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Investing in
European success
Developing a Bioeconomy
using resources from
land and sea
2nd Edition
Research and
Innovation
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European Commission
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Investing in
European success
Developing a Bioeconomy
using resources from land and sea
2nd Edition
2012 Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012
ISBN 978-92-79-25436-9
doi 10.2777/68449
© European Union, 2012

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
INTRODUCTION
This booklet presents a selection of projects that show Europe’s investment in Research
and Innovation as the cornerstone of the bioeconomy. These concrete examples show how
bioeconomy research produces good ideas and concrete products that make a positive
change to our daily lives. They also demonstrate that investment in research and technology
make our businesses more competitive and create new opportunities for the future.

needs renewable biological resources for secure and healthy food and feed, as well as
for materials, energy, and other products. In order to reduce the heavy dependency of its
economy on fossil resources and mitigating climate change, Europe needs to move towards
a post-petroleum society.
The Strategy “Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe” adopted by the

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challenges in a comprehensive manner. It will contribute to this transition by promoting
research and innovation into the sustainable production and exploitation of renewable raw
materials as alternative energy and carbon sources. It will pave the way to a more innovative
and low carbon society that reconciles food security with the sustainable use of renewable
biological resources for industrial purposes while creating new job opportunities.
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on increasing investment into research, innovation and skills. Under the European Framework
Programme for Research and Innovation “Horizon 2020” (2014-2020), € 4.7 billion of funding
have been proposed for bioeconomy research and innovation under the societal challenge
“Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research, and the bioeconomy”
and for biotechnology as an enabling technology.
Each euro invested in EU-funded bioeconomy research and innovation is estimated to trigger
€10 of value added in bioeconomy sectors by 2025.
The second pillar of the Strategy aims to improve synergies and coherence between the
priorities of the European research and innovation policy and other policies relevant to the
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policy makers, industries and society and support similar initiatives in EU Member States
and Regions. The Strategy will also further develop international cooperation in the area of
bioeconomy.
In its third pillar, the Strategy provides support to new markets and the expansion of existing
ones, for example by promoting the development of standards, sustainability assessments
and labels for bio-based products to facilitate their uptake in consumer markets and by green

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Finally, the Strategy promotes the development of science-based approaches to better

inform consumers about product properties (e.g. environment sustainability) and to promote
a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
The success of the Strategy, however, will very much depend on the engagement of Member
States, Regions, stakeholders in the research and innovation community and citizens.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/
6 I n v e s t i n g i n E u r o p e a n s u c c e s s
PLAPROVA
Award-winning innovation
revolutionises vaccine production
A European Union (EU)-funded research project has opened up a radical new era in
the world of vaccine discovery and production. Focused on veterinary vaccines, the

farm livestock and this may also be used to uncover a new vast range of urgently-
needed vaccines for humans.
The revolutionary impact of the new PLAPRO- has revolutionary implications for future vac-
VA technique, with the possibilities it opens cine production. It also helped win a major in-
up for future work in vaccine discovery, was novation award for the lead researcher.
recognised with the naming of Professor Lo- Known as ‘transient expression’, the method
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developed by the PLAPROVA group involves
the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Re-
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search Council (BBSRC), UK.

genes, into the leaf of a plant. This triggers the
Bringing together research teams from Eu- production of proteins which are of potential
rope, Russia and South Africa, and with fund- pharmaceutical interest as the basis for new
ing provided under the EU’s 7th Framework vaccines. In contrast with previous methods,
Programme, the PLAPROVA consortium fo- which required the genetic transformation of
cused on the use of plants proteins to produce the entire plant to produce a protein - and
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bluetongue, foot and mouth disease and por- J$Q

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cine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. veloped by the PLAPROVA team can produce
large quantities of new plant proteins in a
Plants have been used to produce pharmaceu- matter of just weeks.
ticals in the past, but the crucial element at the
heart of the three-year PLAPROVA project was In the words of PLAPROVA’s Project Coordina-
a technique for doing this much more quickly
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than previously possible – an advance which Innes Centre in the UK, the new technique
7
Participants
United Kingdom (Coordinator), Russian
Federation, South Africa, The Netherlands,
Bulgaria, Italy, Spain
http://www.plaprova.eu
Total EU from: Feb. 2009
FP7 Proj. N° 227056 € 2 600 000 € 2 000 000 Duration:
costs: contribution: to: Jan. 2012
turns the host plants into ‘mini-factories’, but The speed of the new process is also a critical
without resorting to permanent genetic modi- factor when dealing with seasonal outbreaks
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when a vaccine needs to be created urgently,
that are transiently introduced are not inher- usually in a matter of months from the time
ited by subsequent generations of the plant.
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The success of PLAPROVA has already gener-
The crucial advantage of PLAPROVA’s method

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is that researchers are now able to produce sions are in progress with vaccine manufac-
and assess large numbers of proteins in a very turers in South Africa about production of a
short space of time, thus opening up much =+ `

wider possibilities for genuinely novel vac- Medicago Inc, has successfully applied the
cines. Previously, the timescale required before technique to the discovery and production of
results were known for just a single protein @=;

meant researchers naturally played safe and has recently completed a Phase II clinical trial.
tended to produce ‘biosimilars’, i.e. vaccines
which replicated already existing ones. It was
a situation which discouraged the search for
new products.
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money on one particular construct, then wait
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tion,” he says. “The great thing is, you get your
failures quickly. If you are not sure which of
20 options will be best, you can just try all 20
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venturous.”
PHARMA-PLANTA
Harnessing plant
biotechnology to revolutionise
pharmaceutical production
In June 2011, medical regulators gave the go-ahead for trials in humans of
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tobacco leaves.

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GM plants.
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in preventing HIV infection. But the real the transformation of modern drug manufac-
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given by the UK’s licensing body, the Medicines key drugs which have previously been prohibi-
and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency tively costly.
(MHRA), went further than that.
The move to Phase 1 clinical trials was the
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crowning achievement of PHARMA-PLANTA,
known as monoclonal antibodies – the key a seven-and-a-half year EU-funded project
component of the drug, and of many other set up in 2004. With € 12 million of funding
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provided under the EU’s 6th Framework
- could be produced from plants in a form Programme of research and development,
that met the extremely stringent standards the PHARMA-PLANTA consortium comprised
required for use in the treatment of humans. more than 30 academic and industrial
partners from across Europe and South
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Africa. The consortium’s goal was clearly
HIV/AIDS, the decision opened the way for stated: to develop a manufacturing process
trials of other plant-derived medicines to for recombinant protein drug products derived
treat a range of diseases. from GM plants and to take one such product
through all the development stages, including
clinical trial.
9
Participants
The Netherlands, Germany (Coordinator), France,
Italy, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom,
Austria, Greece, Switzerland, South Africa
www.pharma-planta.net
costs: contribution: to: Oct. 2011
The approval from the MHRA was described by Z

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process means it could easily be transferred
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as “a red letter day”. It was, he said, “an of drugs “in the region, for the region.”
acknowledgement that monoclonal antibodies
can be made in plants to the same quality Discovered by one of the four private
as those made using existing conventional commercial partners in the project, Austrian
production systems. That is something many biotech company Polymun, the new antibody
people did not believe could be achieved.” successfully completed its Phase 1 trial,
ascertaining its safety, at the end of 2011.
The conventional production systems referred It is now set to move into the next phase of
to by Professor Ma use sophisticated stainless #=+
steel fermentation vats containing bacteria
or mammalian cells. The process of deriving Meanwhile, other diseases for which it is
antibodies from these cells is high-tech - and envisaged that GM plants could provide new
highly expensive. drugs include cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and
others which, in the words of Professor Ma, are
By contrast, the antibodies produced by currently “horribly expensive” to treat.
PHARMA-PLANTA were derived from tobacco
plants grown in greenhouses in Germany, As Professor Fischer explains, the success of

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+ PHARMA-PLANTA “is a springboard for European
According to Professor Rainer Fischer, Director plant biotechnology and will enable many
of the institute where the GM tobacco was important medical products to be realised”.
grown, this much simpler, more low-tech
option is between 10 and 100 times cheaper.
MEM-S
Unlocking ancient secrets

of the deep to extend the
boundaries of modern biotech
In today’s fast-moving world, many forms of human activity require ever more
precise and sophisticated technology – either to perform a particular, specialised
function, or to provide reliable means of micro-screening and analysis.
The rapidly evolving spheres of biotechnology and nanotechnology provide many

of the required solutions. Frequently the two are combined - in the form of
nanobiotechnology.
One area where demand for this technology is Life originated in the sea. The oldest animals
strong is that of membranes for microsieves – still in existence are the sea sponges. And,

> incredibly, it is these animals, the most ancient
role in the analytical systems, used in areas form of life on earth, that are now making a
such as food processing, drug discovery or vital contribution to the world’s most modern
medical diagnostics. anoporous membranes science. This phenomenon is at the heart of
and microsieves can be used to eliminate, or Mem-S, a research project funded under
to detect the presence of microbes in drinking the EU’s 7th Framework Programme with
water, such as Legionella or E.coli. In the the aim of using cutting-edge molecular
biology techniques to design and fabricate
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with new and innovative capabilities for use in
They are even used as a way of ascertaining industrial applications.
beer purity.
Begun in 2010, the three-year project, leaded
An unlikely but extremely fertile source of by the University Medical Centre of the
new discoveries and materials to assist with University of Mainz, involves three research-
this technology is the seabed - in the cold based SMEs and four universities and research
zones where no light penetrates. institutes from Germany, the Netherlands,
Austria and France.
11
Participants
The Netherlands, Germany (Coordinator), France, Austria
http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/biotechnology/projects/mem-s_en.htm
Total EU from: Jan. 2010
costs: contribution: to: Dec. 2012
Sea sponges contain a number of enzymes By binding to the silica, enzymatically pro-
and proteins. One of these is silicatein, the only duced by the silicatein, the membrane gains
known enzyme in existence with the capability reinforcement and support, while the silica
of synthesising an inorganic polymer, silica, }
from an inorganic precursor molecule. ;
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or sensory function required.
This silica (or biosilica) is what forms the
sponge’s skeleton. However, its key property The new technique will be exploited by the three
combinations, including light transmission SME’s involved in the project – the German
and extreme stability – unlike technical glass, NanotecMARIN GmbH, and the Netherlands’
which breaks easily – make it valuable for a Lionix BV and Aquamarijn Micro Filtration BV, in
range of advanced technological applications. sensors in drinking water systems, in industrial
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processing and micro-array development.
form the silica can be produced in a sustainable
way by a process of genetic engineering, The astounding properties of biosilica, mean-
inserting the sponge gene into bacteria. while, make it a promising material for use
in other areas such as microelectronics and
In the Mem-S project, this breakthrough tech- medical implant materials.
nology is linked with another cutting-edge
development – so-called ‘S-layer’ (crystalline From sponge skeleton to microchips. It is an
bacterial cell surface layer) technology. The incredible journey through space and time.
beauty of S-layer proteins is that they assem- From the prehistoric depths of the sea, a
ble themselves in highly ordered structures brave new world is indeed arising.
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that makes them ideal for use as nanoporous
membranes in microsieves.
ANIMPOL
Sustainable plastics:
Courtesy of the
slaughterhouse
The search for alternative products to wean the world away from its dependence
on petro-chemicals is an intensive and ongoing one, which takes many forms.
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has led them to is perhaps more unexpected than many others: the slaughterhouse.
It may be a startling development, but waste from abattoirs could be an important

source of the plastics we all use in the future.
Animals naturally contain substances known Assisted by € 3 million of funding under the
as lipids – long, carbon-rich polymer molecules EU’s 7th Framework Programme, the three-
that make an ideal building block for bioplastics. year project is aimed at maximising the po-
It follows that the parts of animals, which do tential to use this animal waste and its by -
not get used for food or other products, are products in order to produce both materials for
therefore a potentially valuable – but so far bioplastics, known as PHAs, and biodiesel.
untapped - resource.
Currently the amount of animal lipids being
An EU-funded project, ANIMPOL, established discarded annually from slaughterhouses is in
at the beginning of 2010, has brought the region of 500,000 tons. Together with the
together scientists from research institutes estimated 300,000 tons of waste materials
and industry from seven European countries from the biodiesel production, these materials
|= ; > could be utilised for the biotechnological pro-
the best use of these important biopolymer duction of bioplastics.
molecules. In the past, they have simply been
incinerated. In addition, the project is investigating ways
of producing these plastics at an economi-
cally viable cost, and then devising products
and establishing markets where they can be
distributed.
13
Participants
Germany, Italy, United Kingdom,
Austria (Coordinator), Croatia,
Poland, Slovenia
www.animpol.tugraz.at/englisch/eng_kontakt.htm
It is estimated that as much as half a million terms against competing forms of polymer
tons of these animal lipids are discarded every production such as composting or anaerobic
year by the animal slaughtering industry. digestion.
As ANIMPOL’s project co-ordinator, Dr Martin Success is not guaranteed, therefore. Never-

Koller of the Graz University of Technology in `[<~WY

Austria puts it: “Nature creates polymers like that their project – which will also feature
these lipids, as well as proteins, free of charge life-cycle analyses, feasibility studies and
– why should we incinerate them?” market research - will result in a variety of
novel, environmentally friendly, biodegradable
In the process being developed by ANIMPOL, plastics that will meet clear industrial needs in
fatty material is extracted from the animal a realistic, value-adding manner.
waste, analysed and converted into fatty acid
compounds. In turn, using a method pioneered Last but not least, ANIMPOL would also,
by the project team, these are separated into if successful, solve local waste problems
saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The #

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unsaturated fraction can be used to produce
high quality biodiesel, while the saturated At a time when the world seems increasingly
fraction can be biotechnologically converted `[<~WY #

into PHAs. evidence that, with imagination and ingenuity,
mankind can make use of a wide range of
The production of biodiesel in this way is potential sources of biomass to generate
similar to existing systems using recovered sustainable alternatives.
waste fat and oils. Therefore, the ultimate key
for ANIMPOL will be its success in providing Never has it seemed more appropriate to
added value through PHA production. In other state that necessity is indeed ‘the mother of
words, ANIMPOL polymers will - quite rightly invention’.
- have to prove their worth in economic value
EuroBioRef
How a radical re-design

is strengthening economic
viability in the bioeconomy
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economy based on renewable resources not on fossil fuels is no longer just an
option, it’s a necessity.
The word “bioeconomy” has only existed since the late 1990s. And while the biotech

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viable way of implementing its techniques and getting the resulting products to
their end-users.
If the target is to achieve a genuinely functioning These improvements could play a pivotal role
bioeconomy – placing just as much emphasis not only in enabling a truly viable bioeconomy,
on the ‘economy’ side of the concept as the ‘bio’ but also in giving Europe an important com-

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+ petitive advantage in this vital new area.
At the very heart of this issue lies the bio- With € 23 million of funding allocated

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rally biomass) are treated, processed and
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+ research themes: Food, Agriculture and Fish-
eries, Biotechnology; Nanosciences, nano-

; technologies, materials and new production
biomass feedstock they process, the technologies technologies; Energy; and Environment (in-

; + cluding climate change).
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added value that can potentially be achieved.
EuroBioRef is an EU-funded project set up to

address this problem by identifying improve-
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15
Participants
France (Coordinator), Portugal, Germany, Italy,
Belgium, United Kingdom, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Madagascar
www.eurobioref.org
Total EU from: Mar 2010
costs: contribution: to: Feb. 2014
Established in 2010 and due to continue until They include biomass producers, advanced
2014, the project is focused on developing a biomass pre-treatment specialists, catalytic

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contrast with previous designs, this one would chemical and biochemical producers and end-
be capable of handling multiple feedstock’s, users.
processing them in multiple ways (chemical,
biochemical, thermochemical), and producing In addition to the production of a broader
multiple products, from aviation fuels to range of higher value-added products, it is
chemicals, polymers and other materials.
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The project is also aiming to produce a design These will include a 30% improvement in cost-

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installed in various locations around Europe zero waste production.
as either large- or small-scale units as local
conditions require. The work of EuroBioRef is still far from
complete, but the potential prize is clear. The
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the agriculture and chemical industries by
by the range of project participants. The 28 integrating the entire biomass chain in a
partners are drawn from research institutions single concept, adaptable for use in a range
and commercial enterprises across the entire of locations. It is an advance which will do
biomass value chain. much to help provide a viable basis for the
bio-economy as a whole.
It will also put Europe at the forefront of what

is sure to be one of the most dynamic and

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activity of the future.
BACCARA
Helping our forests survive

the threat of climate change
Forests are a key resource for the planet. They play an important role in preserving
biodiversity, they are a source of natural, renewable materials, and by absorbing
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In Europe, which accounts for 25% of the world’s forests, forestry and associated
industries employ some 4 million people.
But our forests today face perhaps their %J

biggest challenge yet - climate change. Forests #
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and even small climate changes could have
major repercussions, potentially even causing The EU-funded BACCARA project was set up
forests to die out. to help forestry managers address exactly this
problem.
Climate change means higher temperatures,
changed patterns of rainfall, changed levels Rather than leave the future of Europe’s forests
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and an to chance or guesswork, the aim of the four-year
increased frequency of extreme weather
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events. It leads to longer growing seasons and basis needed to enable forest managers and
accelerated water loss. And it is likely to result >
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European forests resulting from climate change.
and disease outbreaks.
Bringing together 15 research organisations
It does not require a great deal of imagination from around Europe, plus Peking University in

# China, BACCARA is constructing a 3-dimensional
developments could have on forest ecosys- risk assessment model, linking climate change,
tems. functional diversity and forest productivity.
17
Participants
Germany, The Netherlands, France (Coordinator),
Italy, United Kingdom, Poland, Sweden, Spain,
Switzerland, China
www.baccara-project.eu
costs: contribution: to: Dec 2012
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|= Because of this innovative research, BACCARA
# ; will produce two important sets of guidelines.
forest biodiversity, in particular by improving %
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our understanding of the impact climate forest managers with a guide to which tree
conditions have on the ecological factors which species to maintain, to introduce or to avoid,

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based on various climate change scenarios
decline, for example due to their resistance to and forest categories.
pest or pathogen outbreaks.
A second guide, “What to Combat”, detailed
The second objective is to understand how lists of pest and pathogen species to manage
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Here, the researchers are studying the
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As a result of the BACCARA project, a key part
species variation: their richness (how many of the planet’s ecosystem would no longer
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; dependent on just ‘hoping for the best.’
diversity (how dissimilar are they?), and their
composition (which are they?).
Using the results of these investigations, the

ultimate objective is to predict the most likely
impacts of climate change on forest productivity.
This would be achieved by mapping the
probabilities of various climate change scenario
onto the perceived susceptibility of forests to
climate change. From this, it will be possible to "

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make science-based estimates of the most likely makers may have the means to plan for a
impacts of climate change on forest productivity, secure future – even in the face of climate
tailored for various forest categories. change.
FORB IOPLAST
Drawing on forest resources

to aid sustainable
manufacturing
The timber industry currently wastes huge amounts of precious wood by-products
like chips, shavings and sawdust that could otherwise be put to use. European

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little bit counts.
In order to alleviate the depletion of the world’s natural resources, it is crucial

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FORBIOPLAST (Forest Resource Sustainability through Bio-Based-Composite
Development), a research consortium receiving 4,317,000€ in EU funding over four

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They are examining how to use wood by- Europe’s packaging sector, already under pres-
products as raw materials to make composite sure to reduce its use of plastics, is looking for
foams.

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able.
There are many potential applications for wood
composites. Coordinated by the University of

-
Pisa, the 16 FORBIOPLAST partners are de- nents in biodegradable composite materials.
veloping innovative chemical and biological FORBIOPLAST is working on replacements for

cardboard or plastic boxes that carry items as
interact with polymers. =

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The project is also looking at applications for
Carmaker FIAT, one of the FORBIOPLAST part- the farming sector, like biodegradable

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plant pots, tomato yarn

and fertilisers.
vehicle parts like seats, dashboards, and door
panels.
19
Participants
Germany, Italy (Coordinator), Belgium, Spain,
Greece, Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Norway
www.forbioplast.eu
Total EU from: Jul. 2008
costs: contribution: to: Jun 2012
There are multiple challenges for the re- But market prospects for wood composites
searchers. For example, while the auto-motive =

industry demands solid, durable products, the new ways to salvage what would otherwise be
packaging sector wants non-toxic, biodegrad- considered wood waste. And there are wood
able materials that can be composted or di- by-products readily available.
rectly in soil degradation. The experiments
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The global timber industry annually discards
of the applications using olive oil waste water. hundreds of millions of tonnes of bark, chips,
FORBIOPLAST aims to examine these chal- sawdust, and black liquor from the making of
lenges and turn its research into eco-friendly wood pulp. Some of these have already found
commercial applications, ensuring that we can their way into engineered wood products
make the most of our forestry resources, with- bonded together with resins, resulting in a
out depleting them. booming market.
It may be years before any wood composite %

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shampoo bottles or car seats are widely of renewable natural resources such as forestry
available, but researchers are working to residues and waste, will allow the European
bring them to market. Wood remains a economy to reduce its strong dependency on
prized material, for its strength, fossil resources for the production of value-
versatility and beauty. added products. Furthermore, new markets
for bio-based products have the potential to
generate new jobs and economic growth.
BIOCORE
Tapping into the potential

of biomass
Concerns about climate change coupled with Europe’s dependency on petrol have
led to calls for the increased use of renewable energies. Biomass is one such
renewable energy source and can be comprised of plant material, vegetation, or
agricultural waste.
Started in March 2010, the European Union One preliminary result that has been obtained
(EU)-funded BIOCORE project is tapping into over the course of BIOCORE is the production
the potential of biomass. This four year project of wood adhesive and ethanol, each using
under the Seventh Research Framework biomass intermediates extracted from wheat
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straw. Lignin, which is an organic substance
types of biomass such as rice straw, birch
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wood and hardwood can be converted into the constitute wood, is another important focus
molecular building blocks that are required to area in BIOCORE. Lignin replaces oil-based
make chemicals, fuels, polymers and other phenol in wood adhesive formulations
materials. Put simply, BIOCORE is proof that that are used to make plywood panels. The
there now exists a replacement for oil. ‘BIOCORE’ plywood panels also emit less of
the pungent formaldehyde gas than current
BIOCORE is a large-scale European colla- commercial panels.
boration involving 24 partners. By uniting 8
companies, one NGO and 15 universities and “BIOCORE’s overarching aim is to identify the
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best ways to use non-food biomass resources
panel of expertise and representatives from to supply modern industry with suitable raw
13 countries, including a world-class Indian materials to make the products that society
R&D institute, which supplies vital data that requires,” says BIOCORE’s project coordinator,

}
Michael O’Donoghue from Institut National
developed in India. de la Recherche Agronomique in France. “In
21
Participants
France (Coordinator), The Netherlands,
Greece, United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland,
India, Latvia, Hungary, Czech Republic,
Germany, Sweden, Luxemburg
http://www.biocore-europe.org
Total EU from: Mar. 2010
this respect, the results mentioned above are

important because they clearly show how a
common non-food cereal by-product, such as
wheat straw, can be converted into products
that form part of our day-to-day life.”
When considering current global challenges,

which include the inevitable loss of fossil
resources, coupled with the double need to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure
Europe’s supply of industrial raw materials,
it is easy to appreciate how BIOCORE’s
achievements could contribute to the
development of a more sustainable mode of
industrial production for Europe.
The project team behind BIOCORE is hoping

to soon produce bio-ethylene – a colourless
gas used in the chemical industry - and
bio-Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – a widely used
plastic. In addition, apart from wood adhesive,
lignin is currently being studied as a potential
component of many other well-known pro-
ducts, such as polyurethane foams and
plastics that are found in a wide variety of
commercial products such as binders and
tiles.
NUTRIMENTHE
Science-based facts reveals

how early diet impacts
mental development
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while still in the womb is even better.
At the age of eight, children born to mothers body of opinion now sees the environment and

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been shown to score better on verbal intel- as crucial determinants of both mental and

> > > physical health for the rest of our lives.
giving, helping and sharing. Despite the poten-
tial disadvantages from increased intakes of And of course, all parents want to do the best

> for their children. Mothers naturally want to
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know what they should eat during pregnancy.
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What should they avoid? Should they take
child development outweigh those disadvan- supplements?
tages. The European Commission supported
expert consensus recommendations, including Instinctively, many people feel dietary intake
the advice that pregnant and lactating women must play a central role in how their children
should aim to achieve the omega-3 require- develop, not just physically but mentally.

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#
+ limited.
What is not yet known is exactly how this link- It was to address this issue that the

+
- NUTRIMENTHE project was established in 2008.
nancy lead to children who do so much better? With funding provided under the Food, Fisheries,
Nor do the questions stop there. This is just Agriculture and Biotechnology programme
one among many - all just as important for of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme,
our children’s mental development. A growing NUTRIMENTHE brought together scientists from
23
Participants
Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain (Coordinator),
United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland, United States
www.nutrimenthe.eu
19 organisations from 8 European countries whether this really is the case and, if so,
plus the USA, and it is coordinated by Prof.

;

Cristina Campoy at the University of Granada mother to child.
(Spain).
A further area the study is hoping to understand
%\
> =

is how far the genes of the mother determine
to study in more detail than ever before exactly
@

how and why diet can impact on the mental by the genes of the child. As well as the impact
development and performance of children. of omega-3 and omega-6, the wide-ranging
NUTRIMENTHE project is also investigating
As well as providing an invaluable guide for
;

^
parents, improving our understanding of how mental performance, including B-vitamins,
mental performance, cognitive development iodine, iron, zinc and protein. The project
=
#
will even investigate the economic impacts
will have important implications for public associated with the various ways in which
health policy development - as well as for the
;

#
food industry and its regulation. As well as mental performance.
research institutes, the project’s participants
included private enterprises – including the Due to end in 2013, the groundbreaking
research and development department of the NUTRIMENTHE project aims to result in the
global food manufacturer, Unilever. ;

;

science-based dietary recommendations for a
Y > ;

;#

+
pregnancy, the ‘hot candidates’ are omega-3
and omega-6 fatty acids as the key nutrients, By improving both public knowledge and
especially since these are key building blocks public policy, NUTRIMENTHE promises to play
in the cell membranes of the brain. But no- a crucial role in ensuring the best possible
one yet knows for sure. The study is examining outcomes for future generations.
EU-FRESHBAKE
Freshly baked bread:

the healthier
and greener way
Bread is thought to have been part of the human diet for around 30,000 years. In
6&
+
=

giving rise to the likes of “squires loaves”, knights loaves”, “common loaves,” or
even a “pope’s loaf”.
Today, Europeans consume 25 million tonnes Unfortunately, the problems are equally clear.
of bread - and far from being tied by our "
>} #

}
social class or our occupation to just one type, intensive than conventional baking, requiring
we are becoming increasingly demanding, as much as four times more energy. Second,
both in terms of the variety and the quality of it is almost entirely focused on the production
bread we expect. of bread types which have limited nutritional
= @

Total bread consumption in Europe is relatively baguettes. Healthier breads are much more
steady, growing at just 1% a year. But bread J >&%+
produced by one particular technology is

=

+ ' } >} # % J ;

technology’ (BOT) bread is growing at about consumers are now showing clear signs of
10% a year. demanding precisely these healthier bread
varieties.
&>} # = = =

};
The EU-FRESHBAKE research project was

}> #
established towards the end of 2006 to
at the point of sale – the supermarket or address these twin issues, thereby providing
petrol station, for example - or at home. an important boost to the European bakery
The advantages are clear: fresh bread can
=

be baked on demand, providing a greatly ;

+
enhanced experience for the consumer and
resulting in less waste.
25
Participants
France (Coordinator), Croatia, Spain,
Germany, Russia, Belgium, Poland, Italy
http://eu-freshbake.eu/eufreshbake/
Total EU from: Oct. 2006
costs: contribution: to: Nov 2009
Backed by € 2 million of funding under the EU’s index of bread – a higher glycaemic index
6th Framework Programme, the 38-month indicating greater risk of Type 2 diabetes –
project brought together 12 partners from together with ways in which the type of bread
#

+ ;
#
They included seven research organisations the way in which nutrients in the bread are
=

Q
> absorbed by the body.
companies, one bakery equipment company
and one ingredients supplier. %; ;

in a comprehensive Guide of Good Practice,
One important success for the consortium published to provide the bakery industry with
was the development of innovative baking detailed recommendations to optimise both
equipment, resulting in reduced energy nutritional quality and energy conservation
consumption of between 30% and 50%. through all stages of the BOT process.
Improved refrigeration equipment was also
developed, cutting energy requirements by 5% As a result of the EU-FRESHBAKE project,
to 15%. When used in tandem with carefully producers and consumers have been brought
managed freezing and storage conditions, an important step closer together. The
this energy saving rose as high as 50%. industry is better placed to meet ever more
sophisticated customer demands, while at
The project also investigated ways in which the same time reducing the environmental
>} # impact required to do so.
the nutritional value of bread. Three types of
bread were studied – conventional, gluten- =
!

;

free and organic. Aspects the scientists continues to develop.
examined included managing the glycaemic
BEE SHOP
Keeping life sweet:

protecting the purity of one
of our oldest foods
Honey has been a part of human life since ancient times. Cave paintings in Valencia,
in Spain, suggest that humans hunted for honey at least 10,000 years ago. Ancient
Egyptians used honey to embalm the dead, and traces have even been found in the
tomb of Tutankhamun.
*

&#

long been recognised, although it is only recently that honey’s antiseptic and
antibacterial properties have been properly understood. Not by chance, it would
&
#%

!
For all this, honey in the 21st century faces Quality theme of the EU’s 6th Framework
some serious threats – in spite of a range of Programme, the project was designed to pool
European and national regulations designed to the expertise of the research groups across
control its quality. a range of specialist areas including honey
quality, pathology, genetics and honeybee
Increasing environmental pollution, together behaviour.
with the widespread use of chemicals in

#
;
The overriding aim of the consortium was to
honeybees, putting the honey itself at risk of ensure honey quality by reducing the potential
pollution. At the same time, the use of chemicals sources of contamination, whether these arose
to treat honeybee diseases puts honey at risk of from bees foraging in nectar contaminated with
contamination by toxic substances. insecticide, or from the chemicals used to treat
honeybee disease.
It was to address these threats that the BEE
SHOP project was set up in 2006, bringing In the words of BEE Shops’ co-ordinator, Professor
together nine leading European honeybee Robin Moritz of Martin-Luther-University in Halle,
research groups. With nearly € 2 million of Germany: “Since there is an increase in honeybee
funding provided under the Food Safety and diseases, novel chemotherapies have been
27
Participants
Germany (Coordinator), Spain, France,
Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, United Kingdom
http://ec.europa.eu/research/biosociety/food_quality/projects/115_en.html
costs: contribution: to: Aug 2009
developed. Typically, most bees are susceptible

= ; #

to diseases, but there may be strains that are honeybee strains.
less susceptible and we are in search of these.”
&

Against this background, one of BEE Shops’ of honeybees’ behaviour, disease patterns and
most ambitious intentions was to start the genetic characteristics, the three and a half
process of completely eliminating the need year BEE SHOP project undoubtedly made a
for chemicals to treat and control honeybee major contribution to the goal of preserving
disease. the quality of European honey. This is of direct

One innovative result of the project’s work Europe’s honey producers.
was the development of molecular tools for
the selection of disease resistant colonies – Thanks to BEE SHOP, the future one of the oldest
an advance made possible by the completion ; # > >
+
of the sequencing of the honeybee genome. For Europe’s honeybees, honey producers and
'=
consumers, life will continue to be sweet.
resistance in honeybees, the ability to select
stock, together with methods to control mating,
should now enable this ambition to be realised.
In parallel with this, BEE-SHOP researchers

=

mechanisms in bees, in order to help control
the way in which they forage for nectar
and so avoid contaminated nectar sources.
Other initiatives included the investigation of
# Q

their virulence and their transmission pathways,
BLUEFIN TUNA
An eye in the sky

to track tuna
"#

!

order to ventilate, generating enough heat to maintain its vital organs and elevate
its body temperature above that of the water. Travelling 100km a day at speeds of
up to 70km/hour, it is capable of crossing oceans in epic wanderings, but always
returning to where it was born for spawning.
Such extraordinary migratory feats have made threatened species, could also help combat the
= ;

= insist that stocks are healthier than they really

;
=
+ [

J
however, research has found a way to use claim The publicly available satellite imagery

> could thus prove a valuable tool for monitoring

#

=
of their migratory patterns might lead to better up to its principles when it comes to building
protection of their endangered stocks.
+
The new model developed by scientists from the The model’s innovative approach uses satellite

^ Z

data on the concentration of chlorophyll on the
Z Q

;
"
sea surface to identify potential feeding areas,
Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea as well as temperature to determine spawning
(Ifremer) - allows the potential presence of +Z}[ _

>
Z

+ "

= =
feeding and spawning is concentrated in distinct
view of their preferred feeding and spawning

+ ]<

habitats in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as
= ^
changes over time. habitat because it migrates over thousands of
This is crucial for a stock that has seen its kilometres, notably from the North Atlantic for
numbers collapse over the past half century. feeding to the Mediterranean Sea for spawning,”
%
he says.
29
Participants
Italy (Coordinator), France

Although spawning grounds generally follow research like this tuna tracking could help
an East-West progression from the eastern reverse the tide and contribute to a more
Mediterranean in May to the Balearic Islands #=

ZZ _

Europe tackle some of its environmental and
the high variability. “Some recurrent areas for food security challenges. “We hope the insight on
spawning were unfavourable in a given year migration patterns and habitat change that this
and some other areas presented particularly
|

=

;

;
management but also lead to a rebuilding of

>
'
Z stocks,” says Druon.
he says.
The European Commission’s in-house science
The research is already being used: real time service, the Joint Research Centre, carries

out direct research funded by the European

; Commission’s Framework Programmes.
EU member states in the Mediterranean area,
who used it to support their control activity.
And habitat maps covering a decade, by two-
week periods, have been sent to the European
Fisheries Control Agency to potentially improve
monitoring. But the project, which began in
2008, is still ongoing, and the model is now

>
whale.
Although the world’s oceans are

a shadow of what they once
were, and the number of

is a fraction of what it
was a century ago,
AQUAMAX
Creating a “vegetarian” diet

;

aquaculture
Fish are a vital component of the human diet. As well as providing a crucial source of
&#
#
&
#
&!
The omega-3 fatty acids they contain can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,
and they provide building blocks for the human eye and nervous system.
However, this seeming “wonder food” is under threat. Fish stocks are overexploited
and collapsing worldwide.
`$
Q;
Q
Underlining the global importance
meet world demand, but this too faces serious of the topic, the project brought

+ "
|
together 32 partners not
ingredients in the feeds used in aquaculture. At only from within Europe
the same time, they constitute major limiting but also from China and
factors for the promising growth of the sector India.
since there is a concern as to whether there
J The task: to come up
the increasing demand of aquaculture and, J ;
therefore, whether this growth will be limited and sustainable feeds
by their availability. for aquaculture that would

;

%

oil can be sources of contaminants such as from pollutants, without impairing
organic pollutants (PCB’s), dioxins and methyl- the quality and health of the farmed
mercury. + <

compromise the organoleptic and nutritional
It was to address this problem that project
; ;

AQUAMAX was established in 2006, funded by consumed as part of the human diet. The
the EU within the 6th Framework Programme. project has taken a whole chain approach,
31
Participants
Norway (Coordinator), Germany, Switzerland, France,
Italy, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Greece,
Estonia, Hungary, India, China
www.aquamaxip.eu
costs: contribution: to: Ago. 2010
;

;
=

of pollutants, well below EU maximum per-

;;
+ mitted levels. The project has also developed
tools for screening toxic compounds and im-
The four-year project involved several private proved our understanding of the action of key
companies from the aquaculture sector, such ; ;

as Selonda Aquaculture SA, Viviers de France or wild).
and the Federation of European Aquaculture
Producers, working alongside a % ; -
number of universities and ;

public research institutes. positive results, as did perception tests de-
signed to assess the acceptability of “AQUAMAX
As a result of this unpre-
+ ; ;
cedented international project was the pioneering long term study on
and interdisciplinary col- pregnant women (in Europe and China) con-
laboration, the AQUAMAX ;`$;
participants achieved a released promising preliminary results on both
major breakthrough, de- mothers and their “Aquamax” babies. Further
veloping new aquaculture testing and validation will of course be re-
; $
+&
; ; =-

=]=

;

=

alternative ingredients, mainly derived the AQUAMAX project has taken a major step
from terrestrial plants. towards providing the European feed manu-
;
@
$
=
%
; safe aquaculture feeds tailored to the needs
rainbow trout, sea bream and carp, the new ;
;-
AQUAMAX diets were shown to have no com- = ;;#

= - global markets.
IMAQUANIM

= J
=
?
#

%&

cases in serious decline, society is growing increasingly dependent on aquaculture
to meet its dietary needs for seafood.
Already accounting for more than a third of the total seafood production,
at 55 million tonnes in 2009 (FAO, 2010), aquaculture production is increasing
rapidly. Within just a few years, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture
@
&#
!
But this vital source of food is under constant An approach focusing on prevention rather than
threat from diseases caused by bacteria, cure is clearly the key to a more sustainable
viruses and parasites. Diseases can be rapidly future.
transmitted through water, particularly where

If vaccines could be developed to protect the
#
+ < |
;

>
bacterial disease devastated the Norwegian |
;

Q ;

salmon farming industry, with a total collapse but also for the environment, for human health
only averted by the use of large amounts of and for the aquaculture industry itself.
antibiotics.
In comparison with humans, however, and
Antibiotics, drugs and chemical disinfectants despite some advances in recent decades, the
are still used in both aquaculture and land ;=
livestock production to prevent and contain #=

+ & =
; #
+<
>
both on the environment and on human health gap that in 2005, the European Commission
– most notably in making human diseases provided more than € 8 million of funding for
more resistant to antibiotics. the IMAQUANIM project.
33
Participants
Norway, Denmark (Coordinator), Czech Republic,
Germany, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
www.imaquanim.dfvf.dk
Total EU from: Apr. 2005
costs: contribution: to: Sept. 2010
% = ;

|
-
=
gether the expertise of 17 universities and the protection they so urgently need. Although it
governmental research institutes from around is not possible to develop vaccines for molluscs,

= Imaquanim will ultimately also contribute

'~+%='~
= J
= ++
all specialists in the development of products antimicrobial peptides) and strategies (i.e. better
or technologies for use in aquaculture health. site selection, selection of disease resistant
strains etc) for farmed mollusc species.
The wide variety of partners enabled the project
to study several species, including Atlantic There is still much work to be done, but at a
salmon, rainbow trout, sea bream, sea bass, carp >

and mussels, and to draw on a multidisciplinary strain, the work of IMAQUANIM represents a
skill-set ranging from immunology to genetics,
= J
=-
genomics and molecular biology. One of the tion tools and strategies against major patho-
breakthrough outputs from the project was the gens and diseases, and towards removing a

;
;
} major threat hanging over the future of every
on active genes in mussels. business in the aquaculture industry.
&

;
;
the extensive data produced by the IMAQUANIM
project were vital in providing a strong basis
;
;
>
diseases in aquacultured species. Tools and
techniques made possible by the project’s work,
including gene arrays and immune-response
tests, will now be used to develop not only
vaccines but also feed additives to stimulate
CHILL-ON
Enhancing safety
at every step in
the food supply chain
Few would dispute that the emergence of chilled and frozen food technologies in
the last century was a major advance for modern society, transforming all our lives
and bringing convenience and choice. In Europe today, consumption of chilled and
frozen foods is rising by more than 10 % a year.
Safety issues associated with the handling If it could be achieved, it would be a precious
of such food products remain a major pu- prize indeed, not only for the consumer, but also
blic concern. Food scares regularly hit the for the food industry, with strict regulations to
headlines and food poisoning caused by the observe, competitive pressures to deal with,
incorrect handling of these products can be and precious reputations to protect.
fatal.
Led by the Technology Transfer Centre of
The problem is the large number of stages Bremerhaven, Germany and involving 31
in the production process “from farm to partners from 13 countries, the € 15.5 million
fork” – from farm producers to intermediate project took four and a half years. It was

;

truly multi-disciplinary, bringing together
range of transportation links. Many stages, in

;
}

other words, when a small lapse can easily go to information technology, from genetics to
unnoticed and have catastrophic results. packaging, and from microbiology to logistics,
engineering and mathematics.
CHILL-ON, a major EU-funded research
project, set out to provide a solution to this The numerous breakthroughs incorporated
problem. The ambitious goal was to achieve <YY}[
seamless control and monitoring from start methods not only to detect the presence of
;
> food pathogens - the bugs, which can cause
to be assessed, controlled and minimised in a poisoning – but also to predict their future
way never possible before. growth in given temperature conditions.
35
Participants
Brasil, Chile, China, France,
Germany (Coordinator), Greece,
Iceland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands,
Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom
www.trace.eu.org/index.php http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfoK4jgvyE
Total EU from: Jul. 2006
A ‘Shelf-Life Predictor’ allows a product’s Where consumer food safety is concerned,

remaining shelf life to be assessed at any there is no room for compromise. Safety and
point along the supply chain. And clever
=+ "
;

devices called ‘Time Temperature Indicators’ reputation is vital – and easily lost. As a
are labels attached to each product which result of the CHILL-ON project and its unique
change colour in accordance with exposure combination of specialisms, society can today
#

=
#
|
;
scales. This information can be transmitted ;
;

=

wirelessly to a control centre. before.
All this information, and much else besides,

is fed into the heart of the system – an
information management system accessed
via the web known as TRACECHILL. Through
this, users can gain real-time information
on the exact freshness and previous history
of every single product, wherever it is on its
journey from farm to fork.
<#

=
just a “snapshot” of any product at any point,
but a continuous “video” of its journey along
the supply chain. Tests have already tracked
Atlantic cod from Iceland to France, hake
being transported from Chile to Spain, and
frozen tilapia as it journeyed right through the
supply chain to China.
CONFFIDENCE
Improving food safety for the

European consumer
The safety of the food we eat is always high on the public agenda. With food
contamination incidents hitting the headlines on a regular basis, consumers are

!
The ever-more globalised sourcing of our food only heightens these concerns. From
a European perspective, it is important to do everything possible to ensure the
safety not only of food produced within our borders, but also of the food, we import
from overseas markets.
While tools exist to test the safety of food and %#
animal feed, they are time-consuming and ex- to increase antibiotic resistance.
pensive.
Honey contaminated in this way is banned
It was this situation, which led to the setting up ;

>
;[#<_[Q;
}

| up until very late in the distribution chain.
majority-funded under the EU’s 7th Framework
Programme. The aim of the project was to [#<_[=

= ;

}J multi-dipstick, which can test honey for four
detect a broad range of contaminants in food #
;
and feed. much faster rate than ever before.
One area in which the project has already “Until now there haven’t been any rapid
met with success is detecting contaminants in tests that can detect more than one class of

[#<_[
|
high levels of antibiotics. These antibiotics }

_
Z Z ; <<Y%
are used to treat infections in beehives, but Institute of Food Safety in the Netherlands.
residues can show up in the honey itself. “But this new test not only does that, but it can
+
37
Participants
The Netherlands (Coordinator), Germany,
Italy, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Finland,
United Kingdom, Switzerland, Czech Republic

Total EU from: May 2008
%
(POPs), pesticides, heavy metals, veterinary
stages. It is hoped it will become commercially

available in 2012. and the mycotoxins produced by moulds and
fungi.
However, it does not stop with antibiotics in
honey. Drawing on the expertise of thirteen In particular, the project is focused on
universities and research institutes, two large developing detection methods, which will
food and feed companies and one SME, the #=
;
[#<_[
=
;
=
methods to improve the detection of a wide for consumer safety. As well as honey, these
range of the most dangerous contaminants we

face – including persistent organic pollutants =

feed and cereal-based animal feed.
Due to be completed in December 2012, the

€ 7,5 million project aims to have produced
several new detection tools that will enable
;

J
across the entire range of foods we consume
on a daily basis.
The results will be more contaminations

caught much earlier, millions of euros saved
for the European food industry as recalls and
food-scares are avoided – and above all, as
the project’s very name emphasises, that
most important commodity of all, greater
;

+
VEG-I-TRADE
Globalisation and climate

change: The two world wide
threats to food safety
With the global population set on a rapidly rising path towards 9 billion, the chal-
lenge facing the world’s food supply is clear to see.
Within that food supply, fresh produce plays a vital part. But just as demand is
rising, so are serious safety concerns. Recent disease outbreaks and rapid alerts
linked to fresh produce have clearly highlighted the threat.
Two closely linked factors can be seen as major With 23 partner organisations, including uni-
contributors to the safety risk – climate change versities, research institutes, SMEs and large
and the increasing globalisation of trade. industrial companies, VEG-I-TRADE has a truly
international scope, which matches the global
While globalisation means our food comes nature of the issues it is addressing. Partici-
from ever more diverse parts of the world, pants come not only from around Europe, but
making it harder to monitor and manage safety also from Egypt, India, Brazil and South Africa.
systems and procedures, climate change is
>
The approach is to assess food safety in terms
ways in which crops are cultivated and treated. of both microbiological and chemical hazards.
Evidence is already emerging that such changes The microbiological hazards include a list
have important implications for food safety. now frighteningly familiar to the newspaper-
reading public: VTEC, Salmonella, Norovirus,
Established in 2010 and planned to run for four Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Chemical hazards
years, VEG-I-TRADE is a groundbreaking project, included pesticide residues and mycotoxins –
funded by the EU under its 7th Framework the poisons produced by fungi or mould.
W

;
=
reliable methods to assess the impacts of A guiding principle of the VEG-I-TRADE project is
climate change and globalisation on food its comprehensive, ‘fork to farm’ view of the fresh
safety, and to develop response mechanisms to food production chain. This means it is focusing
eliminate or minimise the resulting risks. on the consumer, not just on crop cultivation, but
39
Participants
Belgium (Coordinator), Denmark, Egypt, The Netherlands, Germany,
India, Serbia, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Brazil, Sweden, Slovenia,
Switzerland, South Africa
www.veg-i-trade.org
Total EU from: May 2010
costs: contribution: to: May 2012
all pre- and post-harvest processing, and also Methods of detecting Norovirus in water used
the water used at all stages of the process. in both irrigation and processing have been
= #=
Early achievements so far include the develop- and selected.
ment of a microbial sampling and analysis
tool. By using this at various stages in the crop Meanwhile, against a background of increasing
cycle, and including water and all food contact = #
materials such as packaging in the tests, it is the transmission of food- and water-borne

^ ;= diseases, VEG-I-TRADE is investigating the
production process. impact of this on toxin-producing moulds and
the production of mycotoxins, as well as the
development rate of various pests and the
# ;
residues.
Due to run until 2014, the extensive work of

VEG-I-TRADE still has a long way to go. However,
the outline of its end-results is already clear,
safer food, better information for consumers,
as well as reliable risk-analysis and risk-
management techniques for policy-makers.
And last, but by no means least: guidelines and

tools to help the food industry aspire to, and
achieve, best food safety practice. In an industry
where reputation is vital – and easily shattered
in the wake of a contamination incident – no-one
#

;+
PEN
Uniting the world to tackle

the scourge of E.coli
E.coli is a term unpleasantly familiar to people all around the world. Outbreaks of
infection make dramatic headlines whenever they occur – and with good reason.
While some E.coli strains are harmless, the ones we get to hear about are virulent,
+!
One of the biggest E.coli outbreaks occurred So it is no surprise to learn that the EU-funded
Z PEN (Pathogenic E.coli Network) project, set

up in 2007 under the Food Quality and Safety
contaminated with E.coli O157. With E.coli theme within Framework Programme 6, had a
infections increasing worldwide and new strains very simply stated aim: to reduce the burden
expected to keep emerging, this pathogen has of illness related to the E.coli bacterium, in
become a major global public health issue. particular E.coli O157.
The background against which the project

started work was both a daunting and an
urgent one. In spite of considerable past
research, there were still areas where a
fundamental understanding of E.coli was
lacking. Moreover, technical issues and a
lack of harmonisation - between academic
disciplines, between the various elements
of the food-chain, and between continents
- meant that the results of much previous
research had not been put to optimal use.
Meanwhile, the impact of E.coli infections

was all too plain to see. On top of the toll in
lives and human illness, E.coli infections had
41
Participants
The Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia, Ireland (Coordinator),
Italy, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, Greece,
Denmark, Israel, Chile, United States
www.pen-project.eu
costs: contribution: to: Jan 2010
economic consequences as well – lost working ;

; =
= =
days, adverse publicity for the countries and #

companies involved, with resulting losses of - from microbial researchers to regulators,

>

+ legislators, the food industry and public
health experts. The project went on to develop
Co-ordinated by the Irish agriculture and food science-based risk-management strategies
development authority, Teagasc, the PEN tailored for use both by farmers and by
project involved 35 international research the food-processing industry, and provided
groups in a three-year work programme information and guidance for public health
designed to improve and disseminate professionals and regulators on ways to
understanding of all aspects of E.coli. These detect, assess and manage newly emerging
included its molecular make-up, ways of strains of E.coli.
detecting it, understanding how it spreads,
assessing how virulent any given strain The legacy of PEN is clear. By bringing together
may be, and how outbreaks can be better such an eminent and multidisciplinary group
controlled and managed in the future. of researchers from around the world, it
resulted not only in far greater understanding
Given the global nature of E.coli, an important of the scourge of E.coli. It also – just as
feature of the project was that its 35 partner
Q
= J ;
organisations were drawn not just from ;
;

Europe but from around the world, with not just of European but of global food safety
institutes from Australia, Chile, Israel, New and public health.
Zealand and the USA all taking part.
`Z

Building on this extensive participation, one have demonstrated, when E.coli outbreaks
of Pens’ key successes was the creation of
#= =+%
a single platform to disseminate information thanks to PEN, the world is better placed than
and expertise about E.coli around the world, ever to meet that challenge.
European Commission
Investing in success - Developing a Bioeconomy using resources from land and sea - 2nd Edition
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union
2012 - 44 pp. - 14,8 x 21,0 cm
ISBN 978-92-79-25436-9
doi 10.2777/68449
Cover page image (from top left to bottom right): © Nejron Photo, #8761786; © Strezhnev Pavel, #15452845; ©
djemphoto, #38631785; © Thibault Renard, #8316367; © Vlastimil Sstak, #35771102; © Richard Caney, #26334524; ©
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© Roman Antoschuk, #13326908, 2012. Sources: Fotolia.com
Images pg 4-5: © R_R, #20130956; pg 9: © Uladzimir Bakunovich #34089533 (bottom); pg 12-13: © Konstantin Li,
#17348414; © Alterfalter, #27154520; © raelala, #20263375; pg 14-15: © Liane M, #18118420; © visovia, #30572604;
£Z

¡!!!¢pg 18-19: © Shawn Hempel, #26883824 (top); © Forbioplast (top right and bottom), pg 20-21:
£Z¥
"¦¡!!¢£; >;¡!!!¢ pg 22-23: © Konstantin Li, #32518922; © Olga
Nayashkova, #16623130; pg 24-25: © Irochka, #15817711; © kuki, #26699306; pg 26-27: © Trochka, #5047889; ©
Ovidu Iordachi, #11279614 (top); pg 28-29: © Pavel_A, #39915416; © Beboy, #12997702; © Tommy Schultz, #4853268,
pg 30-31:£Z¡!¢£;¡!¢Y
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#4843675; © Eisenhans, #36194830; © AF, #25601013; pg 34-35: © Uros Petrovic, #7427236; © Tomislav Forgo,
#4381301; pg 36: © Paylessimages, #15636722; pg 38-39: © Malyshchyrs Viktar, #29348438; © Mist, #14069989; pg
40-41: © Franny-Anne, #31318855 (bottom); © Maxim Suvorov, #3469476, 2012. Sources: Fotolia.com
Images pg 6-7: © Plaprova; pg 8-9: © Pharma-Planta; pg 10-11: © Mem-S; pg 16-17: © Baccara; pg 18-19:
© Forbioplast (top right and bottom); pg 27: © Bee Shop (bottom); pg 37: © Conffidence (top right and bottom); pg 40:
© Pen (top left).
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications:
via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu);
at the European Union’s representations or delegations. You can obtain their contact details
on the Internet (http://ec.europa.eu) or by sending a fax to +352 2929-42758.
Priced publications:
via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu).

(http://publications.europa.eu/others/agents/index_en.htm).
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With the world population approaching

Europe needs renewable biological resources

and other products.
The Commission’s strategy and action plan

“Innovating for Sustainable Growth: a Bioeconomy

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and the sustainable use of renewable biological

biodiversity and environmental protection.
This booklet presents a selection of projects

that show Europe’s investment in Research
and Innovation as the cornerstone of
the Bioeconomy strategy.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/
Project information
doi: 10.2777/68449

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Unlocking ancient secrets

The rapidly evolving spheres of biotechnology and nanotechnology provide many

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How a radical re-design

EuroBioRef is an EU-funded project set up to

It will also put Europe at the forefront of what

Helping our forests survive

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Drawing on forest resources

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Although the world’s oceans are

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Globalisation and climate

Due to run until 2014, the extensive work of

And last, but by no means least: guidelines and

Uniting the world to tackle

The background against which the project

Meanwhile, the impact of E.coli infections

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