Working Groups

Sensorfint-onda

WG1. NDSS for the innovation in process control and labelling in the European food industry.

WG1 is aimed at evaluating and fine-tuning the application of the latest generation of commercial NDSS for in situ measurements in a selected range of food applications. The studies include the spectral and reference database building, the development of calibrations and validation of the models, the comparison between equipments with different characteristics. 

The outputs include the state-of-the-art in the design, optimisation, market availability and potential cost-effectiveness of Nnon-destructive spectral sensor applications for in situ analysis in the selected products, considering critical food integrity issues and process control for the industry.

WG1 Leader: Prof. Szilveszter Gergely

WG1 Vice-leader: Prof. Ana Garrido

WG2. Innovation related to the integration of several NDSS signals for critical issues in food integrity.

WG2 is aiming at exploring the potential of combining several NDSS for solving critical food integrity issues which cannot be solved using one sensor alone. This integration will enable collection of information about composition and distribution, microbial contamination etc., using hyperspectral imaging combined with reflectance or fluorescence as examples. This task will investigate the fusion or integration of signals from several sensors (NIR, hyperspectral imaging, fluorescence, Raman and others), to provide new advantages and challenges in addressing food quality, authenticity and safety problems, unsolved by sensors of any single type. 

A special focus will be on increasing the potential for inspection of exogenous contaminants, as well as detecting intrinsic changes in food products resulting from contamination and/or changes in thermal conditions during processing such as overheating, incomplete drying, etc. It is important to highlight the scientific breakthroughs and practical potential related to the development of technologies that allow integration of different non-destructive spectral sensors and their implementation in different parts of the food chain.

WG2 Leader: Dr. Antonio Ferreira

WG2 Vice-leader: Prof. Aoife Gowen

WG3. Novel mathematical algorithms and methods for processing NDSS in real time.

The main aim of WG3 is the design of novel mathematical algorithms and chemometric methods able to process the multivariate spectral data generated to enable making decision in real time. This reflects the principal mathematical, statistical and chemometric challenges for successful implementation of spectral sensors in situ or in an industrial situation. The general theme is the need to enable methodologies already developed for the analysis of small quantities of sample in a laboratory to be applied to large bulk samples and to both batch and continuous processes, typically using different and more robust instrumentation. One of the major problems in further advancing the use of spectral sensors, especially for SMEs, is the level of expertise required to build effective multivariate models.

The activities programmed will be able to provide models, user interfaces and data packages that are more meaningful in terms of the specific application and useable by those with less mathematical expertise. The outputs will include: 1. Novel statistical and chemometric treatments for the problem of sampling bulk materials and both batch and continuous processes to estimate major and minor constituents using NIRS. 2. Novel chemometric methods for hyperspectral-NIR and other spectral signal combinations. 3. Novel chemometric methods for building, maintaining and exploiting large NDSS databases and in-process NDSS analysis in the food industry. 4. Novel chemometric methods for cloning instruments and calibration model transfer between instruments of the same type and of different types.

WG3 Leader: Prof. Marina Cocchi

WG3 Vice-leader: Dr. Jean-Michel Roger

WG4. Use of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in building decision support systems for the industrial implementation of NDSS.

The main aim of WG4 is focused in the design of methodologies to build decision support systems (DSS) oriented to implement efficient control systems in the food supply chain. These enable the incorporation of information from different sources and, in particular, from spectral sensors, and are able to handle flexible information, to incorporate simulation tools, models, sensitivity analysis and interactivity with various stakeholders at various stages in the food supply chain. 

The WG will be directed to the design of methodologies for using cloud computing to connect key information about a process or product coming from NDSS and other sources using web browsers, mobile apps, cameras, GPS (Global Positioning System), digital signature, QR-code reader (Quick Response), Blockchain and other ICT advances.

WG4 Leader: Dr. Ivan Stajduhar

WG4 Vice-leader: Dr. Declan Delaney

WG5. Dissemination and exploitation.

WG5 main objective is to promote dissemination and impact of the Action results, through several routes: Action website, reports, publications, identification of relevant stakeholders, identification of events and specialized media for promoting the knowledge acquired, presence in social networks to increase social awareness, lobbying (reaching policy makers, and EU and national program operators), etc. Thus, main activities will be linked to the coordination, supporting, promoting and assessment of all dissemination activities and exploitation of results of the COST Action, enabling knowledge exchange and providing feedback to the other WG leaders
This WG’s activity will also facilitate communication, as successful interdisciplinary research requires a mutual understanding between participants with different backgrounds. Face-to-face meetings of specialists from different disciplines sometimes fail to reach this point, because a typical expert relies on a great deal of tacit and implicit knowledge. 

WG members will work with the other WGs leaders to take part into activities that require strong interdisciplinary exchange. This group will naturally maintain strong links with the Management Committee (MC). The MC will promote an active policy of short-term exchanges of young and more senior scientists, with a priority for PhD students and young post-doctoral researchers. The MC chair will arrange the assessment of the STSM and Training schools by evaluating how effectively they contribute to the scientific aims of Action. As it has been mentioned before, intellectual property and patent rights will be discussed at a very early stage to try to avoid problems in the future. European legal documents such as non-disclosure agreements will be available on the website and intellectual property short courses will be organised

WG5 Leader: Prof. Christian Huck

WG5 Vice-leader: Dr. Anna Sandak

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and events