BaSeFood: sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods

The Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods (BaSeFood) is a 3-year collaborative research programme, funded by the 7th Framework Programme, launched on the 1st of April 2009. The project, which is coordinated by Dr Filippo D'Antuono (University of Bologna), consists of a research consortium of 13 partners, namely Italy (two), the United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal, Serbia and six Black Sea area countries: Russian Federation, Ukraine (two), Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. BaSeFood will contribute scientifically by studying the bioactive compounds within traditional foods of the Black Sea area using rigorous analytical and biological assays. The vast array of characteristics of traditional foods will be considered, as well as any associated consumer-perceived benefits, related to health claims, so that they can be properly understood by the consumer and exploited by food processors to produce more healthy traditional foods.