ABOUT US
Objectives
MAIN OBJECTIVE
The main aim of SensorFINT COST Action is to create within the EU a multidisciplinary group of experts, from COST and non-COST countries, involving researchers and industry, in non-destructive spectral sensors, that can accelerate its implementation within the food industry.
Furthermore it will generate and disseminate knowledge about these emerging and innovative technologies and their application for the real-time in situ control of critical quality, safety, authenticity and performance attributes for raw and in-process materials, i.e. in the entire food chain, allowing to increase the transfer of knowledge from academia to the industry and, therefore, to improve European food industry competitiveness.
Research Coordination Objectives
1. Determination of key points and critical parameters for quality, safety, authenticity and performance control at each stage of the food production process in some selected food industries, particularly focused on high quality and high added-value European food products (meat products, olive oil and fruit & vegetable).
2. Evaluation of miniaturised, low-cost, portable or handheld spectral sensors systems with reference to their performance compared to laboratory instrumentation.
3. Development, fine-tuning, validation and implementation of in situ control methodologies based on NDSS to meet the rigors of use in a food processing plant.
4. Exploration of the potential and advantages of the combination of spectral sensors for relevant integrity issues in the agro-food sector.
5. Development and evaluation of statistical and chemometric methods for real-time processing of spectra/images and prediction data at the high production line speeds.
6. Development and evaluation of protocols, interfaces and software for efficient cloud-based decision support systems linked to systematic preventive approaches, decision support systems linked to the control board and other quality and safety assurance schemes.
7. Innovation in the labelling systems based on ICT, providing real-time detailed information about quality, safety, production and authenticity of an individual piece of food.
Capacity-building Objectives
8. Providing well-trained young researchers and professionals in new and emerging technologies, for the innovation in the food integrity and process-control, allowing the alignment of scientific progress and industrial demands.
9. Fostering the exploration and implementation of new training routes and methodologies, some of them based on an e-learning environment, with the particular aim of widening career prospects of highly specialised researchers, in the development and use of innovative spectral sensor technologies for increasing the competitiveness of the European agri-food industry.
10. Stimulating new ideas and innovative methodologies in an open innovation framework to address generic control problems faced by the European food industry, extrapolating and disseminating results to other industry sectors.
11. Fostering the involvement of teams from less research-intensive countries across Europe, promoting their inclusiveness, through the sharing of new knowledge in NDSS generated by the other European and International partners with higher research developments.
12. Ensuring the right integration, dissemination and exploitation of the knowledge and outptus from SensorFINT Action among all the research groups of interest, industry sectors and stakeholders
