Researchers at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering are partners, with their colleagues in Europe, in the development of a rapid technology for testing the reliability and authenticity of food in the context of kosher, halal and veganism
Researchers at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering are partners, with their colleagues in Europe, in developing a DNA-based technology for immediate testing of food composition for kosher and halal keepers and for vegans. The technology will provide an immediate answer regarding these aspects and thus strengthen transparency in the supply chain and increase trust in the food system.
The research is an initiative of the Spanish technology center AZTI, which focuses on the innovative development of mobile and fast testing methods that will allow verification of the food composition in cases of nutritional and ethical requirements on the part of the consumer, for example veganism or kosher. At the Technion, the research is led by Prof. Yehezkel Kashi and the director of the laboratory, Dr. Karen Rosenblau.
The joint project focuses on the development of three types of solutions: animal DNA identification for vegan products, pig DNA identification for halal observers, and pig, horse or donkey DNA identification for kosher observers. These mobile and fast solutions will be user-friendly and allow real-time analysis (in less than an hour) of the product. They will mainly be suitable for quick assimilation in food companies, marketing bodies and control laboratories.
The test results will be updated on digital platforms linked to the company's monitoring system - platforms that will be developed during the project. The intention is that the results of the tests will be available to the consumer public and thus increase their trust in the food manufacturers.
The research takes place within the ETHIChain consortium funded by the European EIT Food program and partners are the Technion, the Spanish AZTI, the Italian UNIBO and the Lithuanian ART21. EIT Food, the largest global innovation program in the world of agripod and ecology, is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
