An integrated demonstrator and validation agenda.
For plant biology, utilities, biosecurity, automation and product quality. We are looking for laboratories, agronomists, nutritionists, universities and consortium partners to test it independently.
What we want to investigate.
Crop & germination recipes
Stage-specific recipes for grass fodder and alfalfa; reproducibility across sequential batches.
Internal R&D
Mineral profile & DCAD
The mineral profile as a recipe variable versus conventional forage and standard hydroponic fodder.
Internal R&D
Alfalfa composition & plant compounds
Growth stage × light × nutrient effects on minerals, vitamins, enzymes and bioactives.
Internal R&D
Seed-independence
Alternative propagation routes against a conventional seed baseline.
Internal R&D
Stabilisation & nutrient retention
Fresh versus stabilisation routes: water activity, retention, energy per kg.
To be validated
Water & nutrient chemistry
RO, remineralisation, precipitation risks and closed water balances.
To be validated
Biosecurity & microbial control
Contamination routes, barriers, sampling plans and release criteria.
To be validated
Automation & data
Data quality, bounded MPC and decision support on validated data.
Roadmap
Impact metrics
Water, energy, losses, transport and methane intensity with full system boundaries.
To be validated
Concrete roles for research partners.
| Partner | Concrete conversation / possible role | |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratories | A measurement plan for dry matter, composition, microbiology and crop-specific markers; methods, sampling and QA criteria. | Start → |
| Agronomists / nutritionists | Crop and phase protocols, feed comparisons, mineral/DCAD hypotheses, alfalfa and feed-outcome research. | Start → |
| Universities / knowledge institutes | Independent hypotheses, demonstrator set-up, trial design, data analysis, validation or research work packages. | Start → |
| Demonstration farms | Operational constraints, pilot use and practical feedback. | Start → |
| Consortium & project partners | Work-package fit, contribution, demonstrator, data/QA and validation milestones. | Start → |
A first conversation in 30 minutes
- What is the application: feed, alfalfa, food, water/engineering or research?
- What is the problem today, and what is the baseline?
- Which outcome has to be measured, and how is it verified independently?
- Which input, installation, data, expertise or demonstration site can each party contribute?
- Which cost and quality limits decide whether we continue?
We don’t arrive with just an idea: we bring a structured system and validation approach. The next step is forming the right partner team around a well-defined pilot or validation question.
With endpoints agreed before the main comparison.
Focus = current priority · Design = worked out on paper · Internal R&D = our own research line · To be validated = needs measured, independent data · Roadmap = later route · Concept visual = illustration, not an existing installation.
| Stream | Comparison | Measurements | Success criterion | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process capability | Sequential batches on a baseline recipe | Seed and harvest dry matter, rejects, water, kWh, labour | Closed ledger and repeatability | To be validated |
| Grass fodder mineral profile | Conventional forage vs standard hydroponic fodder vs 33CLEANFEED profile | ICP minerals, DCAD, protein, fibre, microbial QA | A specifiable profile without unsafe accumulation | Internal R&D |
| Alfalfa composition | Growth stage × light × nutrient | Dry matter, minerals, vitamins, bioactives, enzymes | Composition control and reproducibility | Internal R&D |
| Stabilisation | Fresh vs stabilisation routes | Water activity, dry matter, temperature history, retention | A stable release product with closed costs | To be validated |
| Seed-decoupled route | Seed baseline vs alternative propagation | Yield, dry matter, microbiology, labour, energy, composition | No loss of value and lower input risk | Internal R&D |
| Food branch (later) | Crop control vs market comparator | Safety, shelf life, quality, price | A release specification and willingness to pay | Roadmap |
- Pre-specified endpoints and analysis methods.
- Randomisation and blinded sample IDs where feasible.
- Effect sizes and confidence intervals, with sample sizes driven by expected variance.
- Third-party laboratories for nutrition, contaminants and microbiology.
- Calibrated meters for water and energy, with data-quality flags.
- Animal-level claims only from animal studies, never from composition alone.
Exploring collaboration with research and industry partners.
In October 2026 we took part in the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 brokerage event in Brussels, and we are exploring collaboration with companies and knowledge partners around resilient, water- and nutrient-efficient agriculture.
Topic texts and dates are checked on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. We mention specific EU relationships, consortium roles or funding only once they are confirmed.
A demonstrator and its data
An instrumented controlled-environment pilot cell, batch-level datasets with a Digital Batch Passport, metered water and energy per kg output, and the route from validated protocol to a modular unit.
Ambitious direction, exact status.
| Topic | How we say it | What we only claim with evidence |
|---|---|---|
| M01–M09 architecture | We have worked out a modular system architecture as the basis for engineering and validation. | “Built” or “operational” |
| Minerals, DCAD & composition | We investigate how crop phase and process recipes affect composition. | A proven optimum, health or milk-yield effect |
| Seed independence | We investigate routes towards less dependence on conventional seed. | That contaminated seed is solved or seed-free production runs |
| Biosecurity, HEPA, RO, airlocks | Design measures that make inputs, water, air and access more controllable. | “Sterile”, “zero contamination”, “toxin-free” |
| Methane & emissions | A potential contribution to research into feeding strategies and lower methane intensity. | Any reduction percentage or climate effect |
| AI, MPC & robotics | A planned automation layer for monitoring and process optimisation. | An existing autonomous factory |
| Water & energy | Designed for monitoring and optimising water and energy use. | A savings percentage or net sustainability claim |
Literature we build on — and its limits.
External evidence External literature supports mechanisms, component-level effects and research gaps. It does not validate the complete 33CLEANFEED architecture.
- Hydroponic fodder production and utilization in sustainable livestock and poultry feeding
Systematic review: results depend on crop, conditions and system design, with heterogeneous methods. Benchmark and context — not a proxy for the integrated 33CLEANFEED system.
- Hydroponic fodder production: a critical assessment
Reports dry-matter losses during sprouting and higher cost per kg dry matter in some systems. Why we use a mass balance and released saleable dry matter.
- Design, development, and performance evaluation of a vertical hydroponic system for fodder crop production and enhanced resource-use efficiency
Performance evaluation of one vertical fodder system. A design benchmark; it does not validate our architecture.
- Optimal hybrid renewable energy system for hydroponic fodder greenhouses under PV shading
Energy-supply options for fodder greenhouses. Site-specific; not transferable without local data.
- Contextual conditions define maximum energy-use threshold in low-carbon controlled environment agriculture for agri-food transformation
Feasible energy use depends on context. Why we report energy per kg released output with explicit site conditions.
- Technology pathways for energy- and water-efficient controlled environment agriculture
Review of technologies and implementation pathways. Context for technology choices, not a performance claim.
- Food safety in hydroponic food crop production: a review of intervention studies to control human pathogens
Maps intervention studies and evidence gaps, especially for near-commercial systems. Why food needs its own validation programme.
- Hydroponic agriculture and microbial safety of vegetables: promises, challenges, and solutions
Contamination routes include water, seed, workers, substrates, recirculation and biofilms. Basis for our contamination-control matrix.
- Hydroponic solutions for soilless production systems: issues and opportunities in a smart agriculture perspective
Nutrient precipitation, antagonism and interactions, and the potential of multi-element sensing. Supports measured nutrient control.
- Sprouts use as functional foods: optimization of germination of wheat, alfalfa and radish seeds based on their nutritional content evolution
Composition changes over germination time. Supports stage-specific sampling, not one universal recipe.
- Comparative study of the bioactive properties and elemental composition of red clover and alfalfa sprouts during germination
Elemental and bioactive profiles shift during germination. Context for the alfalfa composition programme.
- Comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling reveals the differences between alfalfa sprouts germinated with or without light exposure
Light exposure changes metabolic pathways in alfalfa sprouts. A mechanism for testable hypotheses.
- Effects of individual and simultaneous selenium and iodine biofortification of baby-leaf lettuce plants grown in two different hydroponic systems
Nutrient solution and system influence mineral outcomes in leafy greens. Supports the control concept, not a nutrition claim.
- EU compound feed production market forecast 2026
EU27 industrial compound feed production of about 152 million tonnes. Shows scale — not a market for 33CLEANFEED.
Sources checked on 20 October 2026.
Researcher, laboratory or consortium partner?
Propose a measurement method, a trial design, independent analyses or a demonstrator role. We reply with a concrete next step.