Activities

3.1. Application of new digital and biotechnological technologies to improve the quality and conservation of dairy products

The overall objective of this activity is to establish new methodologies for the production and preservation of dairy products in the EUROACE, introducing monitoring and digitalisation of the manufacturing process and the use of alternative innovative technologies. Reducing the sodium content could be a major contribution to the nutritional quality of cheese. However, salt has an important technological role in cured products, avoiding alterations in their fermentation. In cheese, its reduction is not possible unless it is accompanied by alternative measures to replace this role. The use of bacteriophages against spoilage micro-organisms can be an effective and innovative measure to compensate for the reduction of salt.

The following sub-objectives are proposed for the implementation of the activity:

1. To study the current salt content and other relevant compositional parameters of cheese varieties from the EUROACE region.
2. Development of predictive models (NIRS and impedance) based on non-invasive analysis to digitise cheese and yoghurt production processes.
3. Determination of the current incidence of pseudomonas in cheese as a function of its salt content, isolating indigenous strains. An observatory will be set up in the EUROACE region to detect incidences in cheese dairies and optimise sampling.
4. Determination of the effect of the reduction of sodium content and its replacement by potassium with special attention to the development of spoilage micro-organisms.
5. Rational isolation of bacteriophages against the most abundant/problematic pseudomonas species (to be defined based on the project results).
6. Design of phage cocktails with the aid of predictive algorithms
7. In vitro testing of different phage cocktails and validation in cheeses at pilot plant level. 

Lead: CICYTEX
Participants: INIAV, UAVEIRO, UEX, CTAEX

 

The work carried out within the scope of this action has been disseminated in:

• VII Congreso Agroalimentario de Extremadura  Almendralejo (Badajoz), 6-9 May 2025
• 8º Simpósio Produção e Transformação de Alimentos em Ambiente Sustentável Lisboa, 5 June 2025
• XXX Congreso de la SEM Jaén, 16-19 June 2025