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Issue 1 2009 / 20 February 2009 / Erik Hoornstra & Jacques Kastelein, TNO Quality of Life
Hygiene is a key focal area among food industry companies. At a time when producers are beset by a whole range of issues, this area demands investment. Ideally, the required level of hygiene should be adjusted in respect to the other requirements in the area of product quality and preservation. TNO’s quick scan helps achieve improvements in hygienic production and demonstrate that there is profit in the investments!
Mild preservation methods are paramount in producing products that look fresh and are of good quality. A key aspect of this is getting an optimal combination of product formulation (like the Aw or pH value) and processing conditions (like heating temperature). When mild preservation methods are chosen and a long shelf life is aimed for, hygiene becomes a more critical factor. A hygienically designed production line prevents contamination and failures. It is essential to have a good understanding of the microorganisms that may cause products to spoil and prevent this occurring in the susceptible parts of the production process. (more…)
Issue 1 2009 / 20 February 2009 / William D. van Dongen, Leon Coulier, Leo van Stee & Sander Koster, Analytical Research Department, TNO Quality of Life
Small organic molecules migrating from packaging or other food contact materials (FCM) may result in unwanted changes of the composition of the food. These molecules can be the ‘usual suspects’, i.e. starting materials (non-reacted monomers) and additives but also by-products, reaction products, impurities, degradation products of additives and conjugation products, also called non-intentionally added substances (NIAS). A recent example of NIAS originating from packaging materials is the migration of semicarbazide formed as a toxic decomposition product of azodicarbonamide used as a blowing agent for plastics. This example clearly shows that for safe packaging materials it is necessary to apply analytical methodologies and concepts that are capable to address the issue of unlisted substances.
Another example is the formation of chlorohydrins and cyclic reaction products from epoxidised soybean oil used as a stabiliser has been a reason for concern. Legislation has been formulated to address this issue. Article 3 of Framework regulation EC 1935/20041 states that producers of FCMs have to guarantee that their products do not endanger human health. (more…)
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…)
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 23 May 2007 / Hilde Cnossen & Marijke van Dusseldorp, TNO Quality of Life
TNO Quality of Life is one of the five core areas of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. TNO carries out research aimed at providing concrete solutions to problems encountered by industry and government bodies in six areas of activity: Work and Employment, Chemistry, Innovation Policy, Prevention and Healthcare, Pharma and Food and Nutrition.
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Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 August 2006 / Hilde Cnossen and Heereluurt Heeres, TNO Quality of Life, Food Legislation Affairs
Food legislation is a complex matter. Since the publication of the White Paper on Food Safety in 2000, a considerable number of Regulations, Directives and Guidelines on the safety of food and feed – including ingredients – have been published. For companies involved in food and feed and ingredients production, trade and transport, it is not always easy to keep information about food and feed legislation up to date. Moreover, it is not that simple to apply and to interpret this legislation.
Food Law
Recently the General Food Law (Regulation 178/2002/EC), shortly GFL, entered into force. This regulation lays down (among other points) the general principles and requirements of food law.
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Issue 2 2006, Past issues / 23 May 2006 / Iekje Berg, Hetty Jongbloed, Leo van Boxtel, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist
Micro-organisms are the main cause of food spoilage (spoilage organisms) and food-borne diseases (pathogens).Traditional methods to control the growth of micro-organisms include heating (blanching, pasteurisation and sterilisation), freezing and the use of preservative agents. However, consumer demands are changing and they are now asking for fresh, healthy food combined with an extended shelf life. For this reason much work has been carried out in recent years on new (mild) preservation techniques,which can be an alternative for thermal pasteurisation and sterilisation.
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Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 21 November 2005 / Jacques Kastelein and Hilde Cnossen, TNO Quality of Life
In this, the final article resulting from the HYFOMA project, Jacques Kastelein and Hilde Cnossen of TNO outline the reasons why equipment certification is essential to the food industry.
Need for hygienic design
Good hygienic design of process equipment has a tremendous impact on diminishing the risks of contamination of food during production, resulting in an extended shelf life of food products. Process equipment with poor hygienic design will be difficult to clean. Therefore, good hygienic design and preventive maintenance of production systems are essential prerequisites for high quality and safe products.
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Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 29 July 2005 / Jos van der Vossen, Frank Schuren and Roy Montijn, TNO Quality of Life, The Netherlands
The food industry is assisted optima forma when a clear and rapid insight could be given into the presence and behavior of microorganisms in ingredients, processing, final product and health. A clear insight regarding the microbiology of food products and production is essential for prediction and management of food quality and safety.
State of the art
Insight into microbial issues is – to date – dependent on culturing, genetic typing and PCR detection. However, the information collected with these methods is highly restricted, yet inherent to the setup of methods for detection. The methods of detection are generally directed towards groups of microbes such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts etc. It is obvious that really important information such as virulence and resistance to preservatives, low water activity and heat is ignored by this rough way of grouping. Such information only becomes available after isolation and subsequent physiological studies. The time needed for collecting the limited amount of information is enormous and does not meet the required response for quality management. Even PCR detection, which is rapid in itself, still needs a time consuming pre-culturing step in order to meet the need for sensitivity.
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Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 29 July 2005 / Bo Boye Busk Jensen, FBE, BioCentrum-DTU, Hilde Cnossen, Jacques Kastelein, TNO Quality of Life and Roland Cocker, Cocker Consulting
Research continues in the area of hygienic engineering and design, particularly in innovative techniques using safe construction materials to develop functional as well as easily cleanable equipment for handling, processing and packing foodstuffs. This is the motivation behind the work of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), which regularly publishes detailed guidelines and guidance on engineering aspects of food production.
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