Food
FOOD
ESRs will be trained to obtain food with improved nutritional and health benefits thanks to the complementary interaction of food technology, food microbiology and analytical sciences, by applying a problem solving and critical thinking integrated approach.
Paola Pittia, University of Teramo
Michele Del Carlo, University of Teramo
ESR7: Fermented foods, from microbes to functionality
Aldo Corsetti, University of Teramo
ESR1
Development of encapsulated olive oil and olive extracts as innovative natural and health food ingredient
Internal tutor:
External academic institutions:
Tutor:
Non-academic host institution:
Supervisor:
ESRs:
Objectives, methods and topic interactions:
- To produce encapsulated olive phenolic extracts and olive oil with significant health properties in collaboration with UniL. Encapsulation techniques investigated include freeze- and spray-drying, extrusion (FUB), coacervation and liposomes (UniL).
- To assess the healthy effect of encapsulated extracts on in-vitro model on food- and gut-related microrganisms in collaboration with UniL and ESR7.
- To determine health functionality, stability and bioavailability of optimized encapsulated extractsin real food systems (gelled and emulsified type-products, e.g. either fermented bakery or dairy products) in collaboration with FUB and Lesieur.
- To determine the role of encapsulated olive phenolic extracts on tumor initiation and progression (ESR11).
ESR 2
Novel nanomaterial for lab on chip devices development: application to environmental stressors in food system and their effect on the oxidative stress in select cell.
Internal Tutor
External academic institution
Tutor
Non-academic institution
MicruX Fluidic S.L. MicruX Technologies MicruX
Supervisor
ESRs
Objectives, methods and topic interactions:
- To develop novel nano-biosensors that are able to detect: i) possible exposure to chemical environmental stressors, ii) functional food effect on such stressors in living organism, iii) the level of oxidative stress in living organism upon diet supplementatio
- To realize computational model with predictive capabilities for each nano-biosensors;
- To develop an integrated lab-on-chip device which will be designed as doctor office device (UAH, MicruX)
- To couple the developed technology to cell based assay in collaboration with ESR 3, ESR 11, and ESR12 to achieve a versatile high-tech platform to asses environmental stressor activity and functional food protection effects on spermatozoa homeostasis and cancer cell-lines evolution
ESR 7
Fermented foods, from microbes to functionality.
Internal Tutor
External academic institution
Tutor
Non-academic institution
Supervisor
ESRs
Objectives, methods and topic interactions:
- To select food-associated microorganisms, to evaluate, by in vitro assays, gastrointestinal tract(GIT) tolerance besides associated mechanisms, by transcriptomic (using RT-PCR) and proteomic approaches (using 2D-electrophoresis).
- To evaluate, for GIT-resistant strains, the capability of adhesion to intestinal cells; to assess host immunity modulation by in vitro assays; to study the antigenotoxic activity against model genotoxins (in cooperation with ESR5); to utilize metabolomics approaches to understand the ability of autochthonous microorganisms to produce other substances that influence host health (using UPLC-MS). To test selected strains as feed adjunct as free or encapsulated cells (in collaboration with ESR1) for obese and diabetic pets (in cooperation with ESR9), and reproductive activity in zebrafish model (in cooperation with ESR8).
- Genome sequencing of selected strains with genome mining and bioinformatics analysis. In vitro assays to determine the ability of autochthonous microorganisms to metabolize bile acids to generate bile acid signatures with the potential to impact upon host health (using UPLC-MS)(Synbiotec, UCC). This will be combined with data from genome mining to permit an understanding of the bile acid metabolic capabilities of food bacteria (UCC).To evaluate the release of bioactive or neuroactive compounds involved on the brain-gut axis (psychobiotic function; this would require input from Prof John Cryan). To evaluate the interaction between microorganisms and the transcriptional regulation of target genes investigated by ESR6 and involved in different ED and obesity.
Rep-Eat - H2020-MSCA-COFUND-2015
University of Teramo - Via Renato Balzarini 1 - 64100 - Teramo (TE) - Italy
REP_EAT MSCA Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND) HORIZON 2020” – Grant Agreement N. 713714.CUP: C47B16000360007
