Importance of Photonics in food processing and its impact

Ottawa August 17, 2020

Canada’s food processing sector produces goods valued at $105billion annually

Recently on July 2,2020 in the Food in Canada news the following was highlighted:

“A newly released publication highlights innovative research happening in Canada’s food and beverage processing industry. The latest edition of the Canadian Food Innovators (CFI-ICA) Spotlight on innovation in the Canadian food and beverage manufacturing sector report focuses on food safety and clean labels. The projects are all part of the CFI-ICA research cluster, “Using science and innovation to strengthen Canada’s value-added food industry. “This is part of funding previously announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau of up to $4.6 million to the food and beverage cluster through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program. The cluster, led by CFI-ICA, included an additional $2 million in contributions from industry, for a total investment of $6.6 million.”

One of the projects is highlighting photonics application in the control of listeria.

“Listeria is a leading cause of foodborne illness and a priority pathogen in the processed frozen vegetable sector.”

“The following cluster projects are highlighted in the report:

Using pulsed light to boost safety of frozen vegetables: Bonduelle Americas and Cintech Agroalimentaire, Quebec

A natural preservative for clean label food and beverages: Chinova Bioworks, New Brunswick.

In search of a natural solution against spoilage bacteria and pathogen in poultry and frozen vegetable products: Bonduelle Americas, Exceldor Co-operative and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Quebec.

An eco-friendly solution to prevent listeria risks in food processing environments: Gay Lea Foods Co-operative and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Ontario.

Testing the impacts of antibiotic alternatives on pork quality and safety: Olymel S.E.C./L.P., Université Laval and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec.

There are five additional projects in the cluster that will be highlighted in the next report.”

Aside from the increased safety, photonics is also proven to have other benefits:

“In addition to food safety, the technology could improve market access for frozen vegetables by reducing the need for costly, time-consuming testing. There is also potential to reduce food waste by decreasing the amount of rejected product which ultimately ends up in land fills.”

Food in Canada July 2,2020 link https://www.foodincanada.com/food-in-canada/new-report-showcases-canadian-food-and-beverage-processing-research-145631/

Canadian food innovator project link: https://www.canadianfoodinnovators.ca/project/using-pulsed-light-to-boost-safety-of-frozen-vegetables