Better food for all: the development of innovative and functional probiotic yogurt

国家食品战略描述了创新的必要性，以创造更好的食品体系，改善国民饮食，摆脱垃圾食品循环，并保护国民健康保险制度。英国需要有效地管理非传染性疾病和慢性病，并改善从长期系统性炎症状况中恢复过来。重点需要转移到更健康的饮食上，提供基本营养的食物，以及对健康有益的高价值、小众的“功能性”食物。消费者越来越多地以健康和功能为目的购买食品，市场已经准备就绪。食品生产需要可持续，减少碳排放，减少从田野到叉子的里程数和可追溯性，并采用与脱碳议程相关的创新解决方案。乳制品创新，通过浓缩和功能开发，可以产生除了基本的健康营养外，还能带来额外的健康和福祉好处的产品。酸奶和奶昔可提供充足的微量和宏观营养摄入，改善消化和胃肠问题，减少全身炎症、骨质疏松症、心血管疾病和代谢综合征风险因素，如肥胖。该项目旨在测试创新和功能食品的可行性，以酸奶/奶昔为基础，结合当地来源的可持续成分和副产品，包括绿茶、蜂蜜、亚胺糖和相关化合物、大黄根、高维生素D蘑菇和传统苹果，以改善营养和提高品质。将使用创新的技术和工艺，包括先进的喷雾和冷冻干燥技术、发酵、反渗透、分离和分馏。将评估增强的功能成分的化学变化、感官属性和消费者感知。这些成分将被添加到优化的酸奶/奶昔基础中，以创造天然的生物强化的、经常消费的“零食/方便”产品。含有增强的“生物活性”成分的补充物将被包括在全血刺激(_体外__)实验中，以寻找抗炎活性。随后将进行人体可行性食品试验，调查食品对生物流体成分、健康和健康的影响。从营养学家的角度进行营养分析将探索关键成分/产品的功能。市场研究将评估这些新的和功能成分/食品的用途、吸引力和需求。该项目将为成分和产品的商业化以及知识产权开发提供支持，以填补高价值利基‘功能食品’的空白，并将产品投放市场。该项目将为公司提供商业和科学背景的融合，以加速它们的竞争和市场优势，并支持未来的NPD、研发和市场进入，同时支持F&D的发展，证明其对健康有好处和声明。

The National Food Strategy describes the need for innovation to create a better food system, improve the national diet, escape the junk food cycle and protect the NHS. The UK needs to effectively manage non-communicable diseases, chronic conditions and improve recovery from long-term systemic inflammatory conditions. Emphasis needs to shift to healthier diets with foods providing basic nutrition, alongside high value, niche 'functional' foods that have health benefits. Consumers are increasingly purchasing food products for healthful and functional purposes, and the market is primed. Food production needs to be sustainable with reduced carbon emissions, reduced field-to-fork miles and traceability, with innovative solutions in relation to the decarbonisation agenda.Dairy innovation, through enrichment and functional development, can result in products that, besides basic healthy nourishment, confer additional health and well-being benefits. Yogurt and smoothie consumption provides adequate intake of micro and macro nutrients, and improves digestion and gastrointestinal problems, and reduces systemic inflammation, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome risk factors such as obesity.This project aims test the feasibility of innovative and 'functional foods' using yogurt/smoothies as a base combined with locally sourced, sustainable ingredients and side-streams including green tea, honey, iminosugars and related-compounds, rhubarb root, high vitamin D mushroom and heritage apple, to improve nutrition and enhance quality. Innovative technologies and processes will be used, including advanced spray and freeze-drying technology, fermentation, reverse osmosis, separation, and fractionating. Enhanced functional ingredients will be assessed for chemical changes, sensory attributes and consumer perception. These ingredients will be added to optimised yogurt/smoothie bases to create naturally biofortified, commonly consumed 'snack/convenience' products.Supplements with enhanced 'bioactive' composition will be included in whole blood stimulation (_in vitro_) experiments to look for anti-inflammatory activity. This will be followed by a human feasibility food trial investigating effects of the food product on biofluid composition, wellness, and health.Nutritional analysis from a nutritionist perspective will explore the functionality of the key ingredients/products. Market research will assess the use, appeal, and demand of these novel and functional ingredients/foods. Support will be provided for the commercialisation of the ingredients and products, along with IP exploitation, to fill the gap for high value niche 'Functional Foods' and deliver products to market.This project will provide companies a fusion of business and scientific backgrounds, to accelerate their competitive and market advantage, and support future NPD, R&D and market entry, while underpinning the development of F&D with proven health benefits and claims.