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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

SPIN – SPermidin and eugenol INtegrator for contrasting incidence of coronavirus in EU population is a project under the support of EIT Food. EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

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…)

2.5 million EUR for the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food to create Centre of Excellence in nutrigenomics

2.5 million EUR for the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in the field of nutrigenomics. (więcej…)

MOOC on food safety and consumer protection

Food safety is a highly controlled in the European Union. One aspect that is often underestimated is the migration of chemicals from food contact materials and packaging into food and drinks that we consume daily. In particular, the chemicals that – at low doses and for extended time – may impact our vulnerable endocrine system. The effects become evident when we think about the reduced male fertility, the anticipated female puberty and the thyroid and metabolic disturbances on the rise in our societies. (więcej…)

Publication of Ph.D. Antonio Galvao’s team in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry Journal

Figure. Main changes noted in the ovary of obese females.

The group led by dr. Antonio Galvao, Department of Team of Reproductive Pathology and Translational Medicine, have recently published the work entitled Leptin Resistance in the Ovary of Obese Mice is Associated with Profound Changes in the Transcriptome of Cumulus Cells, by Karolina Wołodko, Edyta Walewska, Marek Adamowski, Juan Casillo- Fernandez, Gavin Kelsey, Antonio Galvao in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry (IF 5.5) (doi:10.33594/000000228) www.cellphysiolbiochem.com/Articles/000228. (więcej…)

Publication of prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek’s team in FASEB Journal

FASEB Journal published the work of Prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek’s team about a novel mechanism of corpus luteum function support during pregnancy, governed by microRNAs (miRNAs). (więcej…)

„Trust your food” workshops [photo and video]

What is the science behind food? What are the researchers and industry experts doing to produce healthy and sustainable food that could be trusted by all? These are the questions we discussed during „Trust your Food” #AnnualFoodAgenda workshops engaging 279 pupils and teachers from Polish schools.

Over the last three weekends of February (15th, 22th, 29th) nearly 40 researchers, science communicatiors and experts from Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS and MASPEX, invited young consumers (aged 7-13) to the food research laboratories located in the Food Sciences division of IARFR PAS in Olsztyn, Poland. Our guests had a chance to discover myths and facts surrounding diet supplements, design smart food packaging and get familiarised with food allergens. They found out how to interpret nutrition labels and the information available at public food venues. Under the eye of scientists and using high-tech research equipment, students tried their hands at experiments held in the laboratories of biological functions of food, microbiology, biosensors, metabolomics and other facilities located in the Institute’s Food Sciences division. Young consumers could perform tests on the quality of milk, examine the antioxidant properties of natural preservatives and check what fatty acids are found in commercially available oils. The workshop programme also included the topics of microorganisms used in food processing as well as Maillard reaction products formed during thermal treatment of food. Finally, in the computerised laboratory of sensory analysis, the students had a unique chance to professionally evaluate the sensitivity of their sense of smell. At the end of their “Trust your Food” journey around the labs, the students were asked to verify their knowledge in a quizz and to indicate their one favourite food. All their preferences were reviewed and gathered in a TOP 10 list, revealing ‘apple’ being the most liked food.

About EIT Food

#AnnualFoodAgenda is a project under the support of EIT Food. EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.

Gallery:

annual-food-agenda-logo

Classroom as a Platform for Community Engagement with Food Production and Science

Shaping responsible consumer attitudes amongst young people, raising their awareness of healthy eating, food safety, innovation in the agri-food industry and zero waste – these are the goals of the international project „The Classroom as a Platform for Community Engagement with Food Production and Science”.

The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, together with Technion Israel technical Institute in Haifa and the European Food Information Council are starting a joint educational program within the European Community of Knowledge and Innovation in the field of food (EIT Food). 100 high school students from Poland and Israel will participate in this project. Poland will be represented by two classes from the XII High School in Olsztyn, named after Maria and Georg Dietrich.

School classes will be held with the participation of scientists from The Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn as well as experts, innovators and representatives of the food industry. In addition to interesting lectures, students will be able to try their best at conducting simple scientific research, designing consumer surveys, analysing and presenting results. The 11-month program will also include experience in food analysis laboratories, study visits to food production and processing plants, as well as ‘’zero waste’’ cooking workshops organized in cooperation with the Food Bank in Olsztyn. One of the key elements of the project will be training in collecting the research results, followed by a promotional campaign designed and conducted by the students themselves, in which they will share with peers the knowledge acquired during all project classes.

Students from Poland and Israel will be in constant contact, exchanging experiences and good practices during regular videoconferences, which will also enable them to actively communicate using English.

The project will last until December 31 this year. In Poland, 50 students, 2 teachers and several scientists, academic lecturers, experts and entrepreneurs will take part in the project. Inauguration of the project is scheduled for February 25 this year in the XII High School named after Maria and Georg Dietrich located at 4 Bałtycka street in Olsztyn.

About EIT Food

CLASSROOM is a project under the support of EIT Food. EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

You can follow EIT Food via www.eitfood.eu or via social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Instagram.

Venture Creation School III 2020

EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda at Transition Festiwal in Copernicus Science Centre

3D food printers, mobile polyphenol tests for fruits and juices, innovative food preservation methods and the afterlife of food waste. On October 4th, EIT Food #AnnualFoodAgenda showroom called 'Food open to the world’ took place during the 'Transition Festival’ at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland.

As a part of #Annual Food Agenda season 4: #FoodSustainability theme, researchers from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS, together with MASPEX experts and agri-food innovators, brought us closer to the latest scientific and technological achievements that lead to the production of healthy, safe, nutritious food, with a maximal use of raw materials and a minimal environmental imprint. In the EIT Food showroom, we could find 3D food printers, mobile polyphenol tests for fruits and juices, as well as an intelligent plant lighting system that allows producing vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers throughout the year. Entire families could take a closer look at natural and functional food products, as well as plant-based proteins, exploited as alternatives to animal and soy proteins. During ’hands-on’ workshops and demonstrations, we learnt about innovative food preservation methods and food products with a 30-year long expiration date. In addition, the guests got familiarized with personalized foodstuffs dedicated to people suffering from diet-related diseases and checked the unique nutritional value of some selected food production side streams. Last but not least, everyone took part in 'zero waste’ games and explored the concept of 'food sharing’.