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The Project

About

Start month: May 2021 

End month:  October 2024 

Total months duration: 42 months 

The LOCALNUTLEG project objective is to empower local Mediterranean nuts and legumes with a legal registered trademark (Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)) or autochthonous identity through the development of innovative plant-based added-value food products tied to recover the attractiveness of the Mediterranean diet. The project aims to identify local nut and legumes varieties linked to Mediterranean gastronomic cultures, providing alternative-protein and maximum amount of nutrients and bioactive compounds and adopting them in Mediterranean diets through their use in plant-based dairy analogues, potential plant-based flours for bakery and pasta and added-value traditional ready-to-eat meals. Qualitative and quantitative research will be carried out in EU participating countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and France) and non-EU countries (Israel, Turkey and Morocco) to determine consumer acceptance of the developed products.

Specific Objectives

  1. Provide a complete nutritional and biochemical portfolio of nut and legume crops with PDO/PGI/autochthonous identity from Israel, Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Portugal and France,
  2. Produce innovative and healthy plant-based food products by adopting innovative processes to reach high quality products,
  3. Increase the range of local nut and legume-based products at Mediterranean level,
  4. Develop a commercialization and exploitation strategy for all the new developed products.
  5. To promote Health benefits of the studied

This project will allow the development of new business opportunities for the production of local healthy food while supporting job creation, retention in rural areas and provide economic opportunities for Mediterranean countries to valorise their local biodiversity.

Impact

Expected impacts:

  • Optimized eco-friendly food processing technologies and tools to preserve the original nutritional value and enrich the valuable bioactive contents in the final food products, compared to conventional methods.
  • Development of new value-added foods products/forms from traditional Mediterranean diet with proven health benefits, accompanied with proper understanding of the markets and high end-customers satisfaction and trust
  • Development of efficient national/regional strategies, addressing the critical gaps and valorising the potential opportunities in the Mediterranean countries nutrition policy and considering the socio-economic and health impacts, that balance the dietary habits of Mediterranean consumers and the sustainability of Agri-food resources.
  • Contribution to improved dynamics of Mediterranean lifestyle (diet, physical activity and socio-cultural habits) as an important element of the Mediterranean cultural inheritance

FUNDING

LOCALNUTLEG project is financed by PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) funded by the European programme H2020. The PRIMA programme is an Art. 185 initiative supported and funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. 

The Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area consists of European Union Member States, Horizon 2020 Associated Countries and Mediterranean Partner Countries on an equal footing basis (co-ownership, co-management and co-funding) with the Participation of the European Commission, under the framework of TFEU art. 185. 

More information here: https://prima-med.org