NUTRA-SNACKS - Ready to Eat Food for Breakfast and Sport Activity with High Content of Nutraceutics Preventing Disease and Promoting Public Health

The present proposal suggests the application of plant cell and in vitro culture systems together with a biotechnological approach to provide facilities for the production of new high quality ready-to-eat food with functional activity useful for promoting public health. Nutra-Snack aims at the production of food at high content of natural metabolites with the following recognized health activities: anticancer, antilipidemic, anticholesterol, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antihypertensive, anti-inflamatory and antioxidant activity etc.
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The team, which is composed of 5 European countries and a candidate country (6 research institutes and three SMEs) has the main objectives in the following:
<OL> <LI> Selection of organisms producing natural biologically active metabolites with recognized anticancer, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antihypertensive, anti-inflamatory, anticholinergics and antioxidant activity.
<LI> Realization of a bioreactor/sensors for innovative plant cell and in vitro systems suitable for nutrient production; protocols for production of biological material enriched on functional metabolites which counteracts the main health risks.
<LI> Use of genetic transformants in order to enhance the synthesis of the desired metabolites as "biological factories" for further extraction of functional metabolites for food additives
<LI> The production of new ready-to-eat food for breakfast snacks and for the nutrition of those involved in sports will receive highest priority
<LI> Development of safety and quality control protocols for the new ready-to-eat-food
<LI> Contribution to define a standard for new regulations on Nutraceutics