Centro tecnológico Cartif

Biotechnology

The use of living beings or substances that come from them as a technological tool has been constant since thousands of years ago (wine, cold meats and sausages, beer, etc.) In the last fifty years, science and technology in this field have experienced a substantial advancement and have given rise to what is currently known as Biotechnology.

There are many applications that biotechnology in its broad sense, and in particular the use of molecular tools, can have in the agro-food sector. The development of many of these applications has been motivated by the advancement of legislation focuses on nutrition, on features like product traceability, food security, product quality and added-value, food authentication, frauds and adulterations, etc.

Based on their extensive experience in R&D projects, the technical team of Cartif’s Biotechnology Laboratory is already working on the incorporation of improvements in the classic biotechnology processes (like milk fermentation, curing cold meats and sausages, or beverage production), besides the use of technological tools for diminishing the environmental impact of the food industries and adding value to byproducts and wastes.

From this point of view, in Cartif arises a new service for the agri-food companies, through a laboratory equipped with cutting-edge technologies on molecular biotechnology and wide experience in fermentation processes. The new technologies and the gathered experience will be useful in developing agriculture, stockbreeding, and aquaculture that are more efficient, competitive, sustainable and safe.