Health Grain Project

Novel cereal foods can be a meaningful tool in the fight against metabolic syndrome-related diseases. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is co-ordinating the Health Grain Integrated Project with 43 European partners. The aim is to produce health-promoting cereal foods and ingredients of a high quality.

Studies have proven that diets rich in whole grain foods offer protection from many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, bread is mostly baked from refined flour, devoid of the nutrients and protective factors present in the outer layers of the grains.

The target bioactive compounds are vitamins (folate, tocols, choline, etc.), and indigestible carbohydrates. The structure of cereal foods is to be studied with regard to digestibility. The project also aims to reveal the physiological mechanisms underlying the significance of bioactive compounds in the prevention of metabolic syndrome and related diseases.