Virtual tongue to predIct the oRganoleptic profile of mediterranean IngredienTs and their effect on hUman hOmeostasis by means of an integrated compUtational multiphysicS platform

Project Information

VIRTUOUS

Grant agreement ID: 872181

DOI

10.3030/872181

Project closed

EC signature date 28 October 2019

Start date 1 December 2019

End date 30 November 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 1 108 600,00

EU contribution

€ 1 108 600,00

Coordinated by

POLITECNICO DI TORINO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VIRTUOUS (Virtual tongue to predIct the oRganoleptic profile of mediterranean IngredienTs and their effect on hUman hOmeostasis by means of an integrated compUtational multiphysicS platform)

Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2023-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The overarching objective of this RISE program, called VIRTUOUS, is to develop a virtual tongue as an integrated computational framework to characterize the chemical composition of the Mediterranean diet. More in detail, the proposed intelligent computational platform, by integrating drug discovery techniques, machine learning classifiers, algorithms for big data, cloud computing, and experimental data increased our knowledge regarding the organoleptic profile of central ingredients of selected foods. A schematic representation of the VIRTUOUS idea is depicted in Figure 1.
The outcomes of this research shed light on the mechanisms driving the information transfer from the chemistry level, where food molecular constituents bind taste receptors, toward a cascade of molecular, supramolecular, and cellular events emerging as an elaborated sensation that strongly contributes to the food organoleptic profile. Several pieces of evidence support the idea that taste receptors, key players in taste perception, are not only the first barrier against harmful foods but are also designed by nature to encourage the intake of foods that contain molecular ingredients with long-term benefits to human homeostasis. By modelling molecular and multiscale phenomena related to ligand-receptor binding, we can link the predicted taste of a specific food to its possible long-term effects on body homeostasis.
The effective integration of molecular modelling techniques together with bioinformatics and machine learning applied to the compound search/discovery demonstrated to be achievable during the project and represents an interesting market opportunity in the fields of pharmaceutics, nutritional supplements as well as rational diet development.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the last four years, the VIRTUOUS partners worked together to achieve the main project goals, especially concerning the development of an intelligent integrated computational framework working as a virtual tongue (https://virtuous.isi.gr/). The proposed technology offers different tools, such as the dynamic exploration of food-related datasets and machine learning-driven applications to predict the taste of a compound only using its molecular structure. The developed tools have been published or are under review in peer-reviewed journals.
The initial phase of the project focused on defining technical specifications for the multi-scale and multi-physics ICT architecture, emphasizing data storage and integration of modeling approaches. The consortium's coordinated efforts resulted in the creation of key deliverables, such as the Requirements of the VIRTUOUS Tongue Infrastructure and the VIRTUOUS Tongue Infrastructure testbed.
Molecular and machine learning-based modeling, led by specific partners, contributed to taste prediction. Structural molecular models for taste protein receptors, algorithm integration, and platform development were achieved, culminating in the Protein Network Model and Map of translational Effects deliverable.
The VIRTUOUS Trials (WP4) involved investigating relationships between food constituents, properties, and perceived taste, combining experimental studies, trials, and AI-driven methodologies. AI-enhanced technology for olive oil quality assessment and various trials were conducted, resulting in deliverables Organoleptic Profile Trial Scheme and Feedback on VIRTUOUS platform.
In conclusion, VIRTUOUS has successfully achieved all expected deliverables and milestones. The project has published 21 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and other three works are currently under review or submitted. Moreover, within the project framework, 9 Master theses have been successfully completed. The project also published 12 issues of the newly designed Taste Magazine and appeared in more than 10 newspaper articles and on national TV shows. Moreover, the project developed and released an official website and four social network profiles to communicate the project's results also to public and general audiences. The mobility of experienced researchers (ER) and early-stage researchers (ESR) has been performed according to the planned activities. In detail, a total of 61 researchers took part in the secondments between academia and companies for a total of 241 mobility months. It is worth mentioning that the mobilities achieved at the end of the project presented a good balance between academic and industrial researchers (115 person-months for industry and 126 person-months for academia). Finally, the project created an excellent common ground for partners in the consortium for designing and writing new project proposals impacting the European community and beyond. The VIRTUOUS project created and consolidated collaborative links between academia and private companies, creating a great opportunity to exchange different expertise from different backgrounds, foster novel research and market opportunities, and design new ideas in an expanding field such as the one of nutrition and taste design.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The idea of conceiving a taste predictor to be applied to European food products will boost and widen the European food market at a global level, also enhancing Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination. Whereas the technology can be, in the future, reproduced by other countries, the food cannot, given that its taste depends on the geographical conditions of the area where the products are grown. A virtual tongue will allow to “taste” a food even at thousands of kilometers far. It is worth saying that, at the level of the virtual machine a different food is only identified by a different set of compounds. In this concern, many types of fresh foods have been already chemically analyzed and their chemical ingredients are already classified in well-known freely available databases.
The VIRTUOUS tongue may be also thought to have a “food computer-aided design tool” for EU food technology. For example, based on taste prediction the VIRTUOUS platform may be used in the future to predict the results of a specific grape graft, and propose what grafting strategy to be used to obtain a specific taste or aftertaste. In the same way, all food processing procedures can be optimized and refined through the VIRTUOUS tongue, allowing to obtain different flavors and/or different effects on homeostasis.
The VIRTUOUS tongue may be also combined with other technologies to enhance precision agriculture. The platform developed during the project can be a support tool for research on natural pesticides and the creation of more resistant crops better adapted to the climate changes in Europe, in developing countries and worldwide. The VIRTUOUS research also worked toward the prediction of the food route within the human body (VirtuousPocketome). This first approach represents the foundation for future works aimed at defining personalized diet to satisfy user-specific needs or achieved desired effects on the human health status.
Finally, the project is also strictly related to neuroscience and sense perception. The research put emphasis on the transfer of information from a physical level to a non-physical level, i.e. the conscious sense of taste. In this context, the idea of the VIRTUOUS project could be expanded in the neuroscience field, increasing the comprehension of brain elaboration mechanisms, and developing specific strategies oriented to use foods to treat psychological disorders (food-mood relationship).

VIRTUOUS project overview