About the Project
Slovak-Hungarian cross-border region is typical of its specific agricultural character and unique land quality, both from its composition and fertility point of view. Besides these positive aspects, the overproduction of agricultural and food products usually with low added value in past decades causes the problems with sales of products and results in the worsen position of food producers in local as well as national or international food market. As an another consequence, the global retardation of the region takes place, resulting in the underdeveloped infrastructure, growing unemployment, as well as overall worsening of its socio-demographic structure.
In addition, it is a widely accepted fact that a lot of “modern” human diseases are life-style induced ones and originate in either nutritional deficiency or their inappropriate composition in a diet. The lack of reliable information for consumers regarding the origin and composition of individual food products contributes to this phenomenon, as well. In order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, and to suppress the negative trends in regions development, it is necessary to diversify the agricultural and food production and increase the value of production for potential end-user or consumer.
Main aim of the project is therefore to set the scientific basis, objective criteria and optimized technological parameters for the development of an innovative food production strategy and technology in order to assure the production of foods from regional sources with higher added value for sellers and, last but not least, with modified – improved functional properties with positive influence on human wellbeing. To meet these targets, the exact monitoring, study, analysis and modification of both, growing conditions of selected plants/crops and their subsequent technological processing into semi-finished products utilized in food industry or final food products will be performed.
As a result, the model conditions for the production of food products with exactly defined properties, composition and/or health impact on consumers will be obtained. Regarding the improvement of functional properties, the activities will focus on the improvement of baking properties (e.g., sugars, gluten and fiber content) and antioxidant status of model semi-finished or final food products. Taking into account potential application of these results directly into food production after the finishing of project, the increased “market” value of the so-obtained food products, as well as their improved competitiveness will, besides other, pose also the stimuli for the regional infrastructure and employment improvement.
History of project
Project was prepared in 2009 as the cooperation of three partners - VUP Food Research Institute, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (acting as the Lead Partner), Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic and the cross-border partner from Hungary, Nyugat-magyarországi Egyetem
Mezogazdaság és Élelmiszertudományi Kar, Mosonmagyaróvár.
After its approval by JTS VATI, its realization started from October, 2010. Its duration is 24 months, and total budget is 1.375.000 €
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