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GASTRO-MICRO: when microorganisms cook.

BCCInnovation is known for one of its most popular initiatives, BculinaryLab, and its ongoing research conducted in the field of by-product upcycling, especially by-products generated in the catering industry. Through BCulinaryLab initiative, BCC promotes the paradigm shift towards considering by-products as “new ingredients” to develop innovative and high added value products. After years of work identifying the by-products with high gastronomic potential, as well as designing technologies to conduct controlled fermentations, BCCInnovation has launched “Gastro-Micro” with the goal of deepening scientific knowledge about the processes that occur in fermentations, driven by different microorganisms.

During the course of the project, the main microbial populations involved in the transformation of raw materials will be identified, and the whole transformation will be characterized using physico-chemical and sensory techniques. The main raw materials used in the project will be typical by-products from processing of fresh fruits and vegetables in the catering industry; then, both contemporary and traditional fermentation techniques, from different cultures, will be conducted. In addition, because some of the raw materials chosen to work on in this project have a high content of essential oils (e.g. citrus skins), work will be underway to retrieve the aforementioned essential oils, therefore obtaining various valuable ingredients from the same by-product.

Gastro-micro brings together knowledge about culture, microbiology, food physico-chemical analysis, and sensory analysis … a great example of a project in the newly coined Gastronomic Sciences.

This project is financed by the Department of Economic Development and Infrastructure of the Deputy Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry of the Basque Government.