FRIETS Project: Advancing Healthier, Personalized Snacks from Berries
The need: healthier snack options for modern lifestyles
In today’s fast-paced world, many consumers rely on convenient snacks—but these often come with drawbacks like low nutritional value and a high glycemic index. Meanwhile, consumer expectations have evolved: people increasingly want natural, healthy, and even personalized ready-to-eat snacks that support their health rather than undermine it.
The opportunity: harnessing berries as natural health boosters
Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are rich in bioactive compounds like flavonoids, tannins, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic acids. Research has linked these compounds to antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive, and anticancer effects. However, the nutritional benefits of berries are highly sensitive to factors like variety, soil, climate, harvest time, handling, and storage. This presents an opportunity to develop science-based methods that preserve and enhance their health potential.
The solution: developing nutritious, sustainable berry-based snacks
The FRIETS project addresses this opportunity by developing personalized, nutrient-rich snacks from berries—free from added sugar, sodium, or preservatives, and with extended shelf life. To achieve this, the project employs mild, energy-efficient drying techniques, such as freeze-drying and microwave vacuum-drying, along with innovative edible coatings made from polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins derived from micro- and macro-algae. These technologies help preserve the berries’ bioactive compounds and improve product stability.
Beyond food processing, the project applies life cycle analysis and socio-economic evaluation to ensure sustainability and commercial viability. By combining precision agriculture, optimized extraction methods, and advanced processing, FRIETS aims to offer consumers snacks that meet both health and sustainability standards.
Inside the FRIETS Project
The project’s work is organized across eight work packages (WPs), each addressing a crucial part of the innovation chain:
- WP1 (Agricultural University of Athens): Precision agriculture tools to monitor berry crops and predict yields based on soil, irrigation, and climate data.
- WP2 (Natural Food Additive): Extraction and encapsulation of plant and herb bioactives using advanced methods like electrospraying.
- WP3 (National Technical University of Athens): Optimizing osmotic dehydration and testing alternative drying methods for berry preservation.
- WP4 (National Technical University of Athens): Developing edible coatings using algae-based materials to improve shelf life and maintain quality.
- WP5 (University of Malta): Creating a comparative risk assessment for fungal and mycotoxin hazards in berry production.
- WP6 (University of Huddersfield): Conducting life cycle and cost assessments to evaluate the environmental and economic footprint.
- WP7 (DIGNITY P.C.): Managing communication, public engagement, and dissemination of project results.
- WP8 (REZOS Brands): Coordinating project activities, data management, and ensuring timely delivery of goals.
About the FRIETS Project
The FRIETS project began in September 2021 and will run for four years. It is funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges program of Horizon Europe.
The project involves a consortium of 13 partners from five European countries (UK, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Romania), including:
- Six universities: National Technical University of Athens, Agricultural University of Athens, Cyprus University of Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, University of Malta, University of Huddersfield
- Two farms: Mountain Berries Pitsilia N.V. LTD, Mgarr Farms
- Five companies: REZOS Brands, DIGNITY P.C., Natural Food Additive, KPAD LTD, CENCIRA Agrofood Research and Innovation Centre
Why This Work Matters
The FRIETS project is helping reshape the future of snacking by merging taste, innovation, and well-being. By developing soft fruit-based snacks that are both delicious and nutritionally superior, the project meets rising consumer demand for foods that support a healthier lifestyle—without sacrificing convenience or flavor.
Acknowledgment information:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101007783.
References
- Govers, C. et al. Review of the health effects of berries and their phytochemicals on the digestive and immune systems. Nutr. Rev. 2018.
- Kowalska, K. & Olejnik, A. Health-beneficial effects of berry fruits in metabolic syndrome prevention. Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 2016.
- Vahapoglu, B. et al. Recent studies on berry bioactives and their health roles. Molecules 2021.
- Golovinskaia, O. & Wang, C.K. Functional and pharmacological activities of berries. Molecules 2021.
Source: https://wikifarmer.com/library/en/article/friets-project-the-revolutionary-research-for-the-production-of-super-snacks
