Objectives and Expertise on Oils & Fats Quality and Engineering

• Olive oil extraction, processing & optimization of process variables
• Oils and fats technology, processing and quality control
• Oils and fats extraction and processing from typical and non-typical sources
• Waste valorization
• Recovery of high added value ingredients from by-products
• In-depth examination of phenomena affecting separation of immiscible phases
• Optimization of the frying process in terms of heat & mass transfer as well as frying oils

• Composition in main as well as minor compounds
• Focus on health-related aspects of lipids
• Oxidation, hydrolysis, polymer formation in oils and fats during processing
• Antioxidant activity and oxidation stability

• Oils and bioactive compounds extraction and separation

  - effect of process variables on the oil quality and process efficiency

  - coalescence-induced separation phenomena

• Frying Proccess

  - heat and mass transfer

  - porosity crust development

  - effect of frying oil type

  - chemical changes induced in frying oils (oxidation, hydrolysis, polymer formation, changes in the fatty acid profile)

  - physical, physicochemical changes induced in frying oils (viscosity, interfacial tension)

• Oils and bioactive compounds extraction and separation

  - supercritical CO2 extraction

  - soxhlet extraction

  - pressing (lab - pilot scale)

  - centrifugal separation (lab-pilot-large scale)

  - enzymatic processes (under way)

• Emulsion Engineering

  - emulsification process (benchtop – pilot: pressure, ultrasounds, shear)

  - engineering of droplet size distribution

  - emulsion characterization (interfacial properties, droplet size by laser diffraction and TD NMR)

• Porous systems

  - determination of porosity and pore size distribution (capillary penetration, TD-NMR)

  - development of porosity under phase change

  - determination of interfacial properties in porous systems

• Development of new products or improvement/Optimization of existing

  - replacement of hydrogenated, saturated and refined oils/fats with virgin olive oil other virgin oils & unsaturated oils (for the Greek food industry)

  - development of natural & high nutritional value products

  - extraction/isolation/recovery/valorization of high added and nutritional value ingredients at lab & pilot scale

  - development of sterilized foaming emulsions

  - development of foamed injection molded packages

• Development of mini instruments/rapid methods

  - novel rapid technique for determination of frying oil quality - FRYSAFE (US Patent No 9372178)

  - novel time-temperature indicator based on capillary penetration for the assessment of shelf-life of foods

• Other processes

  - drying (drum drying - tray drying- freeze drying)

  - sterilization

  - packaging

• Quality criteria for Olive oil, oils and fats (peroxide value, acidity, K values, sensory evaluation)

• Assessment of resistance of oxidation/ antioxidant activity

• Oil composition in fatty acids

• Oil composition of di and oligopolymers of triacyclglycerols

• Analysis of minor compounds (total phenols, antioxidants)

• Antioxidant activity

• Oxidative stability

• Tocopherol, squalene, cholesterol (by HPLC, GC under development)

• Assessment of frying oil quality by the application of all legislation criteria (Acidity, Peroxide Value, K values, Anisidine Value) and standards methods (HPLC, GC)

• Determination of Solid Fat Content (AOCS, TD NMR)

• Determination of water and oil content in seeds and in real foods by:

           - TD NMR

           - drying and extraction methods