Scope and Objectives of the project.

Rice is an integral part of the diet of more than half of the world's population, as it is rich in carbohydrates and can thus meet a large part of the daily caloric needs of humans. It also provides a significant amount of plant-based protein, is gluten-free and in some cases can be consumed by people suffering from diabetes mellitus (e.g. brown rice). At the same time, certain varieties of rice (parboiled, red) have a remarkable amount of beneficial ingredients such as trace elements, vitamins, pigments (anthocyanins), antioxidants, which make the food more attractive according to modern dietary standards.

Task 1: Production of rice fortified with vegetable ingredients and determination of quality parameters of the final product

Deliverables of Work Module 1 :

- Final product of dried enriched rice
- Technical report on production and product quality assessment
- Provision of detailed instructions on how to perform the experimental techniques (e.g. manual)
- A patent covering the proposed production process

Task 2: Physico-chemical characterisation of enriched rice

Deliverables of Work Module 2 :

- Report on the evaluation of the physico-chemical parameters of enriched rice
- Announcement at a conference and/or publication in a scientific journal.

Task 3: Evaluation of the susceptibility of a new product to bunker insects

Deliverables of Work Module 3 :

- Report on the susceptibility of new products to major bunker insects
- Report on insecticide efficacy in new products.
- Announcement at a conference and/or publication in a scientific journal.

Task 4: Market research and new product promotion

Deliverables of Work Module 4 :

- Market research
- Marketing Plan of the product

Expected Results

- Initially, a new biofunctional rice production process is expected to be developed following the design and construction of a pilot production plant.
- Subsequently, biofunctional rice will be produced by diffusion of micro-ingredients derived from the aqueous extraction of at least 5 natural flavours/aromas.
- This project will exploit the domestic production of aromatic herbs
and medicinal plants, while the combination of these with a cheap product (white rice), but of significant economic importance for the region of Central Macedonia, will give it additional value and new markets. The aromatic plants will also come from Macedonia (Western Macedonia). Given the particularly high consumption of rice, it is expected that the corresponding consumption and cultivation of aromatic plants in Northern Greece and beyond will be supported.

Use of the results

The results of this project will add a particularly high added value to products such as starchy grains (rice), which in any case have limited profit margins for a company even when its orientation is export-oriented. These products have a certain profit margin, which is particularly low when sold unpackaged (big bag), and satisfactory profit and prospects on existing markets when sold packaged.

In addition, the operator will gain access to markets that require more specialised products, increasing the already large number of countries where its products are exported (44 countries) and expanding its consumer base. Due to the added value of the proposed biofunctional food product to be produced, which in this example is a rice-based product, the value per unit weight is expected to increase by 400%, while the cost of its production has been calculated to vary according to the value of the aromatic plants used, which have a minimum contribution to the final value of the product.