Field of Expertise

Microorganism growth is the main cause of food spoilage and poses a severe health risk for consumers.

The food industry requires technologies, processes and ingredients that can increase the shelf-life of foods while maintaining their attractiveness to costumers and most importantly their safety.

The group studies food preservation processes including thermal treatments but also new nonthermal technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) and pulsed electric fields (PEF). They also study minimum technologies strategies for food preservation using natural antimicrobial ingredients and the valorization of food by-products.

The group also studies the effects of preservation treatments on the microbial populations, which offers a predictive tool to assess the shelf-life and microbiological risk of foods.