CELABOR SCRL

Their core work

CELABOR is a Belgian applied research centre specializing in the extraction, fractionation, and characterization of bioactive compounds from agri-food residues and industrial side streams. They develop scalable bioprocessing methods to turn waste from food production — corn stillage, rapeseed meal, legumes, coffee waste, agri-food residues — into high-value ingredients for cosmetics, nutraceuticals, functional foods, and specialty chemicals. They also work on bio-based materials including bioplastics (PHA) for food packaging and biopolymer formulations for industrial applications. Their consistent role across nine H2020 projects positions them as a go-to technical partner for pilot-scale extraction and valorisation work.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2017–2019, CELABOR's work spanned biopolymers for additive manufacturing (BARBARA), wastewater recovery (AFTERLIFE), and initial agri-food valorisation of corn and rapeseed residues (EXCornsEED, Prolific) — a broad exploration of bio-based materials and extraction. From 2020 onward, their focus sharpened decisively toward bioactive extraction from agri-food waste: polyphenols, phenolic compounds, and botanical extracts (PHENOLEXA, AQUACOMBINE), alongside bioplastics from fermentation (NENU2PHAR) and decision-support modelling for residue streams (MODEL2BIO). The trajectory shows a clear move from general bio-based materials toward specialized biorefinery processes targeting high-value bioactives for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical markets.

CELABOR is converging on cascade biorefinery processes for polyphenols and bioactives — expect them to pursue pharmaceutical-grade extraction and circular bioeconomy projects next.

How they like to work

CELABOR operates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as a coordinator — they bring technical extraction and characterisation capabilities rather than project management. With 129 unique partners across 21 countries in just 9 projects, they consistently join large, multi-partner consortia (averaging 14+ partners per project), which reflects their role as a trusted laboratory and pilot-scale processing partner. This makes them easy to integrate into new consortia: they know how to deliver within complex project structures without needing the lead role.

Extensively networked across Europe with 129 distinct partners in 21 countries, built through participation in large BBI and RIA consortia. Their network spans the full bioeconomy value chain — from agricultural producers to food processors to chemical companies — giving them broad sectoral reach despite being a small organisation.

What sets them apart

CELABOR bridges the gap between laboratory-scale compound isolation and industrial-scale bioprocessing — a critical bottleneck in the bioeconomy where many research centres lack pilot facilities. As a Belgian SME research centre with deep expertise in both analytical characterisation and process upscaling, they offer hands-on extraction work rather than just modelling or consultancy. For consortium builders, they fill the essential role of "the partner who actually runs the extraction and tells you what's in the fraction" — practical, reliable, and experienced in BBI-JU project requirements.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EXCornsEED
  Largest single grant (EUR 693K) and most comprehensive scope — covering extraction, characterisation, and upscaling of bioactives from corn oil and rapeseed for cosmetics, food, and specialty chemicals.
• PHENOLEXA
  Most recent project (2021) and clearest signal of their strategic direction — cascade biorefinery for polyphenols targeting pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and functional food markets.
• NENU2PHAR
  Represents their diversification into bioplastics (PHA) for high-volume consumer products like food packaging — connecting their bioprocessing expertise to the circular plastics agenda.