Award details

FP Studentship: Flavonoids in fruits and vegetables: their impact on food quality, nutrition and human health

Reference	BBS/E/F/00041905
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Paul Kroon
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Birgit Teucher
Institution	Quadram Institute Bioscience
Department	Quadram Institute Bioscience Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	436,073
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/01/2005
End date	30/06/2008
Duration	42 months

Abstract

The overall objective of the project is to provide the necessary knowledge and tools to enable development of high quality, consumer-desirable fruit and vegetables (F&V) and derived foods / beverages containing flavonoids at levels that are optimal for human health. Proanthocyanidins (PA, also known as `condensed tannins¿) will be the focus of the studies because, unlike other flavonoids, there is consistent evidence from short-term clinical trials supporting a role for PA in maintaining cardiovascular function and decreasing cardiovascular disease risk. Such clinical studies have used PA-rich extracts (e.g. grape seed and pine bark extracts, cocoa) as PA-rich materials. Fruits are known sources of PA, and application of improved analytical methods has indicated that some fruits are PA-rich food sources. This knowledge, combined with recent advances in our understanding of, and ability to specifically alter, plant flavonoid biosynthesis and food / beverage content, will be exploited to develop F&V with altered PA composition as health-promoting food products. The specific aims are: (1) To determine the optimal source and dose of PAs for conferring health benefits while avoiding potential risks; (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; (3) To provide tools for growing, analysing, processing, selecting and engineering F&V with an optimised PA composition, and (4) To study consumer attitudes towards the processes used and products derived from the application of novel technologies to increase flavonoid composition, and inform all the stakeholders in the food chain of the scientifically substantiated benefits (and safety) of PA-enriched foods.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	Crop Science, Diet and Health, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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