The EULAFF Project: Europe-Latin America …bioeurolatina.com/bioeuro/archivos/Javier...

1

European Federation of Biotechnology

EULAFF BI-REGIONAL WORKSHOP

“Functional food and medicinal products from Amazonian crops”Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, December 03-05, 2007

The EULAFF Project: Europe-Latin America Cooperation on Functional Food

EC Contract N° 043158 (FOOD-SSA)

Dr. Javier VerásteguiSecretary General, BioEuroLatina - Executive Director, EULAFF Project

Christian SuojanenSecretary General, EFB - Coordinator, EULAFF Project

2


Contents

• Functional food and Latin America

• Agro-biodiversity valorisation chains

• Potential functional foods from LA biodiversity

• EU-LA collaboration model to add value to agro-biodiversity

• The EULAFF Project: concept and objectives

• EULAFF project activities 2006 – 2008

• EC´s EULAFF and ALCUEFOOD projects: complementarity and synergies

3


Definition of “Functional Food”

« A food is called functional when, beyond its

nutritional value, it has demonstrated satisfactorily to have a benefical effect on one or more specific functions of the human organism in such a form that it is relevant to improve human health or the quality of life, and/or to reduce the risks to diseases. »

Consensus document at the European Union

4


Some human health problems addressed by functional food

• Obesity: diets with reduced fats and sugars

• Cardiovascular diseases: foods reducing bad cholesterol

• Cancer: foods with anti-oxydants

• Diabetes: sugar substitutes, natural sweeteners

• Deficiency of vitamin A: foods rich in ß-carotene

• Hipertension: foods reducing arterial tension

5

European Federation of BiotechnologySome food components having

functional properties for human health

FOOD FIBERS

• β-Glucans: help to reduce cholesterol absorptium

• Psyllium: helps to reduce fat absorptium

• Chitosan: helps to reduce fat and cholesterol absorptium

CAROTENOIDS

• Lycopene, Lutein: strong antioxydant action, protects cells against free radicals

FLAVONOIDS

• Anthocyanins: act as powerful antioxydants, protects cells against free radicals

OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

• Helps to maintain healthy levels of triglicerids

FUENTE: A. Sasson, 2005

6

European Federation of BiotechnologyBiotecnology applied to the production

of functional food

• Enzymes producing inuline and oligo-fructanes (sugar substitutes) in GM canola GM, developed by PBI-NRC in Saskatoon, Canadá.

• Soy fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae to produce “koji” (soy sauce) with high yield and quality, developed by BIOTEC, Thailand.

• Hypo-cholesterol margarine, developed by Unilever in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, in 1999.

• Food biofortificación with micronutrients (Fe, Zn, β-carotene) by plant breeding, CGIAR.

• Biofortification of rice with pro-vitamin A by genetic engineering, Golden Rice, Potrykus.

• Molecular selection of maize varieties rich in pro-vitamin A, HarvestPlus project at IITA and CGIAR.

• Bio-fortified variety of sweet potato rich in pro-vitamin A , CIP.

FUENTE: A. Sasson, 2005

7


The 8 Vavilonian Centers of Origin for crop plants

South Mexico and Central America

South American Andes

Chile

Brazil-Paraguay

China

India Indo-Malaya

Central Asia

Near East

Mediterranean

Abyssinean Center

8


Agro-biodiversity and functional food

• Only 2.8% of total discovered plant species are cultivated globally.

• Only 30 cultivated species are extensively cultivated, covering more than 90% of nutritional needs of humanity, in terms of calories and proteins.

• According to Vavilov (1935), genetic diversity of cultivated plants are concentrated in some world regions:

– AMERICA: Mexico, Región Andina, Amazonía y Chile.

– OLD WORLD: Mediterran, Ethiopia, Minor Asia, Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia.

• It is important to add value to the rich Latin American agro-biodiversity by producing functional food of high world demand.

9


• Nopal – Opuntia ficus indica (hypoglucemiant, diuretic and laxant)

• Açaí – Euterpe oleracea (anthocyanin rich, high antioxydant activity)

• Camu Camu - Myrciaria dubia (high ascorbic acid)

• Sacha Inchi – Plukenetia volubilis (seed oil rich Omega 3)

• Maca – Lepidium meyennii (integral energizer, enhances fertility and sexual behaviour)

• Yacón – Smallanthus sonchifolius (high oligofructoses, hypoglucemiant)

• Caigua – Cyclanthera pedata (diets, reduces cholesterol)

• Purple Corn - Zea mays L. var. subnigroviolacea Yarchuk (rich source of anthocyanins)

Some Latin American agro-biodiversecrops with potential as Functional Food

10


Maca (Lepidium meyennii)Açaí (Euterpe oleracea)

Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis)

Camu Camu (Myrciaria dubia)

11


Yacón(Smallanthus sonchifolius)

• Yacon roots contain oligofructose

• Used fresh or as low-calorie beverages, is highly beneficial for diabetic patients.

• Since 2003, Peruvian supermarkets offer yacon products: syrup, juice, flakes,marmalade, and tea leaves.

• Small-scale production predominates;exports of yacon products have reached Japan, EU, US.

• High world demand for information on yacon.

12


Caigua(Cyclanthera pedata)

• A cucurbitaceae native of Peru, caigua is cultivated for more than 3000 years and eaten raw (salads) or boiled.

• It regulates fat metabolism reducing LDL in blood: a diet complement for persons with overweigh and high cholesterol.

• A steroidal compound (a mixture of sitosterol) may be responsible for its hipoglycemic and antilipidemic effects.

• Clinical studies at UPCH* in women showed that caigua treatment could reduce prevalence of hipercholesterolemy from 75% to 12.5%.

• Current exports are minimum ($50K in 2003).

* UPCH-Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru

13


Purple corn(Zea mays)

• Purple corn, a variety of Zea mays, is a native Andean crop from low Peruvian valleys, cultivated for the past 3000 years.

• It contains substantial amounts of phenols and anthocyanins, among other phytochemicals. Its main colorant is cianidin-3-b-glucosa.

• R&D has shown that crops with the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin content also have the highest antioxidant activity.

• Anthocyanins also encourage connective tissue regeneration, are anti-inflammatory, promote blood flow and reduce cholesterol.

• Peruvians make a refreshing drink from purple corn called "chicha morada”. Exports are increasing.

14


EXAMPLES:

Uña de Gato – Uncaria tomentosaTara – Caesalpinia spinosaMuña – Minthostachys mollisMaca – Lepidium peruvianumSachaInchi - Plukenetia volubilisYacón - Smallanthus sonchifoliusHercampuri - Gentianella alborosea

Chuchuhuasi – Maytenus laevis

Re-descovery Raw Material Production Commercialization

StoragePacking

Traditional knowledge

Cultivation or coleccion

Process Biocommerce ProductsFunctional

Validación

Certification

Sangre de Grado – Croton lechleriLeche Oje - Ficus anthelmintica Chancapiedra – Phyllantus niruriCaigua – Cyclanthera pedataPasuchaca – Geranium dielsianumBarbasco – Lochocarpus nicouAchiote – Bixa orellanaPaico – Chenopodium ambrosoides LGuanabana – Annona muricataCamuCamu – Myrciaria dubia

SOURCE: C. Malpica, 2006

Cápsules,Tablets,Creams, BeveragesFunctional foods

Chain of value with limited use of R+DValorisation of biological resources

15

European Federation of BiotechnologyValue Chain with intensive use of R & D

Genetic resources valorization

Phase I Phase II Phase III

Clinical tests

ChemicalCharacte-rization

Research

Pre-clinical analysis

& validation

Products:Pharmaceuticals

Commercialization

Pharmaceutical products with high value added

Toxicology, Metabolism

Intervention tests


Research

Function Validation

Products: Functional Foods

Commercialization

Functional foods (or nutraceuticals) with high value added

Toxicology, Functionality

Clinical testsResearch


Products:Cosmetics

Commercialization

Cosmetics with high value added

Tests in model

organisms

Bioprospection Screening

Re-descovery

Traditionalknowledge

FunctionalValidation

Production

Production

Production

SOURCE: C. Malpica, 2006

16


Value chain with equitative distribution of benefits

in accordance to participation in value added creation

Tangible benefits:

� Service revenues: access to genetic resources and research project contract

� Technology license revenues: contribuition to IP generation

� Royalty revenues

� Milestone acheivement revenues: from product develoment to commercialization

Intangible benefits:

� Knowledge and technology transfer through common research activities

� Local capacity training

17


StateSovereign owner of genetic resources

Scientific CommunityKnowledge generation

Har

vest

ing

agre

emen

t

Access to genetic ressources (contract)

Knowledge licenseIndustryTechnology useProduct commercialization

Contra

ct

Native CommunityOwner of traditional

knowledge

Regulatio

n

Upstream company Knowledge generationTechnology tools and productingredients

Research

agreement

Licenseoption

Legal instruments and stakeholder relationships

18


BioEuroLatina Network

LA EU

Scientists

Regulators

Investors

SEBIOTEFB

EC

REDBIOAMSUD

CANMERCOSUR

CAC

RB GB WB

CompaniesASEBIO

EUROPABIOFELAEB

MX & CAC CAN MERCOSUR ES BE FR

RB GB WB

Scientists

Regulators

Investors

Companies

19


EULAFF Project

Europe-Latin American Action in Functional Foods (EULAFF)

EC Contract N° 043158 (FOOD-SSA)

• Th EULAFF project was approved in October 2006 by the 6th Framework Program of the European Commissionl for a duration of 3 years, starting on 01 November, 2006.

• Project Coordinador: Christian Suojanen, Secretary General of the European Federation of Biotechnology-EFB (Liège, Belgium & Barcelona, Spain)

• Executive Director of the Project: Dr. Javier Verástegui, Secretary General of BioEuroLatina (Madrid, Spain).

20


EULAFF – General Objective

• EULAFF Project is devoted to support the creation of an innovation system in the agri-food chain of functional food sectors in Europe and Latin America, with the purpose to identify and to develop new functional food products, and by this way to contribute to the sustainable development.

21


EULAFF – Specific Objectives

• To establish an open and effective collaborative network linking academic research with industry, commerce and private financial sectors in order to develop a bi-regional agri-food sector oriented to the sustainable use of agro-biodiverse crops in Latin America.

• To contribute to the sustainable development of marginal rural areas through the strengthening of formal and informal production chains for the commercialization of sub-utilized crops with high nutritional and health improving potential.

• To promote the transfer of knowledge and innovative technologies, and to develop an appropriate protection of intellectual property in order to achieve the demands of global markets.

22


EULAFF Consortium Member Institutions

1. European Federation of Biotechnology – EFB (Barcelona, Spain)

2. Asociación BIOEUROLATINA (Madrid, Spain)

3. Federación Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Empresas de Biotecnología –FELAEB (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

4. The Plant Biotechnology Institute for Developing Countries, Universidad de

Gante - IPBO-UG (Ghent, Belgium)

5. Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa - ESB-UCP

(Porto, Portugal)

6. Sociedad Española de Biotecnología - SEBIOT (Madrid, Spain)

7. Fundación Chile (Santiago, Chile)

8. Corporación Colombia Internacional - CCI-Colombia (Bogotá, Colombia)

9. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – EMBRAPA (Brasilia, Brazil)

10. Fundación PROINPA (Cochabamba, Bolivia)

11. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos – UNMSM (Lima, Peru)

12. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – UNAM (México D.F., México)

23


*

**

*

*

*

**

*

*

*

UNMSM

*

UNAMESC-UCP

SEBIOTEFB

BioEuroLatina

Fundacion CHILE

PROINPAEMBRAPA

FELAEB

CCI

IPBO-U of Ghent

Members of theEULAFF

Consortium

24


EULAFF - Methodology

• To achieve its objectives related to the creation of an orientedbi-regional network, the project has designed a series of conferences, debates, roundtables and symposiums with the participation of distinguished scientists and experts from the enterprise and from our members in Europe and Latin America.

• Furthermore, a virtual community network system is being developed and on-line information resources will be put in place in order to stimulate the dissemination of information related to the use of Latin American agro-biodiversity crops having the potential to become functional foods.

25

European Federation of BiotechnologyEULAFF – Working Packages (WP)

WP 1 WP 2 WP 3

Science& Technology

IPR Management and Technology Transfer

Product Development and Bio-commerce

WP 4

Year 1 (11.2006/10.2007) Year 2 (11.2007/06.2008) Year 3 (07.2008/10.2009)

Symposium:Latin American biodiversity of agricultural crops as source for functional food development, Ghent (Belgium). Postponed to: 07.2008

Symposium: Biodiversity and intellectual property rights: building a new functional food-chain. During RedBio 2007Viña del Mar (Chile) 10.2007

Roundtable: European IPR position on functional foods, at European Congress of Biotechnology, Barcelona (Spain) 09.2007

Symposium:Bio-commerce of agricultural crops with functional properties and functional food product development(Peru-Bolivia) 07.2008

Lectures:Health Ingredients EuropeFrankfurt (Germany) 11.2006Amazonian Crops (Brazil) 12.2007

Debates:Trad.Knowledge (Mexico) 03.2008Industry Round (Portugal) 05.2008

Roundtables:SMEs (Colombia) 11.2008Multinationals (Belgium) 06.2009

Virtual Community - Information flow – On-line resources

WP 5General Project Management

26


Year

Calendar 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

WP1 * * *

WP2 * * *

WP3 * * *

WP4

WP5

WP3

activities

Lectures on “Traditional medicinal plants and other uses of Amazonian Crops”. In Brazil

Health Ingredients Europe (Latin American Delegation to participate). In Frankfurt (Germany

Lectures on “Health promoting functions from Latin American Agro-biodiverse Crops”

WP1

activities

Debate on “Economic valorisation of agro-biodiverse crops: foogald

industry position on intellectual property rights”. In Portugal

Symposium “Biodiversity and intellectual property rights: building a new functional food

chain”. In Chile, during RedBio 2007

Roundtable “European IPR position on functional foods”. In Barcelona (Spain) during the 13th

European Congress on Biotechnology

Symposium “Latin American biological diversity of agricultural crops as source for functional food

development”

WP2

activities

Roundtable on

“The role of

multinational

corporations in

the trade of agro-

biodiverse

crops”. In

Belgium

Roundtable on “Regional SMEs involved in bio-

commerce of agro-biodiverse crops”. In

Colombia

Symposium “Bio-commerce of agricultural crops with

functional properties and functional food product

development”. In Peru/Bolivia

Debate on “Traditional Knowledge and industrial use of genetic

resources from biodiverse countries”. In Mexico

2006 2007 2008 2009

EULAFF – Schedule

27


EULAFF Activities in 2006-2007

1. Conference “Health Ingredients (Hi) Europe”. Frankfurt, Germany, 14-15November 2006.

2. Seminar “EULAFF: Europe-Latin America Network for Functional Foods”.Ghent, Belgium, 16 November 2006.

3. Roundtable “European Position on IPR in Functional Food”. 13rdEuropean Congress of Biotechnology, Barcelona, Spain, 17-19 septiembre 2007.

4. Symposium “Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Intellectual Property inFunctional Food”, and Roundtable “EU-LA Cooperation inBiotechnology”, at REDBIO 2007, Viña del Mar, Chile, 22-26 Octuber 2007.

5. Workshop “Functional Food and Medicinal Use of Amazonian Crops”, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 03-05 December 2007.

28


EULAFF Activities : 2008 and 2009

1. Debate “Traditional knowledge and industrial use of geneti resources of biodiverse countries”, Mexico DF, Mexico , March 2008.

2. Debate “Economic valorization of agro-biodiverse crops: position of the food industry on intellectual property rights”, Porto, Portugal, 01 May 2008.

3. Symposium “Latin American biodiversity of agricultural crops as a source for functional food”, Ghent, Belgium, 25 July 2008.

4. Symposium “Biocommerce of agricultural crops with functional properties and development of functional food products”, Peru/Bolivia, July 2008.

5. Roundtable “The regional SMEs and the biocommerce of agro-biodiverse”, Colombia, November 2008

6. Roundtable “The role of transnational companies in the commerce of agro-biodiverse crops”, Ghent, Belgium, June 2009.

29


Some complementary and synergetic areas between EULAFF and ALCUE-FOOD projects

• Contribution to the development of a high quality and safe production chain of functional food sector in marginal rural areas, based on local agro-biodiversity crops.

• Technology transfer and training programs on phytosanitary food quality processes and standards for functional food products.

• Food safety training in functional food products based on agro-biodiverse crops

• Food quality and safety research studies for Amazonian functional food valorization chains.

30


Thank you,

[email protected]

christian@efb_central.org

The EULAFF Project: Europe-Latin America …bioeurolatina.com/bioeuro/archivos/Javier...

Documents

Transcript of The EULAFF Project: Europe-Latin America …bioeurolatina.com/bioeuro/archivos/Javier...