Inflammation is a natural response to injury, infection, or tissue damage, however, chronic inflammation can also contribute to the development of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), Alzheimer's disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, and some cancers. These chronic diseases present a significant healthcare and economic burden; The British Heart Foundation estimates that CVD alone costs the UK economy \>£19 billion/year, of which £9 billion are direct healthcare costs and the remainder indirect costs e.g., productivity losses. Carotenoids have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and help control or prevent inflammation. Carotenoids occur in many fruits and vegetables and are known for their antioxidant properties. Consuming a high carotenoid diet is associated with reduced inflammation and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as CVD, diabetes and some cancers. Beneficial carotenoids include beta-carotene, astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein; the latter associated with prevention of age-related blindness. Elderly people often have lower levels of carotenoids, including those with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, in their diets compared to younger adults. This is due to various factors e.g., changes in dietary habits, reduced appetite and limited access to nutrient-rich foods. The absorption and uptake of carotenoids also declines with age due to digestive system changes, including reduced production of digestive enzymes and slower intestinal motility. Other factors include medication, chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease), poor dietary habits, restricted diets due to health conditions and decreased appetite. Supplementation of frequently consumed foods with carotenoids to create functional foods will help address these issues. The challenge is to sustainably produce the functional foods so that they are acceptable to consumers. whilst ensuring the carotenoids are bio-accessible and readily absorbed. Green microalgae such as Chlorella can potentially provide a sustainable source of carotenoids with lower environmental impact and land usage compared to traditional agriculture, with scope for production in urban environments, however, they can have a strong and distinctive flavour that some people find unpleasant. This project aims to address the challenge through: * Selection of high yielding microalgae with reduced off-flavours and efficient production of carotenoid-enriched biomass and extracts for addition to food. * Identification of off-flavours components and formulation of extracts and functional foods to include natural ingredients that mask unacceptable flavours to ensure consumer acceptance. * Evaluation of carotenoid bio-accessibility. As part of this feasibility study, the sustainability and economics of the technologies employed to produce the food supplements and marketability will also be assessed.

Dietary intakes of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (O3LC-PUFAs) play an important role in the regulation of the development of the brain and normal heart function and the regulation of blood triglyceride content including, inflammatory and immune responses. The European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) approval of health claims relating to the benefits of O3LC-PUFA intake concluded that 250mg/day is required for the maintenance of general cardiovascular health among healthy adults and children and 2-4g/day is needed for maintenance of blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Presently, the main sources for O3LC-PUFAs are fish and fish oils, however, the production of these sources is unsustainable and unlikely to meet the growing demand, especially for vegan sources. Only 25% of the UK population are oily fish consumers and further decreases are anticipated due to growing plant-based diets and sustainability concerns. Microalgae such as _Chlorella vulgaris_ provide a sustainable alternative source of O3LC-PUFAs, however food products containing them have poor consumer acceptance due to strong 'fishy' odours. Furthermore, they lack efficacy with regard to dose of O3LC-PUFAs delivered (poor bioavailability) increasing the gap between dietary intake and recommendations (particularly for children, teenagers, females and pregnant women) which has significant implications for human health in current and future generations. Liposomes (small oil droplets) exist in many foods naturally in the form of emulsions, such as human milk. Ultrasonic cavitation (UCav) of oils generates nano-sized droplets (nano-liposomes) which in the presence of water or aqueous solutions creates nano-emulsions. Oils in nano-emulsions survive passage through the digestive system (bioaccessibility), are more readily digested and absorbed from the gut (bioavailability). UCav is energy intensive and has limited scope for industrial scale nano-emulsion production. This project will evaluate more sustainable, scalable, mechanical cavitation (MCav) methods for microalgal oil nanoliposome production which, in association with flavour masking techniques, will aim to produce various readily-consumed foods and supplements containing O3LC-PUFAs with improved bioaccessibility and bioavailability. The performance of these innovative functional foods and supplements will be determined through _in vitro_ digestion (human digestive models), whilst consumer acceptance will be determined through use of sensory panels. Extended shelf-life of the nano-liposomes in nano-emulsions will be evaluated through the addition of polyphenols which act as anti-oxidants. This project will help to pave the way towards the development of a wider range of functional foods. These have potential promise to help close the omega-3 dietary gaps and promote health in adults and children.

Sustainability and environmental impact concerns have led to a growing demand for alternatives to oil-based plastic packaging. In the UK, paper and board for packaging are primarily manufactured from pulp obtained from recovered paper. A progressive loss of strength occurs during recycling due to cellulose fibre damage, necessitating the use of imported materials to address the shortfall. Alternative sources of fibre suitable for use in paper and board manufacture are desirable to meet growing demands, whilst increased UK-based production will help reduce the environmental impact of importation. Previous work has demonstrated that pulp can be strengthened by addition of cellulose fibres processed to increase their slenderness and degree of fibrillation. Presently, the production of materials with these features, such as highly fibrillated cellulose fibres (HFCFs), microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanocellulose (NC), is energy intensive and prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the quantities available are insufficient to meet industry needs. The project aims to establish the feasibility of using microalgae as a sustainable source of fibre for use by the paper industry. Microalgae such as _Chlorella_ can be rapidly grown in large quantities and processed to provide a sustainable source of oils, protein and other high-value chemicals with diverse applications. The lack of lignin in the residual cell wall material favours production of MFC or NC for the manufacture of lighter, stronger packaging. This is highly desirable because transportation costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Exploitation of the residual cell wall materials would also enable a zero-waste solution for microalgal biorefineries. We have previously demonstrated that mechanical cavitation (MCav) of pulp and agri-food by-products is an efficient method of recovering valuable materials whilst increasing cellulose fibrillation and paper strength. MCav of microalgal suspensions would be compatible with existing methods of material handling within paper mills, minimising the requirement for novel equipment and capital expenditure. The project will examine the performance of MCav when applied to selected species of microalgae with diverse characteristics (for example oil and protein content, cell wall composition) to establish their suitability for paper manufacture. The algal fibres obtained will be added to recovered paper and the impact on mechanical strength measured. Chemical and biological pre-processing methods such as enzyme pre-treatment will also be examined as a means of enhancing production efficiency, cost-effectiveness and product performance. In addition to the economic and environmental benefits, this study will aid progress towards net-zero carbon emissions and a circular bio-economy.

The seaweed value chain offers huge growth potential for UK coastal communities post COVID-19 whilst addressing the climate emergency. Farmed seaweed is a sustainable biomass source with applications in food & nutrition, packaging materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Seaweed farms sequester carbon and absorb excess nutrients, bioremediating ocean acidification and eutrophication, while providing alternative livelihoods for fishermen and creating jobs across the value chain. This project will demonstrate the economic and environmental potential of the farmed seaweed value chain at scale by developing efficient, scalable and sustainable seaweed farming, harvesting and biorefinery process for converting seaweed into value-added food (protein & fibre), nutrition (fucoidan, beta-glucan, vitamins & minerals), and home-compostable biopackaging products. The project is a collaboration between KelpCrofting, a seaweed farming company based on the Isle of Skye, Efficiency Technologies, a bio-process equipment innovation company based in Milton Keynes, and Oceanium, a seaweed processing company based in Oban. This collaborative project seeks to apply innovation across the value chain to demonstrate its potential at scale. Project success will catalyse investment in UK seaweed farming and coastal biorefineries. By demonstrating the farmed seaweed value chain at scale, we will: • catalyse growth of nascent UK sustainable seaweed farming industry to support UK coastal communities post COVD-19 • improve the future resilience of UK fisheries and aquaculture sectors • support UK to meet climate targets • reduce UK reliance on fossil fuels and imports • enhance marine biodiversity • tackle plastic-waste crisis & support packaging industry to transition to circular economy • support UK transition to plant-based foods

"The project is based on the use of cavitation to extract more vanilla from spent pods and coffee from spent beans than in currently accessible. Cavitation allows matricies such as food waste or in this project spent vanilla pods and coffee beans to be broken down further to release any residual material which conventional methods can not release. This project will demonstrate the potential of the technology for other applications at a scale which is representative to industry. This technology has the potential to be a disruptive technology to food industry and redefine how it handles its waste products and the value it can glean from this stream This project will address proof of concept for the cavitation technology. This technology creates a constant cavitation zone which can breakdown material structures and release high value compounds from their natural matrix. It is a physical process which involves not chemicals enabling the end food product to be labelled as natural (not modified)."

CAKEFUEL is an innovative approach to produce a carbon neutral sustainable clean fuel derived from sewage sludge and cake. The critical aspects of the project involve the removal of toxic heavy metals, recovery of useful elements, treatment of biological hazards and the creation of stable emulsion fuels for use in power generation. Sewage fractionation enables a lower energy solution to address the needs of production of sustainable fuels, reduction of environmental hazards, and a global application. The CAKEFUEL solution will be capable of being integrated in a 2MW CHP off grid solution to enable application both within the UK and in the developing world.