Matís is participating in a new project funded by Horizon Europe. The project, called Giant Leaps, aims to accelerate the transition from animal proteins to new food proteins.
This change in diet is the key to transforming the food system in terms of environmental impact and improving the health and well-being of people, animals and the planet. The project will deliver strategic innovations, methodologies and open data to accelerate such changes accordingly Farm-to-Fork the strategy and the goal of the European Green Deal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
GIANT LEAPS verkefnið mun skoða ný prótein, bera þau saman við hefðbundin dýraprótein og skilgreina framtíðarfæði sem stuðlar að betri umhverfi og heilsu. Þau nýju prótein sem verða rannsökuð eru prótein úr plöntum, örveruprótein, sveppaprótein, prótein úr sjó, prótein úr skordýrum, ræktað kjöt og hefðbundin prótein. Verkefnið mun takast á við þær áskoranir sem felast í því að nota ný prótein í vinnslu á matvælum, s.s. vinnslu hráefna og matvælaframleiðslu; öryggi við hönnun, þ.mt ofnæmis; meltingar og heilsu; sustainability, líffræðilegum fjölbreytileika og loftslags.
New technologies and improved methods, together with accessible and comprehensive information about novel proteins, will enable policymakers to prioritize changes in the food system. It will also be useful for stakeholders in the food value chain to make strategic decisions in research, trade and investment. In addition, the public gets a more sustainable and healthy alternative to diet.
The GIANT LEAPS group consists of 34 partners from all over Europe, from start-ups to universities and research institutes. At the beginning of September, the project manager, Dr. Paul Vos from Wageningen Research, the first meeting of the project in Wageningen, Holland. There, the partners had the opportunity to meet and plan the 4-year project.
Matís is involved in developing and characterisation of novel alternative proteins developed in the project; their value chain mapping; assessment of circularity potential, impacts on sustainability, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and climate change mitigation potential.
Follow the Giant Leap project on LinkedIn and Twitter, where you can monitor the progress of the project.