How does food research influence our lives?

An area, that of R&D&i related to nutrition, whose promotion is essential so that the consumer is well informed and thus makes the decisions that best suit their needs. Likewise, aspects as relevant as food safety, 3D printed products, DNA-based diets, innovative proposals that try to provide convenience in their meals to cancer patients, 'apps' that allow them to understand nutritional labels or control systems for ailments such as diabetes on mobile devices are some of the achievements that technology applied to food allows.

Providing practical vocational and educational training solutions for future urban farmers, thus contributing to raising society's awareness about the role of urban agriculture in the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of cities, is the objective of 'Innofarming', a European project Erasmus+ K204 'Strategic Partnerships'. in the field of Adult Education' and developed by the Agri-Food Institute of Aragón (IA2).

"Research on nutrition and health issues is key to increasing knowledge about the benefits and mechanisms of action of foods and their different components. It is also necessary to research in other areas such as physical activity, food processing and conservation technologies or in social areas that study purchasing factors, acceptability and psychosocial influence on them. Furthermore, dissemination and communication to society is crucial; only a well-informed consumer will be able to make correct purchasing and consumption decisions," says Sara Remón. , IA2 Project Manager and Promoter.

Among the ways in which technology can help consumers in their daily lives, the doctor in Food Science and Technology highlights simple solutions such as 'apps' for reading nutritional labels or "analysis techniques that allow the identification of a multitude of components of food and evaluate the health effects of their consumption, as well as the development of sensors that make it possible to monitor processes and even identify risk biomarkers."

In the section for people who have specific nutritional needs, there are also examples, such as diabetes monitoring systems on mobile devices or other rapid allergen detection methods or gluten quantification systems. "Little by little, the detection systems that are being developed are easier to use and will allow their use by the consumer themselves in the future, which will give them greater guarantee in their nutritional decisions," says Remón.

At IA2, more than 200 doctors work on different lines of research throughout the agri-food chain that goes 'from the field to the table'. Programs that are intended both to promote excellent research and to promote its transfer to the sector.

Throughout her career, the researcher has participated in various initiatives that reflect the importance of R&D&I in nutrition, such as folic acid fortification of bread for pregnant women or the 'Higea' project, in which which is working on reducing the glycemic index of different food matrices. And recently, IA2 has been awarded another Erasmus+ project, whose acronym is 'Indeed' and which is intended to develop textured food guides for people with dysphagia.