OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES:

The general objective of the project is: to address nutritional issues that affects the ageing process in the hope of improving the health and quality of life of the ageing population.

The specific objectives (SO) of the project are:
SO1: to determine nutritional status, eating habits and health condition of elderly people in different settings including nursing homes, hospitals and home assistance and to identify unmet nutritional needs among elderly;
SO2: to determine the impact of the methyl donor bioactive compounds through metabolomic approach of nutrigenomics in elderly;
SO3: to develop scientific and technical methods and technologies, more efficient, in order to have as a final outcome, proper food products for elderly people;
SO4: to disseminate the results efficiently to the industry, researchers, consumers as well as to policy’ makers for an establishment of food strategy related to health/nutrition European claims.

Activities:

Comparative screening of European and national nutrition policies; opening a project web page

Morbidity parameters up to now

Experimental models used in the nutrigenomics

Methodologies for health and nutritional status evaluation among elderly under study

Gathering information regarding unmet nutritional needs of elderly persons

Investigation the role of various social parameters in determining food choices among elderly

Screening of morbidity in the elderly under study

Assessment of the endogenous methylation metabolome in the elderly under study as compared with the young/adult group

Assessment of the endogenous oxidative status in the elderly under study

Correlation of genomic/epigenetic particularities and morbidity in the target groups

Identification of bioresources with proper content in bioactive compounds to be used in the elderly diet-new food matrix developing

Compositional database (food products-bioactive compounds content)

New food development at laboratory-pilot scale

Complex characterization of new food obtained

Consumers’ preference regarding the new foods- test of elderly compliance regarding the new food obtained in the project

New technologies implementation at industrial scale

Personalized menus developing and clinical/paraclinical reassessment of study group after the consumption of foods from the project

Metabolomic reassessment of study group after the consumption of foods from the project

Oxidative status reassessment of study group after the consumption of foods from the project

Food products texture evaluation in relation with elderly perception and preference

To end up and maintain the project website

To end up and maintain a bio-medico-social database

To promote the dissemination of the results of the project to the target groups