At AZTI-Tecnalia, we help companies in the industry to prevent food-related risks that might arise by reducing and/or eliminating contaminant agents and allergens in food.

For this purpose, we use the very latest prevention techniques:

• Emerging preservation technologies
• Predictive microbiology
• Techniques in the prevention and elimination of contaminants

Emerging preservation technologies

Current consumer trends indicate their preference for easy-to-prepare, high quality, safe and natural foods, which are relatively unprocessed but at the same time have a longer shelf-life. The challenge for food preservation technologies is to obtain longer-lasting products without sacrificing their initial nutritional and sensorial characteristics, etc.

The purpose of food preservation technologies is to achieve safe products for the consumer and prolong shelf-life. In the case of thermal treatments, for example, another of the aims is to ensure certain sensorial characteristics (flavour, colour, smell, etc). Since this type of treatment can sometimes have a negative influence on the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of products (loss of nutrients, etc.), research has focused on developing alternative thermal treatments to traditional methods. They aim to achieve more effective heating (lower energy consumption) that delivers a more uniform result, and is faster and less aggressive to the product.

Predictive microbiology

Studies into the role played by microorganisms in foods are becoming increasingly important, not only from a sanitary point of view in terms of their impact on public health, but also as regards the deterioration of food products that generate economic losses throughout the value chain.

Traditional diagnosis tools use a kind of food microbiology that only reveals the type and number of microorganisms present in the food after a relatively long period of time, thereby delaying laboratory results.

The need to make important decisions with regard to the microbiological quality of foods has promoted the development of faster analysis tools. In this respect, so-called "predictive biology" has gained increasing significance.

AZTI-Tecnalia offers you the most cutting-edge technologies in predictive microbiology, a technique that enables your company to optimise resources and improve quality management systems and food safety.

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