ATOL

The ATOL project focuses on the production and use of tailored oligosaccharides. Depending on their structure, oligosaccharides are known for their interesting bio-active properties such as prebiotic activity, anti-oxidant, anti-hypertensive, anticoagulant agent, plant elicitors etc.

Targeted Users

Because of these properties, they are immensely interesting to a great number of industries: the food industry (stabilizer, thickener), pharmaceuticals (absorbing & gelling agent, excipient), medical devices, the personal care industry (creams, lotions), the cardboard and paper industries. In addition, oligosaccharides can be grafted onto surfaces or used as tunable polar structure in biological, biodegradable and/or biocompatible dispersants.

Objectives

The main objective of ATOL is to generate the knowledge base which will lead to the development of new pectin-derived functional ingredients. They can be used as building blocks for ingredients with techno-(bio)functional properties, which will improve human and animal health. Two specific objectives are: to gain insight in process-structure-function relations and to develop economically viable prototype processes and products. More specifically, the project focuses on developing such applications as feed additives and dispersants.

Action on Global Goals and SDGs

The project contributes to more healthy human food and animal feed. It contributes for instance to lowering dependency on antibiotics and to lower anti-microbial resistance by using healthier ingredients and units for ingredients which are of a natural, biobased origin.