Pre-conference Event

Food Lab Tour

Interested conference participants have the possibility to visit the modern laboratories of the Department of Plant Based Foods headed by Professor Dr. Mario Jekle.

The tour will take place on February 06, 2025 from 11 am to 12 pm. Please check the appropriate box during registration if you wish to participate.

The department has extensive equipment in the field of analytics, technology and process engineering of plant raw materials.

  • Analytics: In addition to the relevant standard analytical methods in the field of protein, cereals, fruits and vegetables, photometric methods including enzymatic assays, we can also qualitatively and quantitatively detect various secondary ingredients such as polyphenols by means of our extensive methods in the field of (U)HPLC with DAD, RI, ELSD, FLD and UV/VIS, GC-MS, GC-FID, anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC-PAD, HPAEC-CD) and preparative chromatography such as from mono- and polysaccharides, to amino acids and proteins. By means of FTIR and NIR we characterize and identify our raw materials, intermediates and final food products.
  • We characterize the functionalities of raw materials, intermediates and final foods by means of rheology, DSC, foam behavior, color measurements and texture analysis. Image analysis is carried out using in-process image acquisition, microscopic data of the structuring components (light microscopy and CLSM) and particle analysis. We also record the end product quality with our sensor panel.
  • Technology and process engineering: In addition to various dry (ball and centrifugal mills) and wet (e.g. cutting machines, homogenizers, colloidal and corundum disk mills, grating mills, inline turrax), intermediate products can be mixed (various kneaders), separated (straining machine, decanter, separators, packing presses, screw oil press, filter press, membrane filtration plant) and post-processed (tubular heat exchanger, rotary autoclave, ovens, spray dryer, UV chamber, pasteurizer, vacuum process equipment, vacuum drying oven, freeze drying). In addition, we can produce food with high definition by 3D printer.