Overview

The goal of the "Innovative sustainable solutions for ready-to-eat traditional Mediterranean products and non-conventional healthy foods" (InnoSol4Med) project revolves around developing and marketing healthier foods through an innovative concept: upgrading ingredients from nutritious to functional using mild technological solutions. Modern lifestyles lead to a reliance on highly processed foods with compromised nutritional value. In response, InnoSol4Med will use mild food processing and biopreservation techniques to retain the food's nutritional value while enhancing its functional properties and safety. A notable aspect of the project involves using non-conventional raw materials like legumes, nuts, and vegetables as fermentation matrices. This addresses the growing consumer demand for plant-based, nutrient-rich, and mildly preserved foods without intensive treatments or chemical additives. InnoSol4Med will explore functional ingredients sourced from underutilized matrices to promote the sustainability and profitability of the traditional food chain. The project will investigate non-thermal innovative technological solutions (ozone and nanoemulsions) and their impact on the bioactivity, stability, bioavailability, and functionality of functional ingredients in food models. The project focuses on optimizing fermentation processes for non-conventional raw materials and traditional products by isolating and characterizing new strains with desirable functional and technological properties. These strains will be used to create innovative healthy fermented products and enhance the quality of traditional bakery and dairy products. The third approach involves assessing consumer attitudes and preferences for minimally processed and healthy ready-to-eat products. InnoSol4Med aims to propose tailored business models and awareness campaigns to promote the adoption of the innovative food prototypes developed in the project. The goal is to create new market opportunities, support local producers, and improve consumer value perception. In summary, InnoSol4Med seeks to revolutionize Mediterranean food supply chains by developing sustainable and healthy products, promoting innovative business models, and understanding consumer preferences. It encompasses innovative ingredient sourcing, mild food processing, microbial strain optimization, and consumer-driven marketing strategies to create a more environmentally friendly and health-conscious food landscape.


The main objectives of InnoSol4Med project are:
1. To introduce innovative matrices (essential oils, natural compounds/extracts) from sustainable sources (agro-food by-products) and autochthonous microbial strains, as new functional ingredients and solutions for the improvement of quality, safety, nutritional value and functionality of traditional foods and development of new food products in synergy with non-thermal innovative technological solutions (ozone, nanoemulsions, fermentation),
2. Measuring consumer attitudes and preferences for low-processed and healthy ready-to-eat foods (RTE) in order to propose new and tailored business models and awareness campaigns that can support the adoption and exploitation of the innovative solutions developed in the project.

This project is part of the PRIMA program supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Project ID: 1836.