HORIZON EUROPA DELICIOUS Project: Improvements in the flavor, aroma, and texture of plant-based dairy products using microbial fermentation products.

DELICIOUS proposes a novel production technology to create affordable, tasty, and safe plant-based dairy analogues (cheese and kefir) with high nutritional value by combining microbial products with plant-based raw materials. The project aims to accelerate dietary change, acting as a paradigm for the entire plant-based food sector. DELICIOUS contributes to better nutrition for all by developing high-protein products rich in vitamins, fiber, and probiotics.

The project also aims to reduce the environmental footprint of the food industry not only by replacing conventional dairy products in people's diets but also by introducing microbial products that consume less fresh water, less land, and less expensive residual raw materials. Based on the insights of culinary experts (chefs), the project will improve the sensory characteristics of current commercial plant-based products in order to improve their marketability.

To achieve this, we will utilize custom-made microbial fat produced through precision fermentation, yeast biomass, and fiber-producing microbial strains to achieve the desired organoleptic properties without additives, artificial flavors, or ultra-processing methodologies. To accelerate the commercialization of the developed products, DELICIOUS will conduct various analyses and evaluations: safety assessments, nutritional simulations, consumer testing, and techno-economic evaluation of the processes combined with behavioral economics to define the profit margins and price of these products.

Leveraging the consortium's extensive capacity and experience in high-throughput methodologies, the project also aims to provide the fermentation industry with a bioinformatics tool to predict a product's flavor, aroma, and texture based on the initial raw materials and microorganisms used in fermentation, significantly reducing product development costs.