Fruits and vegetables as pharmacies for health

That fruits and vegetables are healthy for you is no news, but exactly which fresh products contain which healthy ingredients is still difficult to demonstrate. The top sector project 'The Values of Fruit and Vegetables' is intended to close this gap in the documentation of the health effects of fruit and vegetables. In this project, two innovative measuring methods are being developed and combined to define the content and health effects of specific types of fruit and vegetables.

Innovative challenge model

One of the researchers involved is Hidde van Steenwijk, PHD candidate from Maastricht University. He is working on an innovative challenge model, looking at the whole picture of health, rather than one small effect of one substance. Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between the intake of certain nutrients and health effects? In the future, the researchers hope to be able to measure a combination of substances and health effects of the whole product.

From knowledge institution to industry

The project is a collaboration between various educational institutions and companies. The measurement method is developed by HAS University and Avans, for the substantiation of the health effects of fruits and vegetables Maastricht University is involved and the research is conducted at the Food Claims Centre at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.

This combination of knowledge institutions brings both science and the application of knowledge one step closer to business. With a better substantiation of the preventive health value of fresh products, new markets can be opened as well as the pricing and increase of market share can be positively influenced.

Convince

Hidde van Steenwijk on the possibilities of the research. "Only 16% of people eat 200 grams of vegetables a day. So there is still a world to be won. And if you can make it clear why that is so important, you have an important trump card to convince people to actually do that. So that's interesting for companies that breed seeds and for growers."

Would you like to read the full interview with Hidde van Steenwijk about his research? You can find it at the Brightlands website.

Source: Brightlands