How to make convenience food healthier

ESN members Matis and VTT are now collaborating in the EnRichMar project. Their aim: to increase the value of convenience food by adding ingredients from marine based materials.

Two ESN members, Matis (Iceland) and VTT (Finland) are now collaborating in the EnRichMar project funded within the EU FP7 Research programme for SMEs. 

Seaweed could help to reduce salt intake

 

The main aim is to increase the value of convenience food by adding functional ingredients, produced from underutilised marine based raw materials and by-products from fish processing, with confirmed bioavailability.

The focus will be placed on ingredients such as fish oil powder and seaweed extracts which may enhance positive health effects and stability, enhance flavour and consequently contribute to salt reduction to meet market demand. The functional properties of the enriched products will be studied via dietary intervention. Recent process improvements have created new possibilities for the use of marine based ingredients in functional foods.

Consumers increasingly tend to favour functional foods as means to improve their health or avoid diseases. The market for these types of products is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. EnRichMar will identify specific consumer segments interested in enriched products and obtain knowledge on what kind of information to provide consumers with to support the product launch and sales.

www.enrichmar.eu

For more information contact:

Coordinator of EnRichmar: Kolbrun Sveinsdottir, kolbrun.sveinsdottir@remove-this.matis.is

 

Photo: Zina Seletskaya / Fotolia.com