Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Implementation of fingerprint approaches in food systems
Coordinator
Development and application of advanced analytical procedures to assess the quality of relevant food product categories in the national context and corresponding analogues implemented according to task 4.1.1 and 4.1.2
In depth characterization of the new products using different approaches (including omics techniques) to get their unique fingerprint (e.g., foodome evaluation) and to compare it to corresponding benchmark.
Development of at least five novel foodomic methods to implement nutritional characterization of foods (M28)
Application of foodomic approaches for the assessment of composition parameters in at least one existing (M24), two reformulated (M32) and implemented (M36) products of each food category according to task 4.1.1. and 4.1.2.
Development of at least five innovative quali-quantitative methods for a better characterization of nutritional profile (M28)
Application of advanced analytical procedures for the assessment of composition parameters in at least one existing, reformulated and implemented product of each food category according to task 4.1.1. and 4.1.2. (M30)
Quality-by-Design (QbD) approaches are more and more interesting for food industries that want to follow the Industry 4.0 concepts. E-sensing technologies (e.g., IR spectroscopy, e-nose, e-eye, thermography) have been proven as very useful tools in this context, being able to provide the fingerprint of food products for their authentication, rapid and easy methods for the analyses of composition and quality, as well as in-line and on-line applications for real-time monitoring of food processing according to Process Analytical Technology (PAT). PAT in food industries can improve process efficiency and final product quality by enhancing understanding and control of the manufacturing processes. However, most of the literature refers to studies carried out at a lab scale, while applications at industrial levels are still few. To bridge the gap between e-sensing technologies’ potentials and actual implementations in PAT, a strict cooperation between researchers and industries is necessary to close the control loop for an efficient and automated processing management.
The project can be developed in cooperation with other partners working on food quality and processing, focusing on the following activities:
A large number of samples is needed especially for activities 1 and 2, as well as results of conventional analyses, thus these activities can be performed only in cooperation with other partners involved in the assessment of raw material/ingredient/product quality characteristics. For the development of activity no. 4, the involvement of food industries is desirable.
Relevant and beneficial results for food industries are expected from this project in terms of new and advanced methods based on e-sensing technologies (e.g., IR spectroscopy, e-nose, e-eye, thermography) for food quality and shelf life assessment and for real-time monitoring of food processing. At least one method for each of the activities of the operational plan is expected to be developed.
