BAKE4FUN · Innovative biotechnological solutions for the production of new bakery functional foods

Nutritional iron deficiency (ID) is estimated to affect 1.5–2 billion people worldwide. In the Western society, consumers are increasingly adopting a preventive dietary strategy to reduce food intake or the consumption of specific foods, thus leading to the decrease of micronutrient intake correlated to ID. BAKE4FUN responds to the needs of food SMEs of innovating food formulations and technologies to overcome the negative effect of iron fortification of bakery products on their sensorial characteristics in order to produce bakery foods with an improved nutritional profile and health-promoting effects.In particular, BAKE4FUN aims to provide design, validate and develop innovative health-promoting bakery products based on a new iron microencapsulation technology and on the use of non-conventional high-added value whole grain flours, able to obtain healthy, sustainable and ethically correct products, to increase antioxidant intake and to improve the gut microflora.Research activities to be carried out within BAKE4FUN will be focused on i) the bioavailability of microencapsulated iron in fortified breads, their effects on the iron status, on biomarkers of oxidation and inflammation; ii) the effect of bread obtained by the sourdough fermentation of non-conventional grains on the gut microbiota, the glycaemic load, and the inflammatory and oxidative status.The BAKE4FUN project brings together 7 partners from 3 EU Member States: 3 RTD Performers will make their multidisciplinary and complementary expertise in the areas of food technology, microbiology and in vitro/in vivo analyses available to 4 SMEs operating in the food market. The project results are expected to have a significant impact on the competitiveness of SME Participants that will be able to expand their business by adding to their product range new food formulations and healthy bakery products, obtained through a combination of non conventional grains and innovative bread-making processes.