SLU news
SLU is participating in a new EU Research Project called HEALTHFERM
Published: 13 September 2022
In September, Prof Maud Langton, Prof Volkmar Passoth, and Assoc Prof Galia Zamaratskaia from the Department of Molecular Sciences visited KU Leuven in Belgium, where an interdisciplinary consortium of 22 international partners from throughout Europe gathered for the start-up meeting within the project “Plant-based Fermented Foods for Healthier and More Sustainable Diets” (HEALTHFERM).
The HealthFerm consortium consists of academic, clinical, and industrial partner institutions from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. The project is coordinated by KU Leuven. 
The project has a budget of EUR 13.1 million, and the overall goal is to enable the transition from traditional to sustainable grain-based fermented foods and diets with health benefits to consumers. HealthFerm will use microbial resources and fermentation technology to develop novel, healthy and nutritious foods based on legumes (pea and faba bean) and cereals (wheat and oat), with particular attention to the inclusion of side stream arising from the processing of these grains. Human intervention studies are also included in the project to understand the health benefits of the consumption of fermented plant-based foods. Even consumer attitudes towards fermented foods will be studied throughout Europe.
“The outcomes from HealthFerm will potentially increase the number and quality of foods that can in future replace traditional dairy and meat products. However, it is challenging because our current knowledge of fermented foods is limited” explains Prof. Maud Langton.
“Functional screening of beneficial strains and consortia is very important both for food quality and for maximizing health effects of fermentation. This will be done within the project”, adds Prof Volkmar Passoth.
Read more: www.healthferm.eu