VIPACFOOD

VIPACFood involves a combination of activities across the consortium of eight research and government organisations spanning Tunisia, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The project seeks to develop safe and affordable postharvest technologies leading to reduced losses, improved food safety and shelf life, reduced packaging amounts used to preserve food which may result in social, environmental and economical benefits. It also has the objective to valorize industrial fruits byproducts and algae biomass waste by extracting active and functional components with high added-value and by designing new transformed products with high appeal, stability and marketability which may help in reducing the volume of byproducts and waste disposed and would have a positive impact on the sustainability of processing industries as well as on the environment. To reach these two main goals, the following specific objectives were identified by the project consortium:

• Develop and assess laboratory-scale experimental protocols based on economical and environmental sustainable processes and technologies for converting stabilized fruit by-products and algae waste into new active components and food products with improved functional and healthy properties;
• Develop totally natural biodegradable coatings incorporating extracted active components;
• Evaluate the effect of developed postharvest technologies on postharvest loss reduction, shelf life extension and food quality and safety enhancement; 
• Promote the use of technologies and applications resulting from the project among the target groups: researchers, administration, and industry.