Pilot-scale equipment made it possible, for example, to reduce and even eliminate the use of additives in flour
In the search for a healthier life, foods without additives are increasingly present on Brazilian tables. Aware of this scenario, researchers from the Faculty of Food Engineering (FEA) from Unicamp and the Institute of Food Technology (ITALY), linked to the Department of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, developed multifunctional processing equipment that uses microwaves to apply various technologies in the agri-food industry.
Pilot-scale equipment made it possible, for example, to reduce and even eliminate the use of additives in wheat flour. The microwave system made it possible to modulate the quality of starches and proteins; and modify characteristics such as elasticity, extensibility and viscosity of doughs in the production of cakes and cookies. In this way, it made the raw material suitable for different industrial applications, maintaining and even improving the final quality of the product without the use of adjuvants and additives.
The foods clean label, term in English that means clean label, are a trend in Brazil and around the world. “The consumption of bread, cakes and biscuits has increased a lot, consequently the consumption of additives as well. In every 100 grams of bread, for example, we can have up to 1% of additives”, explains Maria Teresa Pedrosa Silva Clerici, professor at FEA and one of the inventors of the patent. “With this microwave we have the advantage of reproducibility of the technology for large industrial scales”, she adds.
Versatility and reduction of losses
The heat treatment process with microwave equipment is considered important for the processing industry, as it is able to change, control and standardize the technological quality of flour without having to touch the other end of this chain: the planting of the grain.
Brazilians consume, on average, 40,62 kg of wheat per year, according to data from the Brazilian Wheat Industry Association (ABITRIGO). “Today the country is not self-sufficient in wheat production. What comes from abroad arrives with prior treatment. National wheat would certainly benefit from this technology through better control over quality maintenance”, says Flávio Martins Montenegro, researcher and inventor of the technology.
The microwave processing system allows continuous processing, which does not require process modification, or discontinuously in batches with small and easy operational adjustments. The invention can also be applied to other foods in liquid, solid, powder or suspension form.
Post-harvest, heat treatment helps control humidity, which allows grains to be stored for long periods and inhibits germination processes that lower the quality of cereals, grains and flours. The equipment also avoids another problem such as the absorption of undesirable smoke odors with wood-fired dryers.
The heat generated by microwaves can also inactivate enzymes that accelerate the process of loss of product quality, increasing the shelf life of processed foods. It also eliminates parasite eggs, for example woodworms, which generate large losses in the food industry.
Read article in full published on the website of the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency.
