Beverage Technologies and Processes

Cluster

Viticulture, Oenology and Alcoholic Beverages (VEB)

Description

The research unit of the Alcoholic Beverage Technology department deals with various issues in the field of alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, liqueurs and spirits. The research aspects developed range from transformation technology to quality control. Considerable experience has been gained in oenological techniques aimed at the enhancement of wine quality and typicity. With regard to quality control, the department deals with the development of laboratory and process analysis systems applicable to the wine sector. For years, low impact oenological technologies, reasoned management of oenological coadjuvants and additives and development of innovative coadjuvants have been studied. In the beer sector, also thanks to the help of a pilot plant at the A. Servadei University Farm, research activities have been started and are focused on the production technology and quality control of different types of beer. At the department, two courses are organized annually: a tasting course for beer sommeliers (in March) and a technical-managerial course for beer entrepreneurs (in May) for those interested in starting an activity as craft beer producers. In the sector of distilled spirits, experience has been gained on the optimization of distillation plants for the production of grappa and other aquavits, and on quality control. Formulations based on medicinal plants are developed in the field of liqueurs. From 2013, the department has a supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) pilot plant. The plant is used for the extraction of bioactive compounds from natural matrices and by-products of the agri-food industry. Among the competences gained in the field of supercritical fluids there is the countercurrent supercritical fluid extraction (CC-SFE) used to separate aromatic compounds from beverages, and the non-thermal process with dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCD) applied for fruit juice pasteurization. In recent years, researches have been carried out on other topics such as fruit juice technology, the coffee industry, the use of medicinal plants and by-products of the wine industry. A laboratory is available for the different analytical needs related to the individual researches, from chromatographic analysis of trace components to spectrophotometric analyses, the study of colloidal systems by means of Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and non-destructive analysis by IR spectroscopy. The laboratory also offers a customized external third-party analysis service. Relationships with public and private companies in Italy and abroad are consolidated as part of the research activities. The relationships with many external companies are particularly solid with regards to all studies concerning technological and applicative aspects. For what concerns the researches being carried out, consolidated relationships with the following sections of the Department of Agri-food, Environmental and Animal Sciences have been established: 1. Chemistry 2. Food Chemistry and Technology 3. Crop Science 4. Biology and Microbiology of Food and Environment 5. Biotechnology and Genomics 6. Entomology and Plant Pathology.

Research subjects

Ottimizzazione dei processi e sviluppo di tecniche innovative per controllo e gestione stabilità bevande alcoliche
Innovazione di processo nelle filiere delle bevande alcoliche (Ultrasuoni, alte pressioni, CO2 supercritica, campi elettrici pulsati)
Studio e gestione dei coadiuvanti e dei materiali condizionanti la qualità del prodotto
Sviluppo di sistemi rapidi per controllo qualità e stabilità chimico fisica , microbiologica e sensoriale delle bevande alcoliche
Tecnologie sostenibili e a basso impatto ambientale ed igienico-sanitario
Sviluppo di filiere innovative finalizzate al miglioramento salutistico del prodotto
Ottimizzazione e sviluppo di tecnologie per la maltazione dei cereali
Applicazione dell’estrazione con fluidi supercritici (SFE) su matrici naturali e sottoprodotti
Studio del sistema colloidale di succhi, bevande e coadiuvanti e sviluppo di coadiuvanti innovativi
Sistemi rapidi per il controllo qualità dell’uva e la gestione dei processi di trasformazione
Tecnologie per ridurre l’uso di anidride solforosa e additivi tossici nella produzione del vino e bevande alcoliche
Sviluppo di kit di analisi rapidi per il controllo di stabilità dei vini e delle bevande alcoliche
Gestione dei parassiti fungini in vigneto con nuovi prodotti a basso impatto
Recupero della CO2 di fermentazione con microrganismi autotrofi per la produzione di sostanze organiche ad uso alimentare