Project description
The nutritional value of dried figs
Healthy diets require a variety of nutrients, including traditional foods like dried figs. Recent studies show the health benefits of oligosaccharides and soluble polysaccharides found in figs, but their structural characteristics and health impacts remain underexplored. The EU-funded PrOSFig project aims to valorise dried fig oligosaccharides (OS) and soluble dietary fibres (SDF) by examining drying processes, consumer perceptions, preservation techniques, and the extraction and chemical characterisation of these compounds. It will evaluate the bioavailability of OS and SDF, their interactions with fig polyphenols, and their prebiotic properties in vitro. The project integrates expertise in drying technology for nutritious foods, consumer acceptance of dried fruits, food biochemistry using spectroscopic techniques, and bioengineering to investigate the effects of OS and SDF on gut microbiota.
Objective
Health diets require diversification of nutrients, supporting and promoting the traditional food products while keep finding new ways to their safeguard. Figs are nutritious and delicious products endowed with many health-benefiting nutrients. Drying contributes to widen their availability, diversify trade, and promote their nutritive value. Recent research trends show that oligosaccharides (OS) and soluble polysaccharides non-digestible by human gut enzymes are of great interest for their health benefits and natural nutraceutical value. Although dried figs nutritional quality has been well studied, there is a lack of knowledge on the matching of the OS and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) structural features and their potential health dietary benefits. PrOSFig project aims at valorizing dried figs OS as prebiotics and polysaccharides as SDF. As an MSCA fellow, I propose to study at UAveiro the (i) drying processing, consumer perception and conservation of figs (ii) extraction and chemical characterization of dried figs OS and SDF. This will allow to perform a secondment at UPorto to (iii) monitor the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of the OS and SDF and their interactions with fig polyphenols, and a second secondment at UMinho to (iv) carry out in vitro assessment of prebiotic properties. This interdisciplinary approach in a relevant food research topic, draws a unique skill set and state-of-the-art in four different but complementary fields: (1) drying technology for producing healthy foods, (2) consumer acceptability of traditional dried fruits (3) food biochemistry via the application of spectroscopic techniques as tools for OS and SDF characterization, and (4) bio-engineering for evaluating the physiological aspects of OS and SDF related with gut microbiota. The integration in these Universities dissemination and communication programs, as well as in their training activities, will support me to develop my career.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- 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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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02
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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.
3810-193 Aveiro
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.