UMI Emenasa – Future Food Factory 4P

PIONEERS AND EXPERTS IN HYPERSPECTRAL TECHNOLOGY

FUTURE FOOD FACTORY 4P

THE MRU

Mixed Research Unit

Future Food Factory 4P

The MRU FFF4P – Future Food Factory 4P (UMI – Unidad Mixta de Investigación) is a mixed research unit of ANFACO-CECOPESCA AND EMENASA INDUSTRIA that in this consolidation phase is oriented towards the investigation of hyperspectral technology applied mainly to the manufacturing industry of the agro-sea-food sector, but also with the objective of studying other matrices or non-food products.

Our objective is the development of competitive food engineering tools capable of being effectively implemented in companies with the ultimate goal of promoting their transformation towards an industry 4.0, focusing our research on the connected factory, advanced robotics and individualised production.

The MRU (UMI – Unidad Mixta de Investigación) carries out studies for companies that wish to verify whether a system with HSI technology would work for their products or raw materials and its subsequent implementation in their production process.

THE
ANFACO – EMENASA

ALLIANCE

The union of two leaders in their sectors.

THE
ANFACO – EMENASA

ALLIANCE

The union of two leaders in their sectors.

In 2016, the Mixed Research Unit (MRU) was established. A productive alliance between ANFACO-CECOPESCA and EMENASA INDUSTRIA to promote new competitive solutions in food engineering working in the lines of research of Connected Factory, Advanced Robotics and Individualised Production and delving into areas of interest such as 3D printing, process virtualisation, collaborative robotics, robotic cell, aquaculture production control systems, advanced inspection of cans, biosensors and hyperspectral technology. As a result of these works, promising results are obtained with the Hyperspectral technology.

Together we are using hyperspectral technology in various food and non-food matrices to test its potential and obtain predictive mathematical models of industrial interest. This has made us the spearhead of the technological vanguard in TUNA applications worldwide with the European project SpecTUNA and at the regional level with the Project MAQUINARIA 4.0. where the online implementation of the characterisation of moisture and fat in the tuna crumb is achieved.

As a consequence, the Consolidation MRU 2020-2023 focuses on the development of pioneering advances in hyperspectral systems, where ANFACO-CECOPESCA contributes with scientific capabilities and EMENASA INDUSTRIA with its extensive experience in the implementation of systems for industrial transformation 4.0 in companies.

The UMI research and development have earned the trust of the European Union, which has invested in our project, with an eligible budget of €1,833,573, the amount of €550,071 over 4 years. This financing is granted by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN – Agencia Gallega de Innovación) for the consolidation of mixed research units aligned with the strategic challenges and priorities identified in the RIS3 for Galicia, with the support of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Employment and Industry of the Xunta de Galicia and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund – ERDF (FEDER – Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) within the framework of the Operational Programme FEDER Galicia 2014-2020. Unha maneira de facer Europa.

OUR LINES OF RESEARCH

Industrialisation of the solution

Design of a solution adapted to the industry, from the three essential points of view: physical design, processing speed and communication management.

HSI Cloud Services and Model Automation

Design of an automated and centralised solution that allows users to easily manage the training, validation and implementation of the models. This tool will serve both for the creation and for the automatic feedback of an existing model from spectra and analytical data provided by the user.

Comprehensive modeling and feasibility testing

The developments achieved in the previous lines will be tested with cases in real industrial conditions to verify their validity and feasibility.

THE HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING

A technology that revolutionises the food industry

HSI

Hyperspectral Imaging

Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) is a technology within advanced photonics that allows quickly and non-destructively qualitative and quantitative analysis of materials, with a high degree of precision.

Due to its effectiveness and potential, the European Commission recognises photonics as one of the key technologies for the food industry and a lever technology for the transformation towards an industrial environment 4.0.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The hyperspectral camera was born as an heir to NIR (Near Infra Red) sensors, where information is collected from hundreds of channels of the electromagnetic spectrum, imperceptible to the human eye. In the hyperspectral image, the spectral and spatial information is also recorded simultaneously, obtaining a NIR spectrum for each pixel, so that in addition to the physical-chemical characterisation of the sample, its spatial characterisation is available.

With this information it is possible to determine the properties of materials based on an evolutionary mathematical model. Obtaining the results is very fast and non-destructive, since it is not necessary to come into contact with the analysed object. This technique is applicable to both food and non-food matrices.

In the agri-food industry, photonic technologies, and specifically HSI, represent an important advance in improving analysis, quality control and food safety, effectively solving complex problems such as:

Characterising the physicochemical properties of food, with no contact with them and in a non-destructive way

Improving food quality control during the manufacturing process

Evaluating the shape and size of food to optimise its handling

Detecting contaminants, pathogens or packaging defects

Characterising the physicochemical

properties of food, with no contact with them

and in a non-destructive way

Improving food quality

control during the

manufacturing process

Evaluating the shape

and size of food to optimise

its handling

Detecting contaminants, pathogens

or packaging defects

Guaranteeing the healthiness

and optimal state of the product

Automating inspection processes

and anticipating incidents

Reducing product losses

Reducing energy costs

Guaranteeing the healthiness and optimal state of the product

Automating inspection processes and anticipating incidents

Reducing product losses

Reducing energy costs

HSI TECHNOLOGY IN MRU FF4P

Implementation of some works carried out in the MRU FFF4P with hyperspectral technology. They were developed at the Pilot Plant headquarters analysing different commercial brands of hyperspectral cameras.