Issue 2 2005

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for cereal products

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / John van Duynhoven and Gerard van Dalen, Foods Research Centre, Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen (NL), Ales Mohoric and Henk van As, Wageningen University and Research Center (NL), Pedro Ramos Cabrer, Utrecht University (NL) and Klaas Nicolay, Utrecht University (NL) and current affiliation Eindhoven University of Technology

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.

In the food industry, pressure to bring new products faster to the market has increased and in the meantime the systems under investigation are becoming ever more complex. An important segment of food innovations comprises cereal products such as snacks and (pre-processed) staple foods. Food technologists well appreciate the importance of understanding structure-property relations in developing these novel food products. Assessment of food micro- and macrostructures by conventional techniques, however, mostly involves invasive and destructive procedures. This precludes the observation of dynamic events in relation to food structures during processing and storage. Hence, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has gained considerable interest, since this tomographic technique can map structures in a non-invasive and dynamic manner. The potential of MRI is currently exploited to its full extent within medicine, where it has become one of the most powerful diagnostic tools – an accomplishment for which a Nobel Prize was recently awarded (Sir Peter Mansfield, Paul C. Lauterbur, 2003). In its most widely used form, MRI detects water in soft tissues and image contrast can be obtained by exploiting differences in water density and/or mobility. In the last decade, MRI has also found applications in food science. It has become clear, however, that ‘conventional’ MRI techniques are not always adequate for assessment of cereal products, especially those in the low-moisture regime. Under low moisture conditions, cereal products typically have extended shelf life stability and/or favourable sensory properties such as crispness. In order to address the measurement challenges for such systems, Unilever and the Universities of Wageningen, Utrecht and Delft embarked on a project to develop and implement novel MRI methodology. Here we will present several examples of the application of novel MRI methodology for visualisation of moisture migration in cereal systems. It will be demonstrated that MRI can be used to monitor ingress of water during cooking of processed rice kernels in real time mode. We will also show how MRI can be deployed to assess migration of moisture in multi-component snacks, where differences in water activities exist.

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Tagged with: Ales Mohoric, Gerard van Dalen, Henk van As, John van Duynhoven, Unilever R&D, Utrecht University, Wageningen University, Wageningen University Pedro Ramos Cabrer

Monitoring energy at United Biscuits

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Dr Rob Rolston, Thermal Process Development Manager and Geoff Townsend, Process Technology Controller, United Biscuits Ltd

We are all increasingly aware of the rising cost of energy – both personally and professionally – and the need to conserve it. However, accurate measurement of energy is equally important for the effective control of our heating and cooling processes, as well as the consistency and quality of the final product. This article presents a method that accurately measures energy levels within the process, interprets the results for increased efficiency and uses the technique to solve problems.

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Tagged with: Geoff Townsend, Rob Rolston, United Biscuits Ltd

Spanish flavour for latest seminar

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Ellen Moens-Go Yanko, Office Manager, Secretariat, EHEDG

Integrated approach

Guideline development work is now clustered into four coherent groups:

a) Principles
b) Equipment and Components
c) Processing, Services and Utilities
d) Training and Education

Each cluster consolidates related topics, elements, equipment and processes that were previously dealt with by the 20-odd separate subgroups. This approach facilitates cross-referencing of industry practices, sharing of available research and expertise, as well as solutions to related problems. The Training and Education subgroup takes the lead in updating and weaving new guideline recommendations into the recently completed Training Facilitator and Trainer’s Toolbox.

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Tagged with: EHEDG, Ellen Moens-Go Yanko

Traditional and modern biotechnology

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Annika Wilhelmson, Anu Kaukovirta-Norja and Silja Home, VTT Biotechnology

The brewing industry has changed from local, small breweries to global companies and fully automated plants. Our knowledge on biological processes of the barley-to-beer chain and tools to control the process and product quality, benefit from the development of basic sciences and engineering.

Beer has been brewed for thousands of years. For a long time beer production was, however, pure cookery. The development of the brewing industry began in the 19th century – largely as a consequence of the development of technology in general. The scientific basis of beer brewing was also laid at that time. Sciences such as biochemistry and microbiology benefited greatly from the early malting and brewing research that was driven by the need to understand biological processes such as germination, mashing and fermentation. Later the term biotechnology was invented meaning industrial application of living cells and combining basic sciences with engineering. Nowadays the definition of biotechnology is even wider and covers the research and development of biological processes on a genetic and molecular level.

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Tagged with: Annika Wilhelmson, Anu Kaukovirta-Norja, Silja Home, VTT Biotechnology

Evaluating chocolate blends

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / S.J. Millar and A.G. Hall, Baking and Cereals Processing Department, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association

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.

So prized was their drink (chocolatl, derived from the bean) that it was referred to as ‘the food of the gods’ in their mythology. In turn, this was clearly an influence many years later when the genus, of which the cacao species is a part, was named Theobroma – a derivation of the Greek words for God (Theos) and food (broma) (Russell Cook, 1963).

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Tagged with: A.G. Hall, Analysis & control, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, NIR, S.J. Millar

The benefits of automated pathogen testing

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Eric Maucci, Food Hygiene Technical Manager, Laboratoire Inter-Départemental des Analyses Laitières (LIDAL)

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.

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Tagged with: Analysis & control, Eric Maucci, Laboratoire Inter-Départemental des Analyses Laitières (LIDAL), Microbiology, QA/QC

A closer look

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Mandy Drabwell, Commissioning Editor, New Food

The UK cheese market is now worth £1.7 billion per annum and, despite being a very mature product that’s already consumed in 98 per cent of UK homes, its growth shows little sign of slowing. The whole category is being driven forward by a wide range of domestic manufacturers producing quality cheese that ranks amongst the best in the world.

Joseph Heler Cheese, based in the heart of rural Cheshire, Northern England, is a cheese producer that’s amongst the most innovative and widely respected within the tight-knit dairy industry. The family-owned firm are the UK’s largest independent regional cheese producer, supplying a number of major supermarkets and many ingredients buyers, whilst still retaining their Joseph Heler brands. The company also works with companies such as Somerdale International Ltd and Murray Vernon, which exports its products to the rest of Europe.

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Tagged with: Company Profiles

The evolution of ice cream technology

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Sabina Burmester, Andrew Russell and Deryck Cebula, Ice Cream Global Technology Centre, Unilever R&D Colworth, U.K.

The process used for commercial ice cream manufacture has changed little in the past 75 years – since the first continuous scraped surface freezer was introduced in the 1930s. In recent years, however, several key technological developments have taken place in the way ice cream is manufactured and these are finding increasing industrial use.

These advances have been largely driven by ‘consumer’ factors such as the desire for healthy products (low fat, low calorie or additive-free), which retain the excellent eating quality associated with ice cream, as well as the continuous need for product innovation to facilitate new interest and differentiation in the market place. In this article, the traditional method of ice cream manufacture is outlined and some of the most significant of the recent process innovations are described.

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Tagged with: Andrew Russell, Deryck Cebula, Processing, Sabina Burmester, Unilever R&D

LC-MS/MS for safer seafood

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Kevin J. James, Mary Lehane, Brett Hamilton, Ambrose Furey, PROTEOBIO, Mass Spectrometry Centre for Proteomics and Biotoxin Research, Department of Chemistry, Cork Institute of Technology

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.

PROTEOBIO is at the forefront of food-borne biotoxin research in Europe and specialises in the development of novel methods to address the complex questions affecting food safety. The technologies used at PROTEOBIO to investigate biotoxins include liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), incorporating nanotechnologies, to seek solutions to problems related to trace contamination of foods by potent bioactive compounds that can seriously impact on human health. Some of the key activities and interests pursued at PROTEOBIO are summarised in Figure 1. The theme of this article however, is the centre’s approach to the investigation of toxins in edible bivalve molluscs, including mussels, scallops and oysters.

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Tagged with: Ambrose Furey, Analysis & control, Brett Hamilton, Cork Institute of Technology, Kevin J. James, LCMS, Mary Lehane, PROTEOBIO

Prolonged shelf life of MAP fish

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Anlaug Ådland Hansen, Dept. of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences and Thomas Eie, Dept. Of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Matforsk AS, Norwegian Food Research Institute, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of fish extends the shelf life of high quality products at low temperatures by inhibiting bacterial growth, oxidative reactions and unwanted components such as TMA (trimethylamine). CO2 is the most important gas used in MAP because of its negative effect on bacterial growth.

An initial alteration of the gaseous environment surrounding the product, modified from its initial condition, is defined as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (Brody, 1989). Different forms of MAP have been used for several decades (Coyne, 1933) and MAP fish is now a popular product in many markets making fresh skinned and boned fishfillets convenient for consumers.

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Tagged with: Anlaug Ådland Hansen, Matforsk AS, Norwegian Food Research Institute, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Packaging, Processing, QA/QC, Thomas Eie

Sterilisation – only better

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Wouter De Heij and Robert Van den Berg, Agrotechnology and Food Innovations b.v., Ludo Van Schepdael, Solico b.v., Hans Hoogland, Unilever Research Vlaardingen and Harmannus Bijmolt, Resato International b.v.

Increasing microbial safety and extending the shelf-life of packed food and other products sensitive to microbial spoilage is often performed by relatively slow thermal processes. The adverse effects of the corresponding heating periods can be decreased by using technologies that put a vast amount of energy into the product quickly, for example direct steam injection or microwave heating. Cooling the product quickly, however, is more complex.

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Tagged with: Agrotechnology and Food Innovations b.v., Hans Hoogland, Harmannus Bijmolt, Ludo Van Schepdael, process, Resato International b.v., Robert Van den Berg, Solico b.v., Unilever, Wouter De Heij

Understanding the needs, meeting the challenge

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Mandy Drabwell, Commissioning Editor, New Food

Pressure from consumers has forced manufacturers to take greater care and be even more accountable for their products. This requires assurance at every level of the supply chain and particularly within the factory. Mandy Drabwell investigates how food grade lubricant manufacturers are playing their part in meeting the challenge.

All food and beverage processing equipment requires lubrication in order to work reliably and effectively and should be designed in such a way that contamination of food product by lubricants is kept to an absolute minimum. However, while equipment suppliers make every effort to prevent such contamination, incidental contact can occur – especially when maintenance is carried out or when technical failures occur. It is essential, in the event of such circumstances, that the lubricant will not impart taste or odour, or cause harm when consumed. This can only be ensured through the use of food grade lubricants.

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Tagged with: Food Grade Lubricants, Processing

Wanted: hygienic systems integration

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Dr. Lotte Dock Steenstrup, Dr. Alan Friis, BioCentrum-DTU, The Technical University of Denmark and Dr. Roland Cocker, Cocker Consulting, Netherlands

The demands that are placed on product and process within the food production industry are interconnected. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use a largely sequential approach to designing a production facility, where you first address the primary function of the product, i.e. product quality and then consider other issues such as safety, hygienic design, cleaning, flexibility and traceability. There is a need for integration of these issues, in order to make the best decisions and to balance the different needs.

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Tagged with: Alan Friis, BioCentrum-DTU, Cocker Consulting, Hygiene, Lotte Dock Steenstrup, QA/QC, Roland Cocker, The Technical University of Denmark

Process Analytical Technology for the food industry

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Frans W.J. van den Berg, Associate Professor, dr. ing., Department of Food Science, Quality and Technology, Spectroscopy and Chemometrics group, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL), Denmark

In recent years a wide-reaching recognition of the importance of production consistency and quality has emerged in the food industry. With the recent recognition by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Process Analytical Technology (PAT) has become the key issue in statistical process design, monitoring and control for pharmaceutical industries worldwide1.

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Tagged with: Frans W.J. van den Berg, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL)

The important people factor

Issue 2 2005 / 3 May 2005 / Maggie Duke, QA Advisor and Expert in Hygienic Engineering and GMP, Nestle S.A

During the last 25 years, there has been a steady evolution in the way the food industry organised itself to ensure delivery of safe and consistent quality food to the consumer.

In the late 1970s, it was still common to see extensive laboratories in factories with large numbers of people analysing raw materials and finished products before their release to production and distribution, respectively. The QC managers rarely left their domain and were not commonly seen in process areas.

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Tagged with: Maggie Duke, Nestlé S.A