Strategic institute programme
This is done through continually
• increasing production efficiency
• optimising the utilisation of raw materials
• reducing wastage
• improving product quality
Rapid, non-destructive measuring techniques are increasingly being used on production lines for quality control and management. The industry has an ever increasing need for such controls and a broad spectrum of different methods is necessary. Some examples are measuring the chemical composition of different foods, measuring oxidation processes, continuous monitoring of complex reactions and disclosing foreign bodies or health related substances.
On-line measurement
Over the last few years Nofima Mat, in close collaboration with industry and other research centres, has been developing industrial on-line solutions for fat and water in complex products such as salmon fillets, dried fish and off-cuts of pork and beef, as well as the food content of crabs, based on imaging near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The work continues, and we are constantly finding new applications.
Rapid sensor techniques are also being increasingly used in research for effective qualitative and quantitative analysis. Compared with traditional methods, these can often give a new and better insight into complex questions. Spectroscopic methods can be used to measure many chemical components at once - a kind of chemical fingerprinting for characterising biological materials. They can be used for the continuous monitoring of products and processes and in many cases the effects of the process on chemical components can be directly imaged.
Process-product interaction
Non-destructive chemical imaging is a very valuable aid to understanding the interaction between process and product. Many of these methods are lab based, but have been shown to be very useful for effectively recording specific qualities in relation to genetics and proteomics.
In this programme we will continue to develop rapid new methods of measurement which will be relevant and applicable to both industrial quality control and food research.
Methods:
- NIR spectroscopy
- FTIR spectroscopy
- Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy
- Gas and liquid sensors
- Multispectral imaging
- Raman and FTIR microscopy
Various applications will be tested and developed in close collaboration with relevant expertise from different professional fields.
Priority areas
- Rapid and non-destructive measurement of oxidation processes and products
- Development of instrumental methods for measuring sensory properties
- On-line measurement of fat composition
- Detailed spectroscopic studies of protein and water structures
- Use of spectroscopic techniques for effective characterisation of phenotypes in relation to heredity and genetics.
New initiatives during this period
- Raman microscopy
- Spectroscopic techniques in the study of muscle cells
- FTIR spectroscopy in combination with photoacoustics
