Targeting childhood obesity: Natural, low sugar snacks with concentrated fruit polyphenols

This Phase I SBIR project directly addresses two major nutritional needs - the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome in adults. Its objective is to validate a newly discovered Nutrasorb (TM) technology for the manufacture of a new generation of science-based, efficacious, shelf-stable, and tasty functional foods, specifically, natural, nutritious, low-sugar functional snacks from red grape juice. These snacks will contain a highly concentrated grape polyphenol complex shown to have anti-diabetic and anti-obesity activity. These snacks will deliver high amounts of nutritionally beneficial and health-promoting compounds from grapes without weight gain-promoting sugars normally associated with diets rich in fruits. The technology validation that will be performed in Phase I of this proposal and the subsequent development and commercialization of Nutrasorb technology and products will provide a two-pronged approach to reducing childhood obesity and diabetes: - to deliver high levels of beneficial natural products (grape polyphenol complex) with potential anti-diabetic and anti-obesity activity - to naturally remove high-calorie sugars associated with fruits from the developed functional snacks and substitute these sugars with nutritionally balanced matrix. Nutrasorb-based functional foods, developed as a result of Phase 1 SBIR funding, can help to reduce childhood obesity and diabetes with science-based prevention and dietary control. A promise to deliver, first to children and subsequently to adults, bioactive natural products with anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects from fruits and vegetables in a highly concentrated form without sugar and water represents a major breakthrough for the functional food industry. Such products will directly address the epidemics of obesity and diabetes - one of the major goals in human health and nutrition.