The Danish Technological Institute (Teknologisk Institut) is spearheading the ZEST project, a groundbreaking initiative to harness fungal fermentation and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform agricultural waste into sustainable, protein-rich biomass. Co-funded by the EU’s Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE-JU), this €7.5 million project aligns with the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy to create a more sustainable and secure food system.
The ZEST project promises dual environmental benefits: tackling food waste by upcycling agricultural by-products and offering an alternative protein source to meet growing global demand for sustainable food, animal feed, and bioproducts.
Image courtesy: The Zest Project
From Agricultural Residues to Valuable Biomass
The project focuses on using edible fungi to ferment agricultural waste such as sugar beet residues, surplus brewing grains, and fruit peels. These by-products are pre-treated before being fed to fungi in bioreactors, where they are converted into biomass.
“This biomass can be used directly or processed to extract fungal protein and chitin, which are valuable for food, medicine, and even bioplastics,” says Xiaoru Hou, Senior Project Manager at the Danish Technological Institute.
The process uses minimal water compared to traditional protein production methods, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and provides a cost-effective, sustainable alternative.
Sustainability Meets Nutritional Innovation
The ZEST project aims to address two major challenges: the global protein shortage and the environmental impact of food waste. Fungal protein has distinct advantages over other protein sources:
High digestibility: Mushroom protein is easier to digest than plant-based alternatives.
Nutritional benefits: Fungal proteins contain essential vitamins, including B12 and D, which are absent in many plant-based proteins.
Versatility: Their neutral flavour makes them adaptable to various food products, from snacks to meat alternatives.
By extracting chitin alongside protein, the project also explores its use in bioplastics, offering a secondary sustainability benefit.
Image courtesy: The Zest Project
AI-Driven Efficiency in Fermentation
Artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in optimising the ZEST project’s fermentation process. AI-powered systems analyse real-time data from bioreactors, monitoring conditions such as temperature, pH, and nutrient levels.
Kristian Damlund Gregersen from the Danish Technological Institute explains, “We use machine learning models to predict how fungi behave with different agricultural residues and fine-tune bioreactor conditions for maximum growth.”
This AI-driven approach aims to identify the most efficient fungal strains for mycoprotein production and optimise the economic viability of the process.
Global Collaboration for a Sustainable Bioeconomy
Running from June 2024 to May 2028, the ZEST project brings together international partners from Germany, Latvia, Spain, and Serbia. Its objectives include:
Developing an efficient, zero-waste production system.
Refining post-processing techniques to improve protein quality.
Creating food and pet food prototypes using fungal-based ingredients.
Anne Christine Hastrup, Project Coordinator, highlights the broader implications: “This project not only advances sustainable food production but also provides a scalable model for fungal fermentation in the bioeconomy.”
Image courtesy: The Zest Project
By integrating fungal fermentation with AI, the ZEST project hope to offer a scalable, cost-effective solution to two pressing challenges: food waste and the protein gap. If successful, it could lay the foundation for a global shift toward circular bio-based production, benefiting industries from food to bioplastics while significantly reducing environmental impact.