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Food Technology

In the Research area Food Technology, the Laimburg Research Centre has applied its long-standing recipe for success in working with the South Tyrolean agriculture to yet another area of expertise: the regional food sector. It is our aim to support food manufacturers with the help of research and development and by fostering a culture of innovation. All our research and innovation projects are subject to a close-knit cooperation with the South Tyrolean food industry and other research institutions.

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The goal of the Group Storage and Postharvest Biology is to preserve the freshness of newly harvested fruit and vegetables for the longest possible period to ensure that consumers can benefit from high-quality fruit for longer. An additional benefit of this effort is more flexibility in reacting to seasonal market demands.

The quality and freshness of harvested fruit is maintained with the help of storage methods that are both environmentally sound and consumer-friendly.

  • determination of the ideal degree of ripeness for long-term storage, customised to the requirements of each individual variety
  • assessment of fruit quality and development of innovative storage methods
  • analysis of the effect of cultivation methods on fruit preservation properties
  • prevention of losses during storage caused by pathogenic agents, metabolic disorders or cultivation-related nutritional deficiencies
  • evaluation and optimisation of storage methods for both established and new varieties
  • consultation services for fruit co-operatives and associations in South Tyrol
  • knowledge transfer

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The Laboratory for Fruit and Vegetable Processing develops new products and analyses food safety and quality, especially regarding fruit and vegetable products and with a view to improving their processing and shelf life: Pilot plants are used to homogenise (working at standard and high pressure), desiccate (at low temperatures) and produce juice and purée.

Relevant aspects include the physico-chemical and microbiological stability of products and the thermo-physical and mechanical properties of food products and their ingredients.

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The Laboratory for Fermentation and Distillation studies fermentation processes aimed at refining food products as well as distillates, fruit brandy and liqueurs. In our research, we analyse and apply food technology solutions to process primary products, we develop and improve processing records used in the production of fermented beverages of the fruit-based (cider), grain-based (beer) and honey-based kind (mead).

Another key aim is the analysis of distillation processes with special emphasis on optimising the separation of heads and tails and the evaluation of aroma yielded during distillation. The laboratory also conducts studies on how to increase the added value of food and a number of tests to formulate new fermentation products and distillates.

Our equipment includes:

  • an automated malting system
  • an automated micro-brewing system
  • a distillation plant
  • an automated system to produce sparkling wine

 

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The Laboratory for Sensory Science investigates the sensory and instrumental characterization of food products and ascertains consumer preferences.
A multi-disciplinary approach is used to objectively describe the quality of a product and to predict consumers' answers: It combines sensory evaluation by a trained panel of testers with chemical and physical analyses and consumer tests.
The laboratory focuses on the characterization of the sensory quality, on shelf-life studies, on refining typically local products and on evaluating the effects of innovative food processing methods on the sensory characteristics of a product.

References

Our research projects:

  • Sensory evaluation of the most promising South Tyrolean apple varieties (including red pulp)
  • Italian Taste - studying Italian food preferences and their individual variability in relation to physiological and psychological indexes (in collaboration with the Italian Society of Sensory Science)
  • Training of a tasting panel for the evaluation of apple juices

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Contatto (ad interim)