Issue 4 2008

Pasta processing and nutrition

Issue 4 2008 / 18 December 2008 / Carlo Cannella, Professor, Department of Medical Physiopathology – Food Science & Nutrition Unit, ‘La Sapienza’ University of Rome

Pasta has ancient roots that go back approximately 7,000 years to when humankind abandoned his nomadic lifestyle, started to cultivate the land and learned how to process grain. For many years, Marco Polo was credited with introducing pasta to Italy after his voyages in China, but several written documents deny this. In one of them, dated 1154, the Arab geographer Al-Idrin mentions ‘food made of strings’ called ‘triyah’ which was produced in Palermo. It is therefore thought that pasta, intended as ‘maccheroni’, actually originated in Sicily, around Trabia, near Palermo.

The production of pasta at an industrial level began in the late 700s around Naples, where the climate permitted the cultivation of grain and there were excellent conditions for drying the product in the sun. With the introduction of the process of drying by hot air, the production could finally spread to the rest of the country. (more…)

Tagged with: Carlo Cannella, Pasta, Processing, University of Rome

Yeast forensics: methods for identification and tracking

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Dr Suzanne Jordan, ­Molecular Methods Manager, Campden BRI

Yeasts are a diverse range of organisms, many of which are beneficial to the food and drinks industry in fermentation and the flavour development of dairy, meat and beverage products. There are also strains that spoil products, resulting either in blowing packs or off odours and flavours.

It is difficult to approximate the financial losses to the industry caused by spoilage, and there are no published figures available for the United Kingdom. In Australia, the calculated losses due to fungal spoilage are reported to be AUD 10,000,000 per annum1. Recent reports indicate that 20 per cent of UK domestic waste taken to landfill was spoiled, unused or leftover food2.

A range of techniques are available to assist the industry in answering questions, such as identifying spoilage organisms, determining culture authenticity and tracking sources of contamination. Identification provides a name for an unknown organism to either genus or species level and can be used to search for information on spoilage or safety issues and highlight the potential for resistance to preservation strategies. Characterisation allows organisms that share similar characteristics, such as DNA fragment profile, to be placed into groups, which assists in determining potential sources of contamination. These techniques can be divided into two groups based on their approach, i.e. biochemical and molecular based assays. (more…)

Tagged with: Analysis & control, bioMérieux, Campden BRI, Dr Suzanne Jordan, Yeast forensics, ­Molecular Methods Manager

New analytical approaches to investigate the fate of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) in foods

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Leon Coulier & William van Dongen, TNO Quality of Life and Emma Bradley & Laurence Castle Central Science Laboratory, York

Many new developments in analytical chemistry are driven by needs for life science applications. Examples are the various –omics technologies, i.e. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics and the use of isotope labelling. Food analysis is often thought to be less complex when one thinks of the determination of specific contaminants or nutrients in food, for example. However, there are cases when highly advanced analytical technologies are necessary.

An excellent example of this is bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE, Figure 1, see page 18). BADGE is an epoxide used to make can coatings. Commission Regulation No. (EC) 1895/20051 places migration limits on selected substances used in the production of epoxy can coatings. Testing for compliance with these limits can be carried out using so-called food simulants, which are solvents that mimic certain food types, and this testing is rather straightforward.

Much more complex is the reaction chemistry of BADGE in certain foods after migration takes place. The most simple of these reactions is with water to form the hydrolysis products denoted BADGE.H2O and BADGE.2H2O. There are other reaction pathways available however, including with some food amino acids2,3 but in many cases the migrated BADGE still cannot be accounted for fully. This is important because if BADGE migrates into the food but is then transformed chemically into other species, the potential hazard that these other chemicals may present should be assessed. To do this, they have to be identified. (more…)

Tagged with: Analysis & control, Emma Bradley, Food Standard Agency, Laurence Castle, Leon Coulier, TNO Quality of Life, William van Dongen

Food safety: no room for complacency

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Professor Patrick Wall, Associate Professor of Public Health, University College Dublin

In the 1990s, a chronology of food scares, culminating in BSE, damaged consumer confidence in the safety of food, in the commitment of industry to produce safe food and in the ability of the regulatory agencies to police the food chain. These scares precipitated a review by many EU Member States of how they coordinated their food safety control programmes. Most member states now have Food Safety Agencies with consumer protection as their primary objective, rather than promoting industry and trade.

The threats to public health through the food chain caused the EU Commission to reform EU food legislation and in 2002, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament set down the general principles and requirements of food law and established both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the EU Food and Veterinary Office.
EFSA is funded from the Community budget but operates independently of the Community Institutions and was set up to be the keystone of EU risk assessment regarding food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant protection and plant health in an attempt to provide a scientific basis for policies and risk management decisions. At times in the past, policies were formulated and items moved up the political agenda in proportion to the media coverage of the issue rather than in proportion to the risk to the public’s health. The EU Food and Veterinary office is part of DG Sanco and it is responsible for ensuring that Community legislation on food safety, animal health, plant health and animal welfare is properly implemented and enforced, both within member states and in those third countries from where the EU imports products. (more…)

Tagged with: Food safety, Professor Patrick Wall, QA/QC, University College Dublin

Food grade lubricants and the ELGI – NLGI

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Anuj Mistry, TLP Development Manager, Bel-Ray Company, Inc. and Chairman of ELGI- NLGI Food Grade Lubricants Working Group

Lubricants to be used in the production, processing, packaging and distribution of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and any other ‘clean’ products may be registered as meeting certain criteria that make them safe for use in these industries. A lubricant qualifies as food grade when, in the event of contamination, it is present in no more than 10 milligrams per kilogram of the foodstuff in question. It must also not cause any physiological hazard or affect the food’s odour and taste in any way.

Food grade lubricants are special blends of base fluids and additives and should be approved by the US FDA and registered by NSF International (in USA) and more recently by InS Services Ltd (in Europe) in the H1, HT1 and 3H category. ‘Food grade’ is the most common term used to describe such lubricants, however, lubricants are only considered to be food grade if they are ‘classified’ as such by independent organisations such as the NSF and InS Services. (more…)

Tagged with: Anuj Mistry, Bel-Ray Company, ELGI - NLGI Food Grade Lubricants Working Group, Inc., Lubricants, Processing

Steel: an enabler for sustainability

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging

Sustainability has risen swiftly up the world agenda in recent years. Consumers, governments and the industry recognise that we must look to reduce our global footprint in every area of our lives. As the world demands solutions for a sustainable future, the sustainability performance of steel for packaging can provide an answer.

Steel’s natural properties – magnetic, infinitely recyclable, 100 per cent protective and naturally strong – make it a unique enabler for sustainability. It offers brand owners, retailers and consumers a strong performance product they can trust, while also enabling them to demonstrate their active role in building a sustainable society. (more…)

Tagged with: Packaging, Sustainability, The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging

Sustainable agriculture at Unilever

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / David Pendlington, Sustainable Agriculture Programme Coordinator, Unilever

Sustainability has become increasingly important to Unilever, especially our food business – which includes brands such as Knorr, Lipton and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It is a core element in our Vitality Framework, which sets out how the company plans to achieve our mission of adding vitality to life by increasing social value and improving environmental impacts.

Brand teams also consider sustainability as part of their product strategies because consumers increasingly want to know where our ingredients have come from, how they were grown, and the impacts they have on both the environment and local communities. Consumers have become more aware of climate change, water scarcity and other threats. They want sustainability as well as quality, flavour and the other attributes we always aim to provide. They care about the conditions for workers in the fields and animal welfare as well as environmental impacts.

Supermarket groups such as Wal-Mart and Tesco have responded to these concerns and are increasingly looking for suppliers who can demonstrate progress on sustainability. “This is a competitive issue. We have to make sure our brands perform well on sustainability,” says Jan-Kees Vis, Director of Sustainable Agriculture. (more…)

Tagged with: David Pendlington, Sustainability, Sustainable Agriculture Programme Coordinator, Unilever

Potential benefits of micro and nanotechnology for the food industry: does size matter?

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Kathy Groves, Principal Microscopist, Leatherhead Food International

Nanotechnology is an emerging science. Its implementation in the food and drink industry is predicted to grow rapidly due to the benefits it can bring for both industry and the consumer in terms of structure and texture control, health benefits, and safety and quality.

Cientifica reported1 that the biggest sector utilising nanotechnology in 2007 was the chemicals industry, followed by the semi-conductors market. According to Helmut Kaiser Consultancy, the nanofood market has increased from a value of USD 2.6 billion in 2003 to USD 5.3 billion in 2005; and it is expected to soar to USD 20.4 billion in 2015.

Nanotechnology is defined as being related to the design, production or application of structures, devices and systems by controlling the shape and size at the nanometre scale. The term ‘nano’ is derived from a Greek word for dwarf and one nanometre is equivalent to one billionth of a metre. As an example, a human hair is 100,000 nanometres wide, a red blood cell is approximately 7,000 nanometres wide and a typical bacterium is 2,000 nanometres long. The term nanotechnology is usually associated with materials that are less than 100 nanometres in size. (more…)

Tagged with: Kathy Groves, Leatherhead Food International, Nanotechnology, Principal Microscopist

Nanotechnology in the food industry

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / NF

Applications of nanotechnology in the food industry mean different things to different people and this influences the perception of benefits and risks of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is not a discrete area, but rather a broad spectrum of applications concerned with the rational modification of food structures at the molecular or macromolecular level, or the introduction of nanoparticles or nanostructures into foods.

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Tagged with: Analysis & control, Nanotechnology

Energy, nutrition and the quality of breads; an overview of ‘EU-FRESHBAKE’

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / A. Le-Bail and R. Zuniga, ENITIAA – GEPEA; T. Lucas, Cemagref; M. Sikora, University of Agriculture Balicka; C. M. Rosell, IATA-CSIC; D. Curic, University of Zagreb; T. Park, TTZ-EIBT; V. Kiseleva, Russian Academy of Science, IBCP RAS; M. Pitroff, MIWE; I. Van Haesendonck, PURACOR; M. Bonnand-Ducasse, BIOFOURNIL; M. Koczwara, BEZGLUTEN; V. Cerne, SCHAER R&D

The European bread industry is using refrigeration more and more to extend the shelf life of bakery products. The associated technologies, called bake-off-technology, allows the retail of freshly baked breads made from industrial frozen (and non frozen) products. Energy used for bread making, nutrition facts and quality of the final products are often interacting. Selected results taken from the ongoing European funded project ‘EU-FRESHBAKE’ (2006-2009) are presented, highlighting the coupling between product quality and process.

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Tagged with: A. Le-Bail, BEZGLUTEN, BIOFOURNIL, C. M. Rosell, Cemagref, D. Curic, ENITIAA – GEPEA, I. Van Haesendonck, IATA-CSIC, IBCP RAS, M. Bonnand-Ducasse, M. Koczwara, M. Pitroff, M. Sikora, MIWE, PURACOR, QA/QC, R. Zuniga, Russian Academy of Science, SCHAER R&D, T. Lucas, T. Park, TTZ-EIBT, University of Agriculture Balicka, University of Zagreb, V. Cerne, V. Kiseleva

The holy grail of a single food safety specification

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Kath Veal, Business Manager Regulatory Services, Leatherhead Food International

Global regulatory food advice is one of the core areas of expertise at consultancy and research firm Leatherhead Food International. The regulatory advisors work within three teams specialising in United Kingdom, European (EU) or International regimes. Working with not only generic EU controls, but the detail of individual member states regularly illustrates the lack of harmonisation within Europe and our global coverage gives us a strong awareness of the challenge of international trade.

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Tagged with: Kath Veal, Leatherhead Food International, Legislation, QA/QC

Quick shelf life prediction: TNO develops unique microbial genomics toolbox

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / TNO, Food and Biotechnology Innovations

Consumers demand healthy, tasty foods with a fresh appearance and a long shelf life. To meet these expectations, the food industry has to be innovative in product and process optimisation. TNO has developed a unique microbial genomics toolbox that enables food manufacturers to quickly predict shelf life and design new preservation strategies.

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Tagged with: QA/QC, TNO

Understanding microbial ecology essential for controlling microbial food spoilage

Issue 4 2008 / 3 December 2008 / Johanna Björkroth, Professor of Food Hygiene, Helsinki University

As a Professor of Food Hygiene, I have been teaching my students to understand the limitations associated with the determination of total aerobic bacterium levels when used for predicting food shelf life or as quality indicators. It is almost touching to notice how difficult it is to understand that the so-called ‘total bacteria’ actually consist of variable bacterial groups. It sounds so nice and simple to determine the total aerobic bacterial counts for estimating food quality.

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Tagged with: Helsinki University, Hygiene, Johanna Björkroth, QA/QC