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Sphera Encapsulation at CEFood 2026: Encapsulation Innovation for the Future of Food
Innovation in the agri-food sector requires solutions that are concrete, sustainable and scientifically validated, and this will be the focus of CEFood 2026.
At Sphera Encapsulation, Italy’s first R&D company entirely dedicated to biological and sustainable micro- and nanoencapsulation, we will be taking part in the 13th Central European Congress on Food (CEFood 2026).
The congress will take place from 23 to 26 September 2026 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, at the Radisson Hotel Plovdiv.
It is organised by the University of Food Technologies – Plovdiv (UFT), with the support of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST).
The 73rd International Conference “Food Science, Engineering and Technologies – 2026” will take place alongside the congress.
Plovdiv is one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and, in 2019, was a European Capital of Culture together with Matera—a setting where historical heritage, scientific research and new industrial perspectives naturally come together.
Encapsulation Technologies at the Heart of the Scientific Programme
CEFood 2026 brings together leading international players in food science and technology around six thematic areas, whose initials—quite deliberately—form the acronym CEFOOD.
Our work cuts across all six.
CEFood 2026 Circularity & Consumer Science
By-products from the agri-food industry are rich in bioactive compounds—including polyphenols, carotenoids and fibres—which must first be extracted and subsequently stabilised, as they can rapidly degrade when exposed to oxygen, light, heat or gastric pH.
This is where encapsulation comes into play. Our fully biodegradable, naturally derived matrices protect these molecules and make them effectively usable in formulations.
The valorisation of by-products is therefore not simply a marketing concept, but a precise technological chain: recovery, extraction, stabilisation and reintroduction.
Emerging Technologies & Education
From thermal and non-thermal processing technologies to robotics and applied biotechnology, innovation is transforming food production.
Two distinct areas deserve particular attention: hygienic design of processing equipment according to EHEDG standards, which helps prevent microbiological contamination, and optimisation of the cold chain, to which the congress dedicates a specific workshop on non-conventional cold-chain technologies.
These are separate fields, but both are critical to food-chain safety.
Functional & Future Foods: The New Frontier of Nutrition
The protection and controlled release of active compounds lie at the heart of our R&D activities.
Sphera Encapsulation’s technologies address the practical need to protect bioactive compounds that are susceptible to degradation during industrial processing.
For probiotics, the key parameter is not simply generic protection, but the preservation of cell viability throughout the entire journey: manufacturing, shelf life and gastrointestinal transit.
For postbiotics and lipophilic active ingredients, oxidative stability and dispersibility are key considerations. Prebiotics, meanwhile, often play a role as encapsulating matrices rather than as active ingredients requiring protection.
These technological foundations support emerging market demands, including personalised nutrition, AI-assisted diets and alternative proteins—a broad category encompassing plant-based sources, mycoproteins, precision fermentation and microbial biomass.
One Health & Omics
The integration of human, animal and environmental health finds a powerful set of measurement tools in omics technologies.
Biosensors and distributed-ledger technologies can strengthen supply-chain traceability, although an important limitation must be recognised: blockchain can guarantee the immutability of recorded data, but not the accuracy of the information at its source.
Digital & Green Dimensions
Resource efficiency through the energy-water-food nexus, digital twins and AI applied to risk management are increasingly important tools for developing more efficient and sustainable food systems, in line with the objectives of the EU Green Deal.
Open Innovation and the Digital Dimension
Open Innovation & Opportunities. Sphera Encapsulation was founded in 2016 as a spin-off of the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Verona, based on the vision of Prof. Gianni Zoccatelli and researchers Martina Vakarelova and Francesca Zanoni. In 2024, Labomar became a shareholder in the company.
For us, collaboration between universities, research centres and industry is not merely a conference topic: it is our operating model.
Contact Sphera Encapsulation’s team of engineers and researchers to schedule a dedicated consultation.
Driving the Nutrition Transition: Meet Sphera Encapsulation in Plovdiv
CEFood 2026 will provide an opportunity to engage with the international scientific community on how encapsulation technologies for the food sector are redefining the stability, efficacy and bioavailability of functional ingredients.
Stay up to date with our latest developments and follow all the news from CEFood 2026 through Sphera Encapsulation’s official social media channels:
