Recently, the Leitat Terrassa facilities hosted the consortium meeting of the GUTBABI project, a PCPP 2023, where project partners gathered to review in detail the progress achieved to date. This was the second in-person meeting of the consortium, an important milestone to strengthen coordination among the different teams and ensure aligned progress across all planned activities.
The GUTBABI project has been established through a multidisciplinary consortium that brings together the strengths of leading research, technological, and industrial organizations. It combines the expertise of companies dedicated to the development of innovative healthy food products (Fruselva Global, Algemy, and i-Grape), together with Leitat, which contributes its technological capabilities and experience in applied research, and the PEDINUR group from IISPV, a reference in clinical and pediatric nutritional research.
The main objective of the GUTBABI project is to develop an innovative complementary food in pouch format, specifically designed to support intestinal well-being and the maturation of the immune system in infants during the transition to complementary feeding, a critical phase of human development.
The proposed solution is based on natural-origin ingredients with high functional value, including:
Microalgae, known for their nutritional richness and potential to modulate the intestinal microbiota.
Plant extracts rich in polyphenols, bioactive compounds with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, supported by growing scientific evidence.
These ingredients will be combined in an adaptable, safe formulation designed to be easily integrated into infant feeding habits.
The GUTBABI approach addresses a growing need: to develop products based on scientific evidence that help strengthen gastrointestinal health and reduce the risk of infections in early childhood, a period in which the immune system is still developing and particularly vulnerable.
Within the consortium, Leitat plays a key role by conducting preclinical studies and advanced microbiota and metabolomics analyses. These activities are essential to understand the real effect of the new food on intestinal microbial balance and on the metabolic pathways involved in immune response. This holistic approach will enable the generation of robust scientific data supporting the efficacy and safety of the final product.
The meeting concluded with a guided tour of the Leitat Terrassa laboratories, where project partners were able to learn firsthand about the technological platforms and experimental capabilities supporting the development of GUTBABI. This visit fostered exchange among teams and reinforced a shared vision of the project’s objectives.
Project CPP2023-010598 funded by:
