Customers have clear expectations about a product's taste and consistency, and it is important for the industry and supermarkets to meet these expectations. It is therefore crucial for the food industry to have detailed knowledge about the various aspects of raw materials' quality and how raw materials can be used most effectively in processing and distribution- in terms of finance, sustainability, health and environment.
Variations in quality must be monitored at an early stage
Variations in raw materials quality can accelerate during subsequent processing, if processing and storage are not properly monitored and controlled. The food industry needs to record such variations as early as possible in the production process chain and to compensate for variations by adjusting processing conditions or formulaes. In this endeavour it is essencial to carry out measurements of raw materials quality both before and during production itself - preferably right at the production line. Rapid spectroscopic measurement methods are highly suitable for this purpose, as they have the potential to record both chemical and physical properties of raw materials and products.
Inter-disciplinary competence
Knowledge about raw materials and measurement of their quality properties is an area of high priority throughout Nofima, as the knowhow can be utilised efficiently across the different disciplines and raw materials groups. Nofima Mat has laboratories with advanced analytical instruments and an internationally recognised sensory panel to assess products on the basis of taste, aroma, texture and colour.
