Agro-food Technologies
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| Description:
Modelling and simulation of food processing operations are crucial aspects for the food industry. The quality control, monitoring and registering of the evolution of the food properties during their treatment, packaging or operations in generic sense involve the use of software modules and mathematical algorithms. An increasing number or research projects shows the great industrial interest behind the parameterization of knowledge and systematising of the control of food processes. In addition, the hardening of the new European directives in the food treatment processes requires a higher knowledge and control of the food products and processes, both regarding microbiological safety and final quality. As a result, the organisations of the sector call for personalised studies on the techniques to apply and, more particularly, for optimal treatment policies for their products. The quality and marketing of food products are in close correlation with the regularisation and knowledge of the parameters involved in these processes. Standardisation of model-based simulations is now possible without great investments thanks to the increasing power of computers. The great capabilities of numerical simulations can be extended to a larger number of users via Web, with a low cost. On the other hand, during the last years a big effort has been done to develop numerical routines for model-based analyses, design and optimisation of food processes. Successful examples have been achieved regarding thermal processing of pre-packaged foods, with packages offering facilities for process optimisation and control, and auxiliary facilities for model calibration (parameter estimation) of both thermo physical and kinetic parameters. The processing of process (biological and/or chemical) signals is acquiring increasing interest due to the varied and complex information obtained (e.g. sugar contents, microbiological counts, etc.) and requires the use of powerful software tools and the easy handling of large databases. Usually, the methods have to be developed focussing towards a final on-line implementation. The desired correlation between the signals and the food properties of samples must be optimised taking in account the speed of the processed signal, as well as low-cost requirements for the equipment. On the other hand, statistical data management tools can provide an accurate calibration of the systems. Accurate measurements are a first step towards the understanding of the biological and (bio-)chemical phenomena occurring in the food product, and also allow a sound correlation of food properties with the measured signals. Our main aim is to impulse unified computing techniques involving food scientists, engineers and industrial people. These area contains all the conventional computer simulation techniques (distributed process systems, including e.g. thermal processing with possible heat generation from e.g. electromagnetic analysis, prototyping, etc.) as well as signal processing studies (filtering, optimisation, etc) or parameterisation. Subjects:
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