Microalgae have significant potential as a renewable source of proteins, oils, starch and other compounds of interest to the food and materials industries. However, their incorporation into mass-market products remains limited by factors such as production costs, the organoleptic properties of certain ingredients, their functionality, and the need for efficient and scalable extraction and purification processes.

The European CleanAlgae2Value project aims to overcome these barriers by developing an innovative and competitive process to produce, fractionate and valorise white microalgae using CO₂ as a carbon source, to obtain food-grade, low-carbon-footprint ingredients such as proteins, oils, natural pigments and starch-rich fractions for use in both food products and new packaging materials.

To achieve this, the project will develop and demonstrate the Micro-Algae Biorefinery Upgrade Module (MABUM), a replicable module designed to improve refinery performance through more efficient extraction, fractionation and purification processes. These will first be optimised at pilot scale and subsequently demonstrated at a larger scale. The project will also assess their technical and economic feasibility, ingredient safety, and environmental and social sustainability.

The resulting ingredients will be validated in 15 prototypes, comprising 13 food applications and two bio-based packaging solutions. Planned applications include alternatives to dairy and meat products, as well as food films and trays made from microalgae-derived components.

CleanAlgae2Value is coordinated by SOLMEYEA and currently brings together 15 partners from nine European countries, including research centres, technology providers and companies from different sectors across the value chain. The project began in October 2025 and will run for 48 months, until September 2029.

EROSKI will contribute to the evaluation of consumer acceptance of new foods and packaging developed from microalgae, with a focus on alternatives to dairy, meat, and fish products. Together with consumers, it will assess aspects such as taste, texture, packaging functionality and perceptions of sustainability.

 

For more information: https://cleanalgae2value.eu/