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
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…)
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…)
„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.
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.
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