MEET THE SCIENTIST: OXIDATION STABILITY STUDIES WITH VELP OXITEST SUPPORTING LOCAL FOOD COMPANIES

06/21/2021

Discover the success story of SAFE – University of Basilicata, an excellence in research that every day supports local food producers thanks to the VELP OXITEST. Watch the video interview for the whole story with full details from the words of Dr. Maria Di Cairano.

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SAFE - School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences

The School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences (SAFE) of the University of Basilicata, originated from the scientific and didactic experience of professors with very different backgrounds, and was established with the aim of creating an articulated academic institution, able to enhance the value of research and teaching activities in the areas of Agricultural, Veterinary and Biological Sciences.

The pivotal point on which all SAFE's actions are based is linked to the quality of research, the only repository of permanent positive effects that reflect on the local territory, companies and production facilities.

SAFE’s research activities range from food safety to the optimization of production up to the development of new products and “Green” technologies.

Performing accurate and fast shelf-life and oxidation stability analysis

The research activity is carried out by SAFE within regional, national and international projects. Of fundamental importance is the support to local food producers, both for feasibility studies related to the production and trading of products and for quality control.

The productive framework of Basilicata is mainly made up of small companies that do not have in-house laboratories for product development and quality control. Within this scenario, the increasing interest for the so-called niche products creates profitable opportunities for the commercialization of new products, even in small quantities, in locations that are far from production facilities. Thus, precisely defining the shelf-life of food products and striving to make it longer is critical for local producers.

Acquiring an accurate and efficient analytical instrument to perform such analyses was key for SAFE, the right solution to conduct premium research, streamline laboratory processes and sustain local food companies.

VELP OXITEST - Oxidation Stability Reactor

VELP OXITEST is specifically designed to meet all the requirements of R&D and Quality Control laboratories that investigate the stability to oxidation of fat and oils.

The OXITEST reactor speeds up the oxidation process that in normal conditions can last weeks or months and provides fast, accurate and reliable results according to AOCS Cd 12c-16 International Standard Procedure.

The method's key advantage is that the OXITEST ensures representative results without extensive sample preparation. As a matter of fact, the stability test according to the OXITEST Method is performed directly on the sample as it is solid, liquid or doughy.

VELP OXITEST is the only oxidation stability reactor that allows you to reduce routine operations thanks to the real-time monitoring of your instrument and tests via VELP Ermes Cloud Platform, VELP smart lab solution ensuring a whole new laboratory experience and level of efficiency.

Premium research and support for the local food industry

OXITEST has proved to be an effective solution for SAFE for an efficient and accurate evaluation of the oxidative stability and the shelf-life of food matrices with a discrete fat content, measurements that are sometimes estimated empirically by producers.

Thanks to the OXITEST, SAFE every day supports many local producers of oil, sweet and salty cookies, fried cruschi peppers, coffee, battered peanuts, gluten-free cookies, chocolate, and novel foods such as chia seeds. Specifically, SAFE successfully evaluated the different oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil from different cultivars, highlighting the importance of antioxidants, such as tocopherols and polyphenols, compared to the susceptibility to oxidation of fatty acids.

Moreover, the VELP OXITEST not only is perfect to test the stability of finished products, but it is also a valuable asset to assess raw materials and ingredients intended for food production.

A game-changer for SAFE analytical activities and for the Basilicata food industry, the VELP OXITEST doesn’t imply the use of toxic substances and doesn’t produce residues with environmental disposal problems.