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Issue 1 2008

Molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction of mycotoxins in food

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / D. De Smet, S. De Saeger and C. Van Peteghem, Ghent University, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Food Analysis, Belgium

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.

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Testing NIR Spectroscopy for drip loss prediction

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Marjeta Candek-Potokar, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia and Maja Prevolnik, University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture, Maribor, Slovenia

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.

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Successful application of SGF-Profiling

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dr. Peter Rinke, Sure Global Fair International E.V. and Dr. Manfred Spraul, Bruker-BioSpin GmbH

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. In order to assure fair competition, safe products and consumer satisfaction, the fruit juice industry has installed independent and centralised control bodies under the umbrella of EQCS (European Quality Control System). SGF (SGF INTERNATIONAL E.V. – SURE GLOBAL FAIR) is the biggest member association of and its department, SGF/IRMA (International Raw Material Assurance) and is in charge of controlling the supply market in more than 50 countries worldwide. Facing a very large number of control samples, conventional analyses are limited to spot checks and more or less arbitrary choices of specific aspects to control, due to high costs. Systematic so called “full analyses” are too expensive for any control organisation and for the companies’ own entrance controls. Besides safety controls, the analytical scope should cover the addition of external sugar, water, flavour compounds or cheaper fruit types than the declared ones1,2.

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High pressure processing of foods

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dallas G. Hoover, Ph.D., Department of Animal & Food Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

Foods such as guacamole, whole shell oysters, salsa, ready-to-eat meats, jams and jellies, salsa, chopped onions and peppers can be found in the global marketplace and are processed to some extent using high hydrostatic pressure. Essentially, this means the products have been submersed in water and then subjected to compression pressures approximately six times greater than the highest pressures reached in the biosphere; that would be pressures found at the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean where, at 36,000 feet underwater, pressures reach 100 megaPascals (MPa) or approximately 15,000 pounds per square inch (psi). In comparison, packaged guacamole is pressure-treated at 580 MPa (100,000) psi for several minutes to preserve the product and deliver premium sensory quality.

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Packaging design for fresh produce

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Pramod.V. Mahajan, Oliveira, F.A.R., Montanez, J.C., and Iqbal, T., Department of Process and Chemical Engineering, University College, Cork, Ireland

Ready-to-eat, fresh-cut consumer products are one of the few segments within the industry that has shown consistent growth within the last few years. Cutting however, increases senescence rate and the shelf life of the products can be very limited. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), combined with a good cold chain can extend the shelf life, but challenges still exist, due to fresh-cut products containing much higher respiration rates due to the cell stress, caused by cutting.

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Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in food analysis

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dr. Mark Buecking, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Germany

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.

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Strategic considerations in choosing a rapid method

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dr. John D. Marugg, Nestlé Research Centre, Quality and Safety Department, Microbiological Safety Group, Switzerland

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.

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Uncontrolled migration from lid gaskets into oily foods

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Konrad Grob, Official Food Control Authority of the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland

In 2004, the systematic non-compliance of lids for glass jars packed with oily foods was detected and compelled authorities to factually lift existing rules. This shows that not all industry performs satisfactory self control. It was a regulatory disaster and might, 4 years later, end in another regulatory disaster, if the major lid producers continue to refuse producing compliant lids.

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Advanced colloid technologies

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dr. Krassimir P. Velikov, Dr. Alois K. Popp, Leonard Flendrig and Dr. Eddie Pelan, Food Structural Design, Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

Appearance is an important factor, determining the perceived product quality. Consumers usually develop strong associations through appearance and often, base their pre-purchase judgements on the appearance of the product. Colloids, because of their ability to interact strongly with light, either in simple form or organised in more complex structures, offer unique possibilities to control product appearance through manipulation of colour and turbidity. In this review, we present advanced approaches based on the application of designed colloids, from food grade materials to control product appearance.

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Refrigerants and legislation in the UK

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Miriam Rodway, Secretary, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board

You most probably rely on it for the operation of your food processing and storage systems – but how much do you know about your refrigerating equipment and the environmental obligations you have for the refrigerant they contain under UK law?

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Whole room disinfection: A new concept in food industry sanitation

Issue 1 2008 / 28 February 2008 / Dr. Karen Middleton, Technical Contracts Manager, Food Hygiene Department, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, UK

During manufacture, food can be exposed to microbiological cross-contamination from surfaces and air which may give rise to food spoilage and safety issues. The traditional approach to controlling such contamination has been to target specific sites within the manufacturing environment with cleaning and disinfection regimes.

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