Hub4Food has selected the 12 promising pilot projects that will be developed between Atlantic Area SMEs in collaboration with Hub4Food’s Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs): ANFACO-CYTMA, CATAA – Centro de Apoio Tecnologico Agro Alimentar, LEMPA – Laboratoire National de la Boulangerie Pâtisserie, MARE – Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, PRAXENS and Teagasc. Each RTO will be implementing two different pilot projects during the upcoming months.

The pilot Projects Call was opened from 16^th December 2024 until 28^th February 2025. After the closure, 27 proposals were received from the Atlantic region (France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain) evaluated by the whole Consortium.

The selected pilot projects focus on using marine-origin ingredients to develop healthier, more sustainable foods. Several incorporate seaweed, spirulina, and algae to enhance nutrition, reduce additives, and extend shelf life in products like bread, seafood, and meat alternatives. Key themes include gut health, vegan and gluten-free options, and novel applications of marine ingredients for functional and innovative food solutions.

The selected pilot projects are the following:

• Bioseafiltration – Scaling Ultrafiltration Technologies for Bioactive Marine Food Ingredients – by Portomuiños
• BREADALG: Baker’s premixes with seaweed for healthy and sustainable applications in bread-making – by MERISTEME
• Chouriça with reduced sodium content using salicornia – by PRISCA ALIMENTAÇÃO SA
• Develop and test a range of innovative gluten free (GF) flour mixes fortified with marine-based fibre to improve gut health for people with Coeliac Disease – by Eonico Ltd
• Edo Brown, decolorized spirulina ingredient – by Edonia
• Extend the shelf life of fresh Salmon, with use of ozonated water – by Omnifish
• Lucriz Walnut Colletions – Functional Ingredient, Ready to Eat, Ready to Impress – by Companhia do Lucriz
• New functional gummies with marine active ingredients – by Minimelis
• New product development using incorporation of local seaweed to make honey seaweed butters and sea moss gels – by Mobia Foods
• NourishAlgae: Setting a new Gold Standard for Better Nutrition – by Allmicroalgae
• The healthy seaweed bread – by Algolesko
• Vegan meat-like juice out of spirulina – by Edonia

All progress and project outcomes will be shared via Hub4Food social media to highlight the expertise and innovation emerging from the Atlantic Area, as these pilot projects — at TRL6 and above — will run for approximately 8 months.