Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for New Food Systems at ITAL in Brazil

Graphic showing the main research areas of the FIP-NFS@ITAL
Main research areas of the FIP-NFS@ITAL
Building of the FIP-NFS@ITAL
Building of the FIP-NFS@ITAL at ITAL in Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil)

The international cooperation program "Fraunhofer Innovation Platform (FIP)" strengthens the collaboration between Fraunhofer Institutes and foreign research institutions. In addition to joint research, the aim is to exploit scientific development results by pooling complementary expertise.

One of these collaborations is the "Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for New Food Systems at ITAL (FIP-NFS@ITAL)" between the Fraunhofer IVV and the Institute of Food Technology (ITAL) in Campinas (state of São Paulo, Brazil). The basis for the close cooperation between the two institutes was the official founding of the "Fraunhofer Project Center for Food and Bioresources" on December 13, 2013. In 2020, this cooperation was renamed "Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for New Food Systems at ITAL (FIP-NFS@ITAL)" and expanded to include the five sister institutes of the São Paulo Agency for Agribusiness Technology (APTA). In addition to the Fraunhofer IVV and ITAL, the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAC), the Institute of Biology (IB), the Institute of Zoology (IZ), the Institute of Fisheries Sciences (IP) and the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA) are now also involved in the cooperation.

The aim of the joint research is to create added value in the agrifood sector in Brazil and Germany by using new raw and residual materials. This includes, for example, new foods made from banana and mango peels, functional food ingredients from the fruits of the macauba palm tree, as well as technical products and new packaging materials made from algae.

Impressive results have been achieved in recent years: 15 joint research projects have already been worked on and collaborations with over 120 industrial partners from Germany and Brazil have taken place. A total of four joint property rights have been registered, and in 2023 the second company was founded on the basis of joint research results!

Our joint projects

Proteins from sunflower seeds

In the projects SunPro and SmartProSun, we jointly developed high-quality proteins from sunflowers for food.

Using the fruits of the macauba palm tree

Our projects Acrowards, Acrofibre and AcroAlliance aim to extract valuable raw materials from the fruit of the Brazilian macauba palm tree.

Algae as alternative raw materials

The projects SeaFeed and ACCEPT focused on extracting new recyclable materials from algae for food and bio-based packaging.

New food ingredients from waste materials

Can banana and mango peels still be used for food production? And what about the residues from cassava cultivation? This was the aim of the projects ByProFood and LeaFood.

Vegan dairy products made from beans

In the projects ProBean and Pulse2Cheese, vegan dairy products are developed from beans, such as the Brazilian carioca bean, and their residues.

Holistic use of cocoa beans

New products such as a drink made from cocoa pulp or the use of mold-infested cocoa beans for cosmetics are being developed in the projects DamagedBeans and CocoaFerm.

Sugar cane residue streams for bioplastics

The project SugarUp investigated the production of thermoplastics from sugar cane ethanol production residues.

Research into consumer perception

How do consumers perceive sugar-reduced and healthier fruit gums and their labeling? These and other questions are the focus of our project CandyCrunch.

Have we sparked your interest?

Would you like to find out more about these international projects or would you like to take part in a project yourself in the future?

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Cooperation partners