Project

INnovative Tools for Assessment and Authentication of chicken meat, beef and dairy products’ QualiTies

Acronym
INTAQT
Code
41E01221
Duration
01 June 2021 → 30 May 2026
Funding
European funding: framework programme
Research disciplines
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Post harvest technologies of plants, animals and fish (incl. transportation and storage)
Keywords
husbandry
Other information
 
Project description

Agri-food chain actors lack objective, robust and reliable information to meet consumer expectations in relation to the multiple aspects of intrinsic quality of livestock products from the various European husbandry systems. The goal of INTAQT project is to perform an in-depth multi-criteria assessment of the relationships between husbandry systems and intrinsic quality traits of animal-sourced products. This will be achieved through the development of quality assessment and authentication tools, to provide science-based decision support for policy makers, industries, farmers and consumers as well as develop means to improve husbandry practices complying with high quality of animal products and sustainability of production, defined as the "One Quality" of products. INTAQT will focus on unprocessed and processed ready-to-eat chicken meat, beef, and dairy products stemming from a gradient of extensive to intensive husbandry systems from a wide variety of European countries. The project will use a multi-actor participatory approach, involving all actors of the agri-food chains from farmers to consumers, scientists, certification bodies, policy makers and citizens. The challenges addressed are to: i) develop comprehensive models quantifying the impact of husbandry systems on quality traits related to product safety, nutritional value and sensory features, ii) co-construct with agri-food chain actors rapid and cost-effective innovative and practical analytical tools for the prediction of the intrinsic quality of livestock products and authentication of the associated husbandry systems, iii) co-construct with agri-food chain actors, multi-criteria scoring tools of the intrinsic quality of products, and iv) using all these developed tools, promote innovative husbandry practices (approved by agri-food chain actors) to achieve consistently and verifiable excellent quality, safe, healthy and tasty animal-based products from both extensive and intensive husbandry systems.

 
Role of Ghent University
UGENT is involved in several work packages and has the lead in several tasks. UGENT is responsible for assembling data on the nutritional value of milk, beef and chicken samples collected, and for conducting specific analyses in this respect. UGENT will also lead a task on the statistical modelling of the relationships between farming systems and husbandry practices on the one hand and intrinsic product quality traits (safety, nutritional value and sensory features) of milk, beef and chicken on the other hand.