Issue 1 2005

Benefits of collaboration

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Ronald J. Triani, Senior Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Kraft Foods North America

Advances in food science, product development and analytical chemistry continuously drive the need for state-of-the-art food safety evaluations by both the food industry and regulators. Considering the scope and complexities involved in this process, industry and regulators are beginning to form collaborations to enhance the food safety evaluation process and, ultimately, enhance public health.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains cooperative research programs with the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland. It is important for the food industry to understand why these programs were established and what impact they have on regulatory policy. What benefits do these programs offer to the regulatory agency and the food industry? Are there additional benefits to food companies as members ofthese cooperative agreements?

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Tagged with: Kraft Foods, Ronald J. Triani

Food imaging

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Paul D A Pudney, Measurement Science, Unilever R&D Colworth Laboratory

In trying to understand the functionality of food materials, the microstructure has been universally recognised as important – hence the wide use of various forms of microscopy in food science.

Conventional light microscopy is well developed and widely used in characterising food structures (J.G.Vaughan 1979). The next level of information required is ingredient location within the observed optical structure. Some ingredient location can be obtained by using confocal laser scanning microscopy with component specific dyes. Although this is an extremely useful method, it is not universally applicable to all ingredients and, in many cases, we would like to go beyond this. Thus, a method is required that is sensitive to all the different ingredients, i.e. molecular components present in foods, and also, ideally, gives concentration information. This must be carried out in-situ and on the micron scale – a great challenge.

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Tagged with: Paul D A Pudney, Unilever R&D

What’s inside cheese?

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Dr Gerard Downey, TEAGASC, The National Food Centre, Ireland

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

The dairy industry is of enormous financial significance in Ireland and many other European countries and it is currently undergoing a period of large scale rationalisation into many fewer but larger production units. Concomitant decreases in employment numbers exerts pressure on the manufacturing operations to maintain high levels of quality in the wide array of products that the industry produces. Near infrared has obvious potential for addressing this issue, yet its use by the dairy sector is far from extensive. We have recently been involved in a study of the use of NIR for monitoring the quality of two types of cheese of commercial importance: Cheddar cheese and processed cheese. The results of this three-year study are currently being published but some highlights of already released material are described below.

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Tagged with: Analysis & control, Gerard Downey, NIR, Teagasc, The National Food Centre

New technique to identify prion diseases

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Peter Lasch and Heinz Fabian, Scientists, Robert Koch-Institute, Dieter Naumann and Michael Beekes, Group Leaders, Robert Koch-Institute, Jürgen Schmitt, Thomas Udelhoven and Michael Eiden, Synthon KG

A new technique for the detection of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, such as scrapie in sheep or BSE in cattle, is based on IR (infrared) spectroscopy of serum and subsequent spectral analysis by advanced pattern recognition techniques.

Within the scope of two validation studies, IR spectra from sera of scrapie-infected Syrian hamsters and BSE-infected cattle were recorded. These, in addition to spectra from control animals, were evaluated by sophisticated computer based classifiers (artificial neural networks, ANN). A complex pattern of spectral features across a wide spectral range was obtained that permitted differentiation between TSE positive and control animals. These features, though not directly associated with the presence of the prion protein, could be useful in the future for an objective and automated ante mortem IR test for TSEs.

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Tagged with: Dieter Naumann, Heinz Fabian, Jürgen Schmitt, Michael Beekes, Michael Eiden, Peter Lasch, Robert Koch-Institute, Synthon KG, Thomas Udelhoven

Tools for safe food

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Geraldine Duffy and Terese Catarame, Teagasc, The National Food Centre, Ireland

The microbiological analysis of food has an important role in assessment of the quality and safety of foods. There is a direct relationship between bacterial numbers and product shelf life as growth of bacteria can result in organoleptic changes in the food, including off-colours and off-odours, rendering it unacceptable to the consumer.

The presence of pathogenic microorganisms on foods (Salmonella spp, Campylobacter, Staphyloccocus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 etc.) poses the threat of food poisoning and recent publicity concerning food related health scares have increased consumer concerns regarding food safety. Owing to the economic implications and loss of goodwill associated with a food poisoning incident, food manufacturers recognise the necessity to provide the assurance on food safety that consumers demand. This is achieved by the implementation of food safety management systems such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) as well as by testing foods (raw material and end products) to ensure they conform to set microbiological criteria for certain microbial pathogens. These criteria may be set by regulatory authorities or by the customer (often the retailer).

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Tagged with: Geraldine Duffy, Teagasc, Terese Catarame, The National Food Centre

Prediction of pH during food formulation

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Tim Brocklehurst and David Hibberd, Food Materials Science Division, Institute of Food Research

As part of a study into the effect of food structure on microbial growth, a need for accurate prediction of the chemistry of the food environment was identified. The project described here aimed to develop tools to predict the local pH and concentration of organic acids in products from the agri-food industry and related sectors.

pH is a key property of foods. It affects flavour, physical structure, colour and can be one of the key determinants of microbiological stability. Acidic products are intrinsically less hospitable for the growth of food poisoning bacteria and low pH also promotes the action of weak acid preservatives such as potassium sorbate. Despite this pivotal role, predicting the pH of a product from knowledge of its recipe is far from straightforward and therefore products are frequently formulated entirely by trial and error.

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Tagged with: David Hibberd, Institute of Food Research, Tim Brocklehurst

Steaming ahead

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Ellen Moens-Go Yanko, Office Manager, Secretariat, EHEDG

Worldwide membership of EHEDG stands at 50 corporate members and 380 individuals representing 350 companies/institutions in the field of manufacturing (equipment and food), supplier/ consulting services, research and education.

Priorities in 2005 are to involve more local food manufacturers both as hygienic engineering concept practitioners and developers; to grow and extend the regional branches; to invest in a restructure of the working parties; to streamline guideline production and to adopt a sustainable training strategy to efficiently transfer knowledge from current work and published criteria to the end-users.

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Tagged with: EHEDG, Ellen Moens-Go Yanko

Global listing program

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Kenji Yano, Ph. D., Business Unit Manager, Nonfood Compounds Registration Program, NSF International

With increased interest from food manufacturers to apply sanitary equipment design principles to their processes, many food processing equip- ment manufacturers now design and construct equipment with food safety in mind.

Some of these considerations include the following:

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Tagged with: Food Grade Lubricants, Kenji Yano, NSF International, Processing

Microbiological standards in cocoa bean processing

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Andrew Snelson, Site Microbiologist, Cadbury Trebor Bassett

In a food processing environment, microbiology is an essential focus to ensure the safety of the end food product. In this article Andrew Snelson explains the processes that ensure microbiological safety during cocoa bean processing.

Cocoa butter and cocoa liquor are extracted from the seed of the Theobroma cocoa tree. Cocoa trees begin to bear fruit when they are 3-4 years old when, unusually, pink and white flowers (and then pods) grow straight out of the trunk and main branches of the tree. Flowers are present throughout the year but appear in abundance before the rain begins. Only a small proportion of all the flowers develop into fruit during a period of about five months and each tree will yield between 20 and 30 pods. In West Africa the peak time for harvesting is between September and December – and in this period, the crop from one tree will produce 450 grams of chocolate. Owing to the fact that cocoa trees grow well in humid tropical climates with regular rains, in a short dry season most of the world’s cocoa is grown in a narrow belt ten degrees either side of the equator. The main producers of cocoa are West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast), South America (Brazil and Equador) and Asia (Malaysia and Indonesia).

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Tagged with: Andrew Snelson, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Processing

Vision for food manufacturing

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Professor John O’Gray, Director, Centre for Robotics and Automation, University of Salford

In this article Professor John O’Gray applies his expert knowledge of robotics and automation to the food manufacturing industry and gives a fresh perspective of potential future development.

The manufacture and supply of food products comprises one of the largest sectors in the UK economy and is a major employer of labour and a significant user of energy and logistics. It has a national customer base as everybody, at some time, must buy its products and it has a major responsibility to deliver a very wide range of high quality and safe food products at affordable prices to numerous sales outlets.

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Tagged with: John O’Gray, University of Salford

Conveying the truth

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Tim Lloyd, New Food

Conveyor belts are the arteries of all food processing sites. They support products from a raw material stage to final packaging and endure all the processes in between. They must be able to work safely and effectively with all manner of different product characteristics, from viscous ingredients to raw meats. But how do conveyor belt manufacturers match the fast-paced development of food products, with belts that are up to the task? And what changes do they foresee for tomorrow’s manufacturing environment? New Food met with six leading conveyor belt manufacturers to find out.

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Tagged with: Conveyors, Processing

New era for hygienic food manufacturing

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Hilde Cnossen, M.Sc., Jacques Kastelein, Drs. Jan Willem van der Kamp, TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, Netherlands

The European Network for Hygienic Manufacturing of Food – HYFOMA – was established in 2001 with the aim to provide guidelines and test methods on hygienic design and processing and to disseminate knowledge. The presentations by key stakeholders in the final project meeting, Brussels 30 November 2004, clearly showed that HYFOMA has established new and high quality standards for guidelines and for training & education.

Food production is changing to more complex, multi-component products; a longer shelf life of fresh products; less preservatives and using raw materials from all over the world – due to consumer demands. Governments and customers are imposing public (HACCP) and private (BRC, Eurep-Gap) quality control systems. More comprehensive systems are coming, e.g. ISO 22000, covering food production itself and all supplies to it: raw materials, packaging materials, lubricating oils etc. Therefore, fulfilling criteria for hygienic food production is becoming more difficult than it used to be. Science and technology are delivering a constant stream of new insights, techniques and materials for enhancing hygienic food production, with significant contribution of the EC Framework Programs. However, establishing insights to implementation in production plants is just the beginning. Insights must be translated into guidelines agreed upon by the leading experts in Europe and understandable for all those involved – including managers and operators in production plants, equipment manufacturers, construction engineers, other suppliers and food inspectors. In addition, adequate training programs must be developed.

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Tagged with: Hilde Cnossen, Hygiene, Jacques Kastelein, Jan Willem van der Kamp, QA/QC, TNO Nutrition and Food Research

Keeping check of factory hygiene

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Dr. A.P.M. Hasting, Hygienic Processing Project Manager, Unilever Research Colworth

Process hygiene is an ongoing issue of considerable importance for the food industry, as the increasing cost pressures placed on manufacturers by the major retailers have to be met, without compromising the safety and shelf life of the product.

Fouling and cleaning are widely accepted to be the cause of significant practical problems within the food industry in terms of their potential impact on process hygiene and hence product quality, as well as the operational performance of food processing plants. Fouling is the unwanted accumulation or deposition of material on equipment surfaces or stagnant areas of equipment. It is often poorly understood and monitored and consequently difficult to predict when and where it will occur. It is rarely uniform or evenly distributed and may vary significantly even on a day to day basis. Traditionally fouling is strongly, but not exclusively, associated with heat processes. Typical examples and their consequences are shown in Table 1.

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Tagged with: Dr. A.P.M. Hasting, Hygiene, QA/QC, Unilever Research

Effects of packaging on dairy products

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Grith Mortensen, Torben L. Friis and Henrik Skou Pedersen, Arla Foods, Innovation Center Brabrand, Denmark

Many food producers underestimate the effects of packaging on quality deterioration. In order to preserve product quality, it is of paramount importance to thoroughly understand and focus on the interactions taking place between the packaging and the product. It is only by applying this knowledge to tailor packaging to individual product types that producers will secure, or even boost, their cutting edge positions.

At present, choices of packaging materials and methods are primarily based on practical experience and/or empirical methods. However, it is crucial to commercial viability to focus R&D activity on interactions between packaging, the surrounding headspace and the product. Different foods call for different packaging concepts, hence in-depth knowledge is required about the most important quality changes taking place in the various products, in order to individually tailor the packaging solutions. Figure 1 reviews how packaging and storage can affect product quality. Due to the dynamic interplay between product, packaging and its surroundings, it is vitally important to incorporate both packaging and product expertise from the beginning of the R&D process.

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Tagged with: Arla Foods, Grith Mortensen, Henrik Skou Pedersen, Packaging, Processing, QA/QC, Torben L. Friis

Those who can…

Issue 1 2005 / 31 January 2005 / Dr Francesca Fiorenza, Manager, Process Research Centre, Food Knowledge and Know-how

The invention of the canning process has been ascribed to the French chemist and confectioner Nicolas Appert in the early 1880s. He found that it was possible to prevent the deterioration of food sealed in a glass jar, when subjected to heat. Canning per se started in America in 1819 and in 1825 Kenset and Daggert were granted a U.S. patent on a tin plate canister, from which the word ‘can’ is derived.

Nowadays there are various types of can available as well as other hermetically sealed containers, such as retortable pouches or plastic trays. Glass containers combined with a hermetic closure are also widely used.

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Tagged with: Francesca Fiorenza