Jan 30, 2026 (MarketLine via COMTEX) --
UAB plans to create a selenium-enriched biofertilizer from brewery spent grains.
BrewSelBar (Brewer's spent grains Bio-stimulant enriched with Selenium for Barley Stress Tolerance and Functional Beverages) will last four years and will be coordinated by the Chemical Separation Techniques Group of the UAB Department of Chemistry.
The project will optimize the extraction processes of beer bagasse (BSG), the byproduct that remains after producing beer and that is usually discarded, and will enrich this biostimulant with selenium and validate its effectiveness, both in laboratory and field conditions, to improve barley yield and its resistance to stress due to adverse environmental growing conditions.
"It is urgent to implement sustainable agricultural practices and improve resilience to climate change. The demonstrated ability of selenium to improve plant tolerance to stress and the benefits in human health underline the central role of this micronutrient in the innovative approach we propose," highlights María Jesús Sánchez , associate professor at the UAB and principal investigator of the project.
By valorizing BSG as a high-value agricultural stimulant, the project also includes the production of functional foods. In this sense, it will directly favor the production of selenium-enriched beverages, both beer and non-alcoholic products, which will simultaneously promote a circular bioeconomy and the reduction of industrial waste.
The project integrates academic, industrial and innovative experience of five European and two Argentine partners, among whom interdisciplinary collaboration, international stays and knowledge exchange will be encouraged. In addition to the UAB, the project also includes the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the University of Technology Dublin (TU Dublin), the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMDP) and the companies Semillas Batlle, Rete Europea dell'Innovazione (REDNINN) and Antares.
"We propose a holistic solution to global challenges in agriculture, climate change and food security, with results that are disruptive for stakeholders, while being aligned with key strategies of the European Union, such as the European Green Deal and "From Farm to Fork"", concludes María Jesús Sánchez.
BrewSelBar, funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions of the Horizon Europe Program, is endowed with a budget of €475,950.
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