Food Additives Research Department

HISTORY

 

Food additives are useful substances added intentionally to food sources to improve their nutritional and sensory values and extend shelf life of products. Food additives can be divided into several groups such as antioxidants, food colorant, flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, stabilizers, etc.

 

 In the recent years, there has been much interest in the development of new natural additives to be used in food industries, which is apparently due to strong consumer demand for more natural products because of their safety and health benefits. Iran has been known as a unique origin of natural resources with great diversity which have good potential to extract natural food additives.

 

Therefore, Food Additive Research Department was established at ACECR-Mashhad branch in 2004, aiming at producing of food additives and developing their applications in food and medicinal industries.  

 

Research Objectives (areas)

 

• Extraction and identification of bioactive components from natural resources and their application as food additives;
• Evaluating the interactional effects of different additives on food products;
• Optimization of food products formulations using additives;
• Researching the effective technologies to use edible additives in food products;

 

Current Study

 

• Researching the optimization of natural edible colorants production;
• Developing the stability and bioavailability of natural colorants;
• Formulation of food and sport supplements based on natural additives;

 

 

Product Developments

 

• Natural Edible Colorants

Color additives were defined as any dye, pigment, or other substance that can impart color to food products. Edible colors are important components of many food products, making them visually appealing, appetizing, and informative. In recent years, current trend towards natural edible colors is strengthened throughout the world due to their positive biological functions, such as cancer-preventing effects, protective effect against cardio-vascular diseases, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, etc.

One of our main knowledge-based products in Food Additives Department is producing different kinds of natural colorants, namely, in liquid and powdered forms, together with different kinds of encapsulated natural colorants.

 

• Other products

 

• Dietary (low fat) meat products;
• Frying oil with high thermal stability;
• Production of Sourdough using biotechnology;
• Antimicrobial films for food packaging;
• Nano emulsion of curcumin;

 

Food Additives Research and Pilot Plant Center

 

Food additives Research Department has thoroughly investigated the production of food additives from natural resources. Hence, the first “Research and pilot plant center of food additives” in Iran was established in 2013 to complete the commercialization cycle of the knowledge-based products.

 

Capabilities

 

• Production of natural colorants with applications in food, pharmaceutical and other industries;
• Production and synthesis of other food additives (caramels, flavors, gums, etc.);
• The ability of extracting a wide variety of essences and extracts from natural resources;
• Extraction of bioactive components at low temperature, producing high quality products;

 

Contact information

Website: http://www.jdm.ac.ir

Phone: +985138832360

Fax: : +985138810177

 

 

Facilities

 

• (Hammer Mill)
• (Multimill)
• (Extractor)
• (Evaporator)
• (Centrifuge)
• (TrayDryer)
• (Spray Dryer)
• (Vibro Sifter)