DEMICROCAROB · DEVELOPMENT AND MARKET UPTAKE OF AN INNOVATIVE TYPE OF MICRONIZED DEHYDRATED CAROB

Superfoods are increasingly popular according to industry sources; 56% of European consumers use superfoods to improve their health with food or drink. The term “superfood” is a marketing term; essentially, it is used to describe foods and food ingredients that are “nutrient-rich” or “nutrient-dense”, or those that are believed to have health benefits. Currently, consumers are very concerned about health and many of them share the perception that the onset of many chronic diseases can be prevented with the intake of a nutritious diet. Besides they are now moving towards food products that are obtained from natural non-genetically modified organism extracts, so there is a new market niche that can be undertaken by the development of high nutritional and functional superfoods at reasonable prices -lower than the actual ones.DEMICROCAROB project will produce a new natural ingredient from the raw carob pulp, with functional properties (antioxidant, energetic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antidiahorrea, antihyperlipidemia between others) and without chemicals, by means of an innovative and sustainable process: dehydrated micronized carob powder. DEMICROCAROB product will be commercialise in superfood market.