Deadline: 06-Oct-21
The European Commission (EC) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the Microbes for healthy and sustainable food and diets.
In this context food based on microbial fermentation needs further investigation as it currently accounts for 5 to 40% of the diet (country depending) yet they still know little of its role in the human digestive system after ingestion.
Further research should provide sustainable dietary strategies based on microbe-fermented foods aiming to improve human health and sustainability of dietary patterns, and help in determining any possible role in metabolic disease control.
Food fermented by microorganisms and food ingredients produced by them also have huge innovation potential, in particular for SMEs, for local development, and as a way of minimizing food waste from non-optimal raw material, waste products from food manufacturing, or seasonal overproduction.
Proposals are expected to address the following:
- Understand the interaction of microbial biodiversity, mechanisms between fermented foods, different types of food microbiomes, and the human microbiomes in order to determine the role of fermented food in nutrition, health and diet diversification.
- Develop applicable solutions for the food processing industry utilizing microbial potential in the production of food ingredients, and nutrients including formulation into food products.
- Develop new tests to evaluate the condition of the symbiosis between humans and microbiotas used routinely in pro- and diagnostics.
- Using microbes to reduce food packaging, food processing inputs (e.g.: energy, water), chemicals used in food (production), while ensuring the increased lifespan and safety of the products and the benefits to human and animal health.
- Activate societal engagement with relevant stakeholders (e.g. farmers, civil society organisations, regulatory bodies, citizens and media outlets) in order to ensure product acceptability and labelling in compliance with the relevant legal framework.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- A furthering of open access provision for the necessary standardisation, identification, and mapping techniques of existing and potential beneficial microorganisms, and microbial consortia for use in food processing, which providing an assessment of their benefits with respect to nutrition, health, food safety, circularity, and sustainability.
- Knowledge from the assessment of the economic, societal and environmental importance of fermented foods and of their role in transition from animal to vegetable proteins.
- Advanced knowledge on what can be considered a healthy human microbiota and the conditions (for example diet and treatments) under which this equilibrium is disrupted.
- Further knowledge on fermentation-based solutions for food products and processes, such as improved nutritional, structural, and functional properties, and enhanced food preservation.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3dR2z4g