Project description
Hybrid dairy products valorising flowers’ nutritional potential
There is an urgent need for nutritional products that support both human health and environmental sustainability. Edible flowers, naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, remain an underused resource in human nutrition. With support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the FlowerPower project will develop innovative hybrid dairy products enriched with carotenoid-rich edible flowers and stabilised using plant proteins. This approach will highlight the nutritional benefits of edible flowers, with a particular focus on their potential in Ireland and across Europe. The research will delve into how plant proteins interact with flower compounds and evaluate the bioaccessibility of nutrients using in vitro digestion methods. FlowerPower supports the EU’s FOOD 2030 goals for a more sustainable food system.
Objective
There is an urgent necessity to develop new nutritional products with enhanced functionality to meet the global need for healthy and sustainable foods. Although edible flowers are sustainable rich sources of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant compounds, they have been underutilized in human nutrition and remain underexplored by the food industry. FlowerPower will go beyond the state-of-the-art by unlocking the nutritional and techno-functional potential of edible flowers naturally found in Ireland and other European countries. To this end, this project aims to develop hybrid dairy products fortified with carotenoid-rich flowers. Plant proteins will be used as delivery systems to improve carotenoid stability and enhance the technological and digestive functionality of the product. Additionally, combining animal and plant ingredients in hybrid foods contributes to bridge the gap between nutritional needs and sustainability, supporting plant-based dietary choices while addressing new rising market demands, e.g. flexitarian consumers. The multidisciplinary research programme is comprised of four parts. (1) Characterization of the composition of petals from 2 flowers and structural and technological properties of 4 plant proteins (WP1). (2) Characterization of carotenoid-protein interactions in 2 flower/plant-protein combinations and assessment of their impact on carotenoid stability (WP2). (3) In vitro digestion of hybrid dairy foods in 2 model food structures with selected flower/plant protein combinations to assess carotenoid bioaccessibility (WP3). (4) Selection of hybrid dairy foods with enhanced technological and/or digestive features to develop prototypes for instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation (WP5).
This project addresses Pathway 4 - EU's FOOD 2030 aimed at encouraging a dietary shift towards plant-based diets. Knowledge and concepts from this work are expected to increase competitiveness of the dairy sector by creating opportunities for new markets.
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.
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science dairy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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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.
R93 Carlow
Ireland
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.