic acid (the most widespread biobased/biodegradable material), PHAs show higher biodegradability and better functional properties and mechanical strength. However, applications of PHAs as food packaging materials are subjected to some limitations. PHA shows medium values of O2 and H2O transmittance while many the most critical factors for some foods (such dry products as bakeries) in relation to packaging are moisture uptake leading to loss of crispiness and oxidation of fats. For overcoming this limiting factor in PHA food applications, BioBarr aims to enhance PHA vapour and gas barrier properties through material functionalization. In the first research line, the approach consists of the use of biodegradable materials with adequate properties to be compounded in multi-layer structures specific for the food product category to be packed, in order to optimize functional properties. The innovation consists of laminating PHA with PLA (polylactic acid). The second challenging research line in BioBarr is surface treatments (nanoform metallization with AlOx or SiOx or metallization Aluminum process) of PHA films. New materials will be validated on a restricted number of food products in the sector of bakery, representative of different shelf-life requirements and duration, with the purpose to increase shelf-life at least by 10%. Final impact will be the creation of a new biobased value chain. Proposal takes into account the needs and the growth opportunities of actors operating in each value chain step: bioplastic producer, extrusion and filming actors, converter, inks producers, food industries end-users

High pressure and temperature (HPT) processing is a candidate technology for commercial food processing to obtain safer, high quality food products with extended shelf life, both chilled and shelf stable. Although it is accepted that HPT is environmentally friendly and can help to retain the fresh-like characteristics of foods better than conventional and other novel treatments, it has not yet been scaled-up and fully implemented into the food industry due to two major reasons: • The lack of knowledge on the inactivation mechanisms and decision making tools enabling food industry to apply and control suitable treatments. In addition, its added value (best quality product) compared to current treatments must be demonstrated • The unavailability of suitable industrial equipment and process parameters control tools. HIPSTER addresses the main barriers preventing the first market introduction and full deployment of HPT. The overall objective of the project is to develop and demonstrate fit for use knowledge, tools and industrial equipments in order to effectively implement this milder processing technology in the food industry. Specific objectives: - Development of affordable equipment at industrial scale suitable for the implementation of high pressure-temperature (HPT) processing - Definition of minimum process variables by means of the evaluation of microbiological risks for the main pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms of concern. A public database containing microbial kinetic parameters, determined under well-defined processing conditions will be generated. The database will include new knowledge and data already available. - Verification and validation of the solutions in an industrial environment, including compliance with legal requirements, economic feasibility, and sustainability HIPSTER will be implemented by an industry-driven consortium comprising 5 industries (both technology providers and end-users) and 4 RTD organisations.

EU society needs new sustainable biobased feedstock in order to meet the growing population needs and to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. In terms of potential market requirements in EU, the food and fuel demand is mainly covered by foreign import, achieving the 68% of total proteins supply. Aquatic feedstock can be a solution to these necessities, however, European algae feedstock market is still facing immature production technologies, and which are not specifically designed for algae biorefinery. The overall objective of BIOSEA is the development and validation of innovative, competitive and cost-effective upstream and downstream processes for the cultivation of 2 microalgae (Spirulina platensis and Isochrysis galbana), and 2 macroalgae (Ulva intestinalis and Saccharina latissima) to produce and extract at least 6 high value active principles at low cost (up to 55% less than with current processes) to be used in food, feed and cosmetic/personal care as high-added value products. For achieving this objective, BIOSEA consortium consists of specialists in specific area/s or discipline/s involved in the project (IGV, AT SEA and CTAQUA in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; VITO and FEYECON in Chemical Science and Engineering; CNTA, BIOPOLIS, DIBAQ, SORIA NATURAL and CPCFEED in Food/Feed Technology; VLCI and HENKEL in Cosmetic Science; AITEX in Materials Science and TABU in Environmental Science). The total budget of BIOSEA is up to €4,633,447, so it is totally aligned with the range considered in the topic. It can be added that the industrial contribution will be up to €2,611,321, representing a percentage of 44% of the total budget and indicating the strong weight and involvement of the industry in the proposal.

The EU agri-food sector is at a crossroads. The sector endures a string of crisis, suffering from losses and inefficiencies that affect the overall system efficiency, whilst the society expects always more to be done on environmental protection, and on providing secure, nutritional, and healthy food, demanding high added value products of sustainable production and verifiable traceability. To tackle these challenges, BBTWINS will develop and validate two innovative digital twins in two use cases in Spain and Greece (meat and fruit production) following a multi-actor approach and integrating into a single platform all the processing steps (from crop to final products) and the valorisation of the bio-streams generated using innovative processing treatments. The use cases will be addressed following a holistic approach including an environmental, social, and economic assessment, and logistic issues. The digital twins developed will integrate enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and software analytics, together with blockchain and strategic and operational logistic solutions in a single platform. BBTWINS digital twins will: (i) increase biomass availability, resource efficiency and sustainability for the bio-based industry, (ii) lower biomass losses from feedstock supply through the processing stages of the value chain; and (iii) allow a longer storage time before processing through more efficient pre-treatment steps and storage methods to better preserve the valuable components. BBTWINS will validate at least 3 new products for the bio-based industry such as bioactive compounds for nutritional foods and nutraceutical products, fertilizers, protein concentrates for feed, and snacks. The BBTWINS multi-actor consortium is constituted by 3 RTOs, 7 SMEs, 1 Bioeconomy Cluster, 1 Large Enterprise, and 1 cooperative in 8 EU countries with the necessary knowledge and ambition to succeed in the digital revolution of the agrifood sector