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.
Sustainable fermentation processes for improving food quality and nutr...
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).
Identification of nutrient and non-nutrient food components (and their metabolic products) potentially involved in the promotion of consumer health, and evaluation of their bio accessibility, bioavailability, and effect on the gut microbiota, using in silico, in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo approaches on humans/animals to confirm the actual absorption and bioactivity of non-nutrient components also considering specific dietary patterns and target groups.
Scaling up of the most promising prototypes and validation of concepts from small to large scale, also in connection with start-up acceleration programmes.
Selection of raw materials/ingredients with improved nutritional characteristics and limited undesirable components (M12)
Development or improvement of at least 3 biotechnological approaches to innovate food production in terms of nutritional quality, safety, and sustainability (M30)
Evaluation of the bioavailability and bioactivity of at least two components of foods proven to directly impact human health (M36)
Identification of novel food-derived compounds (and their metabolic products) in human body fluids/tissues that are associated with a putative bioactivity and/or a possible health effect (M30)
Proof of concept and scale up of at least one promising food product (M36)
As one of the staple foods in the human diet, leavened baked goods and cheeses underwent extensive investigation (Arora et al., Trends Food Sci Tech 2021, Grossman and McClements Trends Food Sci Tech 2021). Currently, the interest moves mainly on health and nutritional attributes, since diet and its components are of paramount importance in preventing diseases and ensuring wellbeing (Graca et al., Food Chem 2021). At the same time, these attributes must be conjugated with new or improved and low-cost processes, which introduce sustainable biotechnologies for making safe and pleasant foods well respecting the environment and individual needs. Digestibility and bio-accessibility of nutrients have legitimately entered the human health frame, which in turn has impacted the demand for highly digestible and more nutritious foods by industries and consumers. Food digestibility relies on multiple factors including starch bioavailability and protein hydrolysis occurring during food processing and digestion, food matrices, and presence of antinutrients (Rizzello et al., Nutrients 2019). However, to meet the environmental sustainability, health, and animal welfare considerations, the number and quality of plant based products including cheese analogues are continuing to increase and need to be adequately developed from concept to production.
The proposed project aims to select two main types of products with enhanced nutritional and functional properties while improving sustainability and ensuring safe and pleasant foods, which will consider in their formula both conventional ingredients and agroindustry byproducts:
For both products, tailor-made fermentations will be a common and sustainable way to valorize non-conventional matrices and agro-food by-products. Innovative fermentations will rely on the use of mixed starters made of conventional and non-conventional bacteria and yeasts, and on the exploitation of new and sustainable ingredients to create added value to the overall food chain. Further, the project aims to investigate the digestibility of the new sustainable foods and food analogues and their impact on gut microbiome/metabolome modulation on the upper digestive tract (oral, stomach and small intestine) using a validated in vitro digestion model (SHIME). The safety, shelf-life, and sensory and nutritional attributes of the two food prototypes will be validated at pilot plant level, as the results of a large screening of laboratory made sustainable foods and food analogues.
This project will develop tailored protocols using novel biotechnologies, based on novel mixture of starters and non-conventional ingredients to produce innovative foods, which conjugate low-cost process and environmental sustainability together with safe and sustainable alternatives for future nutritional needs. The results of this project will create a better awareness for a more sustainable use of microorganisms and ingredients, while promoting the reuse of food by-products in a circular approach as well non-conventional matrices.
