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Small NMR in food innovation

13 June 2008 | By J. P. M. van Duynhoven, Gert-Jan W. Goudappel, Elena Trezza, Adrian M. Haiduc, Franck Duval, Wladyslaw P. Weglarz, Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

NMR is a versatile tool for structural assessment of food materials and this pertains in particular for its benchtop and hand-held implementations. Such “small NMR” equipment can literally be deployed in all phases of foods innovation. This is illustrated by several industry examples.

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GMO analysis: towards global harmonisation

13 June 2008 | By Maddalena Querci, Hermann Broll and Guy Van den Eede, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Biotechnology and GMOs Unit

GMO detection and analysis in its broader sense is an integral part of GMO development, breeding programmes and of subsequent seed verification programmes. It is applied in both the export and import of grain/agricultural products, for regulatory compliance of approved and unapproved events in different countries, for labelling requirements, quality…

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Molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction of mycotoxins in food

28 February 2008 | By 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

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Packaging design for fresh produce

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in food analysis

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Strategic considerations in choosing a rapid method

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Uncontrolled migration from lid gaskets into oily foods

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Advanced colloid technologies

28 February 2008 | By 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…

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Refrigerants and legislation in the UK

28 February 2008 | By 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

28 February 2008 | By 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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Biocentrum at the Technical University of Denmark

16 November 2007 | By Thomas Ostenfeld Larsen, Lars I. Hellgren and Peter Ruhdal Jensen, BioCentrum DTU

BioCentrum (BiC) is an Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and represents the largest concentration of biotechnological research at university level in Denmark. BiC has a long tradition of food research and teaching and has for many years been involved in different MSc programmes in Food Science and…

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New sanitation solution from Intralox increases conveyor hygiene

16 November 2007 | By Crystal Krummel, LID Group

Intralox, L.L.C. has announced the release of its new Series 1650 SeamFree™ Minimum Hinge Flat Top belt, the latest addition to the EZ Clean family of products. The Series 1650 SeamFree™ Minimum Hinge Flat Top belt was designed to meet the ever-increasing hygiene and sanitation requirements in food industries. With…

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Freezing of food and new equipment developments

16 November 2007 | By Lars Reinholdt, Danish Technological Institute

Freezing and chilling are the most widespread conservation methods in the food production chain. Refrigeration is generally gentle but it can often influence the quality of food products. The International Institute of Refrigeration estimates that out of the total worldwide agricultural production (incl. fish and seafood) of 5,500 million tonnes…