Development of functional ingredients for modulation of the human intestinal microbiota

• Grant number: 23/18252-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Elisa Valencise Quaglio
• Grantee: Ana Elisa Valencise Quaglio
• Company: Verum Brasil Comércio Alimentício Ltda
• CNAE: Comércio atacadista de produtos alimentícios em geral ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: Botucatu
• Associated researchers: Ligia Yukie Sassaki ; Luiz Claudio Di Stasi ; Ricardo Luis Araujo Dias
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/13826-9 - Development of a prebiotic functional blend for food supplementation, BP.TT; 24/18026-0 - Evaluation of the use of isolated ingredients or functional blends to modulate the intestinal microbiota of healthy individuals, BP.TT

Abstract

Functional foods are those products that, in addition to their intrinsic nutritional value, promote benefits and can act in the prevention and/or treatment of various diseases, being considered one of the most innovative strategies for maintaining health. The ingredients that modulate the intestinal microbiota (probiotics and prebiotics) represents one of the fastest growing categories in the functional ingredients market and the development of new products that present this proven activity is commercially very attractive. Currently, the main prebiotic compounds studied and sold are oligosaccharides, but other classes of substances have been identified as potential products with prebiotic activity. Therefore, in this project our objectives are to prove the prebiotic activity of by-products or plant extracts and the development of an innovative product (blend) that associate distinct prebiotic action mechanisms.Based on the evaluation of large-volume agricultural chains in Brazil, the availability of the by-product or plant extract under competitive commercial conditions and the prebiotic potential of the product developed, we believe that there is a real possibility of developing new options for the prebiotic ingredients segment. The products studied in this project are generated in thousands of tons every year and their commercial exploitation represents a great opportunity to generate revenue and, in some cases, to reduce their environmental impact. After confirming the prebiotic potential of products and the blend in preliminary studies, we now seek to optimize the prebiotic activity of these products, their technical standardization, and the evaluation of prebiotic activity in vivo through clinical studies on healthy volunteers. (AU)