The company is participating in this pioneering initiative, which aims to transform CO₂ emissions from the food industry into sustainable ingredients through precision fermentation.
Fruselva, a leading Catalan company in food innovation, is participating in the European FERM4FOOD project, leading the formulation and development activities for consumer-ready products. The initiative, funded by the Horizon Europe programme and launched in Valencia with the participation of 15 partners from 8 European countries, proposes an innovative circular solution for the agri-food industry: capturing CO₂ generated during industrial fermentation processes — such as those carried out in breweries, wineries and industrial bakeries — and converting it into high-value food ingredients through precision fermentation.
The consortium, coordinated by AINIA, one of Spain’s leading technology centres specialising in the food sector, consists of 15 organisations from 8 European countries, including research and technology organisations (RTOs), innovative SMEs and leading companies in the fields of fermentation, engineering and digitalisation. Within this framework, Fruselva leads the formulation and development activities for products intended for end consumers.
From Waste to Resource: A Unique Modular Platform in Europe
FERM4FOOD will develop, for the first time at European level, an integrated modular platform capable of producing three key ingredients from CO₂: lactic acid (LA), single-cell protein (SCP) and microbial oils (MO). This process will use microorganisms specifically optimised to maximise conversion efficiency, combined with advanced purification processes to ensure the food-grade quality of the resulting products.
The resulting ingredients will be used to develop two innovative products designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable foods and alternatives to animal-derived ingredients: a protein-rich barista-style plant-based beverage and a beauty food pouch, a functional formulation designed to support skin health. Both products will be developed and evaluated with real consumers as part of the project.
An Industrial Challenge with Climate Impact
FERM4FOOD aligns with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Food 2030 initiative, which promote a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The project aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 45% compared with conventional ingredient production systems, while significantly reducing water consumption and land use. In addition, it is estimated that the project will contribute to the creation and consolidation of 25 highly skilled jobs.
The technology will be validated under real-world conditions at the Italian BALAD brewery, located in Piozzo, Italy, where a modular platform will demonstrate the technological and economic feasibility of the system in an industrial environment and at pre-commercial scale.
About FERM4FOOD
FERM4FOOD is a 48-month project funded under the HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-14 call of the Horizon Europe programme. Coordinated by AINIA, it brings together 15 partners from Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. The consortium covers the entire innovation value chain, from design to market validation.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101181822. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only 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 their content.
