{"id":25831,"date":"2026-03-13T15:24:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T15:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/?p=25831"},"modified":"2026-03-13T15:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T15:24:38","slug":"frutalga-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/2026\/03\/13\/frutalga-project\/","title":{"rendered":"FRUTALGA project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The FRUTALGA<\/span><\/span><\/strong> project, funded by the Ag\u00e8ncia Valenciana de la Innovaci\u00f3<\/span><\/span> and involving the participation of IDiBE<\/span><\/span>, has demonstrated the potential to transform fruit residues into innovative and sustainable bioproducts through the use of microalgae and advanced technologies. The initiative also includes the participation of AINIA<\/span><\/span>, AVA-ASAJA<\/span><\/span>, SITRA<\/span><\/span>, and Prospera Biotech<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The project has developed an integrated circular economy model<\/strong> that enables the valorisation of by-products from the fruit industry to generate renewable energy, microalgal biomass, and natural extracts with industrial applications. Among the key outcomes is the production of biogas through anaerobic digestion<\/strong>, capable of generating approximately 28 m\u00b3 of methane per tonne of treated residue<\/strong>, thereby contributing to the overall energy sustainability of the process.<\/p>\n

In addition, mixed cultures of microalgae and bacteria<\/strong> have been developed using fruit juices as substrates. Experiments were carried out at different scales, ranging from laboratory to pilot and pre-industrial levels, including trials in raceway-type reactors<\/strong> installed at the experimental farm of AVA-ASAJA. These activities enabled the production of tens of kilograms of dry microalgal biomass<\/strong>, which was subsequently evaluated for different applications, including its potential use as an ingredient for animal feed.<\/p>\n

Within the consortium, the role of IDiBE<\/span><\/span> (UMH)<\/strong> has been particularly significant in the identification and characterisation of bioactive compounds<\/strong> present both in fruit by-products and in microalgal biomass. The analyses carried out have revealed extracts with antioxidant, depigmenting and wound-healing activities<\/strong>, as well as compounds with the potential to modulate the TRPA1 protein<\/strong>, which is involved in mechanisms related to skin sensitivity and comfort.<\/p>\n

To obtain these compounds, sustainable extraction processes based on supercritical CO\u2082<\/strong> have been developed, enabling the isolation of molecules of interest from avocado seeds, date pits and microalgae. Based on the selected extracts and following the evaluation of their safety and biological activity, a high-end cosmetic product<\/strong> has been formulated, aimed at the care of mature and sensitive skin with a tendency towards hyperpigmentation and photoaging.<\/p>\n

The results of the FRUTALGA<\/strong> project consolidate a technological model capable of transforming fruit residues into high-value ingredients and renewable energy<\/strong>, contributing to waste reduction and promoting more sustainable solutions for sectors such as cosmetics, animal nutrition and industrial biotechnology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The FRUTALGA project, funded by the Ag\u00e8ncia Valenciana de la Innovaci\u00f3 and involving the participation of IDiBE, has demonstrated the potential to transform fruit residues into innovative and sustainable bioproducts through the use of microalgae and advanced technologies. The initiative also includes the participation of AINIA, AVA-ASAJA, SITRA, and Prospera Biotech. The project has developed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30369,"featured_media":25828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25831"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibe.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}