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Exploring unregulated contaminants in the Mediterranean diet; A first insight into the safety of this Intangible Cultural Heritage

Project description

Safeguarding the Mediterranean diet from hidden contaminants

Unregulated contaminants in food are a growing concern for human health, particularly as many sources of contamination remain uncontrolled. These contaminants can find their way into fresh, unprocessed foods through environmental factors like pollution or contaminated soil and water. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MDietSafe project will study these hidden contaminants in foods typical of the Mediterranean diet, which is renowned for its health benefits. By analysing food ingredients from seven Mediterranean countries, MDietSafe uses advanced techniques to detect and assess the risks of these contaminants. The project aims to ensure the safety of the Mediterranean diet, supporting food security, sustainable agriculture, and public health.

Objective

Food ingestion plays a significant role in human exposure to environmental contaminants, resulting in health implications. Specific legislative measures control internationally the occurrence of chemicals in food to ensure consumer protection. However, there is strong evidence that there are many uncontrolled sources (e.g. deposition of particulate matter, biotic uptake and accumulation from contaminated soil or water, etc.), that may contaminate fresh and unprocessed food with unregulated contaminants. MDietSafe aims to explore the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in fresh and unprocessed food ingredients typically consumed in the Mediterranean diet (MDiet) and evaluate their potential as an exposure source for humans. For this purpose, suspect analysis of contaminants will be undertaken in a variety of food ingredients, produced in the seven Mediterranean diet countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Cyprus, and Croatia) using a novel and simple approach based on the combination of supramolecular solvents with liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (SUPRAS-LC-HRMS). The generated data will be used for human health risk estimation using different hazard indexes. Results from MDietSafe will give a first insight into the current status of unregulated contaminants in MDiet, thus providing a starting point for taking corrective measures if necessary. MDiet is worldwide recognized as a source of health for consumers, so keeping it safe from contamination is essential for guaranteeing this intangible cultural heritage and the associated traditional and cultural assets. MDietSafe is in line with the European mission for food safety and security, deepening the knowledge of the contribution of unregulated contaminants to human exposure through food. MDietSafe also addresses the UN-SDG 2, which aims to achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promotion of sustainable agriculture.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD DE CORDOBA
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 209 914,56
Address
AVENIDA DE MEDINA AZAHARA 5
14005 CORDOBA
Spain

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Region
Sur Andalucía Córdoba
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

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