From Microalgae to Sweet Potatoes: Elea Showcases PEF Innovations at “Innovationsräume Bioökonomie” in Berlin
27. November 2025 - Last week Elea’s Strategic and Research Coordination Manager, Claudia Siemer, attended the event “Innovationsräume Bioökonomie” at the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt in Berlin. Elea participated as part of the innovation space NewFoodSystems, which, along with BaMS, BioBall, and BIOTEXFUTURE, presented results from numerous collaborative projects.
Connecting Industry and Research for Innovation
The innovation spaces were created to connect partners from the food industry and research, driving innovation and ensuring that project outcomes are put into practice. Through NewFoodSystems, 17 projects were launched, including ALGAE-MODULE 4.0 and ENABLE, where Elea and PEF Technology played a key role.
ENABLE Project: Optimizing Microalgae Processing
🔬The ENABLE Project builds on the achievements of ALGAE-MODULE 4.0, where researchers developed new methods for cultivating and processing microalgae such as Chlorella zofingiensis and Limnospira maxima. In ENABLE, Elea partnered with PUEVIT GmbH to conduct practical PEF trials with various microalgae species, including Chlorella. Using our treatment chamber and the PEF Pilot Dual system, we are optimizing the extraction of high-value compounds while preserving their quality.
👉 Find out more about the ENABLE Project at Elea
IKARUS Project: Sweet Potatoes for Sustainable Food
🍠In addition to ALGAE-MODULE 4.0 and the ENABLE Project, we are also part of the IKARUS Project, which aims to establish sweet potatoes as a holistically usable crop in automated Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems. Elea’s PEF Technology plays a key role in this project by enabling the isolation of proteins from sweet potato leaves to produce a high-quality protein concentrate. These proteins, along with the leaves, are being utilized to create innovative new food products.
The first result: Different Pesto varieties developed from sweet potato leaves!
A Platform for Collaboration and Innovation
The event “Innovationsräume Bioökonomie” was a great opportunity for networking and for showcasing the impressive results and innovations achieved through these collaborations! We are excited for what is coming next!