Designation of the project: PROJETOS DE I&DT EMPRESAS EM COPROMOÇÃO

Project code: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-003334

COVER-ED – New meat products with a physical-chemical protection through the application of an edible coating and other functional systems

Main objective: OT1 – Reinforce research, technological development and innovation

Region of intervention: POCI

Beneficiary entity: PRIMOR CHARCUTARIA – PRIMA, S.A.

Copromotor: UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA

Approval date: 21-10-2015

Start date: 01-10-2015

Date of the conclusion: 30-09-2018

Total eligible cost: 772.789,04 EUR

Financial support from the European Union: FEDER – 494.032,12 EUR

Goals:

1) Ensure an additional stable and non-volatile protection against oxidative degradation of the sliced charcuterie product;

2) Maintain the microbiological count of possible pathogens in levels accepted by hygiene and food safety standards;

3) Do not change color, taste, flavour or texture, among others;

4) Mechanical, thermal and degradative resistance;

5) To demonstrate good interfacial adhesion with the meat substrate;

6) Maintain hydration of meat product at appropriate levels;

7) Respect the food regulations imposed by the respective regulatory entity of the sector with respect to the meat product in question;

Project description:

The COVER-ED project falls within the scope of the R&DT typology projects in Co-Promotion, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (POFC), the NSRF – National Strategic Reference Framework – Incentive System for Research and Technological Development, amounting to an investment of € 772 789.04, having obtained an incentive of € 494 032.12.

Throughout this project, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, specialized in the technical areas of food engineering, biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, polymers and materials engineering, quality, process, project management, is developing a set of activities, from the preliminary stages, with the technical specifications of the products and materials to develop, to the definition of new concepts of materials, and the assembly of the final prototypes, with their validation tests and trials, as well as the dissemination of their results.