Final Activity Report Summary - FOOD ANALYSIS (Development of novel non-destructive techniques to analyze food quality) Based on the value of shipments, agriculture and food processing are the largest contributors to Gross national product (GNP) of Kyrgyzstan, responsible for approximately 40 to 45 % of the GNP. Agricultural production and food processing industry also contribute greatly to employment and national economic development. Kyrgyzstan has a promising potential for exporting wholesome, nutritious and healthy foods. However, new processing technologies and quality assurance systems are needed to bring this potential into action. Export of high quality value-added food products could significantly increase the economic return in comparison to exporting agricultural commodities. Production and export of high quality foods demand, along with new processing technologies, the implementation of appropriate quality standards and novel analytical techniques assuring high quality and safety of foods. As stated in the initial proposal, there is a pressing need for the knowledge and technology transfer from developed countries in order to strengthen food processing and quality control system in Kyrgyzstan. In order to fulfil this objective, the examination of the multiway image data obtained on meat samples at the main phase of the project continued. The results obtained demonstrated that multiway or multispectral imaging combined with multivariate chemometric tools provided an effective non-destructive and rapid means to analyse quality attributes of meat. Considering that meat processing had considerable share in the food industry of Kyrgyzstan the newly developed technique could significantly enhance the local meat quality assurance system. Dissemination and implementation of the results obtained during the project main phase was the key objective of the project return phase. In order to achieve this objective a state of the art spectrofluorimeter was purchased as an essential part of the new laboratory of spectroscopic analysis to be established at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. The instrument was used to implement novel spectroscopic analytical techniques and to train students and industrial engineers to practice spectroscopic methods in food applications. A new course, called 'Spectroscopy in food analysis' was introduced into the Master Programme managed by the Department of Food Engineering at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. In addition, a seminar and a presentation were given at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University and at Moscow State University of Food Production in Russia respectively, on the application of spectroscopy and multispectral imaging technique to analyse food quality.
