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.
Innovative Approaches in Food Processing: Exploring Cutting-Edge Techn...
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).
Systematic evaluation of existing food processing gaps and constraints in terms of impact on nutritional quality, safety, and sustainability in the national scenario (M12)
Systematic review of biotechnological approaches to enhance functionality of different food products within the relevant food categories and possible constraints (M12)
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)
Development or improvement of at least 3 biotechnological approaches to innovate food production in terms of nutritional quality, safety, and sustainability (M30)
In recent years, many novel technologies of food processing have evolved in response to the need of consumers for safe and high-quality food products. Nowadays, consumers increasingly demand a large variety of high-quality and show interest in food of high nutritional value for a healthy product. For this reason, the food industry must constantly innovate and launch new products to respond to consumer demand.
In comparison to traditional methods, non-conventional or innovative technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF), high pressure homogenization (HPH) and high-pressure processing (HPP) not only facilitate the development of novel food items but also enhance the safety, quality, and sustainability of conventional foods through mild processing. Additionally, these technologies contribute to the improved extractability of bioactive compounds, further enhancing the nutritional profile of the final products. The adoption of these innovative techniques aligns with sustainability goals by minimizing energy consumption and reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional food processing methods.
The project explores non-conventional technologies on diverse foods for enhanced safety, sustainability, sensory attributes, and nutritional profile.
