Workpackages

Traditional foods of the Black Sea area will represent BaSeFood's pool of primary information that will be extensively explored by WP1.
The information acquired will be mediated by BaSeFood and used to plan the activities related to:

• the study of bioactive substances in traditional foods of the Black Sea area ( WP2);
• their mechanisms of activity and role in human health ( WP3);
• retention during processing and upgraded processing schemes ( WP4);
• the involvement of stakeholders and the enhancement of EU SMEs innovation and competitiveness potential. This point will include the interaction with consumers' perceptions and stakeholders' points of view ( WP5);
• the knowledge acquired by WP1 will also flow directly to consumers and independent information organs ( WP6), together with the scientific and experimental data acquired in the other WPs. 

Workpackage 1. Surveying, recording and describing traditional foods (WP leader: HHF)

Objectives.
Survey, record and description of the traditional foods in the Black Sea area.

Documentation on traditional foods in the Back sea area, both at a national level (major or staple traditional foods) and at regional or local scale
These activities will represent the core background of BaSeFood.

Specific

• To survey traditional foods, in order to collect and develop the necessary preliminary information for the selection of the combination of food / bioactives, to be further investigated in the other parts of the project.
• To develop integrated reports, specific to each selected food, which may contribute to proprietary claims at a national or European level, or health and nutritional claims.
• To produce additional documentation and preliminary reports, on a larger number of foods and describe all aspects of present available knowledge (main raw materials, plant diversity, other ingredients, ways of preparation, historical and folkloric features), which may prove useful for enhance general knowledge and promote future proprietary or health claims.

Workpackage 2. Bioactive components, nutritional and microbiological characterization of traditional foods. (WP leader: INSA)

Objectives

Health claim substantiation for selected traditional foods in the Black Sea area, by producing data for chemical and microbiological characterisation of selected foods.

Specific

• To establish a priority list of bioactive compounds with putative health benefits based on their distribution in traditional foods and published data on biological effects using EuroFIR system and bioactive databases and other published sources of information.
• To adapt the EuroFIR process for the identification of suitable laboratories, the allocation of specific analytical tasks,  and the selection of appropriately validated methods of analysis.
• To identify and provide new validated data for a selected range of bioactive compounds in traditional foods, by carrying out basic proximate / nutritional analyses of 30 prioritised foods, and determining of bioactives involved in functions related to other WPs (WP3 and WP4).
• To identify the key microorganisms present through the food processing chain in the proposed traditional foods from WP1, and their influence on the quality and safety of selected traditional foods with specific attention on bioactive content and bioavailability and health promoting properties.

Workpackage 3. Health-promoting properties, absorption and bioactivity of target components. (WP leader: IFR)

Objectives

Health claim substantiation for selected traditional foods in the Black Sea area, by producing evidence of health promoting properties of selected foods, both by means of a direct effect or via micro-organism mediated mechanisms

Specific

• To generate in vitro bioactivity data for extracts from a range of foods typical of the BSAC and of important inherent bioactive compounds

• To measure the effects of selected food extracts / bioactive compounds on cell functions related to vascular function and CVD risk and select priority food(s) for clinical trials.

• To measure the effects of selected food extracts / bioactive compounds on the gut including the composition of the flora and mucosal immune function and select priority food(s) for clinical trials

• To measure the bioavailability and efficacy of selected BSAC food(s) in controlled randomised clinical trials and provide data to support health claims.

Workpackage 4. Technological-chain effects on bioactives in traditional foods. (WP leader: ONAFT)

Objectives

Process optimisation and improved retention of key bioactive components identified, by investigating the fate of key bioactive components during processing, and draw technological itineraries to improve retention.

Specific

• To select Black Sea area traditional foods, related plant raw materials and unit operations for further studies of processing and scaling up.
• To assess yield and retention factors of bioactive components for selected foods in relation to specific critical unit operations.
• To assess or compile existing processing flow charts during food preparation or production (at home, or in a restaurant, or at the industrial level).
• To develop new foods with increased yield and retention factors by optimising traditional flow charts including quality of plant raw materials and / or technological parameters of critical unit operations.
• To test the developed new foods for  potential health promoting properties on the basis of the chemical composition and for consumers' acceptance.

Workpackage 5. Chain development and consumer issues in health-promoting traditional foods (WP leader: UNIBO)

Objectives

Perception of traditional food of the Black Sea area in a healthy context among consumers and stakeholders 

Specific

• To explore the opportunities given by the combination of traditional and health promoting properties by means of a multi-stakeholder, chain-approach, investigation.
• To determine consumers' perception and expectations of Black sea area local traditional foods among consumers and processors, by means of questionnaire-based surveys.

Workpackage 6. Dissemination. (WP leader: UNIBO)

Objectives

To achieve the maximum impact of project's results

Specific

• To produce a well tuned and verifiable dissemination master plan.
• To establish a means of communication for beneficiaries through the Website and make the Website an instrument for further communication and organisation of dissemination events.
• To make available the results of experimental work on nutritional values and health claim supporting possibilities of the food examined through the EuroFIR database and other dissemination tools.
• To involve stakeholders in the phases of planning, activities and dissemination.
• To participate at, and organise specific dissemination events.

WP 7. Project management (WP leader: UNIBO)

Objectives

To implement the Consortium activities through effective technical and financial management

Specific

• Management of Consortium activities.
• Ensure that ethical issues are timely and appropriately taken into account.
• Ensure that IP is properly managed.