Innovation Capabilities & Products
- Capabilities | Pathogen incidence and risk assessment
Pathogen detection and identification in wild and farmed animals, as well as in seafood products. Evaluation of the relationship between pathogen incidence and various environmental and physiological aspects to provide risk assessments for target pathogens.
- Capabilities | Development of new food products from fisheries and aquaculture by-products
Development of processes for the transformation of discards and seafood by-products into new raw materials (fish mince, fish oil, etc.) with added value for the generation of innovative processed food products (hamburgers, nuggets, etc.), ensuring traceability, nutritional value and safety in new value chains.
- Capabilities | Development of intelligent and active food labels
Development of smart food labels based on models for oxidation, microbial growth, etc. that let consumers know when food is no longer fit to eat, helping to prevent food waste, and give information on freshness, package temperature, etc.
- Capabilities | Development of intelligent sensors for the optimization of food processing and conservation
Development of non-invasive methods and technologies (i.e. hyperspectral imaging technology) for quality inspection of food products.
- Capabilities | Development of integrated plant-wide control and optimization for food industry
Multi-scale modeling for flexible decision-making and optimization of complex processes (i.e., sterilization) based on safety and quality control of food products using non-invasive techniques (software sensors, etc).
- Capabilities | Design of disinfection procedures and modeling for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance
Development of chemical (combinations of disinfectants, essential oils) and biological (enzymes, phages) strategies that are effective for removing monospecific and mixed microbial biofilms from surfaces in the food industry. Biocide testing and development of better biocide dosage strategies for the food industry, ensuring food safety while avoiding antimicrobial resistance acquisition.
- Capabilities | Development and implementation of natural additives and innovative processing techniques for seafood conservation
Development and implementation of natural additives (i.e., algae extracts and other lipophilic antioxidants) with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, as well as innovative food processing and preservation methods (i.e. high hydrostatic pressure) to improve seafood conservation and shelf life.
- Capabilities |Evaluation of shelf life duration and development of personalized packaging systems for seafood products
Evaluation of viability and shelf life duration of seafood products. Development and ad-hoc adaptation of innovative food packaging systems (modified atmospheres, etc.) to improve quality, ensure safety and extend shelf life of fishery and aquaculture products.
- Capabilities | Assessment of nutritional value in seafood and design of personalized nutrition treatments and products
Design and development of seafood products for target consumers (elderly, young, diabetic, allergic to seafood, etc.) that guarantee specific nutritional requirements, safety and sustainability. Development of techniques (i.e. metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, lipidomics, etc.), using animal models and cell cultures, to characterize the response of a patient/consumer to diet and to design personalized nutrition treatments and products (i.e. nutraceutics, hypoallergenic fish products, immunostimulants, functional foods, etc).
- Capabilities | Threat assessment and critical control points along seafood value chains
Assessment and development of protocols to identify the most problematic areas and products in terms of microbial contamination and parasitic infestation along the value chain of seafood products.