Food Technology #230
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Food Technology The 7 advances in food technology that AINIA’s team of specialized technicians and researchers have selected for the role they are playing and will play for the future of the food sector are:
1. Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and Big Data
It is radically changing the way of manufacturing, transporting and consuming food. An Accenture report estimates that global investment in the Internet of Things (IoT) will reach a level of 500,000 million dollars in 2020. In the particular case of the food industry, a revolution is taking place through the digitization of food safety processes that will result in greater efficiency and flexibility in:
– The manufacture of food (the so-called industry 4.0).
– Activities related to the value chain .
– And the control of food quality and safety .
All this, together with the large amount of information available as a result of said digitization, will improve decision-making by management and management teams, with a knowledge of the consumer like never before, opening up numerous opportunities in the field of personalization of product and new forms of interaction.
For those who wish to delve into this subject, we recommend reading this article: The future is today: the 4.0 food factory
2. Microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation for next-generation ingredient design
Microencapsulation technologies are allowing, in recent times, to develop foods with new, safer and healthier properties, as well as functional ingredients and novel additives with advanced properties.
It is one of the alternatives most demanded by the food industry to maintain the conservation of the properties of the products. Thanks to this process, the bioactive substances in food are introduced into a product matrix to prevent them from being lost. Thus, they are protected from reaction with other compounds, oxidation reactions are slowed down and even nutrients are released in a controlled manner. In this sense, the potential that nanoencapsulation opens up is even greater.
As a summary, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation represent a first-rate technological advance in food product innovation, key to the development of:
For those interested, we recommend viewing this video in which we explain the advantages of this technology and how we are working with it at AINIA Technological Center, collaborating and being a technological partner with a large number of companies in this field.
They can also learn about some success stories such as DOMCA , a leading company and pioneer in the development of natural preservatives.
3. Chemical imaging for quality control and food safety
The chemical image allows obtaining a composition map (moisture, fat, protein…) of the product being processed in real time . It is a revolutionary technology based on spectral vision that allows going beyond the limitations of conventional inspection systems. The images show the concentrations of the parameters of interest in each point of the product, which provides more and more rigorous information.
Due to the ability to identify the chemical composition, this technology makes it possible to differentiate between the correct product and foreign matter that may appear on the production line. Its applications are many and varied: control of analytical processes, detection of foreign bodies in nuts, quality control of raw material in fish preparations, meat products, ready meals…
You can also find out what other companies such as SADA Andalucía or *Multiscan are doing in this line of work, or delve into the fields of application of this technology by reading this article: The 6 advantages of chemical imaging for the control of food products.
4. Bacteriophages, new biological methods for food safety
Food preservation using novel biological methods is generating new paradigms for food safety. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect and multiply in bacteria. Different applications of bacteriophages in the food chain have already been studied. For example:
Although bacteriophages are not always favorable (this is the case of industries with fermentation processes, such as dairy), however, there are already products on the market that have FDA approval against pathogens as important as Listeria . monocytogenes, Salmonella and E.coli and have aroused the interest of EFSA.
At AINIA we are developing, in collaboration with food companies, research work on bacteriophages for the control of pathogens.
5. Pressure as a tool to transform food processes
Food science outlines a future trend towards the development of technologies that ensure the highest quality of food at the lowest cost and using more environmentally friendly techniques. In this field, the effects of pressure, as a thermodynamic variable, on the structure and mobility of the different components of food (proteins, fats…) opens up a wide range of new possibilities:
– Conformational changes in cell wall proteins and their direct effect on microbiological inactivation.
– Control of process variables in closed systems (boiling temperatures, presence of oxygen…) such as frying at reduced pressure .
– Modification of the temperature variable for food cooking processes using saturated steam at controlled pressure.
6. Proteomics
Proteomics is the branch of biology that focuses on the study of proteins . It is used as an analytical technique for the identification and characterization of proteins involved in biological processes and for the search for new proteins. Although its potential in the field of biomedicine and pharmacy is well known (its main applications are focused on the discovery of new drugs, molecular diagnosis and personalized medicine), it also represents a technological advance applicable to the field of food.
Thus, for example, the conjunction of advances in proteomics and biosensors opens up a large field of work in the field of food safety for the detection of contaminants and risk microorganisms. In addition, DNA biochips have great potential for the development of a personalized diet.
Also, in the field of proteomics, we must mention the advances in the development of enzyme kits tailored to pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes or others.
At AINIA we have experience both in the development of biosensors and in R+D+i focused on the study of proteins, which is why we perceive the potential of these technologies in the context of innovation in food in the coming years, as well as in its connection with health.
7. Active packaging, the skin of food in the 21st century
The development of active packaging with biocidal, antioxidant, or gas-absorbing properties also represents a great technological advance.
An active container is one that is capable of chemically or biologically interacting with the food product or modifies the head space with the purpose of improving shelf life. Although there are many applications, the most common are oxygen barriers, antimicrobial agents, ethylene and moisture absorbers.
New formulas for the functionalization of containers are being investigated through different strategies. The development of research is allowing the evaluation of the functionality of the active substances used and their compatibility depending on whether they are applied by means of coatings or by extrusion (the active substances that melt together are added to the packaging material, achieving a new functional material).
AINIA has a specific line of work in the field of active packaging. Among other advances, in the POLIFUN project , results indicated that coatings with garlic extracts inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157 and Botrytis cinerea ; coatings with eugenol or cinnamon essential oil also inhibit Botrytis cinerea.
For those interested in this line of work, we recommend reading this article: 5 teams you should know if you want to develop active packaging for food.