Sustain-a-bite has the ambition to develop innovative, affordable, energy and water efficient minimal processing solutions for plant-based ingredient and food production. The produced food prototypes will ensure maximal nutritional quality and health benefits, taking into account consumer perspectives. The technology concepts developed will reduce the consumer prices of plant-based foods by 25% compared to the commodity meat and dairy products making them more affordable. 

This novel co-(bio)processing concept will make a paradigm shift by disrupting the traditional plant ingredient processes, which generate substantial side-streams during production of highly refined isolates or concentrates. Sustain-a-bite food prototypes aim to diversify the use of plant ingredients in various forms, including liquids, semi-solids, and solids. This goes beyond addressing just the "protein challenge", as it utilizes the entire plant matrix to provide not only protein but also dietary fibre, essential minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins.

This approach maximizes nutritional quality and offers associated health benefits. The minimal processing solutions developed in Sustain-a-bite will aim at tailoring the structural architecture of the raw materials towards reduced anti-nutritional factors, enhanced satiety, nutrient bio-accessibility, and sensory quality. The project will evaluate the effect of processing on macro- and micronutrient bioavailability, protein, and starch digestibility as well as gut microbiome by developing improved realistic predictive in vitro models. Sustainability, health and economic impacts of minimal processing will be assessed both at the product and system scales.

Further information:

• Sustain-a-bite

Funding source:

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101180399.

Coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, running from October 2024 to March 2028 with a budget of near €5 million.