Transforming Food Sustainability with Innovation and Circularity
Objectives
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Develop safe and cost-effective PPB bioprocesses.
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Demonstrate PPB applications in food and feed chains.
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Assess nutritional, environmental, and health impacts of PPB.
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Enhance public awareness and societal acceptance.
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Promote exploitation and long-term sustainability of PPB technologies.
Key results
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Scalable PPB production validated for food-grade and feed-grade applications.
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Environmental and social impact assessment via (s)LCA and stakeholder engagement.
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A comprehensive regulatory roadmap for PPB-based products.
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Open-access knowledge shared via Zenodo and public dissemination platforms.
Stakeholders
Academics and researchers
Food production professionals
Biotechnology and food industry leaders
Policy makers
General public and consumers
Civil society and innovation networks
Purple4Life News
Purple4life first workshop in Mons signals breakthrough moment for sustainable food and feed innovation
On 19–20 March 2026, the University of Mons (UMONS) hosted a successful two-day international workshop titled “Boosting the use of Purple Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB) as innovative food and feed ingredients: From metabolism to health-promoting effects.”
Project Technology Highlight: UAntwerp’s expertise
Within the European project Purple4Life, our team at the University of Antwerp is exploring how purple phototrophic bacteria can contribute to more sustainable and circular bioprocesses.
Project Technology Highlight: Université de Mons (UMONS)’s expertise
UMONS is developing a scalable bag culture system to grow purple bacteria, converting agri-food by-products into protein, CoQ10, and carotenoid-rich biomass. This bridges lab-scale to pilot-scale production, supplying partners for aquaculture feed trials and human dietary supplementation studies.
Purple4Life
Horizon Europe Project
Grant Agreement No. 101212806
Project duration: June 2025 – May 2029
Funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.