Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SHEALTHY (Non-Thermal physical technologies to preserve healthiness of fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables)
Período documentado: 2020-11-01 hasta 2022-04-30
Currently, the trend is towards a growing demand for regional and locally produced/supplied and less processed food. However, regional and local products are still characterized by a very short shelf-life due to the intrinsic natural properties of the F&V. The need for a more effective and sustainable post-harvesting and processing techniques to improve safety and retain nutritional and sensory properties of F&V with prolonged shelf-life is urgent especially for both SME’s (small and medium enterprises) and consumers.
In this context, by mobilising a multi-actor and multi-disciplinary partnership, the SHEALTHY project pursues the following objectives:
• To optimise a combination of non-thermal technologies to improve the safety and quality of minimally processed F&V and F&V based juices and smoothies.
• To improve the sustainably of minimally processed F&V and F&V based juices and smoothies by extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit and vegetables coproducts & by-products.
• To define new sustainable holistic and collaborative business models (BMs) to increase the competitiveness of local and regional food producing & processing SMEs.
• To develop new digitalised logistic systems for the traceability of the whole food chain, including new innovative tools for real time tracking of food freshness, authenticity and supply chain strategies.
• Down-scaled processing technologies tailored to the needs of SMEs, the specificities of products and markets and supply chains.
• To exhaustively study the impacts of the combined mild technologies on the food compositional properties, sensory quality and safety, including analysis of consumer perception.
• To maximise the innovation impacts of the project for contributing to the uptake of the project results for growth and jobs and replicate the results beyond the project boundaries.
In SHEALTHY innovations have been considered to be demonstrated and validated in two business cases:
• Business case 1: Minimally processed fruit and vegetables.
• Business case 2: Fruit and vegetable-based juices & smoothies.
In this context, by mobilising a multi-actor and multi-disciplinary partnership, the SHEALTHY project pursues the following objectives:
• To optimise a combination of non-thermal technologies to improve the safety and quality of minimally processed F&V and F&V based juices and smoothies.
• To improve the sustainably of minimally processed F&V and F&V based juices and smoothies by extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit and vegetables coproducts & by-products.
• To define new sustainable holistic and collaborative business models (BMs) to increase the competitiveness of local and regional food producing & processing SMEs.
• To develop new digitalised logistic systems for the traceability of the whole food chain, including new innovative tools for real time tracking of food freshness, authenticity and supply chain strategies.
• Down-scaled processing technologies tailored to the needs of SMEs, the specificities of products and markets and supply chains.
• To exhaustively study the impacts of the combined mild technologies on the food compositional properties, sensory quality and safety, including analysis of consumer perception.
• To maximise the innovation impacts of the project for contributing to the uptake of the project results for growth and jobs and replicate the results beyond the project boundaries.
In SHEALTHY innovations have been considered to be demonstrated and validated in two business cases:
• Business case 1: Minimally processed fruit and vegetables.
• Business case 2: Fruit and vegetable-based juices & smoothies.
During the first 36 months:
- More than 50 combinations (technology-product) have been considered for both business cases: sanitation and preservation and stabilisation.
- New active compounds (1 antimicrobial and 2 antioxidant compounds) have been selected based on in vitro efficacy (antimicrobial or antioxidant activity), literature review and relevance for industrial application.
- The DSS has been validated to guide the combination of non-thermal technologies to improve the shelf life of SHEALTHY products, which in turn will help technology providers for the mapping guidelines of SMEs.
- Technology has been chosen and selected pilot process for extraction and purification have been defined for scale up.
- Novel BMs have been designed and defined to support and improve innovation processes within SMEs as well as to smoothen the technology adoption in the SMEs involved in the pilot trials.
- Efficient logistics systems have been developed by creating collaborative networks and clusters that facilitate the connection of value chain actors securing the traceability of the whole food chain and unlocking new business opportunities in local and regional food systems.
- A real-time monitoring device has been developed to monitor variables related to freshness ripening (temperature, humidity, ethylene).
- A low cost, consumer-oriented indicators for identification of the counterfeited fruit juices and smoothies has been developed. A freshness indicating ink based on ammonium molybdate and palladium sulphate has been developed.
- Some combinations of the mild technologies have been down-scaled at pilot level: in Spain the combination of washing and preservation technologies have been designd and carried out; in Italy, HPP has been tested in smoothies and the washing and preservation technologies for the pilot trials set up; in Serbia the combination of HPP and US has been carried out for the production of prototype products; in Germany, the extraction, pastorisation and washing technologies for the pilot scale are set up. The scale-up of the production of active multilayer films is set up. For the traceability and logistic, methodologies for the companies are established. Two pilot runs have been done to assess/validate the extraction of bioactive compound from two different co-products.
- The analytical methodologies and shelf-life evaluation protocol have been defined. A report on the legislative framework according to food law applicable to the resulting prototypes has been prepared. The impact of bioactive coatings on the sensory attributes of minimally processed pears has been assessed.
- An integrated Life Cycle Thinking approach has been used, in order to evaluate and optimize different effects (such as environmental, economic and social) of the project across the full supply value chain. For this study environmental and socioeconomic indicators and methodologies (LCA, LCC, S-LCA) and eco-efficiency analysis have been used.
- More than 50 combinations (technology-product) have been considered for both business cases: sanitation and preservation and stabilisation.
- New active compounds (1 antimicrobial and 2 antioxidant compounds) have been selected based on in vitro efficacy (antimicrobial or antioxidant activity), literature review and relevance for industrial application.
- The DSS has been validated to guide the combination of non-thermal technologies to improve the shelf life of SHEALTHY products, which in turn will help technology providers for the mapping guidelines of SMEs.
- Technology has been chosen and selected pilot process for extraction and purification have been defined for scale up.
- Novel BMs have been designed and defined to support and improve innovation processes within SMEs as well as to smoothen the technology adoption in the SMEs involved in the pilot trials.
- Efficient logistics systems have been developed by creating collaborative networks and clusters that facilitate the connection of value chain actors securing the traceability of the whole food chain and unlocking new business opportunities in local and regional food systems.
- A real-time monitoring device has been developed to monitor variables related to freshness ripening (temperature, humidity, ethylene).
- A low cost, consumer-oriented indicators for identification of the counterfeited fruit juices and smoothies has been developed. A freshness indicating ink based on ammonium molybdate and palladium sulphate has been developed.
- Some combinations of the mild technologies have been down-scaled at pilot level: in Spain the combination of washing and preservation technologies have been designd and carried out; in Italy, HPP has been tested in smoothies and the washing and preservation technologies for the pilot trials set up; in Serbia the combination of HPP and US has been carried out for the production of prototype products; in Germany, the extraction, pastorisation and washing technologies for the pilot scale are set up. The scale-up of the production of active multilayer films is set up. For the traceability and logistic, methodologies for the companies are established. Two pilot runs have been done to assess/validate the extraction of bioactive compound from two different co-products.
- The analytical methodologies and shelf-life evaluation protocol have been defined. A report on the legislative framework according to food law applicable to the resulting prototypes has been prepared. The impact of bioactive coatings on the sensory attributes of minimally processed pears has been assessed.
- An integrated Life Cycle Thinking approach has been used, in order to evaluate and optimize different effects (such as environmental, economic and social) of the project across the full supply value chain. For this study environmental and socioeconomic indicators and methodologies (LCA, LCC, S-LCA) and eco-efficiency analysis have been used.
Progress beyond the state of the art has been achieved by SHEALTHY project during M19-M36:
- HIPL has been studied to improve the process performance by reducing the energy required for achieving the reduction of bacteria contamination. Moreover a new light technology based on high intensity BL has been studied to replace UV light.
- EW has been used to sanitize several food products , but few information are available on MP F&V products. During this period, SHEALTHY tested Neutral Electrolyzed Water (NEW) at lab scale in Cherry tomato (20% and 100%), Iceberg lettuces (0.2%, 10%, 20% and 100%), Spinach (20% and 100%), pears (100%), Fennel (100%) and nectarine (100%).
- The use of PAW for washing of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, apple and pears has been studied for the first time.
- Bioactive coating has been proposed as preservation technology for fruits and vegetables product. However, because of the empirical nature of published study it was not easy to extrapolate quantitative data and correlate conditions and cases besides those investigated. Thus, in SHEALTHY the relationship between coating composition and structure and in turn on its function has been studied to properly design coating for the specific product. - -
- The product kinetic of alteration and active compound release mechanism has been studied to properly develop an appropriate mathematical model for prediction packaging properties as function of product characteristics.
SHEALTHY will have positive technological, environmental and socio-economic impacts for EU. Specifically:
• To enhance market orientation and capacity of small and medium scale food processors and its suppliers to meet consumer demand for healthier food diets;
• To increase the availability of food with «healthy» attributes, resulting in positive impacts on sustainability and public health;
• To stimulate creation of new business models supporting job creation and job retention in rural areas;
• In the longer term contribute to increased competitiveness, sustainability, circularity and diversity of regional and local food systems.
- HIPL has been studied to improve the process performance by reducing the energy required for achieving the reduction of bacteria contamination. Moreover a new light technology based on high intensity BL has been studied to replace UV light.
- EW has been used to sanitize several food products , but few information are available on MP F&V products. During this period, SHEALTHY tested Neutral Electrolyzed Water (NEW) at lab scale in Cherry tomato (20% and 100%), Iceberg lettuces (0.2%, 10%, 20% and 100%), Spinach (20% and 100%), pears (100%), Fennel (100%) and nectarine (100%).
- The use of PAW for washing of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, apple and pears has been studied for the first time.
- Bioactive coating has been proposed as preservation technology for fruits and vegetables product. However, because of the empirical nature of published study it was not easy to extrapolate quantitative data and correlate conditions and cases besides those investigated. Thus, in SHEALTHY the relationship between coating composition and structure and in turn on its function has been studied to properly design coating for the specific product. - -
- The product kinetic of alteration and active compound release mechanism has been studied to properly develop an appropriate mathematical model for prediction packaging properties as function of product characteristics.
SHEALTHY will have positive technological, environmental and socio-economic impacts for EU. Specifically:
• To enhance market orientation and capacity of small and medium scale food processors and its suppliers to meet consumer demand for healthier food diets;
• To increase the availability of food with «healthy» attributes, resulting in positive impacts on sustainability and public health;
• To stimulate creation of new business models supporting job creation and job retention in rural areas;
• In the longer term contribute to increased competitiveness, sustainability, circularity and diversity of regional and local food systems.