Informations

E-mail
iride.mascheretti@cnr.it

Phone
+39 0223699431

Office
Milano

Mascheretti Iride

Researcher

Projects in progress

FEED - From Edible sprouts to hEalthy fooD

Start date: 01/06/2023 End date: 31/05/2027

Unione Europea

Milano, Pisa Website

Carlotta De Filippo

Project duration:

01/06/2023 - 31/05/2027

Financing body:

Unione Europea

Project research leader:

Carlotta De Filippo

Headquarters:

Milano, Pisa

Project website:

Website

FEED - From Edible sprouts to hEalthy fooD

Health and sustainability are increasingly central to the agri-food sector, as governments and consumers seek effective strategies to prevent chronic diseases through healthier lifestyles. In this context, the FEED project promotes the Mediterranean diet by fostering a new generation of functional foods enriched with bioactive compounds.

The project focuses on fresh sprouts from different botanical origins, including traditional, local, and wild edible species, which represent an improved nutritional source compared to seeds due to the germination process, enhancing beneficial bioactive compounds while reducing antinutrients. FEED aims to develop innovative food ingredients and functional foods that meet consumer demand for health benefits while ensuring environmentally friendly production processes. Given the high perishability of fresh sprouts, the project also develops bio-based and biodegradable active packaging solutions to improve food safety and extend shelf life. Through a multidisciplinary approach, FEED combines the rediscovery of culturally relevant plant species with advanced technologies (in vitro and in vivo models), alongside a deep characterization of sprouts’ bioactive, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and prebiotic properties.

FEED is a 36-month project funded by the European Union under the PRIMA programme, supporting sustainable resource use, economic growth, and stability in the Mediterranean region.

Projects completed

PRIN 2022 ELITECH - Cannabis sativa (L.) as a bio-factory for secondary metabolites through innovative elicitation techniques

Start date: 28/09/2023 End date: 27/02/2026

MUR

Milano

Monica Mattana

Project duration:

28/09/2023 - 27/02/2026

Financing body:

MUR

Project research leader:

Monica Mattana

Headquarters:

Milano

PRIN 2022 ELITECH - Cannabis sativa (L.) as a bio-factory for secondary metabolites through innovative elicitation techniques

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a crop of major industrial, food, and medical interest due to its rich content of bioactive secondary metabolites, such as cannabinoids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds.

The project aims to increase the content and quality of these compounds through innovative elicitation strategies, based on the use of molecules capable of triggering plant defence responses that lead to the synthesis of bioactive compounds. In particular, elicitors of plant, bacterial, and synthetic origin will be tested during female flower development, including specific synthetic derivatives of coronalon.

The project also involves the use of chitosan nanoparticles as advanced elicitor delivery systems. In parallel, in vitro cultures of adventitious roots and hairy roots will be developed and used to test the new elicitors. Inflorescences and in vitro tissues will be characterized at biochemical, metabolic, and transcriptomic levels to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the increase in secondary metabolites. The results will contribute to the development of sustainable strategies to enhance the functional value of hemp and will pave the way for future applications of genome editing technologies.

StaffIride Mascheretti