SPIN – Sustainable ProteIN

Abstract

According to FAO (2022), emerging societal challenges show that food production will need to increase by 60% by 2050 to meet the nutritional needs of a population of over 9 billion. There is a need to minimise food waste, increase the production of healthy and sustainable food, with a focus on preserving aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as developing Novel Foods. Sustainable diets are characterised by lower environmental impact and by promoting health by reducing morbidity and mortality associated with food consumption. The Mediterranean Diet, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is one of the most studied and well-known dietary patterns worldwide. However, consumers, due to the increase in food literacy, are increasingly interested in trying new sustainable protein sources that can contribute to their nutritional needs and fulfil their sensory expectations.

The SPIN Project, approved under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), addresses four opportunities, spread over four sectors, focused on obtaining healthy and sustainable protein, which allows contributing to the development of new products and following new consumption trends:

Opportunity 1) to valorise crickets of the species Acheta domesticus as an alternative source of protein, gradually incorporating it into the Mediterranean Diet, contributing to healthy and sustainable diets;

Opportunity 2) to valorise the non-native species Silurus glanis (European catfish), given its rapid spread and abundance along the Tagus River, as a quality animal protein, contributing to healthy diets and to balance the aquatic ecosystem of the middle and lower Tagus;

Opportunity 3) valorise varieties of “chícharo” and chickpeas, strengthening the resilience and adaptation of national varieties to climate change, as sources of healthy and sustainable proteins;

Opportunity 4) promote the sustainability of the agricultural area through regenerative agriculture, improving the environmental and climate performance of farms, while utilising these farms to obtain protein of bovine origin (beef) that meets the highest animal welfare standards.

Thus, each opportunity will be divided into a set of activities linked to the mentioned sectors, which include the valorisation of raw materials, the formulation of new products and their microbiological, physicochemical, rheological, sensory, and toxicological characterisation and studies of new packaging to be developed based on by-products of the raw materials of the four sectors. There are also three cross-cutting activities: evaluation of the life cycle of the new products developed, dissemination and training of stakeholders in each sector and the use of a digital cross-selling platform for the promotion and sale of the products developed.

It is intended that SPIN can contribute to increase the availability of new foods based on alternative and sustainable protein, preserve the Tagus River ecosystem, disseminate, preserve, and value traditional varieties of protein crops, contribute to the study of the added value of regenerative agriculture, ensuring the efficient use of natural resources and thus greater sustainability of the value chain.