Motivated by the growing demand for alternative proteins, Brazilian researcher Joseane Bassani, during her PhD Sandwich programme, developed a vegetarian burger based on microalgae under the supervision of Prof. Rui Morais. In addition to being highly nutritious, the use of microalgae contributes to reducing the environmental impact of food production.

The research, conducted at Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) of the Faculty of Biotechnology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto, was carried out in collaboration with GreenCoLab. During this period, the researcher had the opportunity to work closely with various CBQF researchers, namely from the research groups led by Professors Manuela Pintado and Paula Teixeira.

One of the main challenges was improving the organoleptic profile of the microalgae to make them more palatable – a challenge overcome with innovative solutions (real photo attached). Preliminary results are promising and indicate that the incorporation of microalgae can bring several benefits to the final product.

The outcomes of this study will be presented shortly at two international conferences: the 1st International Congress on Algae Biotechnology, in Lisbon, and the 1st International Congress on Sustainable Food, Green Chemistry and Human Nutrition, in Croatia.

With the growing interest in sustainable food, the microalgae-based burger has significant market potential. Despite challenges such as consumer acceptance and economic feasibility, the research will continue to explore new biomass combinations and further improve both texture and taste.