For many years, low moisture foods, such as chocolate, were regarded as microbiologically safe due to the inherent product characteristics. Water activity levels below 0.6 would prevent any microbial growth, whereas water activities below 0.85 would prevent proliferation of pathogenic / toxin formation by toxigenic microorganisms. A water activity of >0.6 and <0.85 would potentially allow for xerophilic yeasts / moulds growth that are of importance in spoilage of those foods. In addition to the low water activity, other antimicrobial parts of the ingredients had been thought to contribute to the microbiological safety of those products.

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is widely used in the global agri-food industry for the non-destructive assessment of both the compositional and physical characteristics of a wide range of raw materials and finished products. This is particularly so in the cereals and related industries where, following the commercial development of suitable NIR instrumentation in the 1970s, the technique rapidly became the main means of determining a range of compositional properties which form the basis of trading operations worldwide.

Water is a major constituent in many foods. For example, in several of our basic food items such as muscle-based foods and vegetables, water is the dominating component and is in many ways of primary importance for the quality of these products. Low-field proton NMR relaxometry is an excellent technique for studying water properties in complex systems such as food.

GMO detection and analysis in its broader sense is an integral part of GMO development, breeding programmes and of subsequent seed verification programmes. It is applied in both the export and import of grain/agricultural products, for regulatory compliance of approved and unapproved events in different countries, for labelling requirements, quality assurance and for product authenticity and traceability.

NMR is a versatile tool for structural assessment of food materials and this pertains in particular for its benchtop and hand-held implementations. Such “small NMR” equipment can literally be deployed in all phases of foods innovation. This is illustrated by several industry examples.

Food manufacturers face challenges in optimising speed and efficiency, reducing product inventory, simultaneously responding to microbiological and chemical contaminants and entering the production process, via ingredients or the environment. Currently, most official or reference methods for pathogen or contaminant detection are laborious, costly, and often take a long time (3-7 days or longer) to obtain results. The application of rapid methods allows for an easy and fast response in the monitoring of raw materials and production environments, reducing the turn-around-time along the supply chain.

The determination of organic trace compounds in food analysis is of major importance for food quality and food safety aspects. Both the separation of the analyte from potential inferences in the food matrix, as well as the qualitative and quantitative determination of the target compound, are vital steps in analytical food chemistry.

Important tasks of the fruit juice industry are to protect the good and healthy image for its whole product range and protect the market against any unserious producers.

Meat quality has many different meanings. To some, quality refers to aspects of the carcass in respect to weight, fat cover and distribution, muscling/conformation and bruising. To others, quality refers to aspects such as chiller assessment attributes ie. meat colour, intermuscular fat colour and marbling. In pork, the attention of both industry and consumers is largely focused on the water holding capacity of meat.

This article highlights the possibility of using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the selective extraction of mycotoxins in food, instead of immunoaffinity columns which are based on the binding of an analyte, to the corresponding antibody. An overview of MIPs, developed for mycotoxin analysis, will be presented.

Bread, and the dough from which it is made from, can be viewed as a two-phase system of gas cells and matrix1. Both phases ordain the properties of the dough or the bread crumb, and both phases change considerably during the various operations that comprise the breadmaking process. In the history of gas cells, three important stages occur2,3, namely gas cell nucleation, gas cell growth, and gas cell interconnectivity. But, this history is actually foretold by the numerous physical, chemical and biological events that take place in the dough matrix, one example being the fermentation of sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide by the activities of the yeast.

The goal of predictive microbiology is to provide useful predictions about the microbial behaviour in food systems. Predictive microbiology combines “the disciplines of food microbiology, engineering and statistics” (Schaffner and Labuza, 1997).

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offers users a rapid, non-destructive means of assessing a range of different food ingredients and finished products.

One of the points in the discussion of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is the consumers’ right to choose between foods from GMO (GM-foods) and traditionally produced foods. This discussion has led to the EU regulation requiring labelling of GM food products made from GM plants. However, since it is difficult to keep GM and non-GM plants materials fully separated during growing, transport etc., a threshold for labelling of GM foods was introduced.

In the last 30 years, membrane processes have become major tools in the food industry. This industry represents the second sector of membrane applications, after water treatment, and on equal terms with pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications.

There are many naturally bioluminescent organisms existing in nature and the mechanisms whereby some of these creatures emit light have been fully characterised. These include the luciferin-luciferase system of bacteria, insects (fireflies and click-beetles) and the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. In essence, bioluminescence involves the conversion of chemical energy into light energy by an enzyme, commonly termed luciferase.

This article focuses on the main principle of the liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) determination of mycotoxins in foodstuffs. It also provides an overview of recent developments in mycotoxin analysis.

Most solid foods are heterogeneous on one level or another. Minced meat or an intact piece of meat, for example, will have smaller or larger local regions that are almost pure fat, pure lean meat or pure connective tissue. For such heterogeneous foods the distribution of the local differences is approximately the same throughout the sample.

Technological advances in the field of food microbiology are a common occurrence. A great deal of research and validation is put into improving established methodologies and utilising new rapid approaches to isolation and detection. However, established ‘conventional testing’ is still the main stay of most food microbiology laboratories with the age old traditions of putting samples on petri dishes. RHM Technology is one of a small number of UK labs that have employed a high-tech approach to this area of testing, in order to bring improved service level and cost benefit.

When fresh food is purchased it may be possible to obtain a small sample for tasting, for example, cheese at a dairy counter. In the majority of cases, however, the only indicator of final eating quality is the appearance of the food. Consumers have associations based on previous experience, for example red apples tend to be soft textured and sweet whereas green apples tend to be crisp and sour. The consumer may also be aware of blemishes or other marks which give an indication of freshness. If the food supplier could obtain an indicator of quality from appearance this would be highly desirable.

The evaluation of shelf life of perishable foods is a key aspect of modern production and distribution. Food ‘freshness’ is one of the most required attributes by consumers and is strongly influenced by storage conditions – temperature abuse being one of the main factors affecting the shelf life (Labuza, 1982; Singh, 1994).

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic bacterium and one of six species belonging to the genus Listeria. This species is the only one believed to be pathogenic to man; however, not all L. monocytogenes serotypes have been linked with illness. The bacterium is very common in the environment. It has been found in at least 37 mammalian species, as well as 17 species of birds and possibly some species of fish and shellfish. It can be isolated from soil, silage and other environmental sources. L. monocytogenes is quite hardy and resists the effects of freezing, drying and heat remarkably well for a bacterium that does not form spores.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are the products of modern biotechnologies. The name GMO was first used years ago to describe micro-organisms that had genes from other species transferred into their genetic material by the transformation. Applied to crops, the term refers to any genetic plant type that has had one or more genes from a different species transferred into its genetic material using accepted techniques of genetic engineering and where such introduced genes have been shown to produce a gene product (a protein).

Use of near infrared (NIR) spectrum as an analytical tool has been established for some time, however it became popular only after the invention of high performance spectrophotometers associated with multivariate data analysis.Today NIR spectroscopy is also widely and successfully used in food analysis. First attempts to use NIR spectroscopy for meat analysis date back more than forty years, but the majority of research work has been carried out in the past decade.

The use of polymer films for food packaging has drastically increased during the course of several decades. However, the specifications demanded for these polymer films have increased simultaneously, as well as the pressure surrounding environmental impact and production cost.Today, one of the key challenges is the development of food packaging materials that extend the shelf-life of their content and in doing so improve food safety.

VTT’s novel TRAC system is a rapid, accurate and economic method to quantitate specific messenger RNA molecules and other gene transcripts. In the barley-beer chain, it can be used to characterise yeast condition, to monitor fermentation and malting and to measure the levels of harmful and beneficial microorganisms through the whole process by analysing critical transcripts of yeast, barley and grain microflora.The knowledge can be used to control current processes and as an aid for designing new, improved processes.

Programs for monitoring Salmonella in the pork production chain have begun in several European countries. For an assay to be used in a monitoring program, it is a prerequisite that the total testing time per sample is short and that regeneration is optimal. In collaboration with a major pork producer in The Netherlands, a pilot study for herd screening was conducted to compare the performance of two immunoassays for the detection of antibodies directed to Salmonella sero-groups B and D in porcine sera in a routine setting.

Traditionally the food industry’s aim has always been to produce safe, convenient, good quality foods in sufficient volume to feed a growing and prosperous population. In the past food processes have been designed using practical experience. This has involved the culmination of the knowledge of product quality requirements, such as throughput and moisture content and processing costs, which have been used to select the most appropriate equipment commercially available.

The greatest challenges facing the domestic chef or his/her industrial counterpart frequently concern the creation, retention and control of aerated structures in foods. Many food products – and most of the more high profile and attractive ones – derive their distinction and appeal from the incorporation and manipulation of bubbles: soufflé, champagne, ice cream, meringue – the list is, if not endless, certainly extensive!

Near Infrared Reflection (NIR) is an established and valid measurement method for many specific compounds, (moisture, protein, fat, etc.) within the food industry. Recently, two ideas have emerged from the American Institute of Baking (AIB). The first is to use NIR to monitor processes and the second is to use NIR to predict the performance of flour in the bakery. This article will focus on how AIB is developing an NIR prototype to follow and/or predict dough development.

Oil migration is responsible for the poor keeping qualities of many composite confectionery products with nut-based centres, coated biscuits, or nut inclusions. Quality defects arising from oil migration include softening of the coating; hardening of the filling; deterioration in sensory quality and a greater tendency to fat bloom. For this reason, oil migration has been extensively studied (see references), most recently by magnetic resonance. Even with all the recent attention paid to the topic, confusion regarding its origins and control still exists.

Toxin contamination has forever been the curse on shellfish production worldwide. Dr Kevin J. James demonstrates how new technology can protect the health of shellfish lovers.

Renowned for its ‘postcard’ lake-side setting surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the beautiful French town of Annecy is perhaps less well known as the home of famous regional raw cows’ milk cheeses, such as Reblochon and Tomme. Controlling the quality of these cheeses and the raw milk used to produce them, is the daily task of the Annecy-based reference laboratory, LIDAL.

Chocolate is widely appreciated globally as a luxury food. Although its introduction to Europe and the rest of the world occurred some 500 years ago, the cocoa bean had been recognised as a highly significant plant in South America for thousands of years prior to that – having been cultivated by the Aztecs.

How does the microstructure of a food product behave during processing? And what events take place during the shelf life of food products? New developments in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) enable cereal food technologists to address such questions within the context of product innovation.

NIR is widely used in food analysis with application to many sectors. In this article Gerry Downey addresses its value to the dairy industry.