Project
Call for Partners | FRES°CO: FRozen Expertise for Sustainable COld processing
Freezing is a powerful technique to extend product shelf life, but it can compromise product quality and involves significant energy consumption. FRES°CO aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between freezing process settings and product properties, with the goal of improving the quality of frozen food products, such as vegetables, potatoes and ice-cream. Simultaneously, the project explores opportunities to reduce energy consumption during freezing.
The microstructure of food products is often a key in the (perceived) quality. FRES°CO aims to build a deep understanding of the microstructural changes that occur during freezing and assess how these changes impact the product quality of food products. Based on this knowledge, the project will develop practical insights and tools to help project participants maintain and improve the appreciated quality of their products while improving process efficiency.
An integrated approach —from raw material to final frozen product— will be used, as preliminary processing steps have a major influence on the ultimate product quality. Furthermore, the impact of food quality during the frozen storage will be assessed, as the freezing process will also impact final product quality. FRES°CO will apply a scientific methodology, leveraging emerging sensor technologies to develop microstructure-quality models for frozen products. These models will enable food processors to gain better control over product quality throughout the freezing process. Validation of these models and technologies will be performed both at lab scale and at industrial scale, ensuring practical applicability and impact across the sector.
Partners
We are looking for partners that are interested in obtaining deeper insight in the impact of the freezing process on food product quality and enhancing control over it. Potential partners may include, but are not limited to, frozen (fresh) food producers, equipment manufacturers specialized in freezing, chilling or cryogenic systems, sensor technology providers focusing on measuring and process monitoring, IT-companies offering solutions for analyzing and integrating industrial process data for enhanced process control.
Our goal is to jointly explore innovations that lead to better process control, improved efficiency, and higher product quality. Please reach out to us to explore overlapping fields of interests and discuss further alignment together.