Research areas: Food Quality and Processing

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

Project

EU project: Ecropolis: sensory properties of organic food

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. Organic and non-organic products cross paths during transport from fields to collection points, on rail and ship transports, in storage silos, mills, bakeries and shops. As a consequence, the demand for quality assurance of organic products is increasing.

If residues are found (e.g. from drift, direct applications or pest control) FiBL provides advice to the affected farmers, processors and traders as regards the origin of contamination as well as avoidance measures.

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. A particular focus of our work is on the control of pests in storage.

Contact

Food 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

Projects (with information in English)

EU-Projekt Quality analysis of critical control points within the whole food chain and their impact on food quality, safety and health QACCP (www.qaccp.organic-research.org/qaccp-home.html ) (www.orgprints.org )
Further projects (in German)

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