FLAVOnoids in Fruits & Vegetables: Their Impact on Food Quality, Nutrition and Human Health •Coordinator: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique •Instrument: Specific Targeted REsearch Project (STREP) •Priority 5: Food Quality & Safety •EC contribution / Duration: 4M€ / 3 years (2005-2007) • 9 countries / 17 teams: 12 institutions, 1 joint-trade organization, 1 multinational Multidisciplinary consortium: •Human health •Human nutrition •Food Quality •Analytical chemistry •Plant science
Social & Scientific Context: Cardiovascular diseases cause more than 3.4 million deaths a year in the European Union, and they constitute the main cause of mortality in Western countries. Even a modest reduction of the risks would benefit Europe both socially and financially. Flavonoids contribute to the health benefits associated with consumption of diets rich in fruits and vegetables or derived foods/beverages. Proanthocyanidins (PAs, also called condensed tannins) constitute a major fraction of the total flavonoids ingested in the Western diet and are the major flavonoids in many commonly consumed fruits.
Overall objective of FLAVO Provide the necessary knowledge, tools and validated methods to enable development of high quality, consumer-acceptable Fruits and Vegetables (F&V) and derived foods / beverages containing flavonoids at levels that are optimal for human health, through 4 RTD Work Packages (WPs).
Objectives of FLAVO (1) Determine the optimal source and dose of PAs for conferring health benefits while avoiding potential risks (WorkPackage 1). (2) To develop analytical tools for selecting raw materials and transformation processes for modifying PA composition in order to ensure optimal quality of plant-derived foods and beverages (WorkPackage 2). (3) Provide biotechnological tools for producing Fruits & Vegetables with an optimised PAs composition (WorkPackage 3). (4) Study consumer attitudes towards the processes used and products derived from the application of these novel technologies and inform all the stakeholders in the food chain of the scientifically substantiated benefits (risks) of PA-enriched foods (WorkPackage 4).
FLAVO: From Fork to Farm WP4: SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT AND RISK ASSESSMENT WP1 HEALTH (CVD) & NUTRITION Quality of life / Improved health
WP2 FOOD QUALITY & NUTRITION Consumers
Impacts on human health through PA colonic fermentation products
Foods & Beverages
WP3 FLAVONOID BIOSYNTHESIS Fresh Products
Crop Plants
Synthesis and properties of Proanthocyanidins in plants and foods
WP5: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
WP1 - Health and Nutrition: Impact of PA and metabolites on human health:
• Fermentation, absorption and metabolism of PAs • Impact of PAs from food on oxidative stress and cardio-vascular functions • Identification of biomarkers of response of PAs consumption: application to Genomics
WP2 - Food Quality and Nutrition: Selection of raw materials and processes to optimize flavonoid composition & quality in food: • Provision of Plant materials, Food, extracts and compounds with defined Flavonoid composition • Developing tools for obtaining plants of defined Flavonoid composition • Processes for maintaining/modifying flavonoid content in plant-derived food • Assessing quality of fruits and derived food & beverages with modified flavonoid content
WP3 - Flavonoid Biosynthesis: Analyzing/selecting Fruits & Vegetables with optimized flavonoid content: • Characterization of Proanthocyanidin genes • Comparative Genomics • Genetic diversity & Molecular markers • Genetic Engineering
WP4 - Socio-economic aspects & Risk assessment:
• Dissemination of results to stakeholders and public • Acceptance of new modified food product & new food processes by consumers • Cost benefit & sustainability analyses
Partners of the consortium (1) WP1 - Health and Nutrition: •
Institute of Food Research (IFR), UK - CR7 - WP1 Leader Norwich - Nutrition Division Partner leader: Paul Kroon http://www.ifr.bbsrc.ac.uk
•
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), FR - CO1 Clermont-Ferrand - Metabolic diseases & micronutrients (CO1.2) Partner leader: Augustin Scalbert http://www.clermont.inra.fr
•
(RIKILT), NL - CR3 Wageningen - RIKILT Partner leader: Peter Hollman http://www.rikilt.wur.nl or http://www.foodbioactives.nl
Partners of the consortium (2) WP1 - Health and Nutrition: • Università degli Studi di Firenze (UF), IT - CR4 Florence - Dipartimento di Farmacologia Partner leader: Piero Dolara http://www.pharm.unifi.it
• Technical research Centre of Finland (VTT), FI- CR8 Helsinki - VTT Biotechnology Partner leader: Anna-Marja Aura http://www.vtt.fi •
Nestec S.A. (Nestec), CH - CR14 Lausanne - Food Sciences Department Partner leader: Gary Williamson http://www.nestle.com
Partners of the consortium (3) WP2 - Food Quality & Nutrition: •
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), FR - CO1 - Montpellier -Sciences for Oenology - WP Leader (CO1.1) Partner leader: Véronique Cheynier http://www.montpellier.inra.fr/spo/english/index.html - Rennes - Cider Research Unit (CO1.1) Partner leader: Catherine Renard http://www.rennes.inra.fr
•
Akademia Rolnicza Wroclaw (ARW), PL - CR10 Wroclaw - Department Fruit, Vegetables and Grain technology Partner leader: Jan Oszmianski http://www.ar.wroc.pl or http://www.ar.wroc.pl/english/index.html
Partners of the consortium (4) WP2 - Food Quality & Nutrition: 窶｢
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), ES - CR11 Espinardo - CEBAS, Department of Food science and Technology Partner leader: Francisco Tomas-Barberan http://www.cebas.csic.es/DepAlimentos.htm
窶｢
INTER-RHﾃ年E (I-R), FR - CR12 Avignon Partner leader: Stﾃｩphane Vidal http://www.inter-rhone.fr
Partners of the consortium (5) WP3 - Flavonoid Biosynthesis: •
Plant Research International B.V. (PRI), NL - CR2- WP Leader Wageningen - Business unit Bioscience Partner leader: Arnaud Bovy http://www.plant.wur.nl
•
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), FR - CO1- Coordinator Versailles - Seed Biology Laboratory (CO01) Partner leader: Loïc Lepiniec http://www-ijpb.versailles.inra.fr/en/bs/bs_accueil.htm
•
Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente (ENEA), IT - CR6 Rotondella - Centro Ricerche Trisaia Partner leader: Gaetano Perrotta http://www.enea.it or http://wwwcas.casaccia.enea.it
Partners of the consortium (6) WP3 - Flavonoid Biosynthesis: •
Philipps Universität Marburg (PUM), DE - CR9 Marburg - Institute for Pharmaceutics Biology Partner leader: Stefan Martens http://www.uni-marburg.de or http://www.natural-flavonoids.de
•
Universität Bielefeld (UNBI), DE - CR13 Bielefeld - Department of Biology, Chair of Genome Research Partner leader: Bernd Weisshaar http://www.uni-bielefeld.de
Partners of the consortium (7) WP4 - Socio-economic aspects: •
Technical research Centre of Finland (VTT), FI- CR8 - WP4 Leader Helsinki - Consumer and Sensory studies Partner leader: Liisa Lähteenmäki http://www.vtt.fi
•
Wageningen Universiteit (WU) , NL- CR5 Wageningen - META WP4 / Partner leader: Bart Gremmen http://www.wur.nl or http://www.lei-meta.nl
•
INTER-RHÔNE (I-R), FR - CR12 Avignon Partner leader: Stéphane Vidal http://www.inter-rhone.fr
Dissemination of results CO01-CR8 WP1 Impact of PA and metabolites on human health CR7
WP4-Socio-economic Impact & Risk assessment CR8 Acceptance of new modified food product & new food processes Cost benefit analysis CR5-CR12 CR5
O
O H
Fermentation, absorption and metabolism of PAsO N CR3-CR8-CR14
OH
Impact of PAs from food on oxidative stress andOcardio-vascular functions CO01.2-CR3-CR7 Identification of novel biomarkers of response to PA consumption: application to Genomics CR4-CR7
O H
WP3 Analyzing/selecting Fruits & OH Vegetables with optimized Flavonoid content OH CR2
WP2 Selection of raw materials and Processes to optimize Flavonoid Composition & quality in food CO01.1
O
H Provision
HO
of Plant materials, Food, extracts and compounds with defined Flavonoid composition CO01-CO01.1-CR6
Developing tools for obtaining plants OH of defined Flavonoid composition CO01-CO01.1-CR2 H O H Processes for maintaining/modifying flavonoid content in plant-derived food CO01.1-CR10-CR11-CR12
Assessing quality of fruits and derived food & beverages with modified flavonoid content CO01.1-CR11-CR12 WP5-Management of the consortium CO01
O
Characterization of ProAnthocyanidin genes CO01-CO01.1-CR9
O H Comparative
Genomics CR2-CR13
OH
Genetic O diversity & Molecular markers CO01.1-CR6 OH Genetic Engineering CO01-CR2 OH
OH
Project Effort & Budget allocation Effort
Budget
VTT VTT
Plant science 37% Effort (5 teams) Food Quality & Nutrition 28% Effort (5 teams) Nutrition & Health 27% Effort (5 teams)
IFR R
Socio-Economic aspects 4% Effort (2 teams)
V C
Management 4% Effort (5 teams)
WU RIKILT UNIBI PRI
M
PUM Nest I-R
ARW
R e s e a r c h
85%
Socio-Economic Impact: 8%
UF
Management 7% CSIC
ENEA
FLAVO Websites • Consumers’ information: http://flavo.vtt.fi • Consumers’ contact: flavomail@vtt.fi • Project ongoing & scientific information: http://www.flavo.info • Project Contact: flavo04@versailles.inra.fr