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Description
The PhytoNUTRE project rises from the company current capacity to produce microalgae with high nutritional value and economic potential, and the need to diversify and differentiate itself in the national and international markets. The main purpose is to produce food supplements from the protein fraction with high market value and high nutraceutical capacity. These compounds are known for their great human nutritional capacity and diversity of applications in industry and human health, in the case of enzymes. Its production and enrichment in the biomass production phase can be mould according to the microorganisms cultivated and the nutrients available in the culture medium. In this way, protein-based products can be developed, with a high market value, differentiated from others and with great biological capacity for the health of the world population. Phytoalgae company interest in developing these highly innovative and differentiated products is to increase its microalgae production capacity and consequently produce food supplements rich in protein and enzymatic products, with the aim to become in the short term, market leader in this economic field. The food supplements developed in this project come from microalgae cultivated in planar photobioreactors, in which the nutrients made available in the culture will be the target of an optimization process. The direct beneficiaries are the consumers, as they will have at their disposal novel nutraceutical, natural, and biological products, manufactured to provide a superior and differentiated quality level, accompanied by the "Made in Portugal" stamp. The partnership established between the company Phytoalgae (promoter) and the University of Madeira, in this project, allow a reinforcement in the investigation and analytical characterization of these products, as well as the implementation of high productive quality parameters and biological certification.