Henriette Lyng Røder

A green transition to increased consumption of plant-based food products in our diet is pivotal for sustaining an increasing world population and mitigating climate change. Yet, many plant products are lost because of growth of unwanted microorganisms, requiring out-of-the-box thinking to establish new solutions. Because it is impossible to keep our plant products free of microorganisms, the goal of BIOBARRIER is to find out which microorganisms can be added to our fresh plant products to increase their shelf life instead of trying to remove all microorganisms – both the ones that are harmful and the ones that may safely help us. We will achieve this by creating specifically designed bacterial communities with beneficial properties that can be placed on fruits and vegetables to repel harmful microbes. Together with new beneficial bacterial uses such as probiotics, we will contribute to shifting consumers’ perspective on bacteria towards it being a positive addition to everyday products.