Cost Action 19145 SENSORFINT — European Network for assuring food integrity using non-destructive spectral sensors — is proud to present the Abstract Book of our First International Workshop “Smart Spectral Sensors for Agrifood Quality and Process Control” (30th September- 1st October, Porto, Portugal).

This is the first event of the Action in which we are going to have the opportunity to share FACE-TO-FACE (but also providing a virtual access) ideas, knowledge, challenges, and reflexions about the important role of non-destructive spectral sensors in the control and monitoring of quality and authenticity in the food systems of the present and the future. It is obvious that Covid-19 has changed our life styles, everything around us has been affected, and in the case of the SENSORFINT Action everything has been more complex and unpredictable, sometimes making it very challenging to progress with the planned schedule.

But it is also true that the pandemic has reinforced the role that food production, its integrity and its assurance have in our life, making the advances in the digitalisation technologies to control them a key point in international research programs. Thus, it makes even more relevant our main objective, which is to build a vibrant and multidisciplinary network focused on the application of non-destructive spectral sensors to solve the demands of the industry regarding the assessment of food for quality, safety, authenticity or traceability, combining experience in research, manufacture, training and technology transfer to accelerate spectral sensor implementation through the food chain.

The use of sensors and technologies will enable the design of new intelligent quality control systems to achieve the new challenges of Industry 4.0 — a massive and instantaneous non destructive inspection of the food product to take decisions in real time from ‘field to the fork’, providing a unique digital print of the product and, therefore, a new digital labelling strategy with more complete information about the product for consumers, will be an essential aspect for the present and future of the food industry.

I would like to express my personal sincere thanks to the Local Organizers of this First SENSORFINT International Workshop (Antonio Silva Ferreira y Maria Lopes Cardoso), and to the Vice-Chair of this Action (Tom Fearn) for all the support, ideas and time dedicated to achieve this hybrid event. In addition, I would like to thank the keynote and the industry speakers for their kind availability from the beginning to collaborate. And of course I would like to thank the Core Group, the MC members and all the SENSORFINT participants for their support. Finally thanks to Cost for providing funds for this event.

Hoping all of you enjoy this workshop, the ideas and knowledge shared and of course the networking opportunities that it will open for us.

Dolores Pérez Marín. Chair of sensorFINT

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