The objective of this line of research is to evaluate the combined effect of different food processing, and conservation technologies, to identify synergies and advantages by comparing them with the specific application of each of these technologies. The combined methods not only contribute to minimizing the intensity applied during food treatments, but also to the design of potential new foods.

This research line focuses on the development and application of optical sensor technologies for inline monitoring and control of food processing, as well as for real-time quantification of chemical compounds of food and evaluation of their functional and/or technological properties. Different inline optical sensor technologies using UV/VIS/NIR light backscattering and fluorescence (right-angle and front-face configurations) are currently under development:

1. Determination of gel firmness in dairy gels induced by rennet or by lactic cultures,
2. Determination of pH in yogurt and fermented milk products,
3. Combined control of milk coagulation and curd syneresis (whey drainage) in cheese manufacturing,
4. Determination of the degree of denaturation of whey proteins during heat treatment of milk,
5. Determination of casein micellar size in heat-treated milk,
6. Determination of various thermal damage markers (HMF, -SH, lactulose, furosin, vitamins A, C and B₂, etc., in milk,
7. Determination of functional properties of sweet and acid whey (eg., foaming, emulsifying, gelling capacities, etc.)
8. Determination of the degree of meat emulsification during chopping and cooking losses.

The main objective of this line is to obtain foods with a long shelf life, stable and with a higher nutritional and sensory quality than those obtained with heat treatments.

Evaluation and validation of the application of high hydrostatic pressure on food: safety; nutritional and functional properties; sensory characteristics and shelf life studies.

Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization (UHPH) is an innovative technology based on the same principles as conventional homogenization, capable of operating up to 300 MPa. This technology, which is a continuous process, allows an effective reduction of the particles, better than the classic homogenization, with a concomitant reduction of the microbial load. It is suitable for liquid foods producing high physical and microbial stability.