Project description
Harnessing antioxidants for a natural way to preserve food
Food processing industries grapple with extending shelf life while reducing waste. At the same time, consumers demand natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives. With this in mind, the ERC-funded ImproVITA project aims to harness deep eutectic systems (DES). These systems hold the key to prolonging the stability of essential antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, pivotal in combating oxidation and preserving freshness in supplements and cosmetics. Preliminary tests reveal DES’ remarkable potential, enhancing antioxidant activity for up to 5 days, surpassing conventional methods. Beyond technical feasibility, the project team is committed to validating market viability, promising a breakthrough solution for both industry and eco-conscious consumers.
Objective
Food processing industries face great pressure to increase the shelf life of goods decreasing the tons of waste generated every year. At the same time consumers are becoming more conscious about their choices and more critical about the use of synthetic preservatives. The most common group of chemical compounds used to preserve the freshness of food are vitamins, also known as antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds capable to inhibit oxidation which is a chemical reaction that leads to the production of free radicals, involving the possible damage the cells. Antioxidants, such as vitamins (vitamin C - ascorbic acid or vitamin E - tocopherol) end these chain reactions. For that reason, many food supplements and cosmetics are constituted by these vitamins. To prevent their early degradation is of maximum interest and it is the objective of this project to disclose the use of deep eutectic systems (DES) to increase the shelf-time of these compounds. DES are mixtures of two solid species that at particular molar ratio form a new compound with different properties. The team has demonstrated already that the use of this technology enhances the antioxidant activity up to 5 days, and prevents fruit oxidation up to 48 hours, contrarily to what happens with conventional methods which only prevent food oxidation up a couple of hours. Within this proof of concept, the team intends to validate the product in terms of its technical features but also validate the market and evaluate the commercial potential of our solution.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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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) ERC-2023-POC
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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.
1099 085 Lisboa
Portugal
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.