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Issue 2 2010
12 May 2010
The human body is designed for effectively extracting nutrients from the food we eat. The nutrients provide the body with energy, but in addition, they also provide the building blocks for cell growth. More recently, it has also been realised that specific food ingredients can be associated with a direct stimulating effect on our health. Examples are the multiple unsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols which actively reduce blood cholesterol levels. Others are flavonoids; natural antioxidants found at large quantities in tea, red wine, cocoa, fruits and vegetables. For example, a diet rich in flavonoids is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. In particular, consumption of tea, grape (juice), and red wine has been shown to improve markers of vascular function.
12 May 2010
Probiotics are used to bring health benefits to consumers through foods and are defined as "live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host[Ref 18]." Commercialised all around the world since the early 1920's, mostly focused on Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera, in the last fifteen years there has been a rising awareness reported in scientific literature on putative adverse events caused by strains belonging to this genera, if not adverse events supposedly caused by probiotic prophylaxis, e.g. the recent Dutch probiotic prophylaxis study on severe acute pancreatitis[Ref 6]. Saccharomyces boulardii is the sole probiotic yeast strain widely used nowadays, isolated from the fruit of litchi and mangosteen in Indochina in 1923. Marketed and evaluated as a drug, its use differs from other probiotic strains, considered as part of the food diet, with different efficacy and safety evaluation[Refs 20,25,45].
12 May 2010
Consumer complaints regarding foreign bodies are a constant problem for virtually all food companies, and so their prevention and control should be high on the list for all Quality and Technical Managers. The effective management of prevention and control of foreign bodies requires attention to many parts of the business, including recruitment and training, sourcing of raw materials and packaging, factory design and the selection and installation of manufacturing equipment among others - and all this is before we have even considered items like metal detectors to detect and remove foreign bodies.
12 May 2010
In the media recently, we have heard a barrage of information that is most certainly bad news. We hear about earthquakes, national debt, war, real estate foreclosures and unfortunately, it seems that there is always some news about food safety recalls associated with allergens or pathogens which have sickened or caused fatalities to consumers. These consumers happened to purchase ingredients or finished products and while not suspecting the onset of an illness, ate something which made them ill. This was not the expectation of many or any consumer. In fact, the number one expectation of consumers, customers, regulatory groups and the food industry is that RTE food available for purchase is safe to prepare and serve to families and friends.
12 May 2010
Cocoa has always held a special status in society. It has evolved from being used to make a beverage featuring at sacrificial ceremonies, travelled via the conquest of the indigenous cultures of Meso-America to the Spanish Royal Court and through high society in France and Italy to find a more peaceful home in the Swiss Alps. It now provides pleasure to millions of consumers across the world on a daily basis.
12 May 2010
New products and processing techniques are continuously being developed within the food industry. While food scientists may focus on the technical novelty and applaud the progress of science, consumers are often more conservative and sceptical about changes. From earlier experiences with gene modification and irradiation, we have learnt that advantages that new processing technologies offer do not guarantee the success of a product in the market place. Consumer acceptance depends on whether they perceive specific benefits associated with the product,1,2 which means identifying factors that influence consumer acceptance is important.
12 May 2010
The digestarom poultry concept has been proven worldwide to advantageously influence the performance parameters and, therefore, the profitability of chicken meat production. Small scale institute evaluations have demonstrated improvements to carcass composition and this information is available. It was this latter finding that led to professional taste panel studies on the sensory quality of chicken meat.
12 May 2010
In recent years, scientific studies have shown that salt intake can cause high blood pressure and associated heart diseases. Conversely, there is clear evidence that significant reductions of salt intake lead to large reductions in blood pressure, heart diseases and strokes1. Other important risk factors for these cardiovascular diseases are body weight, exercise, alcohol intake, smoking and high cholesterol. However, lowering salt intake has become a high priority issue of the WHO (World Health Organisation), with a recommended daily intake of five grams of salt (NaCl) per day (two grams of sodium (Na+))2, whereas current typical daily intakes are 8-12 grams of salt.
12 May 2010
Traceability is gaining importance in order to satisfy legal, consumer and supply chain demands. Traceability of seafood is now recognised as being of particular importance due to the harvesting of wild fish. The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima) covers all food sectors and links in the value chain and plays a central role in various international food traceability and standardisation activities, especially related to seafood traceability.
12 May 2010
Most of the powder products available on the market are produced using a spray drying process. Drying processes are known to be the most energy consuming processes used in the food industry. For example, the Dutch dairy industry required 1.4 PJ for drying its whey and milk powder in 2007. Therefore, a reduction of the energy consumption in drying processes will result in large cost savings, a better carbon footprint and a more sustainable production chain.
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