Role of nitrate/nitrite and of processing and storage in the N-nitrosamine formation in certain foods
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Build the European food safety knowledge ecosystem, ensuring safe food as the basis for healthy diets and sustainable food systems.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The objective of this call is to investigate possible correlations between nitrates/nitrites and nitrosamines, and the role of cooking and storage on nitrosamine formation.
Detailed Call Description
N-nitrosamines are genotoxic and carcinogenic compounds occurring in food. Their formation has been linked to the presence of nitrates and nitrites in processed food, particularly in meat products. However, N-nitrosamines might also be formed in processed leafy vegetables characterized by high levels of nitrite, especially if stored under acidic conditions; in processed fish, especially those with added nitrate as a food preservative (up to 500 mg/kg) and those characterized by high concentration of free secondary amines; in ripened cheese, especially cheese with added nitrate as a food preservative and long period of ripening.
The EFSA’s evaluations on nitrates and nitrites as food additives and on N-nitrosamines in food indicated the need of further studies on the levels of N-nitrosamines formed in different processed meat products with known ingoing amounts of nitrates /nitrites added and in foods other than processed meat (i.e. raw meats, vegetables, cereals, milk and dairy products, fermented foods, pickled preserves, spiced foods, etc.) as well as in all products when cooked in different ways.
This call for proposals seeks to address these recommendations by analysing nitrates, nitrites and N-nitrosamines in processed and unprocessed meat, fish, cheese and leafy vegetables food model products under different cooking types and storage conditions.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The present Call for proposals comes with a simplified grant management, where the grant amounts paid to the beneficiary are based on predefined sums that are not linked to the costs of the action. This means there is no need of co-financing from the beneficiary, and no need of estimated budget or timesheets to record the work.
EFSA intends to fund one proposal following this Call. However, EFSA reserves the right not to award all the funds available at any cost, e.g. if the quality of submitted proposals will not be satisfactory.
Thematic Categories
- Agriculture - Food
- Health
- Justice - Security
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- International Organisations
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Applicants must be included in the Article 36 list of eligible organisations. Applications made by consortium in which partners are not on the Article 36 list will be excluded. In this regard, the University of Thessaly, the University of Cyprus, the Cyprus University of Technology and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague are included in the list.
The proposals can be submitted by one eligible organisation or by a consortium of eligible organisations. EFSA would prefer to sign the Framework Partnership Agreements with consortia, however organisations applying as such (i.e., not being part of any consortium) will not be excluded if all criteria are met.
Proposals submitted by consortium:
- the Applicant submits the proposal to EFSA on behalf of the consortium. The applicant is the leading entity of the consortium. There can be only one applicant in the proposal.
- The Partner is the other entity in the consortium. There can be a minimum of one partner or more partners.
If you are searching for consortium partners, please contact your Focal Point.
On the proposal submission deadline, both the applicant and any partners in the consortium must be listed as competent organisations. This designation must be in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002 and Commission Regulation (EC) 2230/2004, as designated by the Member States.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
For any further information or guidance, you can contact: EFSAProcurement@efsa.europa.eu.