Lea Karlsberger takes a close look at plant-based active ingredients

The EU-wide ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feed has led to an intensive search for natural, plant-based alternatives. As part of the COMET K1 Center FFoQSI - Competence Center for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation from the UAR Innovation Network, young researcher Lea Karlsberger, MSc. has already been able to demonstrate various bioactive modes of action of brown algae. She has now set herself the goal of optimizing the bioactivity of these brown algae in order to sustainably improve animal health.

"Since the ban on antimicrobial growth promoters in animal production in the EU, the focus of research has shifted to natural, plant-based alternatives. Certain plant-based active ingredients, called "phytochemicals", can improve the intestinal health and growth performance of livestock, which is why they are used as feed additives. In recent years, marine plants such as macroalgae (seaweed) have attracted attention due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or antibiotic effects. In brown algae, the phytochemicals responsible for this are predominantly polyphenols called phlorotannins, which can have high structural complexity and molecular weights. In order to have a biological effect in the animal, the bioactive ingredients added to the feed must pass through the animal's intestinal barrier and be available at the site of action. However, the high degree of polymerization of phlorotannins limits their absorption in the intestine, which reduces their health-promoting effects. The focus of my FFoQSI research project in the working group led by Dr. Julian Weghuber is therefore on increasing the bioavailability and bioactivity through biotransformation of plant-based active ingredients that can contribute to improving animal health as feed additives.“

Cecilia Nicoletti focuses on responsible food packaging

Online grocery shopping is becoming increasingly popular in Austria. Products are typically delivered in disposable shipping packaging and disposed of by consumers. This leads to intensive resource consumption and high volumes of waste. Innovative solutions "from field to plate" are the research goal of the COMET K1 Center FFoQSI - Competence Center for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation from the UAR Innovation Network. In one of its projects, young researcher Cecilia Nicoletti, MSc. has set herself the goal of establishing an environmentally friendly packaging solution for chilled food shipping.

"In the online food trade, the choice of reusable packaging including a suitable, resource-saving, food-safe and sustainable insulation solution plays an important role, especially for chilled and frozen products. For this reason, we have launched the Responsible Food Packaging project, ResPac for short. The aim of the ResPac project is to initiate a zero-waste logistics cycle for the online food trade. To this end, hey circle's reusable box is being equipped with suitable, resource-saving, food-safe and sustainable insulation solutions in line with the circular economy and tested for marketability. The pooling of existing expertise between Logistikum Steyr and the FFoQSI research group, both of which are based at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, and the start-up hey circle makes it possible to develop innovative and practical solutions and thus demonstrate the potential for reducing packaging waste along the e-grocery logistics chain. The interdisciplinary research project thus also shows how application-oriented research can be implemented with regard to economic and social challenges.“.