It is a laboratory in which research, teaching and third-party activities are carried out; it is located at the Bologna and Cesena Campuses.
In the Laboratory LCTA, products and processes of the dairy, meat, cereal and beehive sectors are developed, including their characterization by traditional and innovative chemical analysis. Particular attention is addressed to the formulation of functional foods enriched with unconventional bioactive ingredients (also introduced as emulsions) and to the innovation of traditional products (e.g. modification of the lipid component; lactose-free, low-salt and low-nitrates/nitrites products), aimed at increasing their quality also in terms of shelf-life.
The impact of different cooking technologies (e.g. frying, microwave) on the retention of bioactive compounds is also addressed. From a compositional standpoint, particular attention is paid to functional compounds (e.g. fatty acids, sterols, tocopherols, polyphenols, isoflavones, aromas, etc.), technological indicators (e.g. process markers, shelf-life studies) and neoformation compounds (e.g. lipid oxidation products, acrylamide, off-flavors, etc.) also in relation to regulatory and management aspects (e.g. denominations, etc.).
Research topics
• Authenticity of Parmigiano Reggiano
• Valorization of waste and by-products from the dairy, cereal and meat product chains
• Evaluation of new lipid formulations to replace palm oil
• Formulation of clean label, functional meat products
• Characterization and valorization of lipids from unconventional sources (e.g. insects).
Lab equipment
• Liquid and gas chromatography (HPLC-UV-DAD-FD-ELSD; LC-MS/MS; GC-FID/MS)
• UV-Visible spectroscopy
• Oxitest
• Zetasizer nano
• Pilot plant for cheesemaking and meat products’ processing.
Services and consulting
LCTA carries out consultancy related industrial innovation needs, in collaboration with the Unit (i) Safety and Quality, and Unit (ii) Food Processes and Products of the CIRI Agro (Cesena Technopole).
Educational activities and Training
The LCTA offers its resources to support:
• Lab practices/tutorials for B.Sc. and M.Sc. courses related to food technologies
• Preparation of B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses
• Development of research projects in collaboration with European and extra-European students and organizations
• Development of research projects for Postdoc fellows.