Implementing new food processing technologies

Food processing technologies have come a long way in terms of time and energy savings, extended retail shelf life and ready-to-use products. However, the implementation of such technologies in industrial food production is still rather limited.

There are several roadblocks to implementing food processing technologies. The main ones are low consumer acceptance or rejection, non-open market access, and lack of knowledge and information among food producers on how to integrate such technologies. Furthermore, an applicable validation system is missing that will integrate these technologies one by one based on a generalised approach.

Achieving optimum process control for sustainable food processing

Taking risks and investing in the improvement of the technologies’ processing lines is a major hurdle for the industry, especially food processing SMEs. There’s neither the time nor the available resources needed to implement new non-standard processes. Thanks to EU funding, the i3-Food project “identified barriers and designed a plan to help in a wider implementation of food processing technologies”, said coordinator Dr Claudia Siemer.

The i3-Food team implemented three innovative food processing technologies under real industrial conditions to ensure rapid and maximum market uptake. Pulsed electric field preservation (PEF-P) of liquid food products, high-pressure thermal sterilisation (HPTS) for ready-to-eat-meals and low shear extrusion (LS-extrusion) of cold food products have been taken to a new stage in their industrial application.

Food control is needed over the food processing method for all three technologies, and the appropriate sensors are required for the right process. Knowledge is also needed on how to implement the process. “We had to look into the lack of continuous process control in the three technologies,” explained Dr Siemer. “This is very important when you consider that a small difference in temperature can lead to big energy savings, or a safer and/or better product.” This issue was addressed by developing validated sensors to control the process online.

Project partners devised a hazard analysis and critical control points concept for each technology. Users like food companies now have a systematic, preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical and physical hazards in production processes. Also at their disposal are design measurements to reduce these risks to a safe level.

Overcoming market barriers and ensuring maximum uptake

Team members analysed the innovation environment and identified opportunities for fast and easy market penetration. Their efforts fed into three roadmaps that present the market potential, drivers and possible hurdles, and further application areas for each technology. In all, 30 experts and market participants from 11 countries and 25 institutions joined efforts to produce the roadmaps.

Dr Siemer emphasised the innovative aspect of i3-Food. Open information workshops in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands were organised to showcase the three technologies. The workshops were attended by 48 European and foreign institutions. First-time users were given the opportunity to confidentially apply the technologies to their products. Three EU patents have been filed.

“The European food and drink industry and the manufacturing sector will benefit from i3-Food because of a wider and faster deployment of the developed food processing technologies, lower production costs and higher product quality,” concluded Dr Siemer.

One example: Innovative processing and packaging for safe, high-quality, organic berry products

Over the last two decades, there have been growing concerns about the adverse effects of conventionally grown produce on our health and the environment. As a result, more and more consumers are choosing to buy organic foods. However, organic fresh and processed berries and fruit are still only available in limited quantities and are also highly perishable, with one-third to half of the produce being lost due to spoilage.

Since 2015, the EcoBerries project has been finding solutions that can meet the growing demand for safe and healthy berry products produced with quality and their environmental impact in mind. Over the last three years, EcoBerries has developed a number of solutions and technologies for extending the shelf life and preserving the quality of fresh and processed berry and fruit products.

Juices, semi-dried fruits and edible coatings

To produce organic blueberry and kiwi juices with a longer shelf life, the project team used a process called high-pressure homogenisation (HPH). The advantage of HPH is that high temperatures aren’t necessary to avoid produce spoilage. With this method, the team achieved a shelf life of 2 months and up to 40 days for blueberry and kiwi juices, respectively.

Edible coatings based on plant materials, such as chitosan from mushrooms and procyanidins extracted from grape seeds, were also applied to whole berries. The coatings were found to preserve the colour and firmness of blueberries, in addition to extending their shelf life.

Another area of exploration was the production of semi-dried fruits, such as strawberries, through osmotic dehydration combined with pulsed electric fields. Combining the two methods can increase the water mass transfer and significantly decrease the processing time for semi-dried berries, thus also reducing energy consumption.

Smarter packaging and less waste

The project team has also been working on modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) as a means to preserve and extend the shelf life of fresh strawberries. Through MAP technology, the atmospheric air inside a package is substituted with a protective gas mix that keeps the product fresh for longer periods of time. The team has used upgraded software to identify the optimal concentrations of CO₂ and O₂ for this purpose.

The further reduction of waste by including side streams from the berry processing industry has also been explored. Project partners have dried press cakes from berry juice processing, from which they have obtained different berry powders that can be used for extrusion and healthy snacks.

Image credit: ©Monkey Business Images/Dollar Photo Club

Originally published here.