DOMINO Featured in New Publication on the Microbiome and Personalised Nutrition
The DOMINO project has been featured in the newly published book The Microbiome and Personalised Nutrition. The chapter, “The Role of Food Information Initiatives in Bringing Microbiome Awareness into the Diet”, authored by colleagues from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), highlights how European initiatives are helping consumers better understand the link between food, microbes, and health.
Within this chapter, DOMINO’s work is showcased in a dedicated sub‑section titled “DOMINO: Co‑creating Fermented Food Products Through Living Labs”, which presents our approach to driving innovation in fermented foods.
Fermentation for Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems
Emerging food technologies, such as modern fermentation techniques, hold great promise for building more sustainable, healthy, resilient, and circular food systems. However, making this potential a reality requires addressing several challenges, including:
- Advancing scientific understanding of novel production processes
- Improving consumer acceptance of “microbial foods”
- Supporting producers in adopting and commercialising new fermented products
DOMINO directly tackles these challenges through its network of Living Labs across Europe.
Living Labs: Co‑creation at the Heart of DOMINO
The DOMINO project (2023–2028) uses Living Labs as real-world experimental spaces where researchers, industry, consumers, and policymakers collaborate on innovation in fermented foods. These environments enable participants to jointly shape food technologies that are not only scientifically sound but also socially acceptable, sustainable, and market-ready.
To ensure new fermentation solutions are viable in practice, DOMINO Living Labs engage experts from multiple fields:
- Science and R&D: advancing knowledge on novel food production
- Industry and market actors: assessing commercial opportunities and market dynamics
- Society and consumers: providing insights on attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours
- Producers: applying emerging technologies and bringing new products to market
Strengthening Innovation Through Collaboration
By bringing together diverse stakeholders from the very beginning of the innovation process, the Living Labs help ensure that:
- A wide range of viewpoints, needs, and constraints are considered
- New products are more robust, relevant, and widely accepted
- Co-created solutions have higher chances of successful market adoption
- Trust, transparency, and knowledge-sharing are strengthened across the food system
This collaborative model is essential for unlocking the full potential of fermentation as a tool for healthier diets and more sustainable food production.
Source: The Role of Food Information Initiatives in Bringing Microbiome Awareness into the Diet. In: Francino, M.P., Rufián Henares, J.Á. (eds) The Microbiome and Personalized Nutrition. The Microbiomes of Humans, Animals, Plants, and the Environment, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93902-0_8.