Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Developing nutritionally balanced and sustainable ready-to-eat foods t...
Coordinator
Coordinator
Over the last decade, the percentage of obese individuals has increased by 82%, involving over 5 million people. To deal with this situation, over 23 billion euros are spent every year in our country. In Europe, obesity is responsible for 80% of cases of type two diabetes, 55% of cases of arterial hypertension and 35% of cases of ischemic heart disease and one million deaths and 12 million sick people per year.
The obesity epidemic must be placed in a broader context of "real-life", defined as the diet followed by the majority of the population, driven by their personal choices. There is no doubt that a varied and balanced diet is the basis of a healthy life as dictated by the dietary Guidelines. However, the massive increase in obesity and related pathologies is a direct expression of the lack of application of the guidelines by the majority of the population.
According to the recent IV SCAI survey about food habits of the Italian population led by the “Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria – CREA”, there has been an exponential increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, of animal origin and with high energy density, leading to increase in caloric intake and nutritionally unbalanced meals, together with a low intake of plant foods and fish, highlighting a poor adherence to Italian dietary guidelines in a risky direction.
The reasons for the low adherence to the recommendations are multiple: the frenetic atmosphere in workplace and the reduced time availability lead people to do not shopping and cooking. Lack of knowledge of the importance of a balanced diet and psychological phenomena linked to states of anxiety, depression or even loneliness as well as the pleasure for unhealthy foods. It is becoming increasingly frequent to "grab" foods that are “ready to eat”, widely available in food places or internet. In the majority of cases these foods are highly processed and have low nutritional value and high contents of salt and/or sugar.
These variables characterize a target of hidden consumers who have never been considered, the careless consumers, people that by choice, for practical or psychological reasons, do not follow the recommendations and eat unhealthy food. It is of paramount importance start to develop a new concept of foods, easy to consume, with a high nutritional value and low ecological impact, satisfying the consumer’s needs.
The project approach relies on the valorization of different food matrices, mainly fish and legumes, through the development of prototype of products controlled for potential contaminants, microbiologically safe, with good sensory characteristics and high nutritional value, as well as through biotransformation by fermentation into health-promoting fermented foods potentially able to modulate inflammatory response.
TASK 1.1 Project Coordination and Management
TASK 2.1 Development of innovative “one-shot” drink based on fermented lupins
TASK 2.2 Development of functional olive table and olive cream by biological debittering
TASK 2.3 Modulation of intestinal microbiota and inflammatory response by fermented products
TASK 3.1 Ready-to-eat cream based on desalted cod
TASK 3.2 Stabilized sea urchin pulp
TASKS 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 Dissemination and Communication
WP2
WP3
WP4
