OLIVEBIOME, an innovative biotechnology project aimed at transforming by-products from the olive oil industry into prebiotics and probiotics for use in poultry and pig feed.
The application of innovative techniques will enable the prebiotic and probiotic potential of by-products from the olive industry to be explored, with the aim of increasing animals’ resilience to challenges arising from climate change, thereby helping to reduce the use of antibiotics and improve the quality of animal production
OLIVEBIOME is a joint initiative involving several leading organisations, which aim to revolutionise the olive agribusiness through a series of unprecedented innovations. This project focuses on studying the prebiotic capacity of olive by-products, combined with vegetables such as green asparagus and artichokes, in relation to microbial strains of the genus Lactiplantibacillus that have a positive influence on the animal gut microbiota, also obtained from olive groves. Semi-industrial fermentation systems will be developed and their impact on pig and poultry production will be assessed.
The sustainable management of olive by-products is another key pillar of the project. This project represents a significant technological advance in one of our country’s most important and traditional agricultural sectors, whilst also helping to reduce its environmental impact.
The OLIVEBIOME project will not only have an environmental and social impact, but will also steer the entire value chain towards sustainable resource management, based on a circular economy model, and will bring about a substantial improvement in citizens’ quality of life through the sustainable consumption of agricultural and livestock products. The project is therefore directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the European Green Deal, specifically the ‘farm-to-fork’ initiative, which promotes smart and efficient agri-food systems that provide healthier and more sustainable food.
The OLIVEBIOME Task Force comprises leading organisations in their respective fields, which possess extensive scientific and technological capabilities for the development of new biotechnological approaches to olive cultivation. Project participants include SAN MIGUEL ARCÁNGEL S.A., one of the leading producers of olive by-products; MASLINA, a pioneering company in the utilisation of plant-based by-products; LUCTA, a global Spanish company with a specific division dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for livestock farming; and FEUGA, an organisation specialising in the management of innovation projects at national level. As knowledge partners, researchers from the Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC, Seville), the AINIA Technology Research Centre (Valencia), the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologies Agroalimentàries (IRTA, Catalonia) and MICROOMICS (Catalonia) will participate.
The 36-month OLIVEBIOME innovation project will be carried out in several stages. Firstly, the fibre from olive pomace and other horticultural sources will be characterised as prebiotics, and their fermentability will be assessed in relation to different strains of Lactiplantibacillus with probiotic potential. Next, the semi-industrial development of probiotic fermentation systems based on olive fibre will be carried out, and finally, the effectiveness of the prebiotics and probiotics in pig and poultry feed under heat stress conditions will be evaluated.
The OLIVEBIOME project is framed within the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC) 2023-2027, financed 80% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The General Directorate of Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority responsible for the application of these aids.
Total Project Budget: 550,110.66€ Total Grant: 550,110.66€
