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.
Lactic acid bacteria improving health and foods through fermentation
Coordinator
Reformulation or improvement of relevant food products in the national context in order to: a) implement the nutritional characteristics also by reducing antinutrients or using bioprocessed ingredients (from raw products to ingredients) and limit the use of undesirable components (e.g. by using bioactives) along the food system b) improve food formulation and composition based on consumer perception and needs identified for specific target groups (in connection with Spoke 5 and 6) c) promote clear and ad hoc labelling as an information tool (in connection with Spoke 1 and 7) to increase the willingness to buy improved foods d) guarantee safety and affordability of new products (in connection with Spoke 1 and 3).
Innovation of food (bio)processing using smart and mild technologies and fermentation to improve nutritional quality while ensuring safety and environmental sustainability throughout the shelf life of foods. Nutritional quality and biodiversity are targeted through both advanced and sustainable processes (including encapsulation) to preserve and improve at-risk (micro)nutrient composition of relevant food categories and exploiting microbiological and biotechnological applications to impact on nutritional quality. Such (bio)technological approaches (e.g., fermentation, enzyme treatments, etc.) are validated by process markers also directed to ensure food production safety and quality targeting new food habits (e.g., ready to eat food and novel food consumption) and sustainability, promoting production efficiency and utilisation of alternative sources (in connection with Spoke 2 and 3).
Selection of raw materials/ingredients with improved nutritional characteristics and limited undesirable components (M12)
Development or implementation of at least two reformulated food products for each food category relevant for the impact on general and at-risk groups (M36)
Food fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dates back many centuries ago as a food-preserving technique and a way of obtaining foods with new organoleptic characteristics. In recent years, given the growing interest in minimally processed foods, the use of fermentation can be seen as an effective strategy to improve technological, nutritional and functional properties of foods.
Depending on the biotic and abiotic balance among food components, different LAB species can trigger biochemical reactions that results in the release of multiple compounds with increased nutritional value and/or in the degradation of antinutritional factors.
In this project, LAB fermentation will be exploited for the production of novel ingredients to be used in the formulation of new products or in the fortification of already existing ones.
Giving the aim of the project, our strength lies in a consolidated experience in LAB fermentation and in owning a rich collection of wild LAB strains (UPCC).
The project will exploit the fermentative activity of LAB strains chosen for their specific traits to use for three different purposes:
The fermentation of different kind of flours with the right LAB strains, may allow the degradation of antinutritional factors common in cereals and legumes, giving rise to a more digestible fermented product. At the same time, a new fermented ingredient with an increased interesting nutritional, sensorial, and technological profile will produced.
The right LAB strains employed in the fermentation of plant-based drinks and/or fruit juices metabolizing the native structure of different compounds may release bioactive compounds and/or improve the volatile fraction enriching the fermented product in attractive aromatic compounds.
By using SHIME system, we will advance in the studies correlating intestinal microbiota, LAB, prebiotics and bioactive compounds, increasing the knowledge on the effects of LAB fermented ingredient/foods on gut microbiota, the fermentation spectra of prebiotic/bioactive compounds, the survival capacity and function of live LAB throughout the gastrointestinal tract.
