Challenges and Opportunities

The olive oil milling industry, and by extension the olive pomace oil extraction industry, are among the most representative and traditional agro-industrial sectors in Spain. These industries generate large quantities of by-products and waste, such as olive pomace (alperujo) and olive vegetation water. Treating these by-products is costly, polluting, and not very profitable for companies in the sector. Therefore, proper waste management is crucial—not only to reduce environmental impact, but also as an opportunity to valorize these by-products, thereby improving the profitability of the olive industry.

Currently, there are no comprehensive waste and by-product management models in the Spanish olive agro-industry, particularly those employing fully eco-sustainable technologies within a circular economy framework. This lack of innovation presents a key opportunity: the development of a complementary biotechnological model to the traditional industry, aimed at harnessing the bioactive compounds produced by the olive tree, with potential applications in human and animal health, agriculture, and cosmetics.

Based on the properties of these by-products, the objective is to develop an integrated and sustainable management system that enables their use as prebiotics and promoters of probiotics in animal production. This approach leverages their immunomodulatory, antioxidant, vasoactive, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic properties. Through green technologies, the aim is to valorize olive industry by-products while promoting sustainable agriculture and livestock farming. The introduction of a new industrial concept based on sustainable biorefineries will contribute to the production of prebiotic and probiotic co-products, helping to reduce biological risks in animal production.

In particular, olive fiber can be used as a prebiotic in animal feed to promote gut health and probiotic growth, reducing dependence on antibiotics and chemical preservatives. This trend is gaining momentum in light of new EU regulations that limit the preventive use of antibiotics. OLIVEBIOME places special emphasis on the livestock sector, particularly poultry and swine production, two key pillars of the Spanish economy. Poultry farming, as the world’s largest supplier of animal protein, faces the challenge of improving meat quality without relying on antibiotics. Meanwhile, the swine industry in Spain—one of the country’s most competitive sectors and its largest source of animal protein—also faces significant challenges. Growing demand for protein in emerging markets such as China, and within the EU, has driven the search for more sustainable production models that enhance meat quality. The incorporation of olive co-products, such as fiber rich in phenolic compounds, into feed formulations could offer significant benefits, including improved meat quality, longer shelf life, and reduced oxidation processes.

One of the core pillars of the project is the implementation of a circular economy model within the olive industry, aimed at transforming olive by-products into valuable co-products for livestock farming. Recycling these residues reduces environmental impact, improves industry profitability, and promotes a more sustainable food system. This approach is fully aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal and the “Farm to Fork” strategy, both of which seek to create smart and sustainable agri-food systems that deliver healthier food. OLIVEBIOME also responds to the need for new animal nutrition strategies, a need that has been accelerated by the recent Covid-19 crisis, which imposed new challenges in food safety and animal health. The use of olive co-products as feed additives could help to reduce the use of medications on farms.

In light of the pressing needs for improvement in the olive sector, the OLIVEBIOME project emerges as an innovative and sustainable solution. It aims to comprehensively address the challenges of the sector while proposing strategies that foster industrial synergy and collaboration. The following section outlines the main challenges and opportunities identified by OLIVEBIOME.