AZTI-Tecnalia will soon begin a new project whose primary objective is to research and develop products treated with light pulse technology as a food preservation and/or decontamination process.

The clear support of the industry and the consumer for less processed foods, that is, foods that undergo less aggressive treatments that still provide them with a longer shelf-life without altering their sensory or nutritional characteristics, is favouring the development of new decontamination and/or preservation processes; such as the case of non-thermal treatments, among which we find the light pulse technology. This new AZTI-Tecnalia project, that will last approximately two years, is registered within the National Program of Applied Research Projects and it has been approved by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Although there is already scientific evidence that light pulse treatment is effective to decontaminate the surfaces of solid foods, of water and/or surfaces that are in contact with products, there are still many aspects that need to be clarified in order to speed up its implementation in different food sectors where it can be applied.

The framework of the project is geared towards validating the light pulse technology (an emerging technology for the inactivation of pathogens and/or spoilage) to decontaminate different foods in order to design specific processes for each application, so that new products treated with this technology can be offered in the market with complete guarantees of quality and safety.