EIT Food #FoodScienceClass
The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn is implementing the international project #FoodScienceClass, powered by EIT Food. A total number of 300 students from Israel, Poland, Belgium and Finland take part in the second edition of the project. Poland will be represented by two classes from the XII High School in Olsztyn, named after Maria and George Dietrich, and two classes from the Primary School in Dywity, named after Maria Zientara-Malewska.
Students will take part in a series of activities that will familiarize them with topics of production, processing and food safety, as well as responsible consumer attitudes. As part of the project, students will have a unique opportunity to play the role of young researchers and – under the guidance of mentors, scientists of the IARFR PAS in Olsztyn – examine the eating habits of their peers. However, EIT Food #FoodScienceClass is not just a theory! Educational workshops on rational food management and reducing food waste are planned for September, which will take place at the Social Forge of the Food Bank in Olsztyn, one of the project partners. Students will also get to know the Institute laboratories and meet with a representative of a regional food company. The culmination of educational activities will be the development and implementation of an educational campaign, as well as the exchange of experiences and materials with other partner classes. All activities are planned taking into account the current possibilities – some activities take place online, some stationary, respecting the safety rules.
The overriding goal of the EIT Food #FoodScienceClass project is to arouse students’ curiosity about food, a topic that would seem very trivial, but the WHO data leaves no illusions. In 2019, we already had over 38 million overweight or obese children in Europe, in the group under the age of 5. Together with scientists, we are trying to show that it is worth knowing more about what is on our plate, as well as making conscious dietary choices at the stage of completing the shopping cart – says Justyna Banasiak, EIT Food #FoodScienceClass coordinator on behalf of the Institute.
The #FoodScienceClass project is funded by EIT Food, which works towards a sustainable, healthy and trustworthy food system. The project partners are: TECHNION (Israel), IARFR PAS in Olsztyn, Food Bank in Olsztyn, EUFIC (Belgium), VTT (Finland) and Rikolto (Belgium).
For more information, please contact the EIT Food #FoodScienceClass coordinator on behalf of the Institute, Justyna Banasiak (j.banasiak@pan.olsztyn.pl).
SCIENCE SOS – let’s talk about food!
Let’s talk about food. Join the #AnnualFoodAgenda “Science SOS” action and engage with food researchers to answer all your questions about healthy nutrition.
Can our diet have an impact on the health of our grandchildren? Why is it worth to choose fish from controlled environments? How to handle food to avoid microbiological cross-contamination? What should we do when we have symptoms of gluten intolerance? Institute of Animal Reproduction an Food Research PAS invites teachers, tutors and organisers of food-related events to book online visits of food scientists and let their audience learn about healthy eating habits. #AnnualFoodAgenda “Science SOS” offers meetings with microbiologists, food technologists, biotechnologist, ichtiologist and experts in molecular biology. We will talk about myths around the quality of fish from breeding tanks and take a closer look at sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables. The consumers will also discover why food producers reach for ancient crops, and why we should not eliminate gluten from our diet without medical consultation. We will get an insight into the bacteria causing food poisoning and look at biofilm forming our e.g. our teeth. The topics available include also nutritional programming, the pro-health properties of raspberries and controversies around meat in our diet.
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Eugenol and Spermidine new allies against SARS-CoV-2 in 2021
The SPIN nutritional supplement combining spermidine and eugenol may prove to have a potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses. Almost 400 nutrition specialists have received a specific training to incorporate them into clinical practice. As part of the EIT´s Crisis Response Initiative, this activity directly contributes to the European Union´s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (więcej…)
Researchers’ Night with EIT Food
On 27th of November we will celebrate the European Researchers’ Night for the 15th time! On this occasion, researchers from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn will conduct a series of 15 online lectures for schoolchildren. The lectures prepared within the EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda project will address the most interesting topics in the area of food, nutrition and health. (więcej…)
Connecting the dots: the complexity of food systems
Food systems are complex, and we can all play a part in ensuring that they are resilient and sustainable. The many pieces that form the food system jigsaw puzzle can fit together as easily as they can break apart, and it is up to us to ensure they remain connected. This video illustrates this complexity and suggests way that people can cooperate to ensure that growing populations are fed in harmony with the environment.
MEDIA PATRONAGE
EIT Food SPIN
SPIN project developing nutritional supplement to support immune system in the fight against infection by SARS-CoV-2.
The SPIN (SPermidin and eugenol INtegrator for contrasting incidence of coronavirus in EU population) is a European project powered by EIT Food that is currently developing a dietary supplement supporting the function of the immune system in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infections in population at high risk. This food supplement has been formulated to be rich in the wheat germ polyamine, Spermidine, that plays a crucial role in favouring autophagy and a broad-spectrum antiviral essential oil, rich in Eugenol, which acts by decreasing viral ability of replication.
As a part of the EIT´s Crisis Response Initiative, this activity directly contributes to the European Union´s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SPIN project is coordinated by the University of Bologna and participated by these key partners: IMDEA Food, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Molino Naldoni, Targeting Gut Disease, and Xeda.
This supplement is intended to cover the timeframe in which the vaccine is not yet available to all and afterwards, to mitigate contagious and symptom severity with the use of a natural, antiviral approach. It is not intended to replace or enhance the vaccines that are currently in development.
The consortium is already working to identify the best available sources of raw materials for high Spermidine content (wheat germ) and eugenol (clove bud essential oil). The best active ingredient sources will be processed to obtain the final supplement that will be tested with different in vitro cellular models with the purpose of providing further scientific evidence for the protective role of the supplement.
Eugenol has proven to be a broad-spectrum antiviral compound with the potential capacity of inactivating different viruses, including coronavirus, and avoiding virus replication into host cells. Spermidine intake has been significantly associated with a reduced risk of death from all major causes. It acts through several mechanisms, including a crucial role in the autophagy pathway, tightly controlled by cellular metabolism.
It has been recently demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection limits autophagy by interfering with multiple metabolic pathways, and that the presence of exogenous Spermidine reduces SARS-CoV-2 propagation in vitro. It would theoretically involve hindering or inhibiting the progression of the disease towards the more serious pulmonary forms, representing the existent mortality risk for those who contract SARS-CoV-2 and develop Covid-19.
This supplement represents an innovative strategy to help in the fight against the virus by using natural antiviral ingredients. For this reason, a pool of training programmes for dieticians and nutritionist will be organized in Poland, Spain and Italy to highlight the importance of food supplements for preventive purposes.
Pending the launch of an effective vaccine, it is necessary to enhance the immune system of the population, thereby reducing the number of infections and diminishing, in case of such, the severity of the symptoms.
Moreover, this supplement may prove to have a protective activity against other viruses such as influenza, which may also pose a threat of epidemic in the EU population.
For more information, please contact:
Natalia Drabińska, PhD; n.drabinska@pan.olsztyn.pl
About EIT Food
The initiative is made up of an innovation community of key industry players across Europe, consisting of over 90 partner organisations and over 50 startups from 16 EU member states. It is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.
World Food Day with EIT Food
1.3 billion tons worldwide, 88 million tons in the European Union, 9 million tons in Poland – this is the amount of food that goes to the garbage every year. We waste food en masse and thoughtlessly. We the consumers have the most on our conscience, but we can change it! Let’s start from the kitchen! On October 17 and 18, the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Food Bank in Olsztyn invite you to an intergenerational culinary workshops, during which we will learn how to cook healthy and in accordance with the zero waste movement. (więcej…)
