INNOVATIVE APPROACHES FOR MARINE AND FRESHWATER BASED INGREDIENTS TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE FOODS AND VALUE CHAINS

The overall vision of IMPRESS is to develop series of innovative actions to address key sustainability challenges associated with marine and freshwater sector from sea to shelf. These challenges include (i) valorisation of processing waste streams & (ii) utilisation and promotion of underutilised low trophic species (LTS). IMPRESS will tackle these broad challenges by meeting the following six specific objectives that collectively deliver co-benefits for environment, health, society and the blue economy. IMPRESS will promote and influence consumer perceptions towards LTS by highlighting their positive nutrition, health, environmental footprints and enhance professional skills and competences. IMPRESS will develop innovative approaches to valorise side streams and processing waste for creation of eco-friendly zero waste value chains; develop and deliver diverse range of products to address nutrition, health, wellness and consumer choices; enabling and evaluating innovative processing approaches, including beyond state-of-the-art technologies across the value chain, creating novel value for food, feed, ingredients, biopolymers and bioactives production. Finally, co-design novel, circular value propositions to accelerate the operationalisation of transition pathways ahead of future challenges, e.g. Farm to Fork 2030 goals; empower stakeholders to transition from current practices to a more innovative production and processing of LTS, using dynamic tools/demonstrations and multi-actor knowledge exchange. The key innovative actions of IMPRESS includes (i) promotion and introduction of new LTS from fresh and marine waters; (ii) develop robust valorisation routes for side streams and waste; (iii) employ energy-efficient processing and fractionation techniques; (iv) deliver new products, value chains and services. Finally IMPRESS will demonstrate circular and sustainably interlinked value chains to maximize the value creation with a zero-waste approach.