Innovation & TSG-PDO-PGI Scientific Meeting

The Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology of AUTH with the support of the Association of Greek Chemists and the Federation of Chemists of Northern Greece organized a scientific meeting "Innovation & TSG-PDO-PGI"   in the context of the events of 2017 DETROP (International Expo Food and Drinks, Thessaloniki, Greece).

The event was attended by approximately 120 people (members of the public administration, production and research bodies, as well as undergraduate/postgraduate students from higher education institutions).

The aim of the meeting was to highlight the possibilities for innovative proposals related to Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) products and products protected by a Geographical Indication (GI). The research achievements of the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology of the School of Chemistry on innovations related to the particular type of products were presented with an introduction by the head of the laboratory Professor M. Tsimidou.

Assistant Prof. N. Nenadis presented the objectives and planned activities of the OLEUM project and stressed the complexity of the detailed issues that must be addressed for the authenticity, geographical origin, freshness and health claims and that research results will be communicated to all stakeholders involved in the olive oil sector and consumers An open call to all interested parties to networking with OLEUM consortium was also addressed.

Other topics that were presented included:

  • a new, competitive high quality table olive
  • research on improving the nutritional value of Spanish style green olives Chalkidiki by reducing the sold content of the end product
  • innovative approaches for the better exploitation of fats from oil-containing plant materials for the preparation of traditional and non-traditional products.

The conference ended with a round table which included representatives of the state, academia and producers in order to highlight the need for continuous development of "traditional" products by applying mild, innovative approaches that are consistent with current nutritional and technological trends. Through the discussion, the concept and the content of the term "innovation" was discussed. It was concluded that even small changes in the traditional production process of TSG- PDO-PGI products can greatly improve their quality and nutritional value. The need to exploit the remarkable research results produced by the research institutes of the country to this direction was highlighted. The outcome of the debate was the strong will of all stakeholders to collaborate closely in order to satisfy the above need.