A Spanish technology center offers sensory analysis of flours

Summary

Profile Type: Technology offer
POD Reference: TOES20240130009
Term of Validity: 30 January 2024 - 29 January 2025
Company's Country: Spain
Type of partnership: Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Targeted Countries: All countries

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General information

Short Summary: A Spanish technology center specialized in agrifood sector offers sensory analysis of flours. Sensory analysis is an analytical technique that is increasing its relevance in the food industry. This method is a fundamental tool that should be used in the product characterization and innovation process. The sensory evaluation of flours through tasting panels allows the identification of defects that could not otherwise be quantified.
The center seeks commercial agreement with technical assistance.
Full Description: This Spanish technology center, founded in 1998, is focusing in agrifood sector, in special, in research and analysis of cereals.

Although microbiological, nutritional, and physical-chemical properties are accepted as essential in the quality control of products, there is increasing concern, demand and need in the sensory evaluation of products. Some human perceptions, such as smell, are much more sensitive than those of analytical measurement instruments.

Sensory analysis is a demanded technique for the rapid and reliable results it offers on the perception of attributes in agri-food products. They are specific techniques to identify characteristics of the product and how they are perceived through the senses. It allows us to identify olfactory-gustatory defects that would otherwise be more complicated and less quick to identify. This technique is required to complement the quality control of raw materials, along with rheological and microbiological characterization and how these quality factors can influence the products that are subsequently made with them. There are no quick and cheap instrumental methods that provide the olfactory-gustatory information that sensory analysis provides. The perception of defects and foreign odours is difficult to determine by classical analytical methods.

Sensory analysis allows these characteristics to be quickly identified and quantified.

Flour may have defects detectable by sensory techniques and trained tasting panels. Some of these defects may be:
-Excess humidity
-Bitter taste due to seed mixture
-Sweet flavour from sprouted wheat
-Inadequate granulation due to grinding defects
-Presence of dirt and impurities
-Evolved flour treatment agents
-Identification of strange odours or flavours

A trained tasting panel is a fundamental tool for analysing flours, among many of its functions it can serve to:
- Detect alterations (atypical flavours or odours), avoiding rejection by the client and thus the great economic loss that it would lead to the company.
- The sensory results provide useful and detailed information and can complement the technical specifications of the flour.
- It allows changes to be detected throughout the useful life of the flour, defining when the product is organoleptically suitable.

Enhancing our senses also means increasing our possibilities of knowledge. The texture, the quantity and size of residues, the perception in the mouth, etc., are important evaluations to define the quality of a flour.

Research projects, shelf-life studies, new flour-based products, should carry a complete sensory analysis that characterizes the products.

The center is looking for commercial agreement with technical assistance.
Advantages and Innovations: A panel is a fundamental instrument today in the food industry. This scientific technique uses as a measuring instrument duly trained tasters with different techniques and tests that reveal the overall analysis capacity of the whole. Once the panel is properly formed (repeatability and reproducibility) it is a very useful and reliable instrument in quality validation. It is formed by a group of judges highly trained in the evaluation of flours and cereal derivatives. Training a tasting panel is a long process and requires great specialization of the senses.

Depending on the variety of wheat of origin, the type of milling and storage, the colour of the flour varies considerably.

Flour can be white, soft cream or ivory. A bluish color is abnormal and warns of the beginning of an alteration. Normal flour has light and pleasant smell. Altered flours have a generally unpleasant odor. A properly trained tasting panel properly values these products. Sensory analysis is an essential tool in quality control.

Sensory analysis is a fundamental pillar on the characterization of flours. The work team is a tasting panel trained in flours that acts as an instrumental, repetitive, and reliable measurement team due to its consistency in evaluating products and its extensive experience in interpreting results.
Stage of Development: Already on the market
Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic GrowthGoal 12: Responsible Consumption and ProductionGoal 4: Quality EducationGoal 3: Good Health and Well-being

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner: The offer is focused to any company or research centre that works with whole wheat flour, especially cereal processing companies (flour mills) and cereal-derived products industries (breads, cookies, biscuits, etc.).

The collaborator must provide the flours that they want to analyze, and it is recommended that they have information of the variety, origin, storage and shelf life, and also the destiny of the final product (will it be for infant or animal feed, for instance).
Type and Size of Partner: Big companySME 50 - 249UniversitySME <=10R&D InstitutionSME 11-49
Type of partnership: Commercial agreement with technical assistance

Call details

Coordinator required: Yes

Dissemination

Technology keywords: 008003 - Nutrition and Health08002002 - Food Microbiology / Toxicology / Quality Control08001005 - Food Technology08001004 - Food Processing08002001 - Detection and Analysis methods
Market keywords: 05008002 - Food and feed ingredients05009001 - Food & feed ingredients09005 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Animal Husbandry & Related Products05009003 - Animal health
Sector Groups Involved: Agri-Food
Targeted countries: All countries