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Latest issue
Latest issue / 5 January 2012 / Jos Oostendorp, Packaging Specialist, Royal Grolsch Brewery / Josef Kerler and Luigi Poisson, Aroma and Taste Modulation Group, Nestlé Product Technology Centre / Jim Wilson, Director Product Commercialisation, Coca-Cola Refreshments
Has the role of packaging changed? (Jos Oostendorp, Packaging Specialist, Royal Grolsch Brewery)
Understanding coffee aroma for new product development (Josef Kerler and Luigi Poisson, Aroma and Taste Modulation Group, Nestlé Product Technology Centre)
Taking a closer look at soft drink processing (Jim Wilson, Director Product Commercialisation, Coca-Cola Refreshments)
Tagged with: Coca-Cola, Grolsch, Jim Wilson, Jos Oostendorp, Josef Kerler, Luigi Poisson, Nestlé Product Technology Centre, Packaging
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Hugo de Vries, Director of the Joint Research Centre on Biopolymers and Emerging Technologies, INRA
There is only one earth, a planet inhabited by a wide range of living organisms. There is only one primary energy source, the sun. Thanks to the sun, the earth is able to renew its resources on a temporal basis. Some may describe this as a cyclic process. However, a better visual presentation may be a spiral, including both development capabilities of living species and self-organisation of the ecosystem as a whole to avoid non-reversible steps into the chaotic regime.
The earth and sun determine our playing field and its boundary conditions. They allow us to play a variety of games to challenge and please us. The number of games is large, but not unlimited. How large? That depends on our creativity and passion to play. However, we have realised that the number may decrease if we don’t respect the playing field and boundary conditions. An example of the latter is for example the continuous rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations due to our daily requests for more energy. Sea levels may rise and weather conditions may change more rapidly and extremely; con sequently, this will restrict us to where to live and what to do. (more…)
Tagged with: Hugo de Vries, INRA, P3FC
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / John Holah and Edyta Margas, Campden BRI and Robert Hagburg, Benjamin Warren, Judy Fraser-Heaps and Sara Mortimore, Land O’Lakes
This article introduces concepts and ideas about the nature and potential control of microbiological cross-contamination in a food manufacturing environment. The concepts and opinions shared do not necessarily represent the policies and/or programs used by the companies represented by the authors.
Microbiological cross-contamination has been a contributing factor to several well-documented outbreaks of foodborne illness1,2. In most HACCP or other hazard analysis-based food safety systems, cross contamination is controlled and managed predominately by prerequisite programs (PRPs). PRPs can be defined as the measures that provide the basic environmental and operating conditions in a food operation that are necessary for the production of safe and wholesome foods3, such as cleaning and disinfection and personnel hygiene. The implementation of an appropriate PRP is also seen as the foundation on which a good HACCP plan is built and there are many examples of best practice to follow for each prerequisite (PR) at an international level4, via retailers requirements5 or from recognised food research bodies6-8 or trade associations9,10.
There is little information, however, on how to align the use of specific PRs to control actual routes of cross-contamination in food pro – cessing plants. (more…)
Tagged with: Benjamin Warren, Campden BRI, Dr. John Holah, Edyta Margas, HACCP, Judy Fraser-Heaps, Land O'Lakes, Microbiology, Prerequisit Programs, Robert Hagburg, Sara Mortimore
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Brigitte Carpentier, Senior Scientist, ANSES and Olivier Cerf, Professor Emeritus, Alfort Veterinary School
Severe listeriosis (which can cause meningitis, septicemia, or still birth) is an infrequent foodborne illness. Yet, because of its high lethality (between 15 and 30 per cent) its causal agent, Listeria monocytogenes, is perceived as a major threat. Outbreaks of listeriosis were not overly common over the last 30 years, but they caused fear for the general population. In spite of strict regulations and the numerous precautions taken by the food business operators in Europe, and after a sharp decrease of incidence from 1987 to 2002, the number of cases per year again began to increase over the last five years. Therefore, two questions need to be asked: how can L. monocytogenes persist in food industry equipment and premises and cause the contamination of food, and what measures could be taken to combat its persistence?
L. monocytogenes is able to grow within a large temperature range (between slightly below 0°C and 45°C), over a large pH range (4.6 to 9.5) and at relatively low water activity (0.90). It can therefore grow in almost any food premises and equipment. The installation of L. monocytogenes is likely the easiest in refrigerated locations where the majority of other bacterial species cannot multiply. By using DNA fingerprinting methods, it has been extensively demonstrated that strains of L. monocytogenes may be repeatedly found for months or years in a same food processing plant. Places where L. monocytogenes are frequently found are floors, drains and more generally, locations where they find water and nutriments, even in minute amounts. What is worrying is that persistence is observed even where the cleaning and the disinfection are done right. Therefore, several researchers have hypo – thesised that persistent and sporadic strains possess different phenotypes. (more…)
Tagged with: Alfort Veterinary School, ANSES, Brigitte Carpentier, listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, Microbiology, Olivier Cerf
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Alan F. Wolfschoon-Pombo, Research Principal, Cheese and Dairy Technology, Kraft Foods
The food industry, and within it the dairy industry, is experiencing a noticeable change. Novel processing technologies and sustainability are trendy terms. Also, the following concepts are under the same trend: efficient use of raw materials (increased yield), less waste generation, reduction of product losses during manufacturing and overall food chain, reduced utilisation of cleaning and disinfection agents, less energy and water consumption, distinct product quality, efficient packaging, shelf life extension, etc.
In the opinion of the author of this article, changes are good, provided we do not forget where we come from. In the past, we can find the foundations for the future. A wealth of knowledge was generated over the past 140 years since the establishment of the mass action law of Guldberg and Waage that allows us to understand the equilibrium of chemical reactions and with it basic (dairy technology related) reactions like milk acidification and neutralisation, concepts applied to the dairy practice by the dairy scientists Soxhlet and Henkel around 1884. The work of the early pioneers, like Arrhenius, van’t Hof, Pasteur and many others, allows us to understand the dynamics of the reactions taking place when heating milk, and with it, the basis of food processing and food safety. (more…)
Tagged with: Alan F. Wolfschoon Pombo, Cheese Processsing, Kraft Foods, Processing
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Mark A.E. Auty, Vivian L. Gee and Christian I. Ciron, Teagasc Food Research Centre
Improving creaminess in food products, whilst simultaneously decreasing fat, remains a challenge for food manufacturers worldwide. Yoghurts are inherently perceived as healthy food products and can be made even healthier by reducing fat. However, reducing fat in yoghurt without compromising desirable textural characteristics like creaminess is difficult to achieve. One approach is to add fat replacers such as modified starch, polysaccharide-based hydrocolloids or microparticulated proteins. Fat replacers or fat mimetics can improve texture but have the disadvantage of requiring labelling as ‘additives’. An alternative approach is to modify the textural attributes of yoghurt through processing. In this article, high quality low-fat natural yoghurts using industry standard formulations were produced using high dynamic pressure (microfluidisation) technology.
The definition of ‘creaminess’ can be used in reference to product appearance, flavour and/or texture. It is a meta-descriptor that is constantly evolving and transforms when used in context with different products and can vary between individuals. It has been defined as “possessing the textural property producing the sensation of the presence of a miscible, thick, smooth liquid in the oral cavity”1. Fat contributes to mouthfeel and flavour and fat particle size affects micro – structural, rheological, and ultimately, the sensory properties of a variety of milk products, including yoghurt. (more…)
Tagged with: Christian "Ian" E. Ciron, High Pressure Processing (HPP), Mark A.E. Auty, Microfluidisation, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Vivian L. Gee, Yoghurts
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / John Hammond, Head of Information & Legislation, Campden BRI
Food legislation is highly complex and impacts on all aspects of the food industry from production, packaging to distribution and marketing. Food laws are a vital element in industrialised and developing countries alike, ensuring the food that consumers purchase and eat is safe and has been marketed honestly.
It is the role of government and its agencies to protect the population from both harm and unfair practices. This is achieved through properly enforced food control measures based on comprehensive, well-defined regulation covering the quality and safety of food and its transparent and honest presentation to the consumer.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and World Health Organisation1, food control is defined as:
“A mandatory regulatory activity of enforce – ment by national or local authorities to provide consumer protection and ensure that all foods during production, handling, storage, processing and distribution are safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption; conform to safety and quality requirements; and are honestly and accurately labelled as prescribed by law.” (more…)
Tagged with: Campden BRI, John Hammond, Labelling, Legislation
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / John Coupland, Professor of Food Science, Penn State University
Very often, the most important ingredients in food are those present in the smallest quantities. Flavours, phytochemicals and micronutrients compounds may only be added at parts per million levels but their presence is essential to determining the functional properties of the food. While these molecules differ in both structure and function, many share common features. First, they are very poorly water-soluble, typically less than a few grams per litre, but are often much more soluble in oils. The partitioning between a lipid phase and water is given by a partition coefficient, the ratio of concentrations in each phase at equilibrium.
For many of the molecules of interest, the partition coefficient is in the order one thousand in favour of the lipid phase. Second, they are readily destroyed by chemical oxidation and/or acid hydrolysis. Interestingly, the metals that catalyse their oxidation and the acids that cause hydrolysis are much more soluble in water but much less soluble in oil. Finally, they are expensive; flavours in particular can be huge contributors to the overall cost of the product. This last point means that there is a commercial pressure to ensure all of the molecules added to the food are active within the food. To begin to solve this problem we need to consider how the molecules are distributed within the food. (more…)
Tagged with: Emulsifiers, Emulsions, John Coupland. Penn State University
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Susanna Buratti and Gabriella Giovanelli, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Milan
The rapid pace of change in the wine industry calls for fast methods providing real time information in order to assure the quality of the final product. NIR and MIR spectroscopy combined with sensory-instrumental methods (electronic nose and electronic tongue) can provide an ideal solution to monitor molecular and sensory changes in wine during alcoholic fermentation. The objective of this work was to investigate the potential of NIR and MIR spectroscopy, electronic nose and electronic tongue associated with chemometric data analysis to monitor time-related changes that occur during red wine fermentation. Micro-fermentation trials were conducted during the 2008 and 2009 vintages in Valtellina viticultural area (Northern Italy). During fermentation, at each sampling time, spectra were collected by FT-NIR and FT-IR spectrometers and samples were analysed by electronic nose and electronic tongue. Chemical analyses were performed to evaluate sugar, phenolic compounds, ethanol and glycerol concentrations. Various multivariate statistical methods were applied in order to obtain regression and classification models.
One of the most promising directions for the development of new methods is the application of sensor systems, whose speed and on-line capabilities meet the demand of automation and continuous process control. Electronic nose and electronic tongue are technological attempts to mimic human senses. Both devices consist of chemical sensor arrays, coupled with an appropriate pattern recognition system able to produce a fingerprint of the product. (more…)
Tagged with: Fermentation, Gabriella Giovanelli, MIR Spectroscopy, Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Non Destructive Techniques, Susanna Buratti, University of Milan
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Ulf Thiessen and Matthias Schäfer, EHEDG Subgroup Valves
The major objective of hygienic design is to avoid product contamination by microbes, particles and chemicals. European legislation (i.e. the Machinery Directive) is forcing machinery suppliers to design their machines which are used in the production of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics according to some so-called hygienic design criteria. The common objective of these criteria is to make a machine CIP (Cleaning In Place) cleanable. The design of sealings is one of the major aspects of hygienic design. Sealing design shall avoid accumulation of soil and microbes and therefore has to be ‘gap free’ under all operation conditions. Even very small gaps and crevices can harbour a big number of microbes and can be the source of product contamination. Machinery and piping design shall make sure that all surfaces in contact with the product can be cleaned with a defined CIP procedure unless the machine or piping systems is foreseen to be dismantled for cleaning. So-called dead legs which are areas not sufficiently covered by the CIP stream have to be considered as difficult to clean and represent an extreme hygienic risk.
All manufacturers of equipment used in the production of foodstuffs in the European Union are committed to following the basic hygienic design requirements defined in chapter 2.1 of the EU Machinery Directive. Therefore, hygienic design of food processing equipment is regulated by law in all countries of the European Union. These legal requirements also apply to all machinery and plants for the production of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals1. In recent years, a variety of directives, codes, guidelines and recommendations explaining, discussing and specifying hygienic design requirements in detail have been published2-4. (more…)
Tagged with: EHEDG, Hygiene, Hygienic Design, Matthias Schäfer, Sterilisation, Ulf Thiessen, Valves
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Dr. Till Riehm, EHEDG Subgroup Seals
Plant operation managers are ultimately responsible for the quality of the products they manufacture. Every food item, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic product must be shipped in perfect condition and safe for humans and animals. Neither toxic substances nor microorganisms should be present at levels that could affect the product quality or shelf life, putting consumer health at risk. Therefore, facilities must be constructed to satisfy all applicable hygienic requirements, especially during running operations. The facilities must be designed for easy and reliable cleaning, especially in those areas where automatic clean-in-place (CIP) and sterilisation-inplace (SIP) processes are used and visual inspections cannot be carried out.
In this regard, seals are of special importance: first, in terms of the chemical degradation of the sealing materials, and second, in terms of their use as static or dynamic seals at all connecting points in the facility.
Material
The choice of sealing materials for use in direct contact with the products has to be made carefully. The materials are required to fulfil multiple requirements. The seal material must comply with all applicable legal regulations and should at a minimum conform to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) CFR §177.2600, EG 1935/2004, and EU 2002/72/EG, depending on where the machinery is to be used. This ensures that no substances that are known to have negative effects on the product quality or the health of the consumers are used in the production of the seal’s raw material. (more…)
Tagged with: Dr. Till Riehm, EHEDG, Food processing, Seals
Latest issue / 4 January 2012 / Tim Lawruk, Market Manager Food Safety, SDIX
SDIX is a biotechnology company, founded in 1990, whose portfolio includes food safety, supplying rapid pathogen test technologies. SDIX also designs, develops and commercially produces antibodies. In the life science market, SDIX’s technology and capabilities are being used to help discover disease mechanisms, facilitate development of new drugs, and provide antibodies and assays for the diagnosis of disease. “We’ve leveraged this core competency of antibody development into the design, development and validation of unique antibody-based test methods for food pathogens,” Lawruk explains. “It provides a platform to develop sensitive and specific anti – bodies that are proprietary to SDIX. Our rapid pathogen tests are a cost effective, simple to use lateral flow test strip design that allows us to provide the accuracy required by labs, similar to molecular-based and other more complex automated food pathogen detection platforms.” ]The major advantage to rapid pathogen test technologies is in the name – it’s fast. “The ability to determine the safety of a food product hours or even days faster provides a significant cost savings in terms of storage costs, shipping, product shelf life and overtime,” Lawruk says. “For example, a processor of food products that follows a test-and-hold policy would have to have storage capacity for two days production if they are using a 48 hour culture method compared to only one day’s capacity if using a rapid 24 hour method.” (more…)
Tagged with: Food safety, Pathogens, SDIX, Tim Lawruk
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