Descrizione del progetto
Una serie di soluzioni innovative per rilevare gli agenti inquinanti nelle catene del valore dei prodotti ortofrutticoli
Le ispezioni dei prodotti ortofrutticoli nei siti di produzione e negli impianti di trasformazione alimentare vengono spesso effettuate su lotti casuali, tramite tecniche che per produrre risultati possono richiedere alcuni giorni. L’analisi dei dati ricavati da queste ispezioni, oltre che dispendiosa in termini di tempo, può essere anche costosa, il che provoca una riduzione dei controlli che, a sua volta, aumenta il rischio di contaminazione microbiologica e chimica. Per affrontare questo problema, il progetto GRACED, finanziato dall’UE, si propone di sviluppare un sensore innovativo per un monitoraggio più veloce, conveniente e affidabile della qualità e della sicurezza alimentare nelle catene del valore dei prodotti ortofrutticoli, che sarà convalidato in vari sistemi di produzione e distribuzione.
Obiettivo
As consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables (F&V) continues to increase, so does the risk of microbiological and chemical contamination. Currently, inspections for F&V are carried out at the production site or the food processing facility, based also on regulatory requirements. In most cases these are inspections of random batches using laboratory techniques, which may require up to two or more days before getting results. The time and cost per analysis leads to reduced checks and thus, elevated risks, even in countries with very efficient control mechanisms. Furthermore, such analysis cannot take place in all parts of the value chain (due to time requirements, but also due to associated cost), including supermarkets or restaurants, which are critical points since this is where the consumer will get the products from. GRACED considers the aforementioned need and the limitations of current techniques and proposes a novel solution for contaminants detection in all stages of the F&V industry value chains. The heart of the proposed solution is a novel plasmo-photonic bimodal interferometric sensor, combined with low cost on-chip light generation, capable of simultaneously and quickly detecting different analytes of interest. The sensor will be part of holistic, modular solution that exploits unique engineering designs, IoT concepts and advanced data analytics, for the early detection of contaminations in the F&V value chains. The approach will be validated in different production & distribution systems: a) a conventional farming system in open-air farms and the follow-up steps of food processing for preparing cooked meals and frozen vegetable packages, b) a novel, urban farming ecosystem, producing F&V locally and using them in in-situ restaurants, c) a short value chain based on agro-ecology and direct distribution from farmers to consumers & restaurants, d) a semi-automatic farm producing mushrooms and distributing them to supermarkets & wholesalers.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetinternet of things
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturevegetable growing
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
1060 Lefkosia
Cipro
L’organizzazione si è definita una PMI (piccola e media impresa) al momento della firma dell’accordo di sovvenzione.