FOOD STRUCTURE DESIGN: INNOVAZIONE DI PRODOTTO PER LA SALUTE ED IL BENESSERE

Laura Piazza – Department of food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan

SLIDE 2

Main topics and future challenges for the food sector

New opportunities to generate prosperity and quality of life are arising though trade, knowledge sharing, and access to technology.

However, these opportunities are not always available for an ever-increasing human population, and are accompanied by new risks to the stability of the environment.

SLIDE 2

SLIDE 3

Key messages for near and future food production

SLIDE 3

Key messages for Tailor Made Food Products following consumers’ preferences, acceptances and needs.

• New and integrated concepts of food product innovation, for producing of high quality, interesting, diversified and nutritionally balances safe foods for promoting health

• A better understanding of the relation between the compositional and structural features and attributes of the product and the physiological and neural effects in the body

SLIDE 4

Key messages for near and future food production

SLIDE 4

Key messages for Process Design & Control.

Food Engineering Approaches:

• to increase knowledge on phenomena, mechanisms, driving forces and kinetics responsible of changes of Physical, Chemical, Biological and Structural Properties of food through processes.

• To develop Mathematical Models to calculate how the structure – function relations at different levels of scale evolve through the process achieving the desired quality & safety targeted for the new food

SLIDE 5

Structure design by processing

SLIDE 5

Hierarchical of food structure

• foods are the result of a complex architecture • the resulting structure is composed of different levels. • all or only specific structural levels are important for attributes describing food

products • structure at the different levels of scale, which can evolve through the process

These premises were the basis of the network

FOOD COST STRUCTURE DESIGN

SLIDE 6SLIDE 6

SLIDE 7

Triangle of interrelationships between structure, properties and processing

SLIDE 7

Linking structure to foods’ functionality during human digestion

• studying food fate during human digestion • using food systems to deliver functionality• breakdown and assimilation involve traits

(appearance, flavour, taste and texture) that initiate consumption

• the processes occurring in the gastrointestinal track determine delivery of nutrients and bioactive compounds

• both are related to the macro-and meso-structure properties.

SLIDE 8SLIDE 8

Design of new materials and new processes aimed to deliver targeted functionality and accurately control their performance.

• biophysics of nutrient digestion and absorption

• designing complex polymerand colloidal systems

• designing of novel structures for engineered bioactive delivery

Using food systems to deliver functionality

SLIDE 9SLIDE 9

• Food structuring by means of traditional and innovative processing

• Impact of processing on sensory attributes and on health benefits of foods

Process innovations in designing foods with enhanced structural / technological properties

SLIDE 10SLIDE 10

Pulsed electric field processingApplication of high voltage pulses to foods placed between two electrodes

Electric field exposure Electroporation

Effectson the structure

• Softening (i.e. potatoes, carrots), insteadof pre-heating• Improvement extraction of intracellular compounds (i.e. fruit juices)

Process innovations in designing foods with enhanced structural / technological properties

SLIDE 11

Final remarks

SLIDE 11

Eat smart, eat green, eat healthy

EAT SMART:

The technological point of view for a better management of the relation between the compositional and structural features of the product and the effects in the body, staring from the mouth to the absorption site.

EATGREEN:

Controlled, purposeful, customer oriented selection of raw materials and their processing according to the most appropriate traditional/innovative technologies.

EATHEALTHY:

Foods for health promotion: a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease (foodscapes, biodiversity, future heating)

www.foodandfeedforwellbeing.com