The main objective of Fresh4ever is the development of innovative products of fresh cut potatoes (pre-cooked or not) with superior organoleptic characteristics and prolonged shelf life through the dynamic collaboration between two enterprises (potato processing and environmental services, respectively) and a research organization (National Technical University of Athens).
The market for fresh, pre-packed fruit and vegetable products has grown rapidly in recent years, mainly because of their easy use and increased demand from consumers. One of the most popular products in the category is frozen and freshly cut potatoes, pre-cooked or not. However, like most fruits and vegetables, potatoes, after cutting, have a dark coloration in their flesh, "browning", resulting in the reduction of their life span and degradation of their quality. It is, therefore, necessary to develop new technologies in order to increase the shelf life and quality of processed potato products.
The subject of the proposed project is the development of innovative products of fresh cut potatoes (pre-cooked or not) with superior organoleptic characteristics and prolonged shelf life. The specific objectives of the project are:
Development of innovative processing technologies such as High Pressure, Pulse Electrical Fields, Ohmic Heating, whether or not combined with the Osmotic pretreatment method to prevent enzymatic browning in processed potato products.
Holistic utilization of potato by-products, such as peels, for the recovery of polysaccharides and their use in edible coating technology.
Application of edible coating technology to processed potato products incorporating encapsulated or not antimicrobial and antioxidant agents through innovative encapsulation method, electrospraying process, and spray drying method.
Development of processed potato products with increased shelf life of more than 3-5 days and superior organoleptic characteristics such as texture, flavor, etc. without the use of synthetic preservatives
The development of pilot production of fresh cut potato products (pre-cooked or not) based on the most successful methods developed in the project.
Techno-economic analysis and environmental assessment of processes and products through life cycle analysis.
The implementation of the project will lead to the development and production of innovative final food products and will benefit socially, environmentally and economically not only the participating institutions and companies, but also our country. The proposed research activity is fully aligned with the National Strategic Research, Technological Development and Innovation Strategy for smart specialization, promoting the most effective interconnection of the country's research system with the productive fabric of the economy.
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