Health & Nutrition

Revaluation of products and co-products of the territory with differentiated nutritional value. RE-VALORA TERRITORI incorporates honey with different nutritional and rheological characteristics into new food products. The project revalues ​​whey, fruit (apple and pear), legumes, honey and spirulina algae to obtain new food products. This revaluation of co-products is in line with the challenge and culture of reducing food waste. RE-VALORA TERRITORI considers circular economy as cooperation between food processors by supplying each other with ingredients and/or by-products to be revalued and, in this way, reducing the impact of the accumulation of by-products. The current situation [...]

Insecticulture and circular economy. LIVLAB-IN transforms agriculture and agroindustry through insecticulture and the principles of the circular economy. This project uses insect production as a solution for the valorisation of by-products, waste and plant residues, contributing to a more sustainable and profitable model in several links of the food chain, from the first transformation to the waste generated in food stores. Through this methodology, LIVLAB-IN proposes solutions to optimise the use of resources (breeding substrate, space, energy and water), to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to take advantage of waste nutrients efficiently, helping to convert waste [...]

Km0 foods with a social perspective. CONNECTEM optimises nutritionally improved products using local ingredients in different applications such as vegetable creams, meat derivatives and dehydrated products. The project responds to the need for social inclusion of a segment of the population, promoting the development of new foods using ingredients of high nutritional value from organic and regenerative Km0 agriculture. This new range of products will be framed in the use of local plant-based raw materials with high protein content. In addition to developing new innovative food products with differentiated nutritional and sensory quality, prioritszing the sustainability [...]

Study of alternative insect protein in the development and sustainable production of new foods. PISA studies and evaluates insect-derived ingredients as an emerging source of protein, both of animal and plant-based, for the development of new hybrid meat products. The project advances the knowledge of the properties of these ingredients and their applicability in different food matrices, thus aligning with the recommendations of the FAO and the UN to explore more sustainable and efficient solutions in food production. With the growth of the global population, a higher demand for proteins is expected, especially from animal sources, [...]

Transforming agricultural by-products into sustainable protein sources. SAN-PROT valorises ​​olive oil the residue from olive oil extraction, known as sansa, as a new alternative protein source, addressing the challenges of the protein transition. In a context in which the demand for proteins will grow significantly until 2050, and with the increasing environmental pressures derived from animal production, SAN-PROT proposes a sustainable solution that reduces dependence on traditional sources such as soy and promotes more environmentally responsible production. The project takes advantage of the residue generated during the extraction of olive oil to develop new protein applications [...]

Development of new fruit-based products adapted to the export and quality requirements of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to the Halal certification, responding to the increase in demand for nutritious and healthy products with entry into new international markets such as the American or the Muslim. Halal products, consumed by the Muslim population, are not associated with any specific country, but within the European Union it is important to highlight the relevant role of France and, outside Europe, the importance of penetrating markets such as Saudi Arabia. In the food industry, technological [...]

Ecological implications of restoring sediment flows in regulated rivers. The ECOSEDRIV project understands and quantifies the interactions between suspended sediments, flow regime and biological communities in highly regulated rivers to design new reservoir management schemes to restore sediment flow towards the coast in a sustainable way. ECOSEDRIV takes the lower Ebro River as a model of highly regulated river systems with a strong sediment deficit and where large floods were suppressed, to test the hypotheses raised by the project. Deltas are among the most vulnerable coastal systems and require sediment inputs for their progradation and vertical [...]

Cervera network of excellence for the innovation of new protein sources for the generation of different foods, prioritizing sustainability processes, the impact on health and consumer demands. The OPTIPROT project addresses the transition towards a more sustainable nutrition by searching for new respectful sources of alternative protein, assessing both the environmental impact and the repercussion on human health and optimizing the technological, social, cultural and legislative challenges. For this purpose, omic technologies (transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics and metabolomics) are used which, within the context of food and through the use of high-performance tools, improve human nutrition and [...]

Understanding and preventing the impact of endocrine disruptors on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis in sensitive populations. The HYPIEND project, coordinated by Eurecat, investigates the effects of multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) exposure in the function and epigenetic programming of the hypothalamus-pituitary (HP) axis to delineate interventional strategies for minimizing exposure and consequences on the neuroendocrine system during the perinatal and pre-pubertal stages. To do that, a computational toxicology methodological framework will be built leveraging public data and state of the art data analysis techniques to define EDC co-exposure patterns in target population. The resulting patterns will be [...]

New strategies for digestibility improvement in legumes. The EASYDIGEST project researches and develops food products based on legumes with improved digestibility, through the application of physical, fermentative and enzymatic treatments, maintaining all the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the original product. The digestibility of legumes depends on external factors during processing, such as hydration, cooking or grinding, as well as internal factors linked to the composition of the legumes themselves. In this sense, the technological improvements that EASYDIGEST wants to apply to legumes have as their main objective the reduction of the presence of antinutrients, natural [...]

Reversal and prevention of obesity in the most vulnerable populations. The PAS-GRAS project addresses the main determinants that contribute to the transgenerational risk of obesity in the most vulnerable populations, including children in the prepubertal stage, adolescents and young adults, in order to reverse and prevent obesity and avoid the emergence of related comorbidities. To do this, PAS-GRAS determines lifestyle habits (diet, physical activity/sedentary activity) and other factors such as mental health, socio-familial and environmental factors, and genetic and metabolic characteristics. The integration of all this data will make possible to assess the risk on an [...]

Non-destructive detection by measuring the degree of maturity of oranges and tangerines with multispectral images. The MADURESA project promotes innovative and disruptive technologies for the digitisation and improvement of the quality process in the agri-food sector, specifically in oranges and tangerines. Artificial intelligence technologies applied in the world of agriculture use sensors to achieve precision agriculture that increases the yield and quality of production. MADURESA evaluates the potential of two techniques: near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) for the analysis of multispectral images and analytical techniques for the determination of the most important maturity parameters of fruit quality. In [...]

Improvement of bee immunity and honey production thanks to the supplementation of food based on fungi. This project investigates new food sources for bees that allow them to improve their immune system, promoting in parallel new honey-based products through the use of fungal extracts. Specifically, the project develops the following products: Two solid foods for bees based on fungal extracts to boost their immune system, thus increasing their defences against diseases. Two honeys improved with these foods, enriched with compounds present in the fungi or the metabolites that are formed during the passage through the bees' [...]

Development of innovative and of high-functional value fermented vegetables based on fruit and vegetables. The EKOFERM project aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the development of vegetable ferments, as well as fermented beverages such as kombucha. With this aim, EKOFERM identifies the raw materials and the critical points of the process, carrying out concept tests and product design and promoting a technological characterisation of innovative products. The development of these products is aimed at supporting small and medium-sized companies in the Catalan agricultural sector, increasing the value and giving way to the production of non-marketable [...]

Development of new cocrystals of polyphenols with high bioavailability and evaluation of the protective effects of their combination against oxidative stress in exposure to radiation and physical exercise. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant defence, and can cause significant harmful effects on cells, tissues, and organs. Studying and treating oxidative stress is necessary, since excessive ROS production is triggered in some of the daily or periodic activities, such as radiation exposure for medical reasons or endurance exercise. In this sense, some polyphenols have shown protective [...]