Diana Food funds five-year prebiotics research programme

Diana Food Canada and Canada’s National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) have funded the establishment of a new prebiotics research programme at Université Laval.

The NSERC-Diana Food Industrial Research Chair on Prebiotic effects of fruit and vegetable polyphenols (PhenoBio) is a five-year programme which aims to develop new functional ingredients from natural fruit and vegetable extracts.

The core purpose of the programme is to demonstrate that tannins in berries and tropical fruit – as well as certain polyphenols in vegetables – have a definite prebiotic effect, specifically that they can modulate the intestinal microbiome in a positive way.

If the findings of the programme are conclusive, it could lead to the creation of new prebiotic, functional products and supplements which could help prevent chronic illnesses.

Yves Desjardins, director of the chair and part of the from the Plant Science Department at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences added: “We will study the effect of tannin-rich extracts on the reciprocal interaction that arises between the intestinal microbiome and these molecules in order to improve our understanding of the physiological mechanisms behind their health effects.

“For example, we’ll be looking for ways to use coproducts such as banana peels from the Diana Food plant in Equador, as well as local northern berries like cloudberries and huckleberry.”

Diana Food president Jean-Yves Parisot said: “The PhenoBio Chair will help reinforce the scientific positioning of Diana, Symrise Group’s nutrition division, as a world leader in the processing and valorisation of fruits and vegetables, providing brands with food products based on natural ingredients to meet the growing needs of consumers.”

Marc Fortin, vice-president of research partnerships at NSERC said: “Diana hopes that research and innovation will have a tangible impact on the health of Canadians.

“The research findings from this project could lead to the development of food supplements and effective prebiotic functional foods that will help prevent chronic illnesses and obesity.”