On December 12th and 13th, the official kick-off meeting of the European innovation project DELICIOUS took place at Fundació Alícia in Mont Sant Benet, Barcelona, Spain.
With the global plant-based food market expected to reach €40 billion by 2027[1], and growing demand for sustainable diets driven by environmental and health concerns, DELICIOUS plays a critical role in accelerating this transition. While the EU highlights dietary shifts, including plant-based products, as key to achieving a 55%[2] in greenhouse gas emissions, plant-based dairy still represents a small fraction of the dairy market, hindered by challenges in matching the taste, texture, and nutritional value of traditional dairy.
DELICIOUS aims to tackle these obstacles by developing a new production technology that integrates microbial fermentation with plant-based raw materials. The project will focus on creating affordable, safe, and tasty plant-based dairy analogues such as cheese and kefir, while reducing environmental impact by up to 30% compared to conventional dairy processes.
Under the leadership of RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, DELICIOUS leverages cutting-edge technologies such as high-throughput screening and machine learning to enhance the sensory properties and nutritional value of plant-based dairy.
‘By integrating advanced technology with consumer insights, we aim to accelerate the shift towards plant-based diets and set a new standard for the plant-based dairy industry,’ stated Charilaos Xiros, Project Coordinator.
The project brings together 17 entities from 9 countries, including research centres, universities, SMEs, large companies, clusters and associations, under the Horizon Europe programme. With a budget of €5 million over four years, DELICIOUS will revolutionise plant-based dairy by delivering nutritious, sustainable alternatives for consumers while equipping the fermentation industry with advanced bioinformatic tools and sustainable production models to drive efficiency and innovation.
For more information about Delicious project, contact the Dissemination and Communication team: Olga de Blas (odeblas@clusterfoodmasi.es).
[1] Statista – Global Plant-Based Food Market
[2] JRC – Reducing Nitrogen Pollution and Emissions
