Food Quality and Processing

This division is involved in projects along the entire food production chain (from farm to fork). These projects focus on the aspects of product quality, food safety, food processing, and risk assessment.

Various research methods are used to assess qualitative differences of organic foods and foods from other agricultural production systems and their effects on animal and human health. Organic products must be protected from undesired inputs along the entire goods flow chain. We also strive to develop and integrate the "organic idea" in processing. To this end, strategies for environmentally friendly processing are being elaborated and new technologies are being evaluated in terms of their risks.

Team

Team of the division Food Quality and Processing

Publications

Publications of the division in the Organic Eprints Database

Research areas

Food quality and health
Food safety
Processing
Evaluating new technologies

Food quality and health

The quality of organic products, particularly in terms of their nutritional and physiological benefits and their positive or negative effects on health, is a constantly recurring theme in the media and in public debate. Organic foods do indeed differ in many quality-related respects from those produced by other systems. FiBL is interested in particular in the verifiable connections between the chosen method of cultivation and the resulting quality of the food produced, and in the impact of cultivation method on the well-being and health of consumers. Organic quality research explores this multi-disciplinary area by means of feeding and intervention studies on both animals and people. As part of this work, FiBL devises and scientifically validates integrated quality assessment methods. The impact of microflora on product quality is also studied by appropriate methods.
Contact: Kathrin Seidel

Food safety

The market for organic products is growing extraordinarily fast, trade flows are becoming more and more international and in many places there are bottlenecks in the procurement of raw materials produced to organic standards. In consequence the demands on the quality assurance of organic products are increasing. There is also a growing incentive for farmers who do not take the stringency of organic standards too seriously to seek a foothold in this lucrative market. Even with one of the best quality assurance systems of the entire food industry, the organic sector is not immune to malpractice; there is room for improvement throughout the production, processing and transport chain. By means of targeted courses, projects, advisory work and publications we function as an information platform and support those involved in organic agriculture (producers, processors, monitoring and certification bodies and food inspection) in their efforts to safeguard organic production along the entire supply chain. FiBL has now acquired a large amount of data in the form of information, analysis and case studies.
Contact: Gabriela Wyss

Processing

Of course it is not only fresh products but also processed organic products – in economically significant quantities – that consumers put on their plates. The organic concept therefore needs to be developed and established in the longer term in the processing sector as well as at the level of raw materials. Strategies are needed for environmentally friendly and sustainable processing methods, recipes and packaging. As well as resource-saving processing methods, aspects such as sensory quality, the minimal use of additives, freshness and authenticity are important quality criteria. FiBL is addressing these issues in relation to processing and working with partners from research, monitoring and industry to develop solutions and improvements. Building on experience gained in research projects and a broad skills network, FiBL is able to offer problem- oriented advice in the areas of processing and marketing and to organize conferences on matters of special interest.
Contact: Ursula Kretzschmar

Evaluating new technologies

New technologies can open up large-scale opportunities, but they may also entail great risks. We are engaged in the evaluation and pre-emptive avoidance of the risks of new technologies in organic food production. At the core of our activities is the assessment of genetic engineering and its application in the context of sustainable food production. We support the actors of the organic food sector with information and advice. We also carry out research into relevant issues affecting the production of food without genetically modified organisms (GMOs); these include the costs of coexistence, seed purity, and the monitoring of GMOs in the environment. Recently, nanotechnology has also joined the agenda; for organic products it could have potential in the areas of resource-saving processing and quality- conserving packaging. Against these prospects must be set concerns about the impact of nanoparticles on health and the environment.
Contact: Bernadette Oehen

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