Professor Colette Fagan main research interests are in the area of ensuring the production of food products that are of consistent quality and safety. She has particular interest in process analytical technology (PAT), with a focus on the application of optical spectroscopy for the development of safe and robust processes. A PAT strategy aims to move from a paradigm of “testing quality in” to “building quality in by design”.
To meet the objectives of PAT, real time sensing techniques are employed to control predetermined critical control parameters throughout the processing chain. Previous research focused on the development of an optical sensor technology for use in cheese production that predicts curd moisture content during syneresis which should enable the production of a high quality and consistent product.