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.
Improvement of storage technological approaches for innovative food pr...
Coordinator
Innovation of food (bio)processing using smart and mild technologies and fermentation to improve nutritional quality while ensuring safety and environmental sustainability throughout the shelf life of foods. Nutritional quality and biodiversity are targeted through both advanced and sustainable processes (including encapsulation) to preserve and improve at-risk (micro)nutrient composition of relevant food categories and exploiting microbiological and biotechnological applications to impact on nutritional quality. Such (bio)technological approaches (e.g., fermentation, enzyme treatments, etc.) are validated by process markers also directed to ensure food production safety and quality targeting new food habits (e.g., ready to eat food and novel food consumption) and sustainability, promoting production efficiency and utilisation of alternative sources (in connection with Spoke 2 and 3).
Development or improvement of at least 3 technological approaches to innovate food production (including cooking and shelf life) in terms of nutritional quality, safety, and sustainability (M24)
Meat is stored some days before sale and throughout this period, safety and physical features must be preserved. For fresh meat, preservatives and colourings are not admitted, thus its storing is usually obtained under Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), composed by CO2 (20-30%), O2 (70-80%) N2 (0-10%). N2 is a “filling” gas, CO2 prevents the growth of microorganisms, while O2 contrasts meat discolouration, because it allows keeping myoglobin in the form of oxy-myoglobin which shows a red bright colour. Unfortunately, both oxy-myoglobin and oxygen can trig lipid oxidation. Oxidation products of fatty acids are volatile organic compounds; among them aldehydes are highly reactive representing “secondary toxic messengers” able to affect negatively not only the odour and taste of meat, but also human health.
Cholesterol as well can be oxidised and its oxidation products, odourless and colourless, show pathological and cytotoxic effects 10 or 100 times higher than no-oxidised cholesterol.
The experimental plan will be structured with the following objectives and related methodologies
Identification of at least one storage method with ameliorated sustainable parameters for meat:
Selection at the least of one improved storage method for meat with maintained its physical characteristics and safety.
