International activityAfter nearly three decades of external activity and a constant commitment to internationalisation, AINIA is now an internationally renowned centre whose activities in innovation and technological services know no geographic limits. Our differentiating value lies in our experts, prepared to travel worldwide to solve the specific technological needs of any country, and our technological resources that enable us to develop the solutions and take them to a pre-industrial scale. In addition, our laboratories and pilot plants train technicians of all nationalities whose interests converge with those of our partners and clients.

AINIA is an active participant in numerous projects funded by the European Commission through HaDEA (European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) in the framework of the BETTER TRAINING FOR SAFER FOOD initiative. (https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/food_en). This initiative was designed to train professionals from the competent Public Administrations in order to harmonize knowledge and application of the current regulations. This would therefore guarantee food safety for the consumers.

Since this initiative began in 2006, AINIA has been active in different projects with diverse areas of focus. Some examples of topics are: Labelling and consumer information, Materials in contact with food, Hygiene in primary production, Equipment inspection and calibration for pesticide application, Hygiene and control in meat and meat derivatives…etc.

AINIA and its innovative projects in the field of Education and Training

Of particular importance are the projects that are geared towards training professionals in the food industry. Projects that have led to the development of innovative programmes such as:

• Triflim

• Updatest

• Lego  – learning genomics for food safety

Currently, AINIA continues to participate these projects that are supported by the European Commission through the ERASMUS+ programme.

The quality of AINIA’s laboratories has been granted the ISO Standard 17025 and the international recognition ENAC-ILAC MRA for its accredited techniques. Because of this, the laboratories are widely known among all the members of the European Union, the EFTA (European Association of Free Commerce), USA, Canada, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil and India, among others.

This is why AINIA works for public and private entities that strive for excellence in the quality of their service and complete reliability of results on a global scale.

Consequently, AINIA performs analytical services especially in Latin America and in Mediterranean countries, for vegetable and animal products and for materials in contact with food (packaging).

Antibacterial and antiviral performance tests

The COVID-19 crisis created a demand for testing the antibacterial and virucidal activity of everyday materials such as ceramics, plastics, coatings and other commonly used substances. AINIA has developed these services, in addition to measuring the antibacterial and anti-virus activity of cleaning products and disinfection technologies.

As the focal point of this organisation (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group), AINIA extended its scope of action and broadened the dissemination of hygienic engineering and this important organisation to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. In these countries, our experts conducted training courses and contributed to the creation and consolidation of the corresponding regional sections of EHEDG.

We participated in an international R+D+i project with two Spanish companies, one company from Argentina and a research center from Argentina as well. The main objective of the project was to obtain ingredients with a potential satiating and heart-healthy effect by applying innovative solutions. This would increase the bioavailability and functionality of these ingredients, as well as their applicability in different food matrices. This study aimed to establish methodologies to design high added-value foods with satiating and heart-healthy properties adapted to the requirements of specific population groups (children and adults). AINIA has performed in-vitro studies to evaluate the bioaccessibility and biological functionality of the developed ingredients and products.

AINIA was selected as a reference laboratory to define the structural and functional requirements of the new NAEB laboratories(National Agricultural Export Development Board) of Rwanda. The requirements will be used in collaboration with AETS, an AINIA associated company for the official control of the Tea and Coffee exports and foodstuffs from this dynamic Central African country, Through collaborative working sessions and visits to our laboratories, they defined the necessary features that would make the new facilities in Kigali a centre of high competence and quality.

We are advising different multinational and medium-sized agri-food companies in the LATAM area on EU Food Legislation issues. These include topics associated with product formulation and labelling for the marketing of their foodstuffs in the EU market.

Furthermore, AINIA’s experts in Food Legislation are increasing their customised training at an international level, in all matters relating to food legislation in the EU. The most common clients are companies from third countries or delegations of Spanish companies in different areas of the world; business associations, Governments and other international organisations.

AINIA and AECID are committed to supporting development through innovation in Peru. They are working with the CITES network of the ITP (Technological Production Institute) and enhancing commercial actions through technological service sales, thereby creating a link to the productive sector to respond to its needs. Peruvian SMEs, technology centres (CITES) and speakers from innovation funding agencies in the country also took part in a supervised action to raise awareness of the potential of open innovation.

In collaboration with ITP and supported by the AECID, we created a biogas pilot plant in Peru.

The use of organic waste as an energy source is a concern for all agri-food industries, with no exceptions. For this very reason, we created a pilot plant in the CITE-Pesquero facilities in Callao (Lima, Peru) with funds from development cooperation through innovation (AECID) as a continuation of AINIA’s collaboration with ITP (Technological Production Institute of Peru. This plant can be used to evaluate the maximum biogas potential of organic waste and to design a suitable biological biodigestion process for biogas production from the use of organic waste/by-products from the Peruvian agro-industry. In addition, the ITP technicians received specialised training to conduct experimental trials in the newly developed pilot plant.

This is what AINIA has been doing for the last four years, through two leading projects with partner companies, in consortium with companies from Japan and Taiwan.

The most recent project was led by the food companies VERDIFRESH and INCARLOPSA, materials producer KLÖCKNER PENTAPLAST and AINIA. These companies, in consortium with the Taiwanese centre ITRI and two Taiwanese companies, have combined the use of modified microcellulose and active components to improve packaging sustainability without affecting the packaged food’s shelf life.

Sensory science and consumer research represent a key area of knowledge in the food industry. They play an important role in the process of innovation and product development, helping companies to define and improve their products and thereby increasing the chances of a successful market launch.

AINIA’s CONSUMER team has shared its know-how and experience with countries in Latin America, the Mediterranean area and Europe. They have created permanent laboratories with full operational capacity as well as specific contracts involving panels of expert tasters and consumer panels to transfer applied knowledge in the field of sensory and consumer science.

Peru, Brazil, Tunisia and Egypt are some recent examples of a capacity that is constantly evolving and improving.

ALTEX provides industrial services through its pilot plants which enable users to define the extraction conditions for any product in an industrial plant (ALTEX), certified as ECO/BIO/ORGANIC, GMP, HALAL and…. Through these, we provide services to companies all over the world. Leading sectors such as the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries rely on the extraction, purification and disinfection services with supercritical CO2 or pressurised CO2 that ALTEX provides based on tolling agreements…