“Our aim is to develop functional foods that are designed to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety”
TECNALIA develops a new range of foods to help reduce anxiety
In today’s society, stress and anxiety have become widespread emotional health issues. Factors such as work-related pressure, hyperconnectivity, financial instability and the aftermath of the pandemic have led to an increased demand for effective, safe, accessible alternatives to anti-anxiety medication.
The SERENIA (an acronym derived from the Spanish “Soluciones Eficaces para Reducir Emociones Negativas y Ansiedad” meaning Effective Solutions for Reducing Negative Emotions and Anxiety) project was launched against this backdrop, as a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at tackling this problem through functional nutrition,, a project on which the TECNALIA Food team is currently working.
A response based on scientific evidence
The main aim of SERENIA is to develop functional foods that are specifically designed to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety caused by certain stressful situations.
- Unlike pharmacological treatments, this approach is based on using natural ingredients with anxiolytic properties, which are incorporated into food matrices that optimise their stability and bioavailability.
- The initiative aims to provide accessible, safe alternatives backed by scientific evidence that can help manage mild episodes of anxiety associated with everyday stress.
TECNALIA’s strategic role
TECNALIA’s Food team draws on its expertise in applied research and biotechnology to turn science into real-world solutions. Our contribution focuses on developing innovative solutions in the field of personalised healthcare and nutrition, providing the technical expertise required to ensure that these bioactive compounds are effective and safe for consumers.
The project follows a rigorous methodology broken down into five key stages:
- Identification: a systematic review to select the bioactive compounds with the highest anxiolytic potential.
- Formulation: the creation of foods using sustainable extraction technologies.
- Optimisation: the use of microencapsulation strategies and studies on metabolic pathways to improve the bioaccessibility of the active ingredients.
- Validation: in vivo evaluation in animal models to analyse the efficacy of the formulations and their behaviour.
- Scale-up: development of industrial prototypes and preparation of dossiers for future clinical trials on humans.
A multidisciplinary consortium for mental health
SERENIA’s success lies in the combination of three cornerstones:
- Fruselva Global: it is leading the project by contributing its industrial expertise to the formulation and production of food.
- EHU (University of the Basque Country): it is leading the scientific aspect, drawing on its expertise in neuroscience and mental health.
- TECNALIA: it is at the forefront of biotechnology and the development of personalised healthcare solutions.
Expected impact
As well as developing new products, SERENIA is also working on creating new knowledge on how diet can help regulate the stress response. The ultimate impact will be twofold: firstly, the aim is to provide the adult population with a natural, practical tool for coping with everyday stress, and, secondly, to help reduce the use of anxiolytic drugs through nutritional alternatives backed by scientific evidence
TECNALIA continues to be committed to developing technologies that improve people’s quality of life and well-being.
*The SERENIA project (CPP2024-011578) is funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), the Spanish National Research Agency (AEI) (10.13039/501100011033) and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)