SBIR Phase I: Enhancing Nutritional Value of Underutilized Leafy Vegetables to Develop Innovative Baby Food Products

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目计划开发具有优化营养价值的创新婴儿食品。本研究的目的是通过以机械为基础的方法建立优化的加工方法，以提高未被充分利用的叶类蔬菜的营养生物有效性和适口性。这一建议的智力价值来自于我们独特地专注于将“材料力学”方法应用于食品系统，作为一种自然优化营养价值的手段，而不是转基因、食品强化或过度加工方法。利用这项专利技术，该公司将首先开发一种具有优化营养价值的重点婴儿食品产品，以帮助改善婴儿营养，然后扩大开发一系列针对儿童发展不同阶段的食品。如果该项目成功，将通过为美国市场创造高营养价值食品来促进婴儿和儿童的健康发展，并防止儿童肥胖。这些食品背后的科学创新通过自然手段了解和优化食品中的营养吸收，可能会影响食品行业的实践，以及当地的农业发展、农民教育和农村社区的就业。该公司将与美国当地农民合作，作为植物原材料的来源。在美国，婴儿食品是一个巨大的市场(100亿美元)，对天然有机产品的需求不断增长。在用最少的加工从天然原料开发营养食品方面，该公司将拥有相对于其他食品的显著竞争优势。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop innovative baby food products with optimized nutritional value. The research objective is to establish optimized processing methods through mechanics-based approaches to enhance nutrient bioavailability and palatability of underutilized leafy vegetables. The intellectual merit of this proposal is derived from our unique focus on applying "mechanics of materials" approaches to food systems as a means to naturally optimize nutritional value, as opposed to genetic modification, food fortification, or overprocessing methods. Using this proprietary technology, the company will first develop a focused baby food product with optimized nutritional value to help improve infant nutrition, and then expand to develop a range of food products targeting different stages of childhood development.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project, if successful, will be to promote healthy development of infants and children, and to prevent childhood obesity through the creation of high nutritional value food products for the US market. The scientific innovation behind these food products in understanding and optimizing nutrient absorption from foods through natural means could impact food industry practices, and local agricultural development, farmer education, and jobs in rural communities. The company will partner with regional US farmers as a source of raw plant materials. In the US, baby food products are a large market ($10 billion), with increasing demand for natural, organic products. In developing nutritious food products from natural raw materials with minimal processing, the company will have significant competitive advantages over other food products.