SustainablE Intervention technOlogies for controlling food Safety and Stability Erasmus Project

Project Title

SustainablE Intervention technOlogies for controlling food Safety and Stability

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Innovation in the food industry has been positioned as a societal challenge with high potential for sustainable competiveness, innovation and growth. This requires the development and further application of technologies for a sustainable food chain; safe foods and healthy diets for all. Particularly, the increase of productivity will contribute to meet the demands of a growing population, but also the market will become more financially sustainable and attractive to the growth of new food businesses. One of the key benefits the SUIT4FOOD project hopes to achieve, is the application and scaling-up of alternative food processes resulting in higher product quality, longer shelf-life, fewer lost sales, reduction in costs due to water and energy. Alternatives to current technologies are also important in support of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Bioeconomy Policy.

The overall aim of this strategic partnership is to introduce, teach and train early stage researchers in the area of sustainable Intervention technologies for controlling food safety and stability through a multilateral trans-European cooperation, which fosters both institutional collaboration and innovative problem based learning initiatives. Development of sound Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs), optimisation of alternative sustainable intervention technologies for food processing, transferring knowledge to industry are of great importance to support food industry and food management (traceability, food safety).
The specific objectives are outlined hereunder:
(i) To develop each participants’ capacity to get familiar with the main principles, mode of action and current applications of a number of physical intervention technologies for controlling microorganisms and enzymatic activity in food matrices.
(ii) To build up skills in setting-up these technologies at laboratory, pilot and industrial scale and identifying critical operating parameters.
(iii) To provide transversal competences of the participating teachers to develop autonomous initiatives in problem based studies of complex food processes including the quantitative analysis of the microbial and enzymatic activity following the application of these technologies.
(iv) To expose the students to current legislation aspects
(v) To provide the knowledge of transfer strategies in order to implement these technologies in the European food industry.
(vi) To create awareness of public acceptance challenges knowledge transfer strategies and entrepreneurial opportunities to implement these technologies.
The consortium of the SUIT4FOOD project will be consisted of experts in different novel food processes from institutions within EU. This include Research and Development Institutes such as:
• University of Malta (Malta) which will bring an expertise in ultrasound processing, kinetic modelling as well as on developing (e-learning) educational material in higher education and also on engagement public to scientific outcomes.
• National Technical University of Athens (Greece) which will bring expertise in high pressure, pulsed electric field processing of food products, kinetic modelling and developing educational material.
• The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is bringing expertise in cold atmospheric plasma technology, and high pressure processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers.
• The SP-Technical Research Institute of Sweden (Sweden) will bring expertise in the area of microwave processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers.
• The Spanish National Research Council (Spain) and the Research Group on Quality, Safety and Bioactivity of Plant Foods will bering expertise in the area of UV light processing and training graduate and post-graduate researchers.
Industrial partners such as:
• Neoplas GmbH (Germany), a service provider for technology transfer, technology development and technology management will bring expertise in the area of plasma processing and scale up issues.
• Creta Farm (Greece) is the market leader in deli meats and will bring expertise in high pressure processing in the real food chain.
And Stakeholders such as:
• The Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) (Austria) will bring expertise in the area of harmonization of global food safety regulations and legislation.
•ILSI Europe (Belgium) will organise webinar recordings and e-learning modules, provide feedback on the teaching material via its Microbiological Food Safety Task Force and provide suggestions for relevant speakers at the workshops and other dissemination events.
The target group of this strategic partnership are MSc or early stage PhD researchers working in the areas of food engineering, food safety, process automation, food manufacturing. The programme will aim to promote an interactive participation, which will stimulate frank and open discussions between young and experienced postgraduate researchers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 412018 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITA TA MALTA & Country: MT

Project Partners

• NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS – NTUA
• GHI-Association
• LEIBNIZ INSTITUT FUER AGRARTECHNIK UND BIOOEKONOMIE E V
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
• CRETA FARM SOCIETE ANONYME INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL
• RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB
• NEOPLAS GMBH