RHODOLIVE: Biovalorization Of Olive Mill Wastewater To Microbial Lipids And Other Products via Rhodotorula glutinis Fermentation (2018-2021)
(H2020 ERA-net CoBioTech funded project)
Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is a significant by-product of the food industry of the olive oil producer countries in Mediterranean basin, with a high environmental impact, when not appropriately treated. However, at the same time OMW is rich in organic compounds, which can either be used directly after extraction, or valorized via biocatalytic processes. RHODOLIVE suggests an innovative circular bioeconomy approach for the valorization of this side-stream of the food industry, by treating the OMW with a non-conventional yeast, in order to accumulate and produce microbial lipids, biophenols and carotenoids, which will be used in the development of functional food products.