Commercialization of high value compounds is the main lever for commercial growth of the existing microalgae industry., and product innovation based on new molecular targets and biorefinery schemes could open new market areas. Actually, algae don't lead to only one single product but to a large variety of products. Hence, they represent a fertile source for the discovery of new natural products to satisfy the needs of growing markets in high value applications such as nutraceuticals and green chemicals.
Although technological and biological optimization of microalgae biomass production is constantly evolving, growing large quantities of algae and converting them into commercial products in an economically viable and sustainable manner is still a challenge in many aspects. Moreover, the specifications of the new products generated, from the chemical molecule up to the final goods (dedicated to a market), need to be throroughly improved in order to identify the most favorable schemes for business development.
The full value chain to generate final goods from algae source must be mastered to clarify and strengthen their position on competitive markets.
The ABACUS project confronts these challenges with a strong focus on high value metabolites for high-value markets as lead products in a comprehensive biorefinery scheme.
The main achievement of ABACUS will be to tackle the biological and bioprocess challenges of oriented algal production for different terpenoids, spanning from short to long chains, and encompassing both well-established and more innovative market sectors.