CENER leads the bioole-up project, which will transform waste from the oil sector into revolutionary medical advances

The National Renewable Energy Center (CENER) has recently hosted in its facilities of the Biorefinery and Bioenergy Center BIO2C the initial meeting of the R&D&I project BIOOLE-UP (New concept of Biorefinery from olive leaf for advanced medical and nutraceutical treatments), an innovative initiative that will develop a sustainable and efficient biorefinery process from oil wastes, and more specifically, valorizing oil leaves. Thanks to a pioneering technology based on selective cascade extraction, combined with purification methods for extracts and active ingredients, the project will evaluate medical applications in advanced treatments for aggressive cancers and chronic diseases such as those related to diabetes and fatty liver disease.

The project consortium, led by CENER under the direction of Irantzu Alegría, head of the organization's Microbiology and Biotechnological Developments Laboratory, collaborates with key partners, including the Miguel Servet-Navarrabiomed Foundation through its Oncoimmunology and Cancer Signaling Units, led by David Escors and Imanol Arozarena, respectively, as well as the Nutrition Research Center at the University of Navarra, led by Fermín Milagro.

The olive oil industry plays a crucial economic and social role in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean region, with Spain leading global production, followed by Italy, Greece, and Turkey. The recovery of olive leaves is a key step in producing extra virgin olive oil, as they must be removed before processing the olives. In Spain alone, around 800,000 tons of this byproduct are generated annually. Over time, its valorization has expanded into sectors such as agriculture, energy, food, cosmetics, and medicine. Currently, its main uses include biofuel production, animal feed, and composting, while research is exploring its potential in nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, extracting beneficial compounds remains a challenge, limiting the ability to obtain high concentrations of polyphenols and oleuropein.

The goal is clear: to develop a biorefinery process rooted in the principles of a circular economy, transforming this low-value byproduct into a high-value resource. Achieving this requires an efficient technical strategy that ensures cost-effective extraction while maximizing the concentration of key compounds.

Towards a sustainable health future

With this goal in mind, CENER, leveraging its expertise in biorefinery process development and its BIO2C infrastructure, proposes a cascade process to fractionate the main components of olive leaf matrices using steam under controlled conditions. The extracted fractions will be purified using conventional chemical techniques and subsequently evaluated for medical and nutraceutical applications by the University of Navarra and the Miguel Servet Foundation–Navarrabiomed.

In the framework of the project, CENER will be in charge of carrying out the cascade fractionation of the olive leaf to generate the 4 fractions, which will be evaluated by the other two partners. The fractions to be analyzed are: 

• Xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS): for its functional assessment as an anti-obesogenic treatment.

• Polyphenols and oleuropein: for their evaluation as anti-adipogenic and/or anti-inflammatory effects, as well as for cell reprogramming and anti-cancer effects.

• Lipids: to evaluate their anti-adipogenic and/or anti-inflammatory effects, as well as for their impact on cancer cells.

• Depolymerized lignin: for functional assessment in tests of anti-adipogenic and/or anti-inflammatory effects, as well as cell reprogramming and anti-cancer effects.

Thanks to the BIOOLE-UP research and development project, CENER strengthens its commitment to innovation, sustainability and health improvement, positioning itself as a benchmark in biorefining applied to global challenges.

This project has been funded by the call for grants to SINAI agents to carry out collaborative R&D projects 2024 of the Department of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarra.