TECNALIA develops new technologies to help agri-food companies create healthy and sustainable foods

At Food4Future, the technological development centre will present technologies related to health, sustainability, and digitalisation to obtain natural foods and supplements with high nutritional value, aiming to improve the quality of life of people through nutrition.

14 June 2021. TECNALIA, the research and technological development centre, works with agri-food sector companies to develop technological solutions to anticipate the most crucial challenges in the future of the food industry while improving people’s quality of life.

In this sense, TECNALIA is committed to healthy eating, sustainability, and digitalisation and it will present its latest advances at the Food4Future - Bilbao Foodtech World Summit. The first edition of this event will take place from 15 to 17 June at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre. This entrepreneurial forum will showcase the most innovative business proposals for the agri-food industry, as well as the latest scientific breakthroughs and trends that will determine the path for the development of foods and beverages over the next ten years.

TECNALIA will participate as Global Partner and will have a stand at the fair to showcase its leading solutions for the agri-food sector. The research centre will also participate in various talks read by its researchers who will focus on different issues within the scope of the event.

Healthy Eating

TECNALIA’s research in the agri-food sector seeks to improve people’s quality of life, prevent diseases, and contribute to the well-being and active ageing of the elderly through increasingly customised nutrition.

TECNALIA’s work focuses on obtaining and developing healthy ingredients and natural and functional foods adapted to the demands of an increasingly health-focused society. The ultimate goal is to obtain personalised and customised foods and food supplements that adapt to the needs of each person and guarantee balanced nutrition to prevent illness. TECNALIA works alongside companies from the agri-food sector, such as INDUKERN and DELAFRUIT.

Aside from the examples of active compounds obtained from different raw materials, TECNALIA will also present a sample of different types of microcapsules and an encapsulation device. The encapsulation process increases the stability of active components and their bioavailability to guarantee their functionality until they are consumed, or even down to the target body part where they will develop their functional effect.

Similarly, innovative foods and food supplements focused on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases and on boosting the immune system will be showcased, as well as new formats aligned with the consumers’ lifestyle and targeting different population groups. Several natural alternatives to extend the shelf life of foods and food ingredients, such as proteins or DHA, among others, will be presented. Such options will be obtained from alternative sources or will be framed within the Blue Economy strategy to contribute to the sustainability of the food industry.

Digitalisation

Technology plays a crucial role in food production processes, as well as in the competitiveness of production companies. It is also key to the sustainability of the agri-food sector.

TECNALIA works jointly with companies from the agri-food sector, like Angulas Aguinaga and IAN group, in the development of innovative technologies to promote new business opportunities. These new technologies include computer vision, digital twins, smart sensors, predictive and prescriptive maintenance, Big Data analysis, deep learning, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain technology to improve traceability of the supply chain.

One example of the technologies that can be found at TECNALIA’s stand is our SmartMobilityLab that provides a support service for designing, developing, and verifying new solutions that focus on mobility management, in general, and traffic management, in particular. Its unique technological infrastructure allows for quick prototyping of applications and smart traffic management devices in city and intercity environments. This is especially useful for agri-food companies as it’s a tool for optimising and improving the sustainability of their distribution and delivery processes, including last-mile deliveries.

They will also present an ingredients classification and quality control machine created by Multiscan. This technology, based on X-rays and artificial intelligence, allows for the selection and classification of ingredients in order to automate processes and improve the quality of the food production chain.

Sustainability

Climate change is one of the major challenges that the agri-food industry faces today. TECNALIA actively works to promote an efficient and sustainable energy transition and a circular economy through the integration of renewable and low-carbon energy sources, heat electrification, and residual heat recovery, waste recovery, electrification of transport, creation of new bio-based products, or the recovery of by-products from food transformation processes, among others.

One of the main products developed by TECNALIA for the company EnergyPanel is a hybrid photovoltaic-thermodynamic panel, which will be available at the fair. This panel provides electricity and hot water simultaneously by integrating a heat pump and an advanced control system.

About TECNALIA

As part of the BRTA (Basque Research and Technology Alliance), TECNALIA is a benchmark Research and Technological Development Centre for Europe, with 1,400 professionals representing 30 different nationalities, focusing on transforming technology into GDP to improve people’s quality of life, by creating business opportunities for companies. Its key areas of action are: Digital Transformation, Advanced Manufacturing, Energy Transition, Sustainable Mobility, Urban Ecosystem and Health. www.tecnalia.com

For further information:

Itziar Blanco (+34 681 273 464)