PommeACE 2 -

**The project addresses an identified healthcare need and commercial demand for high-quality, sustainably-produced bioactive polyphenolic compounds.** Coronaviruses infect cells by binding to the angiotensin-converting-enzyme-2 (ACE2) membrane protein. This can be inhibited by polyphenols, specifically quercetin, increasing resistance to infection. Quercetin can reduce the severity of the immune-response and shorten recovery times. Quercetin is safe for consumption and is currently available as a supplement. However, there are issues concerning the security, purity and availability of supply.

**The development of bioactive products derived from fruit and vegetables can help support the recovery of individuals by enhancing their immune response, leading to faster recovery time or protecting against future reinfection**. A whole value-chain approach for capturing market-led business opportunities to reduce food wastage and increase availability of fruit and vegetable derived foods or supplements for consumers is proposed. Polyphenols are widely present in fruits and vegetables and consumption is known to provide a range of health benefits. Flavonoid polyphenols such as quercetin and derivatives, present in apple skin, have been shown to act as anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity agents.

**The objective of the project is to develop a sustainable and efficient biorefinery process, to enable secure, local production of quercetin.** The by-products of apple juice production (apple pomace; available in the UK/EU in large quantities), are not fully exploited and frequently disposed to landfill. The project combines recent advances in green-extraction techniques with highly-efficient separation methods, enabling quercetin recovery and purification. Additionally, the spent apple pomace can be further processed to provide a source of side-stream materials, for example nanocellulose for medical and industrial applications such as sustainable biodegradable packaging and paper manufacturing.

**The combination of technologies will be innovative; enabling creation of a biorefinery to scale-up production and supply the quantities required by UK/EU industry, whilst reducing imports and creating employment**. Increased competitiveness utilising environmentally 'green' extraction and separation technologies will enable sustainable production of quercetin increasing the market share. This will grow the UK/European bioeconomy and create employment opportunities, whilst ensuring security of supply.

**The availability of sustainable, high purity, quercetin for use in supplements and food products will be increased**. The project focuses on production of high-purity quercetin for which there is a substantial market need and consumer demand. This will reduce the requirement for importation of raw materials providing a source of additional income for apple growers, whilst reducing the quantity of agri-food waste sent to landfill.