**Lupin** is an under-explored crop that has a great potential to replace imported soya for both livestock feed and as human food due to its high quality/quantity protein composition that is equivalent to soya and outcompeting peas/beans. Diversification of protein crops f**or human nutrition** is key to address food security challenges and net zero targets. Lupin has a high growth potential under the climate of both UK and Canada, and sustainably producing lupin in both countries opens up a ga**me-changing opportunity for the plant-based protein supply chain** as well as does the potential of using other lupin compounds (lipids, fibres) that have not yet been fully explored for food ingredient purposes. This project is looking at the **improvement of region-specific agronomy traits** of lupin production, the crop's direct utilisation in the form of a **range of ingredients** (proteins, lipids, fibres) and the application of these ingredients into a **region specific** (North-America and UK/Europe) **food product portfolio**. This project is an opportunity to move forward the lupin supply chain and consequently the plant-based alternative protein sector. **This project will deliver:** * improved agronomy for lupin growing in Canada and UK * sweet, bitter-free lupin flour * a suite of lupin ingredients (proteins/fibres/lipids) suitable for food production * region specific food product portfolios for speciality markets **The UK-consortium** is led by an SME, **SPG Innovation** partnered with **SoyaUK**, leading UK lupins seed supplier and agronomy advice company, the **University of Leeds** and **CHAP** (Crop Health and Protection Ltd, currently trading as the UK Agri-Tech Centre). **The Canadian consortium** is led by an SME, **Lupin Platform Ltd**, who are the leading lupin supplier in Canada and partnered up with **NRC Canada**, a government funded leading innovation platform.

Intestinal hyperpermeability or leaky gut syndrome (LGS) is increasingly recognised as a problem linked to a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. LGS can lead to entry of harmful agents such as bacteria and toxins through the junctions of the intestinal epithelium, reaching the blood stream and affecting hormonal, immune, nervous and other systems. Hence, intestinal hyperpermeability/leaky gut is associated with intestinal dysbiosis and intestinal disease e.g. inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but also with the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, CVD and Alzheimer's. There is evidence emerging that polyphenol-rich diets have beneficial gut health effects, reducing the incidence and severity of IBD and improving LGS in the elderly, with emphasis on the prebiotic character of polyphenols to promote and support a healthy gut microbiome. The SPINlife project aims to develop phytochemical-rich food product solutions with the potency to benefit intestinal barrier function, gut inflammation and gut microbiota, with relevance to aging and metabolically challenged populations. The challenge is to cost-effectively and sustainably generate polyphenol-rich ingredients that can be incorporated into widely consumed food products, such that their beneficial effects are retained, whilst ensuring consumer acceptance and remaining affordable. To achieve this aim, the project will make use of readily available UK-sourced agri-food by-products (AFBPs). Diverting them from current disposal routes (incineration, landfill, anaerobic digestion, field spreading) will help circularise the economy and reduce the carbon footprint of derived products. AFBPs will be processed using techniques that can produce concentrated polyphenol-rich extracts suitable for addition to food. Processing methods such as fermentation in conjunction with drying and encapsulation of extracts to mask off-flavours will be evaluated as a means of producing a range of food ingredients with additional gut health benefits, longer shelf-life and consumer acceptance. The polyphenol-rich ingredients will be added to a range of widely consumed foods that include dairy products (for example yoghurt) and baked goods (for example bread and biscuits). The gut health benefits of these biofortified products will be evaluated using _in vitro_ human models while their consumer acceptance will be determined using sensory panels. Techno-economic analysis will ensure that cost-effective solutions are developed with the potential to benefit the wider community by preventing or slowing the occurrence of debilitating health conditions linked to poor gut health that affect more than 1-in-4 of the UK population.

1. 1/3 of all farm production is lost as waste, these crops contain vital minerals and vitamins that are essential for biofortification of foods to enhance nutrition and public health. FORTYeast focuses on the feasibility to develop new and novel methods to recover the nutrients, and develop new protein rich ingredients. Vegetables contain a wide selection of critical minerals and vitamins necessary for good health. Socio economic groups CDE are resistant to public health messaging. Cost effective nutrition, and especially biofortification is a key focus on improving overall population health. FORTYeast uses new techniques and methods to work on the production of low cost, but highly function ingredients enriching protein, vitamin and mineral enhancement to everyday foods. FORTYeast is working with large farming groups to reduce the on-farm waste, enhancing the value creation of crops, using the ugly veg and supporting a transition to a low-carbon circular bioeconomy. Importantly the project approach uses natural methods to create significant opportunities for innovative food ingredients and food product development. The technology being developed can be applied across a wide range of fruit, vegetables and even seaweed.

BIOCHP is a multifuel solution to the need to decarbonise industrial heat production for food and manufacturing. The novel system solution allows a low cost, highly flexible solution to support companies manage the challenge of renewable energy choices where electrification is not feasible. The CHP Feasibility report examines the economics of deploying the technology in the UK.

SOLARSAVER2 focuses on delivering a sustainable business model for using innovative low carbon off grid drying solutions. The project aims to create value for small- and large-scale sub-Saharan agricultural producers and other stakeholders by adding a new sustainable technical and processing solution delivered at a pricing level suitable for deployment in Africa and Asia to create highly nutritious products and reduce food waste. Fruit and vegetable products are of high moisture content. The key target is to significantly reduce the energy consumption, operating costs and carbon footprint of conventional drying techniques using an innovative low-temperature drying process. The sustainable delivery of low cost drying has a significant impact on the different sections of society such as the poor (majority of farmers) and women (about 50%) are catered for. Extensive operations and trials are planned with partners in Tanzania including local manufacturing. The processing solution is such that it can be easily deployed on-farm at different degrees of decentralisation and in centralised small, medium and large-scale industrial sites.

**-AdvanceYeastProt** aims to create an unprecedented low-emission, indulgent, highly structured protein and vitamin enriched yeast-based "whole-cut" food product, to answer consumers' and market demands, while boosting the reduction of food loss and freshwater usage by promoting the recovery of vegetable retailers' side-streams while creating -The necessity for such product derives from the increased governmental and general-public awareness, and demand, for more sustainable and healthier non-meat derived protein-sources. This to feed the growing population, and provide the consumers with more nutritious, healthier, environmentally-friendly and committed to animal welfare choices. -The development of this innovative biotechnology and a new high-protein product locally will aid UK's reliance on imports and help deliver stated government targets on net-zero and environmental obligations. **Our Product:** Will offer an indulgent experience hitting expectations of consumer quality (flavour, texture and mouthfeel), improved nutrient value, clean-label, reproducibility and affordability than the current alternative-protein products in the market: i) more nutritious and healthier than the competitors: in high quality protein (with all essential amino acids, including methionine, tryptophan, leucine and tyrosine, and enriched in key vitamins, especially Vit B12 and Vit D. These amino acids and vitamins are not present in other alternative proteins and so remain a deficit in certain diets. ii) other attributes are a) no use of antibiotics or growth hormones, b) be associated with a meaty umami flavour c) less processed and d) with less additives, than the competitors. iii) it is a raw "whole-cut" alternative which will provide the domestic consumer with the opportunity to cook as they desire. -We will further innovate by engineering the technological process to make it more **sustainable and economic**, providing marketing solutions to prevent and reduce food loss: We will incorporate vegetable industry side-streams that otherwise would normally be disposed of on the soil, which will add the texture, nutrients and the required water (expensive resource and in short supply) to the product. -Once proven this innovative approach will fast forward the development for upcycling vegetable loss initially using Industrial side-streams but ultimately including those produced from domestic gardens, small-holdings, and allotments, respectively.

**PolyPig aims to address a commercial and animal welfare need for sustainably produced feed to protect the health of piglets and improve survival and growth post-weaning.** This is desirable because of high mortality rates and disease incidence associated with early stages of pig development, due to factors such as oxidative stress that causes gut damage. Until recently, piglet feeds contained high levels of zinc oxide as an anti-microbial and growth promoter; however, this has been identified as a contributor to environmental contamination and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Feeding of therapeutic levels of zinc oxide has been banned in Europe from June 2022; therefore, it is imperative that more sustainable alternative solutions are available. **The objective of PolyPig is to develop prior studies that demonstrated supplementation of piglet feed with polyphenols provides desirable protective effects; improving piglet gut health and survival.** Polyphenols are naturally occurring anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant compounds present in a wide range of plant materials, especially red beetroot. Large quantities of beetroot waste are generated from harvesting and processing for human consumption, exploitation of these by-products would provide a sustainable source of polyphenols for use as feed supplements. **A further objective is to implement sustainable methods for efficient polyphenol extraction from agri-food by-products (AFBPs).** This is necessary to separate the polyphenols from the plant fibre which is undesirable. Fibre inclusion in piglet feed exacerbates gut health problems associated with weaning. Previously developed energy efficient 'green' extraction and purification methods will be evaluated and optimised to enable large-scale processing of beetroot by­products. **The innovative combination of scalable biorefining of AFBPs for sustainable production of polyphenol supplemented piglet feed will create significant benefits for the farming community.** Improved productivity and growth, with enhanced meat quality and product shelf-life, enable increased exports of pig products and reduced importation. AFBP exploitation will generate additional revenue streams for farmers, divert waste from landfill and help achievement of net-zero carbon emission targets. PolyPig will initially focus on extraction of polyphenols from red beetroot, however, other agricultural and food waste-streams can also be exploited. Additional opportunities for innovative animal feed formulations and new product development will be generated, whilst the biorefinery engineering designs developed during this project will be scalable and applicable to novel by-products. **Manufacturing of innovative animal feeds based on AFBP-derived supplementation will help grow the UK economy and create employment opportunities, while supporting a transition to a low-carbon circular bioeconomy.**

UK Diets lack dietary fibre and nutritional research links this to both mild and chronic disease in gut health, diabetes and coronary disease to the low dietary fibre. UK fibre consumption consistently falls below the government guidelines in all age and socioeconomic categories. The proportion of people who are overweight or obese has increased in every age group (since 1993). Almost half of the poorest men and women are obese compared with just one-fifth of the richest. [https://ageing-better.org.uk/health-state-ageing-2022][0] Yet "Food on the Go" is a continually expanding food category with a significant portion of products in the pastry sub-category. Public Health education has failed to deliver the lifestyle changes necessary to impact community health. High Fibre Salt and Sugar(HFSS) regulations are emerging as a policy solution to address this challenge. The UK food industry produces significant volumes of fibre rich side streams that can be utilised to enhance product quality. Nudge Fibre is focused on using nudge nutrition to increase the fibre uptake inline and exceeding HFSS targets using new and novel approaches. Typically, the cheapest products lack dietary fibre, have poor HFSS scores and face significant consumer resistance to change. The development of high quality commercial bakery pastry will use UK sourced food side streams that are currently by-products of food processing that have lower carbohydrates, increased protein and up to 12x fibre content. The use of side stream products results in a UK supplied cost competitive product in a price and nutrition sensitive market. By using the nudge nutritional theory and cost-effective ingredients it will deliver levels of fibre in high volume "food on the go" and value range products to increase consumption of dietary fibre and nutritional's, that can be applied across a wide range of applications ensuring the highest possible impact. The project will focus on the sensory, performance and mechanical properties of increasing the levels of fibre in industrial bakery pastry products. The use of modern food science to prove that the scope for high quality products can be developed cost effectively in industrial manufacturing processes. The project will combine industrial production methods with novel formulation and state of the art sensory analysis to develop a clear route to market. [0]: https://ageing-better.org.uk/health-state-ageing-2022

The use of novel feed materials to increase sustainable protein production whilst improving the health and survival of piglets post-weaning will be addressed. Poor growth rates and high disease incidence are associated with the early post-weaning period due to factors such as oxidative stress that causes gut damage. Sustainable alternatives to zinc oxide, added to feed as an anti-microbial and growth promoter, are required to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve subsequent growth and productivity. Improved pig nutrition across the lifespan will also improve meat quality, reducing import dependence. The project will build on prior feasibility studies where supplementation of pig feed with polyphenols provided protective effects, improving piglet gut health and survival, as well as meat quality and shelf life. Polyphenols are anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant compounds present in plant materials. Agri-food by-products (AFBPs) generated by agriculture and food processing activities are readily available for processing to provide a sustainable source of polyphenol-rich feed supplements. Conventional methods (e.g., drying and milling) will be used to process AFBPs for inclusion in pig feed. Polyphenol extraction using previously developed sustainable methods will enable separation of polyphenols from plant fibre. These polyphenol rich extracts can then be standardised for use as supplements. Separation from fibre is important when feeding the young pig as high dietary fibre around weaning reduces nutrient utilisation and thus feed effciency. The benefits of polyphenol supplementation will be examined across the pig lifespan through controlled feeding trials at the University of Leeds National Pig Centre and commercial farms at Cranswick facilities. The economic and sustainability benefits of these innovative approaches will be compared to existing practices. Successful AFBP exploitation will generate additional revenue streams for farmers, divert waste from landfill and help achievement of net-zero carbon emission targets. AFBP use will also reduce the requirement for crop production for animal feed, increasing the availability of land for human food production, further contributing to food security and supply chain resilience. Significant opportunities for innovative animal feed formulations and new product development will be generated, helping grow the UK economy and create employment opportunities, while supporting a transition to a low-carbon circular bioeconomy.

**The project aims to address an identified commercial demand for sustainably produced, lighter, stronger paper and board.** This is highly desirable because their use reduces the quantity and weight of packaging and the associated transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Presently, paper and board are manufactured primarily from pulp obtained from recovered paper. The pulp can be strengthened by the presence of cellulose fibres that have been processed to increase their length in proportion to their diameter. Presently, the production of materials with these features such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanocellulose (NC) is insufficient to meet industry needs and is prohibitively expensive. **The objective of the project is to build on an ultrasonication process that can produce pulp suitable for the production of lighter, stronger products at the scale required by the industry.** Ultrasonication of pulp produces highly fibrillated cellulose fibres (HFCFs) that contribute to the strength of the finished product. Although effective, ultrasonication is energy intensive and additional mechanical, chemical and biological pre-processing methods will be examined to reduce overall energy consumption and increase cost-effectiveness. Additives to aid water drainage and drying of pulp containing HFCFs, reduce paper breakage and facilitate high speed paper production have an important role in manufacturing efficiency and sustainability will be optimised. **The combination of processing technologies will be disruptive; enabling scale-up of production whilst reducing the financial and environmental costs**. The project will initially focus on the production of pulp containing HFCFs for which there is a substantial market need. In addition to waste paper and board, side-stream materials from paper production such as wet-end trim will be used. Other agricultural and food waste streams containing fibre, such as brewer's spent grain, may also become usable enabling the increasing demand for paper and board to be met. New opportunities for process additive formulations will also be established. The engineering designs developed during this project will be scalable and usable throughout the industry. Demonstration of industrial scale HFCF production is a key target as it will increase the energy efficiency of paper and board production. Fibre sources that are currently wasted or under-utilised will help meet growing demand for sustainable packaging. In addition to the economic and environmental benefits, this will aid progress towards net-zero carbon emissions and a circular bioeconomy. **Manufacturing of light-weighted products will help grow the UK economy and create employment opportunities in the paper and chemical industries.**

**This project addresses an identified environmental, healthcare and commercial demand for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic personal protective equipment (PPE).** As part of the UK's COVID-19 response, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) PPE strategy identifies a need for an additional 5 billion PPE items to address the increased demands from health and social care providers, however, only 70% will be produced in the UK. The DHSC strategy has also identified the need for innovative and sustainable PPE as well as improved designs to address ill-fitting/uncomfortable items. Oil-derived plastics used for PPE in clinical settings negatively impact the environment when incinerated due to the release of fossil carbon, contributing to global warming. If disposed of incorrectly, they do not biodegrade leading to contamination of land and sea with unacceptable effects on wildlife and the food supply chain. **The aim of the project is to address these issues through the development of sustainable bioplastic films to replace or reduce current oil-based plastic PPE usage.** Bioplastics derived from agri-food by-products have been used to produce materials that include flexible films. These materials can replace existing single-use plastics used as PPE that are used in large quantities in non-surgical situations, for example aprons/clinical waste bags. This project builds on recent advances in processing techniques for agri-food by-products (AFBPs), enabling the manufacture of commercially usable flexible films. AFBPs are available in the UK in large quantities (\>1.6 million tonnes per year), however, they are generally not exploited and frequently disposed to landfill or incinerated. For example, 45,000 tonnes of apple pomace are produced each year as a by-product of juice or cider production. The pomace can be further processed to produce flexible films, whilst blending with other AFBP-derived materials to produce novel features e.g. anti-microbial activity. To address issues relating to PPE performance and usability, a Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach will be used to establish the specifications and user requirements for PPE materials based on sustainable bio-based alternatives. HCD methods will be used to enhance and encourage the use of bioplastic films for PPE in the form of a protective apron. The project activities include: (i)Evaluation of stakeholder behaviour with respect to current PPE based on flexible films through interviews; (ii)Establishing human-centred features and documenting key design specifications that will encourage the uptake of novel flexible bioplastics for widespread adoption; (iii)Evaluation of user-expectations such as comfort and usability of the product, as well as requisite performance characteristics including physical properties, mechanical, durability, shelf-life and end-of-life treatment. The project focuses on production of flexible bioplastics for which there is a substantial market need. Successful production of sustainable materials for single-use PPE applications will reduce imports, grow the UK economy and create employment opportunities, whilst ensuring security of supply. Additional benefits include providing additional income for agricultural growers and reducing the quantity of waste sent to landfill. The UK's progress towards achievement of net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2040 will also be supported.

The UN warns 'Our food systems are failing, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making things worse' and clearly points out 'we must strengthen social protection systems for nutrition' June, 2020\. It is even more important to improve diet during and after the COVID-19 pandemic to aid recovery. UK Public policy is rapidly shifting towards the inclusion of greater levels of dietary fibre in foods especially for low cost products targeted at socioeconomic groups CDE, where choice is financially constrained. Government guidelines published in July 2015 (SACN, 2015) and Public Health England (2016) recommended to increase dietary fibre intake to 30g /day, as part of a healthy balanced diet. However, most adults are still only eating an average of about 18g/day in the UK. It is still a challenge to use sustainable and low cost dietary fibre source for increasing dietary intake without compromising the food quality and sensory properties of foods. Bakery products are a main source of dietary fibre in UK and western diet, providing about 25% of total dietary fibre daily diet. The aims of this project are to introduce a natural and low cost dietary fibre source in a micropowder format to bakery food products, delivering healthy baked goods with the nutrition claim of increased fibre and lowered sugar/fat cake products (20% sugar reduction and/or 30% fat reduction) both with pleasing sensory properties . The project targets the high volume industrial bread manufacturing process and the "grab and go" cake sector with new increased fibre formulations

UK generates 1.5 Million tonnes of food waste during production and processing. Many materials require stabilisation before use, drying is a common method. Drying of biomass materials is an energy intensive activity; current standard processes are focused around the use of belt dryers and significant volumes of heated air. RAPIDRY is focused on the ability to quickly dry fruits and vegetables cost effectively to remain the maximum nutritional profile and food safety. Critical to this is to reduce the consumption of energy, the project will demonstrate the energy benefits of distributed multi effect drying to the food and farming industry. RAPIDRY will create food ingredients suitable for use in processed foods that will support increase health and nutrition.

The project (SOLARSAVER) focuses on converting agricultural, food processing by-products and side streams to value-added, long shelf-life food ingredients and biotechnical products while at the same time generating water for irrigation and drinking purposes. As fruit and vegetable products have high moisture content, the key target is to significantly reduce the energy consumption, operating costs, and carbon footprint of conventional drying techniques using an innovative low-temperature drying step which also yields potable water as a side product. The project aims at creating value for small- and large-scale sub-Saharan agricultural producers and other stakeholders by adding a new sustainable technical and processing solution delivered at a pricing level suitable for deployment in Africa and Europe to create highly nutritious products for both markets, while also providing water especially in water-stressed regions. The processing solution is such that it can be easily deployed on-farm at different degrees of decentralisation, and in centralised small, medium and large-scale industrial sites. Hence, diffferent sections of society such as the poor (majority of farmers) and women (about 50%) are catered for. Extensive operations are planned with partners in Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.

The proposal addresses China’s development priorities to eliminate waste and improve food safety. The project will exploit complementary Chinese and UK research and industrial expertise to valorise waste from large scale (>10 million tons of waste) Chinese mandarin canning manufacturing for food safety applications. Efficient green technologies will be optimised to extract and refine food grade hydrocolloids and citrus bioactives from both solid and liquid waste streams. The focus will be on improving extraction efficiencies and solubility of the compounds to ensure compatibility with foods and packaging matrices. The exploitable outputs will be well defined biomaterials with downstream processing applications in two manufacturing sectors: (1) food additives and (2) food packaging. Food and packaging prototypes will be developed and selected according to optimal antimicrobial and antioxidant properties against key spoilage pathogens in high risk foods (e.g. meat and fish products) and consumer acceptability. This project will utilise China sustainable materials, provide commercial opportunities to Chinese and UK industries with benefits to the environment and the safety of consumers.

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.