The Cell Biology Group at the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO) is working on research in the Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology. Its research is based on different aspects of Coenzyme Q (CoQ) biology from its synthesis and rare mitochondrial diseases...
Coenzyme Q10 is the main antioxidant in cell membranes and lipoproteins protecting them against oxidation and preventing cell death by ferroptosis or atherosclerosis. Purple bacteria (PPB) are rich in coenzyme Q10 the main antioxidant in cell membranes and an...
Purple4Life uses purple non-sulfur bacteria – light-driven, anaerobic microbes – to turn industrial sidestreams into value: CoQ10, carotenoids, high-quality protein, rare lipids, PHAs and H2, while cleaning water and using CO2. A circular, local biorefinery turning waste into wealth.
Imagine microbes that collect light, eat industrial waste, and make top-quality nutritional compounds. That’s the amazing world of purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB), nature’s living photorefineries, at the heart of the groundbreaking Purple4Life project.
PNSB are photosynthetic bacteria that have pigments called bacteriochlorophylls and carotenoids. These give them shades of purple, rose and amber, which are the same compounds that colour carrots orange and salmon pink. These bacteria are different from plants because of their photosynthesis process which does not produce oxygen , use near-infrared light as energy source but only work under anaerobioses (absence of O2). This special process lets them do well on all sorts of organic stuff, like acids, alcohols, fatty acids, and even CO₂ in the air, making them great at dealing with the waste from farms and factories.
Their metabolic flexibility means that PNSB can switch between different feeding modes depending on what resources are available and what the environmental conditions are like. This adaptability makes them perfect for turning difficult waste streams into valuable resources, turning disposal challenges into profit opportunities.
The Purple4Life project represents a paradigm shift from linear waste disposal to circular resource recovery. Rather than viewing sugar beet molasses, fruit processing wastewater, or biogas plant CO₂ emissions as disposal problems, the project harnesses PNSB to transform these sidestreams into valuable feedstocks. This circular approach simultaneously reduces disposal costs, minimizes environmental impact, and generates high-value products.
The real value of PNSB is in their ability to turn price less co-product of agrifood industry to health-promoting, high value compounds. These bacterial factories make lots of valuable products at the same time:
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is their most impressive achievement – it’s a vital compound for making energy in cells and keeping your heart healthy. PNSB naturally has much higher concentrations of CoQ10 than regular food sources, making it a more sustainable option than traditional production methods.
Carotenoids are another treasure trove. These powerful antioxidants give salmon its pink colour and are used as expensive feed additives in aquaculture. PNSB-produced carotenoids are a sustainable, locally-produced alternative to conventional sources, which could stabilise costs and improve supply chain resilience.
High-quality protein makes up to 60% of PNSB biomass by dry weight, with balanced amino acid profiles that are great for human nutrition and animal feed. This protein comes with a bunch of vitamins, including B2, B6, B12, C, E, D and folic acid. These vitamins are basically like natural multivitamins inside each bacterial cell.
PNSB are also compose of very unsual lipids. They contains notably monounsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic and vaccenic acids, which rare in conventional food but have promising health promoting effects.
Certain strains also accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA, including polyhydroxybutyrate PHB) — biodegradable plastic granules that act as a kind of energy storage for bacteria — and make hydrogen gas, which opens up possibilities for renewable energy production and biomass generation.
The fact that PNSB cultivation produces multiple products sets it apart from traditional single-output manufacturing. One bacterial culture fed on industrial waste can do all of this and more: water treatment, animal feed proteins, human nutritional supplements, fish feed, natural pigments, biodegradable plastics, and renewable energy.
For processors, this change makes sidestreams from cost centres to revenue generators. Fruit processing plants can produce valuable carotenoids while cleaning wastewater, which is great news. Biogas facilities can capture CO₂ emissions and turn them into something that can be sold. Sugar processors can turn molasses into high-quality nutritional products.
As Purple4Life demonstrates commercial viability, PNSB technology has the potential to facilitate collaboration between industries, enabling the transformation of waste into wealth, the conversion of products into building blocks, and the realisation of the circular economy from a theoretical concept to a tangible reality, one purple bacterial cell at a time.
