Agri-tech, automation, new ingredients and food: TECNALIA innovates in the sector’s value chain at a new edition of the Food4Future international trade show
The research and technological development centre will be at this event held at the BEC to offer its solutions for the food sector in areas such as health, new ingredients, automation in industrial processes and circularity
15 April 2024. Research and technological development centre TECNALIA will be at the new edition of Food4Future to showcase its customised automation processes for the agri-food sector, technological developments that help to reduce waste and the latest innovations in food ingredients. Food4Future - Expo Food Tech, on 16-18 April, is the leading food technology event and congress bringing together the latest industry solutions and trends boosting the transformation of the sector.
TECNALIA will be at stand D417 presenting innovative technologies that it develops for the sector in three different fields of action: health, industry and circularity. Several researchers will also be taking part in the Food4Future congress: José Ángel Gutiérrez, in the round table “Technologies to reduce and recover food waste” on 16 April at 11am; Óscar Lage, in “Cybersecurity and how the NIS2 directive affects manufacturers” on 17 April at 4pm; Bergoi Ibarlucea, with a talk called “Intelligent sensing for smart food chain” on 18 April at 11am; and Thomas Dietrich, with a talk called “Innovation in new food ingredients” on Thursday at 1pm.
Ingredients and food to improve health
TECNALIA responds to the demands of the food industry by applying sustainable technologies to obtain natural and innovative ingredients, and to develop healthy food with a high nutritional value that helps to have a balanced diet and prevent high-incidence diseases. The ultimate goal is to improve people’s quality of life and promote active and healthy ageing.
In this sense, the research and development centre will showcase various innovative food ingredients obtained from natural sources and agri-food by-products by using biotechnology and other sustainable technologies, guaranteeing their bioavailability by using advanced encapsulation technologies: protein obtained from alternative sources and microbial protein, vine extract with neuroprotective effects, microencapsulated probiotics and postbiotics, natural colouring and dehydrated fruits, among other things.
Automation for the agri-food industry
In the field of advanced manufacturing, TECNALIA presents flexible automation solutions that include the latest technologies to optimise the entire agri-food production chain.
The development and use of smart and adaptable automation is considered to be one of the keys to improving the competitiveness of the agri-food industry, in practically all areas: from sowing, crop management, harvesting, processing... to final logistics.
For this reason, TECNALIA offers the agri-food industry all the knowledge and experience in automation and intelligent robotics that is has gained over the past few decades in sectors such as aerospace, automotive or machine tools.
The latest developments in AI, intelligent robotics, artificial vision and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be key in the coming years in order to further improve performance and precision in the sector, optimise processes, anticipate problems and maximise productivity, but always with the general need to improve the adaptability and flexibility of production systems.
Flexibility is an essential feature of the solutions provided by TECNALIA in the agri-food sector. The needs of the agri-food industry can vary significantly depending on the season, market demand and other external factors, and TECNALIA’s teams develop systems that can adapt quickly to changes in production without compromising efficiency or the quality of the final product.
The Pick & Pack fair is also being held in parallel with this event, and TECNALIA’s expert Unai Antero will be taking part on 17 April in the round table on “Robotics boosts logistics in the food industry”. Experts will discuss and share how the latest developments in advanced robotics can boost logistics in the food industry.
Decarbonisation, water recycling and smart packaging
In the field of circularity, TECNALIA supports the implementation and acceleration of decarbonisation processes in the food industry, offers technological solutions to recycle water, and innovates to generate smart, bio-based and recyclable packaging for the food chain.
It works with numerous companies to decarbonise the agri-food sector, and accompanies its customers as they pursue their climate neutrality strategies. To this end, TECNALIA collaborates to make the best technological and non-technological investment decisions to reduce its GHG emissions gradually and competitively, with a short-, medium- and long-term vision. This experience enables the centre to develop technology and to implement innovative processes in collaboration with customers and suppliers in the agri-food industry.
In this new edition of Food 4 Future, TECNALIA is also showcasing various sustainability developments: sustainable packaging with recycled and recyclable PET for EROSKI, 100% recyclable single-material sustainable PET solution for primary packaging for PLASTIGAUR, and microwaveable PET packaging for UDAPA. There will also be samples of cellulose nanofibres and cellulose fibre foam, biocomposites with biopolymers and plant fibres, biopolymers obtained with biotechnological strategies, edible active coatings and bio-based multilayer materials.
About TECNALIA
TECNALIA is the largest applied research and technological development centre in Spain, a European benchmark and member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance. TECNALIA works with companies and institutions to improve their competitiveness, people's quality of life and achieve sustainable growth, thanks to a team of more than 1,500 people committed to building a better world through technological research and innovation. This is why TECNALIA's research has a real impact on society and generates benefits in the form of quality of life and progress. Its main areas of action are: smart manufacturing, digital transformation, energy transition, sustainable mobility, health and food, urban ecosystem and circular economy.
In the latest brand awareness and positioning study carried out by the European Research Survey (ERS) in 2022, TECNALIA tops the list regarding R&D and Innovation brand awareness.
