WeZoop is a start-up venture developing healthy ageing food. Our primary aim is to develop a healthy food journey by identifying correct old age needs and innovatively delivering by keeping quality at the forefront.
In 2020, Sima Girzadaite cofounded WeZoop and collaborated with biotechnologists, professors, and scientists by re-inventing food, by utilizing existing technology expertise offered by Lithuanian scientists.
RITUAMI was designed as a nutrient-dense food product for the elderly population by adding bioactive-loaded double emulsion W/O/W into protein-rich yoghurt. A multiple bioactives-loaded double emulsion contained health-promoting berry polyphenols; vitamins C, B9 and B12 in the inner water phase; and vitamins A and D in the oil phase. Analysis of the nutritional composition of the developed product showed that it can contribute to the protein and vitamin demands of older people and it does not contain an enlarged content of nutrients to limit for this group of consumers. The newly designed product exhibited typical non-Newtonian behaviour and stable colour throughout its shelf life. The stability of vitamins in the product after 20 days of storage was 80.0%, 70.37%, 54.14%, 94.04%, and 90.0% for vitamins B9, B12, C, D, and A, respectively. Results from the in vitro digestion analysis show that fortification of the product by bioactive-loaded double emulsion did not hinder the release of vitamins during digestion but slowed down the release of polyphenols. Geriatric patients described the developed product as ‘comfortable’ because of good swallow and humidity and good product texture attributes NUTRITION OF THE PRODUCT 100 g 200 g (per serving) RVK*, % Energy value / (kJ / kcal) 555 / 133 1110 / 266 13 % Fat 8,8 g 17,6 g 26 % of which saturated fatty acids 2,2 g 4,4 g 22 % Carbohydrates 3,9 g 7,8 g 4 % from which sugars 3,5 g 7,0 g 3 % Protein 10 g 20 g 40 % Salt 0,07 g 0,14 g 2 % VITAMINS AND MINERALS 100 g 200 g (per serving) RMV**, % Vitamin C 40 mg 80 mg 100 % Vitamin B12 500 µg 1000 µg 40 000 % Folic acid 400 µg 800 µg 400 % Vitamin A 400 µg 800 µg 100 % Vitamin D 10 µg 20 µg 400 % Calcium 150 mg 300 mg 38 % Zinc 7 mg 14 mg 140 % Selenium 30 µg 60 µg 109 % * – the reference intake of the average adult (8 400 kJ/ 2 000 kcal); ** – nutrient reference value.
The comfortability of a high-protein yoghurt-type product was analyzed in the focus group of geriatric patients. The group was formed from the patients hospitalized in the Geriatric Department of Kaunas Clinical Hospital, able to spend 12 days at the hospital, able to understand and speak Lithuanian and able to sign for informed consent. The exclusion criteria were as follows: advanced dysphagia requiring enteral nutrition, advanced dementia, or cancer and terminal renal, cardiac, pulmonary, or hepatic insufficiency. A total of 20 patients (5 males, 15 females, 71–86 years, mean age 78) participated in the focus group. Ethical approval was obtained from the Kaunas Regional Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (Lithuania).
After taking this food product for 10 days, the nutritional status of elderly patients improved:
https://digitalkiosks.org/ Digital Kiosks is a European network for the deployment of sharing stations to create more sustainable and liveable communities. Sharing stations are creating a new seamless experience to share and access goods in the city. Through connected lockers, citizens can access the goods they need, directly where they need it. This reduces the need to purchase unnecessary equipment. They can be found in indoor environments such as building lobbies, libraries, local shops and office buildings and in outdoor environments such as parks, public squares, playgrounds and beaches. Public authorities and housing providers have the opportunity to activate and claim spaces for communities to bond through sharing.
INDEFORM Technologies - software development company with 10+ years of expertise in developing and integrating productivity solutions, systems engineering, consulting and R&D services. We are ready to leverage highly skilled dedicated teams and on-demand development resources for seamless scaling that aligns with your workflow, needs, and budget.
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