The day got off to a flying start with a welcome address by Dimitri Fraeys, Vice-President of Innovation and Economic Affairs at the Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec (CTAQ). The day, chaired by Dr. Salwa Karboune, Scientific Director of the Consortium RITA and Associate Dean of Research at McGill University's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, continued with the presentation of updates on each of the eleven research activities. Finally, collaborators representing industry, government and academia discussed their unique contexts, issues and interests in order to fine-tune a number of details essential to the network's success. This collaborative approach proved crucial in determining the common ground shared by partners, and in targeting the matrices under study for certain projects.
Over the next three years, this multidisciplinary network will focus on 15 priority topics for the bio-food processing sector:
- Determinants of consumer’s eco-friendly product purchase intent
- Development of predictive models for shelf life based on intrinsic and extrinsic product factors
- Development of symbiotic products and ingredients from biomass to modulate food functionality
- A multi-omics approach to exploring microbial ecosystems: towards a better-targeted strategy for food preservation
- Characterization of nutritional and techno-functional properties of various new sources to develop improved blends
- Evaluation of technologies for treating and washing production surfaces with plasmolyzed water, ozonated water and electrolyzed water
- Development of technological tools for improved safety, productivity and competitiveness
- Establishing portraits of biofilms in the Quebec food industry and combined control approaches
- Combined alternative physical and natural methods for virus inactivation in various food matrices
- Complete physicochemical and spectral characterization of cranberries and blueberries to maximize quality and extend shelf life
- Physicochemical and spectroscopic study of the impact of flour and flour/processing aid mixture quality on the sensory properties of doughs and finished products
- Molecular fingerprinting of different types of cheese to maximize quality
- Sustainable packaging solutions for extended shelf life and reduced environmental impact
- Development of lifecycle analysis tools for informed decision-making
- Converting industrial by-products into high value-added products
As the day neared its end, Laila Ben Said, Director of Innovation at the Consortium de recherche et d'innovation sur le bioprocédés industriels du Québec, offered some closing remarks. Participants were invited to celebrate the launch of this latest RITA - CTAQ Precompetitive Research Network at a well-deserved happy hour. Gourmet cheeses, fermented lemonades and fruit juices were enjoyed throughout the day, courtesy of some of the network's partners: Agropur, Limonades OFLORE and Industries Lassonde.
This project was funded by the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec. We would like to thank MAPAQ and all our partners from 17 companies and industry associations, as well as nine Quebec public research institutions, for their close collaboration throughout the development of this research network.
