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UCLouvain will validate purple bacteria as safe and effective health-promoting food. Through clinical trials at Belgium’s unique Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition platform, the team will demonstrate the benefits of PPB for human nutrition, particularly for elderly populations requiring bioactive supplementation.
Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) is one of Belgium’s leading research universities. As a key partner in Purple4Life, UCLouvain’s Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition will bring rigorous clinical research expertise to validate the health benefits and safety of purple phototrophic bacteria for human consumption.
The CICN at UCLouvain is unique in Belgium—the only platform integrating all disciplines of human nutrition research under one roof. Led by Prof. Louise Deldicque, an internationally recognized expert in exercise physiology and nutrition with over 21,000 citations, the center conducts scientifically validated human studies in full compliance with ethical regulations. The team has extensive experience in clinical trials examining the effects of diet, supplements, and bioactive compounds on human health, with particular expertise in protein metabolism, oxidative stress markers, and metabolic health in aging populations.
UCLouvain will participate in critical tasks in Work Package 3 on human health effects. The team will develop optimal PPB-rich food formulations and conduct organoleptic testing with volunteers to ensure palatability (Task 3.1). In collaboration with UPO and SZU, UCLouvain will manage clinical trials evaluating safety, bioavailability, and long-term health impacts of PPB consumption (Task 3.3). In particular, a multicentric long-term clinical study involving 180 elderly volunteers (60 at each site) will be carry out. This rigorous double-blind randomized study evaluates how PPB consumption affects oxidative stress, metabolic health, and overall wellbeing in people over 65 years old.
UCLouvain’s nutrition research extends through Louvain4Nutrition (interdisciplinary nutrition research platform), numerous EU-funded projects on nutrition and health, and international collaborations on sports nutrition, metabolic health, and aging. Prof. Deldicque’s research group at the Institute of Neuroscience has established UCLouvain as a reference center for studying how nutrition and exercise interact to regulate muscle mass, metabolism, and health across the lifespan.
Prof. Louise Deldicque (Full Professor, Institute of Neuroscience) will serve as Academic Manager of the Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition (CICN) and will lead UCLouvain’s contribution to Purple4Life. Her expertise in exercise physiology, protein metabolism, and clinical nutrition research will ensure rigorous scientific validation of PPB health effects. Dr. Valérie Dormal (Senior Researcher, CICN) will contribute extensive experience in human nutrition studies and clinical trial management. Prof. Yvan Larondelle (Full Professor, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering) and Dr. Emeline Dierge (Cétral, UCLouvain) will bring strong expertise in food biochemistry, functional ingredients, and sustainable food systems. Together, UCLouvain’s long-standing research on bioactive compounds and innovative food sources will support the project’s objective to develop and validate purple bacteria as a safe and effective health-promoting ingredient for European consumers.