Within the Purple4Life project, Nofima contributes its expertise in fish feed formulation and production, fish nutrition and the evaluation of how functional ingredients such as purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) influence fish performance, health, welfare and product...
Within Purple4Life, our team at Imperial College London is working to understand how new PPB-based food and feed value chains perform when they move from lab-scale to real-world production. To support this transition, we are developing environmental, circularity, and...
Within the Purple4Life project, Comenius University, Faculty of Medicine (UNIBA), based in Bratislava, Slovakia, is an active participant in this European initiative. Our team contributes expertise in mitochondrial medicine, antioxidants, and oxidative stress.
Within the framework of the Purple4Life project, our research team has developed and optimized advanced analytical methodologies for the extraction and determination of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPX), total antioxidant capacity (TEAC and FRAP), and lipoperoxide levels (LPX) in dry biomass from six strains of purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB). This pilot study provides a detailed characterization of the antioxidant profile and bioactive compounds of PNSB, generating relevant evidence of their potential as innovative food and nutraceutical ingredients, with applications in both food and feed sectors.
The methodological advances and results have been disseminated through several scientific channels, including an institutional publication from Comenius University (2025) and their inclusion in conference proceedings (Ladzianskeho Proceedings, 2025).
In addition, a lecture and a scientific abstract have been prepared for presentation at the Purple4Life Workshop 2026 — Boosting the use of PPB as innovative food and feed ingredients: From metabolism to health-promoting effects.
There is a dynamic balance between antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress in the body. In pathological conditions, in aging, this dynamic balance is disturbed. CoQ10, an antioxidant, is a key component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). In pathological conditions and in aging, the formation of endogenous CoQ10 is reduced. Oxidative stress occurs, mitochondrial bioenergetics is damaged, and ATP formation in the body is decreased. Supplementation with PPB, which are rich in antioxidants, including CoQ10, will contribute to improved health and quality of life in older people, as well as people with impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics.
Our team is composed of biochemists and biophysicists involved in the development of biochemical methodologies, the measurement of antioxidants, including CoQ10 using the HPLC method, and the assessment of mitochondrial respiration and bioenergetics in blood components using the HRR (High Resolution Respirometry) method.
Our future work will focus on: