Section 6

Purpose and Topics of interest

The VI section of the AIIA studies and investigates all the engineering aspects related to the transformation processes of agro-food production.

The main task of the Section is to encourage exchange of ideas among researchers and professionals interested in these topics: engineers, agronomists, food technologists.

The Section has always paid particular attention to the systems used in the sector of the so-called agricultural industries (dairy, wine and oil): the various research groups, created within the Association and developed in the various University and other research centres, they are always involved evaluating available technologies providing useful information for their optimization.

For example, studies related to the optimization of machines for processing milk and cheeses, for the extraction of extra virgin olive oil, and for the management of oenological processes can be traced back to members of this Section.

The research ranges from energy-type assessments to the design of some plant components, also through the application of forecasting models, to the optimization of the control and monitoring of the process.

In addition to the classic agricultural industries, the sector of post-harvesting of fresh fruit and vegetables has always been a subject of interest in this Section. The studies carried out concern the optimization of both the sorting and selection systems, with particular regard to non-destructive techniques, and of conservation technologies (modified atmospheres, refrigeration systems, etc.).

In recent years, interest has been particularly focused on development of technologies supporting the production in the Fourth Range (fruit and vegetable products ready for consumption) which represent one of the most interesting challenges for the entire agricultural sector.

In the last few years, finally, the evolution of the agro-food sector has expanded the Section's interests also within the whole food production system: more and more frequently researchers members of the VI Section are involved in study of problems related, for example, to transformation of meat, to the production of flour and pasta, but also to the world of catering, logistics and the problems of large-scale distribution (GDO).

The plant engineering approach has led to in-depth research aimed at evaluating machine / product / process interaction and of the potential effects related to performance in terms of working capacity, but also in terms of processing yield, product quality and by-products (also in relation to food safety), operator safety, and the sustainability of the entire production cycle.

The Section promotes the dissemination among researchers from the academic world and from the industrial sector, either seminars, to support productive realities, and, more typically, scientific conferences.

The members are active both in the Working Groups of EurAgEng (European Society of Agricultural Engineers) related to the themes of "food engineering" (AP06 Innovative technologies for dairy farming, PM11 Fruit and vegetable production engineering, etc.) and in the VI section (Postharvest Technology and Process Engineering) of the CIGR (International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering).