Project description
Analysing antimicrobial and prebiotic effects of kefiran
Kefir’s popularity grew post-COVID-19 due to its health benefits. Research on kefiran, an exopolysaccharide (EPS) in kefir, which has potential antimicrobial and prebiotic effects, is limited. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the KHEALTH project will explore the potential of kefiran by screening approximately 200 strains from the Teagasc Food Research Centre to identify high-yield producers. It will conduct in vitro and ex vivo assays to evaluate various bioactivities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, prebiotic, and cholesterol-lowering effects. The project includes structural analysis of kefiran, which addresses knowledge gaps in EPS relationships. Additionally, it will develop scalable kefiran production methods using dairy-industry by-products, aligning with the EU’s circular economy action plan.
Objective
KHEALTH will unlock the potential of kefiran, an exopolysaccharide (EPS) from kefir grains, a symbiotic microbial community used as a starter culture to produce the fermented beverage kefir. Thanks to recent scientific evidence of its health benefits, the popularity of kefir is rising, especially post-COVID-19. Although many studies document the health benefits of consuming kefir, the health-related attributes of kefiran have not been extensively studied. Kefiran is an EPS composed of D-glucose and D-galactose whose structure and bioactivities are strictly related to the producing microbial strain. Despite the general lack of research, preliminary studies of EPS from lactic acid bacteria show promising bioactivities such as antimicrobial and prebiotic effects. KHEALTH will screen ~200 strains from the kefir collection of Teagasc Food Research Centre to identify high-yield kefiran producers, followed by in vitro/ex vivo assays to assess bioactivities (e.g. antimicrobial, antioxidant, prebiotic, cholesterol-lowering). Structural analysis of kefiran will correlate with its bioactivities, filling knowledge gaps relating to EPS structure-function relationships. The project will proceed to develop scalable kefiran production strategies, including the exploitation of dairy industry by-products as fermentation substrates for kefiran production, thereby aligning with the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan. Genetic engineering approaches will be applied to further investigate approaches to enhance kefiran production. KHEALTH will also involve an in vivo animal study of kefiran's health benefits, with the final aim of harnessing its health-promoting potential. A comprehensive Dissemination, Exploitation & Communication plan will ensure the findings reach both the scientific community and society. The implementation of KHEALTH will also greatly contribute to the career development of the researcher in academia through implementation of a detailed Career Development Plan.
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 other engineering and technologies food technology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science dairy
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology bioprocessing technologies fermentation
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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.