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Amyloid-based structural color for circular dairy economy
We’re developing tamper-proof, brightly colored labels from dairy by-products to combat counterfeiting in premium cheeses like Gruyère AOP—merging food security with circular economy principles.
This project aims to solve the problem of counterfeiting in the premium food sector, particularly for cheeses such as Gruyère AOP, by developing a new method of labelling cheese that guarantees its authenticity. Current cheese labels, so called cheese marks, use a numerical code embedded in the cheese rind, but this method has weaknesses. It is easy to counterfeit, uses a food coloring banned in some countries, the printed code can fade and relies on a single supplier for the label, creating supply risks. We are developing together with the Interprofession du Gruyère and the group of Prof. Mezzenga at ETH Zurich a new solution that involves the creation of brightly colored, tamper-proof cheese marks that can withstand the conditions of cheese production and allow for consumer verification. Therefore, we use liquid crystal technology to enhance color visibility. We obtain the liquid crystal structures from whey, a low-value by-product and main source for food waste in Switzerland creating a full circular economy.
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