Project R-10257

AgrEUfood (Research)

The objective of the project is to investigate the industrial usability of the new technology and to develop it into a demonstrator for the agro-food industry. The technology developed will enable companies within the sector to automatically test their products for the presence of bacterial contamination. The current technology will be tested on samples in the field and research will be performed on how optimizing the sensor technology with regard to the required detection limits and the measurement in complex samples. In addition, the equipment is adapted to the required dimensions in order to arrive at a demonstrator that makes automated measurements possible. The current software will finally be translated into a user-friendly and well-arranged platform that enables the end user to easily follow the measurement process over time. It is important here that this information can be retrieved online through a website or a smartphone app that makes it possible to monitor the detection process remotely at any given moment. Given that this is a platform technology that can be expanded from bacteria to the detection of other undesirable contaminants (fungi, toxins, allergens, pesticides, heavy metals, etc.), the technology developed within the case studies can lead to the development of other applications across the entire agri-food sector. The potential economic added value that is thereby created within follow-up processes in the valorization process is enormous, since the cross-border area in the south of the Netherlands and Flanders is one of the most powerful agricultural areas in the world. The development of current technology will assist companies in this region in their drive to continue to meet market demand for safe and healthy, high-quality food products and to create and maintain a competitive advantage through innovation.

01 April 2019 - 30 September 2022