→ Work plan
FLAVIOLA is a European research project carried out by a consortium of eight national partners each with a specific expertise. The workload has been organised in six work-packages (WP) and each institution takes the lead on one or more aspects of the research and shares the results with the others. FLAVIOLA will deploy over a period of three years.

WP1: Metabonomics

WP 1 focuses on the design of flavanol-rich food matrices and the analysis of dietary flavanol uptake and metabolism.
WP Leader – University of Reading

WP2: Susceptibility, age & gender aspects

WP 2 looks at the evaluation of inter and intra-individual variability potentially affecting the dietary intake of flavanol-containing foods.
WP Leader – Mars, Incorporated

WP3: Organ functionality and organism vitality

WP 3 investigates the impact of dietary flavanols and the interaction with dietary nitrate/nitrite (NOx) on cardiovascular morphology and function in vivo. In addition, it will examine the influence of dietary flavanols on mild and severe inflammatory states.
WP Leader – Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf

WP4: (Sub-)cellular targets and mechanisms

In WP 4 the FLAVIOLA partners look at key molecular targets of dietary flavanols taking part in vascular homeostasis, both in the different vascular cell types and in cardiomyocytes.
WP Leader – Universiteit Maastricht

WP5: Dissemination and exploitation

In WP 5, FLAVIOLA will focus on the communication of FLAVIOLA's results to all key stakeholders to ensure that the findings are effectively leveraged in terms of the scientific, societal and economic advancement of the EU.
WP Leader – Mars, Incorporated

WP6: Management

WP 6 covers the effective project management of FLAVIOLA to ensure all necessary goals and targets are met.
WP Leader – SCIPROM Sàrl


Stacks Image 28
The FLAVIOLA Consortium

The FLAVIOLA Vision

FLAVIOLA’s vision is that through collaborative research into the function and delivery of flavanols, we will provide the foundations for the development of innovative and natural food products that have a far-reaching impact on European public health and well-being.

Stacks Image 29
Prof. Kelm, FLAVIOLA Scientific Director
“FLAVIOLA is a unique research project. We aim to develop an optimised flavanol-rich diet without altering the natural flavanol source or enriching dietary flavanol content,” commented Prof. Kelm, Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf and FLAVIOLA Scientific Director.

Cutting-edge Research


FLAVIOLA will leverage the latest innovations in chemistry, cardiovascular function analysis, food processing technology and flavanol analytics to:
  • Illuminate the cellular and sub-cellular effects of flavanols and their main human metabolites. This work will also cover nutrient-receptor interactions, as well as up-stream and down-stream signal cascades.
  • Investigate the key parameters of dietary flavanol absorption, clearance and efficacy towards surrogate markers of cardiovascular function in humans.
  • Assess the nutrient-derived biological benefits of flavanols, such as improved cell and organ functionality and whole organism vitality.
  • Develop innovative, natural and nutritionally responsible food matrices for optimised dietary flavanol delivery.
  • Demonstrate cardiovascular benefits and safety for a newly developed prototype food product.