Projektbeschreibung
Virtuelle Zunge für Geschmacksüberprüfung von Lebensmitteln
Das EU-finanzierte Projekt VIRTUOUS plant die Entwicklung einer virtuellen Zunge auf Grundlage eines integrierten computerbasierten Frameworks, das Lebensmittel mithilfe von Geschmacksrezeptoren auf natürliche Bestandteile hin überprüfen kann. Dieses internationale Konsortium besteht aus neun Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmern aus Wissenschaft und Industrie aus vier europäischen Ländern. Mit einer Vielfalt von experimentellen und Computerdaten wollen die Partner einen Algorithmus für die Vorhersage des organoleptischen Profils von Lebensmitteln auf Basis ihrer chemischen Zusammensetzung entwickeln. Die Plattform soll potenziell für die Vorhersage von Geschmäckern in der Lebensmittelindustrie und der modernen Präzisionslandwirtschaft eingesetzt werden. Außerdem kann sie in der Neurowissenschaft für die Bestimmung der Geschmacksfähigkeit verwendet werden.
Ziel
VIRTUOUS is a virtual tongue made by an integrated computational framework able to screen food for natural ligands targeting taste receptors. The proposed intelligent algorithm, by integrating drug discovery techniques, machine learning classifiers, algorithms for big data, cloud computing, and experimental data will predict the organoleptic profile of a specific food based on its chemical composition. The outcomes of this research will shed light on the mechanisms driving the information transfer from the chemistry level, where food molecular constituents bind taste receptors, toward a cascade of molecular, supramolecular and cellular events emerging as an elaborated sensation which strongly contribute to the food organoleptic profile.
The joint exchange programme involves 9 participants from 4 countries: Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland. Participants are both from academic (4 beneficiaries) and non-academic (5 beneficiaries) sectors. The balance between academy and industry and the interdisciplinary nature of the Consortium will grant a unique stimulating environment for researchers involved in the projects.
Relevance of the program is identified at European and worldwide level, both for academia and industry. The idea of conceiving a taste predictor to be applied on European food products will boost and widen European food market at global level. The VIRTUOUS tongue may be also thought has an “food computer aided design tool” for EU food technology. For example, based on taste prediction the VIRTUOUS platform may be used in the future to predict the results of a specific grape graft. The Virtuous tongue may be also combined with other technologies to enhance precision agriculture. The VIRTUOUS research also links taste receptors’ activation to the activity of nuclear receptors following the paradigm of the Mediterranean Diet: “good and healthy”. Finally, the project is related to neuroscience, by considering molecular mechanisms of brain elaboration in taste.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesneurobiology
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technology
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencebig data
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational sciencemultiphysics
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learning
Schlüsselbegriffe
Programm/Programme
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