Traditional foods of Black Sea Countries

• Author(s): Vasilopoulou, E. ; Dilis, V. ; Finglas, P. ; Costa, H.S. ; D’Antuono, L.F. ; Trichopoulou, A. ; on behalf of the BaSeFood Black Sea area partners
• Date: 2011
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/543
• Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde
• Subject(s): Nutrição Aplicada
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: English

Description

INTRODUCTION: Traditional dietary patterns, generally beneficial to health as judged over time, should be promoted beyond the native country’s borders. Scientific data is a prerequisite for the successful promotion of a sustainable diet. The Mediterranean diet is a distinguished example of such a dietary pattern. Accumulating scientific evidence has established it globally as a model diet. OBJECTIVES: A framework for the investigation of traditional foods, aiming primarily at the elucidation of their role on health, was recently expanded to the Black Sea Area Countries (BSAC) through BaSeFood. A principal objective of BaSeFood is to deliver information on bioactive substances and potential related health claims of BSAC traditional foods in order to give opportunities to stakeholders to develop sustainable diets. METHOD/DESIGN: Thirty-three BSAC traditional foods have been selected for in-depth investigation. The study includes: • Nutrient and bioactive composition data. • Information on microbiological aspects • Recording of the traditional production methods. • Technological study on their potential industrial or semi-industrial production. • Integrated records related to their traditional character • Historical and folkloric review, which documents their traditional identity. • Food indexing using Langual RESULTS: Anticipated outcomes of the study on the BSAC traditional foods include: • Insight on their impact on health • Enrichment of the BSAC food composition tables with validated nutrient data • Potential proprietary or health claims • Promotion into new markets • Preservation of the traditional culture • Development of sustainable agriculture CONCLUSIONS: Several Mediterranean traditional foods are likely to contribute to better health. It remains to be substantiated if the same also applies to BSAC traditional foods. BaSeFood has contributed to an initial registration of BSAC traditional foods and has provided essential tools for their promotion within and beyond the region.