New natural ingredient from legume sprouts to improve the safety and quality of fermented plant-based foods
The University of Barcelona (UB) has received a 20,000-euro “Llavor” grant from AGAUR to develop an innovative and sustainable solution aimed at improving the quality and safety of fermented plant-based products, one of the current challenges facing the agri-food industry.
The project is led by Dr. M. Carmen Vidal, professor at the Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy of the UB’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, and member of the Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA-UB), a Maria de Maeztu Unit of Excellence at the UB Food Campus.
Fermented plant-based foods can accumulate high levels of histamine and other biogenic amines — undesirable compounds that may pose a health risk to everyone, but especially to individuals with histamine intolerance. This relatively little-known intolerance is estimated to affect around 1% of the population. To address this challenge, UB researchers are working on the development and validation of an ingredient derived from legume sprouts with a high capacity to degrade histamine and other biogenic amines, as it is an important source of the enzyme diamine oxidase.
“This technology provides a comprehensive response to the growing market demand for high-quality, safe, and natural fermented plant-based foods,” highlights M. Carmen Vidal.
A more efficient, consumer-aligned solution
The new active ingredient offers a plant-based alternative that is more efficient in terms of productivity compared to the main existing alternative source of diamine oxidase, which is derived from porcine kidney. The germination of legumes is a simple, low-cost process that requires minimal investment in equipment and raw materials.
From an environmental perspective, M. Carmen Vidal adds that the process “generates no waste or by-products, is energy-efficient, and has a low water footprint. Moreover, legume surpluses can be reused, enhancing sustainability.”
Another advantage of the UB strategy is that, being a plant-based ingredient, it will allow high-quality fermented foods to reach broader consumer groups, including flexitarians, vegetarians, vegans, and people with dietary or religious restrictions regarding pork and pork-derived ingredients.
Preliminary studies from the research group — most of them published in high-impact journals — show promising results for this innovative strategy in in vitro models, where they have already demonstrated significant activity of the ingredient in reducing biogenic amine content.
The main objective of the new project is to carry out the necessary tests to develop a prototype as an initial step toward validating the proof of concept. Specifically, the project aims to assess the influence of different fermentation conditions on the efficacy of the active ingredient in reducing histamine and other biogenic amines in fermented plant-based products.
This technology contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production), as it promotes sustainable food-production practices and reduces food waste through innovative fermentation solutions.
The project, file number 2025 LLAV 00030, is part of the Knowledge Industry programme under the category “Llavor Grants for innovative projects with potential incorporation into the productive sector.”
M. Carmen Vidal, professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the UB.