06 Apr NRCI tie in with great opportunity for global carotenoid science

PROFESSOR NOLAN WILL PRESENT HIS ERC PROJECT ‘CENTRAL RETINAL ENRICHMENT SUPPLEMENT TRIALS’ TO A NEW CAROTENOID NETWORK ON THURSDAY, 16 JUNE 2016
Professor John Nolan, Principal Investigator at the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland, is representing Ireland as a member of the Management Committee on EUROCAROTEN, a new European carotenoid Cost Action network.

Professor Nolan will be working as part of the nutrition and health work package and will also function as the Industry Relationship Manager for EUROCAROTEN. Speaking about this COST action, Professor Nolan said that “this is a great opportunity for global carotenoid science and it represents a unique platform for networking, training, and the development of novel research ideas.”

The aim of EUROCAROTEN is to enhance competitiveness of the European agro-food industry and promote health by coordinating research on carotenoids. Carotenoids are versatile and can be used as natural colorants, antioxidants, sources of vitamin A and functional ingredients. Of the over 750 carotenoids only ten are being thoroughly studies, so there is much potential to produce positive impacts at different levels.

European researchers and industrial representatives from 28 countries together with officers from COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) a pan-European intergovernmental framework kicked-off the new European carotenoid Cost Action network in Brussels in April 2016. EUROCAROTEN is chaired by Professor Antonio J. Meléndez Martínez, University of Sevilla, Spain.

COST’s mission is to enable break-through scientific and technological developments leading to new concepts and products and thereby contribute to strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities.

The EUROCAROTEN will especially address novel sources of carotenoids, little studied carotenoids, how beneficial actions of carotenoids can be harnessed to promote health and to increase competitiveness of the European agro-food industry. EUROCAROTEN will gather and articulate critical mass of European actors to promote the co-operative use of infrastructures, synergistic interactions and the sharing, generation, application and communication of knowledge. This will contribute to strengthening Europe´s research and innovation capacities. As a result it will generate breakthroughs leading to applications like new technologies and/or high-quality foods and the establishment of health-promoting nutritional recommendations. Thus, EUROCAROTEN Cost-Action will contribute to create health, improve health and reduce costs related to serious diseases.(WIT 15th June 2016).