At YIOTIS Company, research is coordinated by the Research & Development Department. In total, the department is staffed by scientific personnel, which consists of chemists, chemical engineers, food scientists and food technologists.

The department is split into three sections:

1. The research section, which includes product development for the Greek retail market,
    products for exports and Hotel/Restaurant/Café products.

2. Innovative Materials Section.

3. Innovative Production Processes Section.

The department’s aim is to develop innovative products using state of the art techniques and raw materials with high nutritional value, in order to meet the growing needs of the modern household. At the same time, the development of innovative products has led the company to continuously increase its export activities. It also remains one of the main producers of food products for professional use, and achieves this by developing products that fully meet the strict quality requirements of the Company itself, while at the same time using intelligent solutions to reduce costs.

To help it achieve these goals, the department of development has a 600 sq. m. laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure. Also, staff of the material innovation and production process departments is in constant contact with suppliers of raw materials and manufacturers of production line equipment, both in Greece and throughout the rest of the world. They constantly test and check new recipes and products, and assess facilities and production lines around the world.

This approach, the Company has taken for many years, results in the company’s products continually developing through the years, and continually receiving rewards.

Since 1995, the Company has patented over 30 innovative new products. Some examples are:

i) The whole range of Sweet & Balance products, as products with a low glycemic index, and
   with sweeteners instead of sugar (2010-2011).

(ii) Culinary cream substitute with vegetable fats, used in cooking as substitute for cream (2005).

It is also important to note that the Company works directly with academic institutions both in Greece and abroad, something which continuously adds to staff knowledge. Some examples are: TNO, Franhofer, General Chemical State Laboratory, Hellenic Food Authority, the Federation of Hellenic Food Industries (SEVT), University of Athens, Agricultural University, National Technical University of Athens, Athens Medical School. These collaborations also include participation in research and development programmes. Since 1990 the Company has participated in many programmes financed by the Greek State or by The EU. Some of these programmes are listed below:

• Planning and reliability control of products with long shelf life

• Development of rapid method for simultaneous determination of water soluble vitamins in
   enriched foods, with the aim of using this technique in quality control

• Development and evaluation of a method for determining aflatoxins in nuts, with the aim
   of using this technique in quality control

• Designing a high-yield and optimum quality baby food production line

• Innovative coagulation process to produce a product consisting of soluble cocoa grains

• Developing a long-life "piroski" type product using a modified atmosphere

• Design and development a long-life “sponge cake” type product for use in baking products

• Development of traditional baked “kritsinia” bread sticks, using traditional raw ingredients
   with a high nutritional value

• Planning and development of “healthy” chocolate product using Βifidobacterium live micro
   organisms

• Study on the quality of Traditional Greek Foods and producing them industrially

• Design and development of foods with a low glycemic index based on sweetener
   compounds isolated from the Stevia plant

• Developing an integrated strategy to reduce the Food Industry’s carbon footprint

• Development of nano-emulsifiers to be used in new Vegetable Cream and Glaze Coating

• Using the Stevia rebaudiana plant in the production of high added value products, with
   applications in the food industry.

The strategic advantage that the Company enjoys in terms of research is the Hellenic Research & Innovation Center (http://hric.gr/). This Centre is the result of the Company’s chemical and microbiological laboratories evolving into an independent body. The Centre started operating in the beginning of 2017. 

The Research Department’s work with the Hellenic Research & Innovation Center is important both to support analyses which are a requirement for research topics and for the advanced research methods that the laboratory can undertake.