Providing a path for the standardized production of flavonoids
January 2019 – December 2022
European Union – Horizon 2020 (EU-H2020), Industrial Leadership grant for R&D activities in the field of Biotechnology
Using knowledge gained on the use of Synthetic Microbial Consortia (SMC) to perform targeted tasks in project Living Architecture(link), LIQUIFER Systems Group fabricates ceramic membranes for use in the bioreactor developed in the project.
SynBio4Flav aims in providing a cost-effective alternative to current flavonoid production. Flavonoids, or phytonutrients, occur naturally in plants and are an integral part of the human diet. They provide many health benefits and are used in a wide range of industrial applications including the food & beverage industry, the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics, and materials industries, and in animal feed. Depending on the type, they can exhibit anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic properties. They also support our immune and cardiovascular systems and help to modulate key functions of enzymes in our cells.
Current flavonoid production is limited due to the small quantity of flavonoid found in natural plant-based biomass, and the enormous amount of energy required for its procurement, including the harvesting of plant material and its transport, storage, and treatment, its extraction and purification.
SynBio4Flav’s scientific challenge is to produce flavonoids in a laboratory context by breaking down their complex biosynthetic pathways into standardized specific parts, which can then be transferred to engineered microorganisms within Synthetic Microbial Consortia to promote flavonoid assembly through distributed catalysis.
In addition, LIQUIFER will serve as mediator between the applications of synthetic biology and public perception. Events will be coordinated for public discourse encouraging exchange between various opinions amongst scientists, artists, philosophers and other experts.
Consortium partners The Spanish National Research Council – Spain / Chalmers University of Technology – Sweden / German Institute of Human Nutrition – Germany / Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences – Poland / University of Greifswald – Germany / University of Oviedo – Spain / Extrasynthese – France / Biopolis – Spain / Explora – Italy / Symrise – Germany / LIQUIFER Systems Group – Austria
LIQUIFER team Waltraut Hoheneder, Barbara Imhof, René Waclavicek, Molly Hogle
Video credit: SynBio4Flav Consortium, ©Hertha-Produziert