Biopromedfood is a European project within the PRIMA initiative that aims to research on innovative bioprotective cultures (ferments) and bioactive extracts to improve food safety and extend the shelf life of perishable foods in the Mediterranean diet.

The proposal is focused on researching two innovative and sustainable concepts:

• Bioactive components obtained from algae extracts
• Bioprotective cultures derived from traditional fermented meat products.

In both cases, the goal is to enhance the efficiency of the food chain, extend the shelf life of perishable Mediterranean foods, and improve food safety.

Furthermore, the project aims to add economic value to processed food by-products, contributing to the reduction of food waste and utilizing them as a resource for bioactive components capable of enhancing the qualitative parameters of Mediterranean foods.

The project’s development has allowed for the reduction of invasive physical treatments and synthetic preservatives, harnessing the microbial biodiversity of the Mediterranean and its agri-food system by-products.

Innovative and sustainable solutions have been implemented, and biotechnological tools have been optimized, capable of increasing the safety of traditional small-scale production.

Additionally, it seeks to meet consumer demand for fresh and minimally processed foods while ensuring the strictest safety parameters.

PRIMA is a specific call for collaborative projects related to the agri-food sector that involves companies and research centers from Mediterranean countries.

Biopromedfood includes 10 partners from 5 Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Spain, and Slovenia).

The project is led by the Faculty of Seafood Processing Technologies at Çukurova University, located in Adana, Turkey.

The consortium comprises 6 partners from the academic field:

• University of Çukurova (Turkey)
• University of Split (Croatia)
• University of Bolonia (Italy)
• Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza (Italy)
• University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
• University of Maribor (Slovenia)
• Croatian Veterinarian Institute (Croatia)

Additionally, the consortium includes companies in the agri-food sector, such as Centaurus and Clai, which provide products from the fishing and meat industry to be tested in the project.

DOMCA is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the bioprotective cultures and bioactive extracts in the project.

• DOMCA   (Spain)
• Centaurus D.O.O.  (Croatia)
• Clai SCA (Italy).

The European initiative PRIMA (Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) aims to implement research and innovation actions that improve the efficiency and sustainability of agri-food systems, as well as the quality, availability, and management of water in the Mediterranean region.

It is a 10-year initiative (2018-2028) partially funded by the Horizon 2020 program.

19 countries are currently participating: Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey.

In R&D projects, the term “dissemination” indicates the set of actions and strategies aimed at disseminating information on the results of the project to maximize its impact on individuals, entities, and stakeholders. This is essential as it facilitates the transfer of results and their use by a wider audience.

The success of the bioprotective cultures assayed in the project has led to an open access paper, as well as publications in general press.

Some of the dissemination actions carried out during the project, include:

Publications in high-impact journals:

• García-López, José & Perez, Claudia & Martín-Platero, Antonio & Peralta-Sánchez, Juan & Fonollá-Joya, Juristo & Martínez-Bueno, Manuel & Baños, Alberto. (2023). Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum BPF2 and Pediococcus acidilactici ST6, Two Bacteriocinogenic Isolated Strains from Andalusian Spontaneous Fermented Sausages. Foods. 12. 2445. 10.3390/foods12132445

Promotional material (such as press releases and videos)

Press Article: “La Vanguardia” : Aíslan bacterias de embutidos tradicionales que mejoran la seguridad ante la listeria (lavanguardia.com)

Europapress: Investigadores andaluces logran mejorar la conservación natural de los alimentos aislando bacterias de embutidos (europapress.es)

University of Granada: Científicos de la UGR aíslan bacterias de embutidos tradicionales granadinos que mejoran su seguridad alimentaria ante la listeria – Canal UGR

An action to promote the project was sent to European Research Night. A press release and blog entries have also been included.

Participation in Congresses and workshops 

Among others, the project has been promoted in national and European projects, such as SEM Microbiology in Jaén or CEFOOD in Slovenia. Different abstracts and poster were sent.

For further information about the project, please visit the website: BIOPROMEDFOOD or follow the social media of the project:

Biopromedfood (bioprotective cultures and bioactive extracts to extend the shelf life of Mediterranean perishable food) is a PRIMA project.

In Spain, the project is funded through the Center for Industrial Technological Development with financing from the European Regional Development Fund.

The project has a timeframe from 2020 to 2023 and a budget of €199,942.00, of which a total of €169,942.90 corresponds to the partially reimbursable grant.