The Food Engineering Laboratory at the Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering (DICCA), University of Genoa, is specialized in Agri-Food Technology and Biotechnology. The research team, coordinated by Prof Patrizia Perego, is composed of professors, researchers, research fellows, graduate students and scholars from different countries and with different academic backgrounds (chemical engineers, chemists, and biotechnologists). It operates in the field of new technologies development for the valorization of by-products of agri-food industry, by recovering high added-value compounds of interest for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
The main research activities are related to:
- the application of innovative green processes aimed at extracting bioactive molecules directly from agri-food wastes;
- the increase in the shelf-life and bioavailability of these molecules by applying techniques of micro-and nano-encapsulation;
- food preservation through the production of active food packaging;
- development of technologies for food stabilization and functionality improvement;
- development of engineered biomaterials.
Among the perspectives of the Food Engineering Laboratory:
- Promote the connection between universities and local companies to identify common projects and strategies;
- Technological transfer of technologies and products developed by the laboratory-scale research activities;
- Promote the creation of partnerships to access calls for funding for Basic Research and Technology Transfer.