Project description
A solution to achieve the appropriate level of selenium in Se-deficient diets
About 3 billion people worldwide are affected by low intakes of the essential nutrient selenium (Se). The Se present in our diet its intimately linked with the amount of Se in soils, and therefore related crops, which can vary dramatically from region to region. Inadequate dietary Se intake is related to the risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases. The EU-funded Se4All project will explore Se-enriched edible plants as a solution to overcome this issue. Specifically, it will produce Se-enriched dairy products and cheese as functional foods through Se-biofortified alfalfa hay for feeding milking cows. Se will be applied directly to the plant (foliar application), instead of to the soil, in order to achieve transferability of the methodology to different regions.
Objective
Micronutrients are essential for maintaining a good human health, and although they are needed in only trace amounts, deficiencies reportedly affect 3 billion people worldwide. One of such micronutrients is selenium (Se). This element is a cofactor of many enzymes (e.g. glutathione peroxidase or thioredoxin reductase) and it is important for the protection against oxidative stress demonstrating the highest activity as a free radical scavenger and anti-cancer agent, T-cell immunity, and its role regulating the thyroid hormone metabolism. Currently, inadequate dietary Se intake affects up to 1 in 7 people globally with the associated risk of developing many chronic degenerative diseases. Animals, including humans, are not able to easily transform inorganic species of Se into organic forms and, in fact, due to its toxicity, the human body can tolerate only very low levels of inorganic Se. However, plants are able to transform the inorganic species of Se to seleno-amino acids, which are the forms of selenium desired for animal diets. The selenium present in our diet comes indirectly from the reservoir in soils. Thus, regions with low Se level in soils would provide Se deficient diets. In order to overcome this problem, the elaboration of functional foods starting from Se-enriched edible plants has been proposed as a solution to overcome low levels of Se in the diet of animals and humans. This research action is aimed to produce Se-enriched dairy products and cheese as functional food through Se-biofortified alfalfa hay for feeding milking cows. To achieve the transferability of the methodology to different regions, Se will be applied directly to the plant (foliar application), instead to the soil, overcoming issues related with the unpredicted bioavailability of Se in soils with different physicochemical characteristics. Hence, this methodology will ensure an appropriate level of Se into the diet regardless the particularities of the agricultural soil.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science dairy
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture industrial crops fodder
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.3. - Stimulating innovation by means of cross-fertilisation of knowledge
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-RISE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08193 Cerdanyola Del Valles
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.