The University of Eastern Finland is a partner in an EU project aiming to study the health benefits of fermented foods and to develop new plant-based foodstuffs. Another goal of the HealthFerm project is to support the transition to more sustainable, more plant-based diets.
During the two-year project, the University of Eastern Finland will carry out two extensive human intervention studies to investigate the gut-mediated health effects of diets where animal-based products are replaced with plant-based foods.
“We will specifically look into the effect of plant proteins on the composition and activity of gut microbiota,” says Professor Marjukka Kolehmainen from the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition.
Fermentation with microbial cultures is a traditional process used to enhance the shelf-life of foods. Fermented food products have gained a reputation as promotors of health, but little scientific evidence exists for their actual health effects. One of the key goals of the interdisciplinary HealthFerm consortium is to find out how the microorganisms in fermented foods can improve our health. In the project’s particular interest is to study how dietary changes that include fermented foods can reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
In addition, novel healthy and nutritious foods based on legumes and cereals will be developed in the project. The goal is to develop tastier fermented plant-based ingredients as alternatives to fermented dairy and other animal-based products, and thus participate in shifting into more sustainable diets with novel, plant-based foodstuffs.
A worldwide sample collection of food fermentation microbiomes will be organised, their potential in new foodstuffs will be analysed and fermentation processes will be optimised in the project. The researchers will also investigate consumer perceptions towards fermented and plant-based foods in Europe.
The HealthFerm project has received a funding of a total of 13.1 million euros from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and from the Swiss government. The consortium is coordinated by KU Leuven, Belgium, and consists of 22 partners from across Europe. The Finnish partners are the Universities of Eastern Finland, Helsinki and Turku, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Valio Ltd, and Healthgrain Forum.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Marjukka Kolehmainen, University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition
https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/person/marjukka.kolehmainen/
