Food New Zealand, April/May 2022 by NZ Institute of Food Science and Technology

A pril /M ay 2022

NZ’S AUTHORITY ON FOOD TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING

SHOULD FOOD AND RECYCLED PACKAGING GO TOGETHER? ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Overview: Food ingredients - looking for inspiration for your new product? Research: Protein diversification: exploring the potential of seaweed for food

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.

Contents

NZ’S AUTHORITY ON FOOD TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING

A P RI L / MAY 2 0 22 | VOLU ME 22, NO.2 IS SN 2 7 4 4 - 7 3 0 8 ( ONLINE) ISSN 1175- 4621 ( PR I N T )

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EDITORIAL

NEWSBITES

OILS & FATS

News, views and information from around and about Oils and Fats Update

Laurence Eyres FNZIFST

SLIDING ON Big fleas have little fleas … Professor John D Brooks, FNZIFST

OVERVIEW Ingredients – inspiration for your NPD

NZFSSRC Should food and recycled packaging go together?

Contacts Peppermint Press Ltd 5 Rupi Court, Mt Wellington Auckland 1072, New Zealand Phone 64 21 901 884 www.foodnz.co.nz

Food NZ is distributed online to all members of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology. An online edition is shared internationally. Visit www.foodnz.co.nz to subscribe. Copyright © 2022 Peppermint Press No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping information retrieval systems, or otherwise) without the written permission of Peppermint Press. The views expressed in this journal are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the view of the Publisher, the Scientific Review Board or NZIFST.

Food New Zealand

Director and Editor Anne Scott, Peppermint Press Limited anne@foodnz.co.nz Director and Writer Dave Pooch, Peppermint Press Limited davep@me.com Advertising Anne Scott, anne@foodnz.co.nz 021 901 884 Design and Layout Johanna Paynter, Pix Design, Regular Contributors Phil Bremer, John D Brooks, Laurence Eyres, Glen Neal, Dave Pooch, Rosemary Hancock, John Lawson

Published by Peppermint Press Limited Notice to Contributors When submitting editorial for Food New Zealand please observe the following, Editorial to be submitted as plain text files, NO FORMATTING please. Images should be sent as high resolution .jpg or .tiff files. Do not embed images in word documents, send separate files. Any images smaller than 500 kb may not be printed as the clarity of the print may be compromised. Advertisers Material specification sheet and rate card on website, www.foodnz.co.nz

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SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

Reprinted from FNZ Vol9, No 1 Hurdle technology - a marriage of preservation

L. McIntyre and J. A. Hudson, FNZIFST

RESEARCH

Protein diversification: exploring the potential of seaweed for food

Stephen Haines, Alastair Ross, Ancy Thomas, Linda Samuelsson, Santanu Deb-Choudhury

PACKAGING

Packaging news from AIP

Nerida Kelton MAIP, Vice President Sustainability & Save Food

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Executive Manager, Rosemary Hancock PO Box 5574, Terrace End, Palmerston North 4441, New Zealand Phone: 06 356 1686 or 021 217 8298, Email: rosemary@nzifst.org.nz, Website: www.nzifst.org.nz

Professional Development Networking – connecting with your peers Regular information about your industry

NZIFST NEWS, INCLUDING: Conference News New Members NZIFSTCareers Branch News

On the cover Cover image: Plastic regrind, ready for making into recycled plastic items. We are driven to reduce, reuse and recycle towards a circular economy but there are hooks. Recycling of plastics for food packaging concentrates additives, and may carry unintended contaminates from co-mingled recycled materials. See page 20.

Recognition through awards, scholarships, travel grants

Next editorial and advertising deadline: May 20th, 2022

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Features for June/July 2022 Preview of NZIFST Conference - Exhibitors, programme, events - Handbook Research reports from AgResearch

April/May 2022

Editorial

EDITORIAL On uncertainty Formulated by the German physicist and Nobel laureate Werner Heisenberg in 1927, The Uncertainty Principle states that we cannot know both the position and speed of a particle, such as a photon or electron, with perfect accuracy; the more we nail down the particle's position, the less we know about its speed and vice versa. While this is a basic principle of quantum mechanics, it rings bells for New Zealanders, and the rest of our race in this uncertain time. Substitute "the virus" for "a particle" and you get the picture. While our wonderful scientists and health researchers are rapidly getting to grips with Covid 19: its morphology, its ability to infect human beings, how we can treat its it, how we can protect ourselves from infection – and so on – our society's response is still not clear. We are living in times of uncertainty, probably not seen since World War II. Since the second world war, generations have been born and grown up in times of, it seems now, great certainty. "Peace in our time" meant that for 75 years our society has been able to make phenomenal advances in our

Anne Scott FNZIFST, Editor

understanding of our world, its chemistry, physics, biology, history – and so many other areas of endeavour. But now we are dealing with a different sort of uncertainty. "I don't know how many staff I will have on the production floor tomorrow." "We don't know if we will have a delivery of packaging in time for the production run." "I've got an exam next week, I hope I don't get Covid before then." "I'd love to see my son in Melbourne but maybe I'll wait until things settle down." "Let's postpone our coffee date for a couple of weeks." "What happens if I get Covid while I'm away?" "I am tired of online study, I wish we could go back the lab." "I haven't made any money for six months, and now food is really expensive. How can I pay the rent and feed my family?" "My business has failed. I don't think I can face risking that again." Is a global pandemic like a world war? Does it shift society into a different pathway? I wonder what life will be like in ten year's time? Will we be struggling to recover from another pandemic – or will we have learnt from this one and created risk profiles and mitigation plans for all possible disasters? I hope so but history suggests not. Disaster mitigation planning is not a science for the faint-hearted, dealing as it does with unbearable possibilities, and governments prefer to spend money on short-term, "feel-good projects". Meanwhile, our industry continues to feed us, and some of the rest of the world. In fact, due to uncertainty in world markets and supply, some of our commodities are commanding record high prices. It is an ill wind that blows no-one any good.

Anne Scott, FNZIFST, Editor and Publisher, Food New Zealand

Newsbites

Newsbites Newsbites is Food New Zealand's round-up of news about NZIFST members, associated companies and items that catch our interest.

Lee-Ann Marsh, General Manager AGMARDT

Future success of food and fibres depends on talent AGMARDT, a leading player in funding and facilitating innovation, development and leadership capability in the food and fibre sector, commissioned KANTAR to survey those within the food and fibres sector during the first week of December in 2021. Lee-Ann Marsh, General Manager AGMARDT says the research was designed to better understand the needs of applicants and will help inform in part, how the organisation targets its funding, partnerships, and other support initiatives. A total of 229 people responded, both past and present and potential AGMARDT applicants.

(38%) and pulling the right people and skills together (34%).

“This research will help us understand the perspectives and needs of different groups so we can empower them as best we can.”

For Lee-Ann, it was surprising to see how strongly the issue of mindset came through as a critical challenge. She says this indicates that people recognise the need to think beyond the here and now to ensure the sector is well positioned for the future.”

Lee-Ann says one of the strongest themes to come out of the research is that the future success of food and fibres depends on attracting, retaining, and unleashing the talent of our best and brightest. “We’re seeing huge talent potential across the board including in underrepresented groups in agriculture such as younger people, women and Māori agribusiness. Everyone is interested in how they can make a difference and where they can get involved.” One of the top barriers to innovation within the food and fibres sector, as identified in the research, is navigating the funding landscape itself, (43% of respondents), says Lee-Ann. Other barriers include costs

The research also identified opportunities for the sector to prioritise, including supporting the growth and development of agri tech (40%), promoting, and developing more premium products (38%) and developing sustainable options using natural resources (30%). Sustainability is seen as the most critical challenge to the sector’s future success (43%), followed closely by ‘short-termism’ and reactive and narrow thinking (34%) and attracting and retaining talent (32%).

AGMARDT will be using the input from the research along with other insights to develop an action plan for achieving its strategy. We already partner with many groups and organisations, working for the whole food and fibres sector, particularly in the leadership and capability space. We will continue to work with trusted partners as well as seek out new ones to unlock impact at scale.” If you’re interested in learning more about AGMARDT and how it supports and funds innovators and leaders, please visit our website. April/May 2022

Newsbites

Food Awards 2022 Entries open soon It's time to get your thinking cap on to prepare your entry for the 2022 NZFood Awards. To find out more about these awards and view case studies of previous winners, visit foodawards.co.nz Entries open on Monday 2 May and as a finalist or winner, your business – big or small, new or well established – can proudly apply the Food Awards' prestigious quality mark to your product. The very robust judging process by a panel of well qualified judges reflects the New Zealand Food Awards brand values of innovation, sustainability and excellence.

Awards Categories for 2022 Product Awards

Prioritising food safety through the pandemic As the world starts to potentially emerge from worst of the global pandemic now is an opportune time to reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on food production systems, both globally and at home in New Zealand and to assess the consequences of the disruption on food safety – from the early days of the pandemic, when concerns around transmission of COVID-19 by food and food packaging required effective communication of science-based facts to combat fake news around COVID-19 and food safety, to the sickness related workforce capacity issues currently challenging all segments of the food industry. We have been on a long journey, which has required businesses within the food and beverage industry to make a succession of risk management decisions, often with limited information available to them. These have required them to find new ways to conduct business and ensure business continuity, in the face of multiple operating challenges. Not just within their supply chains, but also across all areas of food production and processing, retailing and food service. In some instances, there were unintended or unexpected consequences, but have these impacted on food quality and safety? Brightstar’s annual Food Safety, Risk and Compliance Conference, being held on 15 June at the Ellerslie Event Centre in Auckland provides a fantastic opportunity to come together with experts, share insights and learn how the food and beverage industry has prioritised food safety through challenging times. Attend with the whole team and save. https://www.brightstar.co.nz/events/food-safety-risk-and-complianceconference

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Below Zero

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Beverage

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Cuisine Artisan

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Chilled

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Health and Wellbeing

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Novel

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Pantry

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Primary Sector Products

Business Awards •

Business Innovation

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Food Safety

Community Awards •

Food Hero

Find out more about these awards at foodawards.co.nz NZIFST, as the originator of this event in 1987, is delighted to partner again with the New Zealand Food Awards in 2022 to showcase and celebrate innovation in Aotearoa’s food and beverage industry.

FIN A LI S T

E M E WI N N

W IN N E R

Newsbites

Red meat exports strong New Zealand’s red meat sector is continuing to achieve strong export results in the face of considerable labour shortages and global supply chain disruption, says the Meat Industry Association. The latest MIA analysis shows the industry is overcoming significant headwinds with exports reaching $940 million during January, a 27% increase by value on January 2021. The value of exports increased in nearly all the major markets. China was up 25% to $398m, the United States up 32% to $195m, the United Kingdom up 9% to $41m and Japan up 76% to $40m. The pressures are ongoing. There is currently no end in sight to shipping delays and the COVID-19 outbreak is exacerbating existing staff shortages, further limiting the number of livestock that plants can process and impacting some of the industry’s value-add product offerings.

value for overall beef exports during January was up to a record $9.98/kg. However, the high prices, while very welcome, are masking some of the pressure the industry is under, and despite the export receipts, this should not be taken as an indication that everything is rosy. The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand is the voluntary trade association representing processors, marketers, and exporters of New Zealand red meat, rendered products, and hides and skins. MIA members represent 99% of domestic red meat production and export. The red meat industry is a critical part of New Zealand’s economy, and the second largest goods exporter. It is New Zealand’s largest manufacturing industry, employing some 25,000 people in about 60 processing plants, mainly in the regions.

Strong demand meant that the average freight on board (FoB)

April/May 2022

Newsbites

Is your production floor recording efficient? iMonitor’s first industry report shows that most food manufacturers (93%) still rely on pen and paper or Excel spreadsheets to record quality and compliance data. As a result, they report manual errors, a lack of visibility and a slow data flow between different departments.

Surveyed manufacturers were interested in digitisation. It is rather the fear of the level of investment required and a perceived risk through wider infrastructural failure that holds manufacturers back from considering the digitisation of their production floors.

“Most manufacturers have a variety of software solutions in place, such as ERP or inventory management systems but when it comes to their production floor, almost all rely entirely on old-fashioned paper clipboards or complex interlinked Excel sheets that are very difficult to maintain or keep accurate”, explains Martin Keogh, CEO of iMonitor.

iMonitor’s industry report is the first of a planned series of reports to track the digital development of New Zealand’s food production floors. For the first report, iMonitor surveyed 57 New Zealand food manufacturers, followed by a set of in-depth interviews with a limited number of food manufacturing businesses.

“A typical production team runs up to 14 paper-based processes and the quality assurance team up to 24 paper-based processes to record quality and compliance. This has a significant effect on data visibility and efficiency and complicates traceability exercises as well.”

About iMonitor

“By digitising their production and other site processes, manufacturers can reduce the amount of time needed to run traceability exercises, such as mock recalls, to just seconds,” states Mr. Keogh.

Heat and Control AirFry System Heat and Control®, a world-leading equipment manufacturer and long-term partner with process prepared foods industry, brings together technologies to introduce the AirFry System to create lower oil content food products. The popularity of air frying has continued to grow over the last decade and brands are looking to take advantage of new product opportunities in the market. The AirFry System creates air fried/oven fried products with taste, texture, and appearance like fried foods without using traditional (submersion) frying methods. The AirFry System provides a continuous means to produce a “fried-like” product by applying a controlled volume of topical oil, followed by pressurised high velocity cooking atmosphere from an impingement oven. The system utilises highly accurate Spray Dynamics® Oil

iMonitor Ltd, a privately owned New Zealand company, develops cloud-based smart manufacturing solutions for leading food and pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide. iMonitor’s manufacturing platform offers manufacturers full visibility and control of their quality and production processes to make data-driven decisions and drive process improvements.

application equipment which ensures complete and uniform coverage of the product while keeping oil use to a minimum. Pairing with Heat and Control’s AirForce® Impingement Oven with its highly uniform airflow and high levels of process parameter adjustment, ensures the most uniform and fastest air fry time in the industry. The AirFry System works with standard batter and breading application systems. Customers have the option for a complete, new system installed, or existing impingement oven owners can retrofit a spray applicator system with minimal investment. “Heat and Control wanted to assist our customers in producing a high-quality product with fried characteristics without using the traditional submersion frying system,” said Doug Kozenski, Processing Industry Manager at Heat and Control. “We have been working closely with the industry to develop innovative ways to adapt to consumer trends demanding low oil content.”

Newsbites

Shelf-life of foods Geoff Webster, Consultant, foodinc.

Clients often ask me about shelf-life, particularly in chilled or ambient, short-shelf life products. The two main requirements are extending the shelf life, and knowing what “use by” or “best before“ date to put on the label. The shelf-life of a food depends on a complex, interlinked set of factors. •

pH: Many pathogens can be controlled by pH in a short-shelf life food. Water Activity: Products are protected by high solids (especially sugar) and low moisture available for growth of microorganisms. Jams and syrups are more stable if they have a brix level over 70°. Dehydration will preserve a food and may be suitable in some applications.

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Chemical Preservatives: A cost-effective and reliable way of extending shelf life.

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Heat: Processes to improve shelf life are often based on heating – applying a combination of temperature and holding time to reduce microbes to a safe and stable level, such as pasteurisation or sterilisation (UHT) or canning. Heating can cause undesirable taste, aroma, texture or colour changes, so this needs to be appropriate to the product.

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Storage temperature: Freezing or refrigeration. Both require management of the supply chain to ensure temperature cycling in transit doesn't cause deterioration.

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A hygienic processing environment and appropriate packaging are essential for optimal shelf life.

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Appropriate packaging is important.

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Recent technologies such as high pressure processing, UV light treatment and gamma irradiation are also available.

Many short-shelf life foods are kept safe by a combination of these factors, so called "hurdles technology" relying on a combination of technologies to inhibit microbial growth. (See the article on page 24) Shelf life assessment is carried out using incubators and regular checks to determine a best-before or use-by date. Microbiological testing by an external lab is essential if a use-by date is required.

foodinc is a group of independent food technology consultants, each a senior, highly respected expert in their own right. foodinc's experts can assist you with all your food industry projects. Our skills and experience can help you in many areas of food product development, quality systems management, production, packaging and marketing. Visit www.foodinc.co.nz for more information.

April/May 2022

Oils & Fats

Oils and Fats Update Laurence Eyres FNZIFST

Tribute to Dr Albert J. Dijkstra Albert sadly passed away at his home in Belgium on March 15, 2022. He was born in Rotterdam in 1939 and he gained his doctorate at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden in 1965. He worked in Research & Development for most of his career including almost 20 years with the Vandemoortele Group where he was involved in oil milling, refining, and modification. I had the good fortune to visit and spend an enjoyable day with him at his home in France with his English-born wife Liz. We viewed his walnut trees and tasted his cold-pressed walnut oil. As well as being an original thinker for the science of lipid processing, Albert was also a craftsman of ability, and we were amazed at his woodworking and embroidery skills. His contributions and achievements to the oils and fats industry are indicated by the awards he has received including awards from AOCS as follows. The Alton E. Bailey Award, PRO Division Distinguished Service Award, the Stephen S. Chang Award and the Timothy L Mounts Award. In addition, he was named an AOCS Fellow in 2010 and Emeritus member in 2020. He was the original innovator behind Inform connect. He wrote the processing chapters in The Lipid Handbook, 3rd Edition (2007), and his book, Edible Oil Processing from a Patent Perspective, is available through Amazon. The bulk of this book dissects the processes and applicable patents and provides a unique perspective into the industry particularly post-1990. He was also a co-author on the book Trans-Fatty Acids. (AOCS, 2008) His work on enzymatic degumming is at the foundation of all scientific and practical approaches to this essential process in the industry. He has around a dozen patents covering various technical areas to his name. Just for something different, he translated the original magnus opus on oils and fats by Chevreul (1823). Chevreul’s fame as a lipid chemist culminated in 1823 with the publication of his research on animal fats in which he unravelled the nature of the saponification reaction and demonstrated that fats and oils are esters of fatty acids and glycerol. A brilliant man of many talents, with an original wit and humour. He will be sadly missed by his family and the global oils and fats community.

Avocado powder (Ovavo) There is a new kid on the block in the functional fat/ingredient space. Freeze dried avocado powder has just been launched in New Zealand. Containing around 70% oil. The balance being fibre, carbohydrate, and protein, it is a versatile consistent ingredient for use in a multitude of food products. New Nutrition Business has written a whole article about it and Plant & Food and Massey have had input into the technology and nutrition of the product. Samples for development are available from company. Invita is marketing this product in New Zealand. 10

Highly respected fats chemist, Albert Dijkstra

Northland Olive Oil At Olivetti ‘s recent AGM a lovely candlestick from an olive tree was presented to the retiring Judge. These days of lovely quality Extra Virgin olive oils are a far cry from the early days of the industry, with nearly all producers having excellent oils most of whom receive a medal at the annual judging.

Lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health Relevant for this reviewer who has had a cataract removed and has macular degeneration. Very common for over 65 years. Certain xanthophyll (oxygen-containing) carotenoids are highly concentrated in the light-exposed structures in plants and in the human retina. These carotenoids include lutein (L), its structural isomer zeaxanthin (Z), and meso-zeaxanthin (meso-Z), a lutein metabolite and zeaxanthin stereoisomer. L and Z are widely distributed in nature and are common in plants. Animals do not synthesize carotenoids. In primates, dietary L and its isomers are selectively concentrated in the visual system (eye and brain) over other carotenoids in the blood, comprising 80% to 90% of carotenoids in human eyes and most carotenoids in the brain. They are the exclusive carotenoids in the neural retina and lens. A minimum concentration of lutein/zeaxanthin intake is associated with a statistically significant and/or clinically important change in macular pigment optical density (MPOD) among adults with healthy eyes. Two reviewers screened results to identify studies that evaluated supplements or dietary sources of lutein/zeaxanthin on MPOD among

Oils & Fats

adults with healthy eyes. One reviewer extracted data and assessed strength of evidence, which was confirmed by a second reviewer. Two independent reviewers assessed the risk of bias. There was no statistically significant change in MPOD among studies evaluating <5 mg/d of total lutein/zeaxanthin intake. Among studies evaluating >= 20 mg/d of lutein/zeaxanthin for 3-12 months, MPOD increased with lutein/zeaxanthin intake, particularly at higher doses, among adults with healthy eyes.

Monounsaturated avocado and olive oils increase bioavailability of carotenoids Bioavailability is defined as “the fraction of an ingested nutrient that is available for utilisation in normal physiological functions or for storage.” Available studies on carotenoid bioavailability are based on the measurement of their levels in serum or plasma. Dietary components were reported to affect the rate of carotenoids absorption. On digestion, carotenoids are incorporated into the lipid phase and then are emulsified into small droplets. The nature and amount of lipids in the diet affect the emulsification, secretion of bile salts and formation of mixed micelles, all of which are currently important subjects to understand the carotenoids bioavailability. Specific lipids, vegetable oils and their fatty acid moiety have been shown to affect the mixed micelles formation that positively influences the absorption of carotenoids. Oleic acid micelles and olive oil (oleic acid, C18:1) enhance the intestinal accessibility of carotenoids more than linoleic acid micelles or vegetables oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

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Extra virgin olive oil’s high economic value and acclaim as a healthy product have made it a popular target of fraud, researchers from several European universities and institutions said in a joint review.

The researchers gathered data from the Joint Research Center (JRC), the internal scientific service of the European Commission, and several food fraud databases, such as the E.U's RASFF system. They also sent surveys to professionals and other members of the olive oil sector.

Six related to the dilution of olive oils with other oils or inferior grades.

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One case involved theft.

Twenty of the 32 cases occurred in Europe. The most common infringement practices were marketing virgin olive oil as extra virgin and selling blended olive and vegetable oils as pure olive oil. In countries outside of the E.U., olive oil fraud usually included dilution and substitution of oils. Professor Selina Wang of UC Davis has published papers on fraudulent olive oil and avocado oil in the USA.. This was done on collaboration with Dr. Rod Mailer of Australia who is a member of the Oils and Fats group and a significant voice in the Olive Oil scene in Australasia. See Also: Dr. Gundry’s Olive Oil: Controversial Pitchman Peddles a Dose of Deception https://news.bftv.ucdavis.eduwork http://cms.herbalgram.org/BAP/pdf/BAPP-BABs-OliveOil-CC20new012020-FINAL.pdf http://herbalgram.org/media/15749/bapp-lgds-oliveoil-032021final-v12.pdf

New AOCS books Processing Contaminants in Edible Oils, MCPD and Glycidyl Esters 2nd Edition, January 25, 2022, Editors: Shaun MacMahon, Jessica Beekman. Awaiting a review. High Oleic Oils, Edited by Frank Flider, November 2021, ISBN 9780128229125, List $200, AOCS Member $140

Food Oil Fraud

The level of attention in terms of conformity checks have improved the quality of the olive oil sold in the market in the last 30 years.

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New frontiers for lipids in food Wed 27 April 2022 Time: 12pm (AEST) 2pm NZ ATTEND WEBINAR

Speakers

Between September 2016 and December 2019, the JRC recorded 32 cases of fraud in the global olive oil industry. •

Sixteen of the cases involved the substitution of olive oil with other oils.

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Eleven cases concerned the mislabelling of olive oils.

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Four cases involved the false use of a geographical indicator.

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Five cases concerned the distribution of counterfeit products.

Dr James Petrie

CEO Nourish Ingredients Title of Talk : Nourish: Building animal-free mimetic lipids via fermentation

Dr Georgina Dowd

Plant and Food Research, NZ Title of Talk : Fish in a Dish: Cellular Agriculture of Seafood

April/May 2022

Sliding On

Sliding on Big fleas have little fleas …

Professor John D Brooks, FNZIFST John Brooks' view of the food world through the lens of a microbiologist.

In my last column, I wrote about the over-use of antibiotics in food production, mainly at the agricultural end of the food chain. This time, I’m going to look at viruses. Specifically, I’m writing about bacteriophages (phages), – viruses that infect bacteria. They were first discovered by Frederick William Twort, FRS, in 1915 in England (1) and independently by Felix d’Hérelle (1917) in France (2), though neither was able to describe them, other than to show that the addition of bacteria-free filtrates of sewage could clear broth cultures of intestinal bacteria. Indeed, it was observed in 1896 that waters of the Ganges and Jumna Rivers had antibacterial action against Vibrio cholerae. The bacteriophage attaches to the cell wall of the bacterium, the DNA the phage enters the cell, whereupon the host DNA is broken down and the phage DNA takes control of all the host metabolic processes. Bacteriophages are ubiquitous and it is thought that every species of bacterium is affected by phages. They are extremely diverse in form and genomic organisation, but are very species-specific. Phages can be divided into two broad categories. Lytic phages take over the cell synthetic apparatus to produce more phage components and assemble the viruses, which are then released into the medium to infect new hosts. Lysogenic (or temperate) phages incorporate their nucleic acid into the host chromosome and are replicated along with the host cell, The host cell is not damaged, though other genes may be introduced, such as the shigatoxin genes, which are considered to be part of the genome of lambdoid phages. The lysogenic phage may respond to some environmental stimulus and revert to the lytic cycle. The most extensively studied phages are probably those infecting Escherichia coli and these are the familiar T phages that resemble the lunar lander. I have often wondered how something so beautifully adapted could arise by chance. Phage therapy has been used since the early 1900s, particularly in the Soviet Union, Poland and France, for the treatment of resistant infections of humans. The phages are inherently non-toxic, consisting mostly of nucleic acid and proteins, and will kill bacteria that have developed resistance to chemical antibiotics. By the same token, it would be possible to kill off contaminating bacteria from the surface or interior of foods during production, packaging, transport and storage by treating the food with appropriate phages. Because of their specificity, it is theoretically possible to target particular spoilage or pathogenic bacteria. Consumers are now much less tolerant of chemical additives in foods, particularly in organic fresh produce, so it is rather surprising that phages have not been used more extensively to reduce bacterial contamination on foods. 12

A review published by the Food-borne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG), quoted by Moye et al. (4), approximated that 600 million food-borne infections occurred in 2010, resulting in over 400,000 deaths. Of the top five microorganisms causing food-borne illness, four were bacteria: Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., nontyphoid Salmonella enterica, and Shigella spp., though other species cause significant food poisoning, such as Salmonella enteritidis. Of course, if a number of different pathogens or strains are present in the food, a cocktail of phages will be necessary for control. An interesting observation is that phage preparations can also be used to reduce or eliminate bacterial biofilms on processing plant. A search of the literature reveals many papers on bacteriophage (3), but only a small proportion deal with their application to food preservation and safety. A number of commercial preparations have been approved for use in various countries to reduce the risk of food contamination by pathogenic bacteria. An advantage of phage preparations is that they are considered Kosher, Hal Alal, Organic Materials Review Institute approved, and approved for use in organic foods in Europe (SKAL). A recent paper in Virology Journal also reviews the use of phage preparations in intensive animal rearing (5). In view of the current pandemic, it might not be appropriate to attempt to introduce the New Zealand consumer to the concept of using virus particles in food production right now, but the rise of antibiotic resistant strains and the costs of developing new antibiotics suggest to me that we will see greater use of bacteriophages in the near future. The image is an electron microscope photograph of T4 Bacteriophage infecting E. Coli. J. Broek, Biozentrum, University of Basel. (1). F.W.Twort. (1915) An investigation on the nature of ultramicroscopic viruses. The Lancet, 186, (4814), 1241-1243. (2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Félix_d%27Hérelle (3). Węgrzyn A, Węgrzyn G. Bacteriophages: 100 years of the history of studies on model viruses in molecular biology. Edorium J Mol Biol 2015;1:6–9. (4) Zachary D. Moye *, Joelle Woolston and Alexander Sulakvelidze https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24651589_Bacteriophage_ Applications_for_Food_Production_and_Processing/fulltext/5ad9ed3 a458515c60f5ac1bb/Bacteriophage-Applications-for-Food-Productionand-Processing.pdf?origin=publication_detail (5). Gigante and Atterbury (2019) Veterinary use of bacteriophage therapy in intensively-reared livestock. Virology Journal 16:155

Overview

Overview: Ingredients With clean label come plant based solutions for colours, flavours and alternative proteins. We have gathered submissions from many of the world's leading food ingredient houses to support your new product development.

About ADM At ADM we unlock the power of nature to provide access to nutrition worldwide, with industry-advancing innovations and a complete portfolio of ingredients and solutions to meet any taste, plus an unwavering commitment to sustainability. We know ingredients inside and out. Our extensive portfolio of ingredients for food and beverage as well as health and wellness products is just one measure of our commitment to provide the best possible solutions for consumer-winning applications. Need to have a simpler label? Reduce sugar? Enhance nutrition? Add plant-based proteins? Our pantry of solutions is ready, with tried-and-true ingredients from flavours, colours and extracts, to industry-leading sweetening solutions, a variety of plant-based proteins, functional health ingredients and more. We maintain a consumer-centric view of the emerging trends, and continue to expand our portfolio with new, on-trend ingredients and market-leading technical capabilities to ensure we continue delivering future-forward innovation. Our deep understanding of consumer behaviour inspires our commitment and the technical ingenuity necessary to find the right solution to give customers an edge in solving the nutritional challenges of today and tomorrow. We love nothing more than putting on our thinking caps to help solve customers’ most daunting challenges using our entire pantry of ingredient solutions – no matter what your application or functional requirements. ADM ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) have offices in both Australia and New Zealand, and welcome our customers to the Customer Innovation Centre in Sydney, offering a collaborative and interactive approach to successful innovation. Learn more at www.adm.com

Arla Foods Ingredients expands its organic offering Arla Foods Ingredients has further strengthened its credentials in the organic sector, with a range of concepts for organic food. Despite global GDP decline, organic food sales grew in 2020, and the growth rate for organic packaged food was the highest among all health categories. Arla Foods Ingredients offers a range of organic products for food, including organic versions of its Nutrilac® range of functional protein solutions. It has now launched new concepts that demonstrate their potential in different applications and different regions. They include Cast cheese: a natural and simple way of cheese making aimed at the growing Chinese cheese market. The process, which can be used to simulate cheese types such as cheddar and gouda, enables the production of both finished or semi-finished products. Moreover, an organic, convenient and nutritious RTD has been developed. It has been designed to appeal to health-conscious consumers and is expected to be attractive for regions such as the European and MENA markets. The key attributes of this RTD are its high protein and calcium content, together with a mild and milky taste, and pleasant drinkable viscosity. Barbara Jensen, Sales Development Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Demand for organic is high across the world, but interpretations of what it means can vary significantly. In China, for example, organic has powerful associations with health and food safety. In other markets, it’s more about values like sustainability. Our ingredients can help manufacturers to create organic products that appeal to consumers in their target regions, while at the same time delivering functional benefits.”

About Arla Foods Ingredients Arla Foods Ingredients is a global leader in value-added whey solutions.

April/May 2022

Overview Caldic Caldic is your leading solutions provider for all things natural, sustainable, and healthy – we offer a wide range of products to fit the latest trends. Do you need vegan solutions such as clean tasting proteins, sustainable functional fibres, protein crisps, natural cheese, beef and chicken flavours or natural antimicrobials? Are you looking to get more aeration in your ice cream or protein bar and want to trial our Non-GMO Canola protein or hydrolysed pea, soy, and milk proteins? Or perhaps you are after unique and natural ingredients for emulsification and egg replacement like our flaxseed powder, or a carrot fibre that binds 26x its weight in water with no high shear mixing required. Maybe you need our BC30 probiotic, Wellmune, or elderberry extract to support immune health, or unique dairy ingredients from lactoferrin through to goat and sheep milk specialties. You could be looking for natural and stable colour solutions for replacing Carmine or artificial colour, or want an alternative to annatto in cheese manufacture that won’t discolour your whey. Are you interested in organic and tummy friendly prebiotics to improve gut health for your next launch? Whatever your innovative concept may be, our team of food technologists are here to help you achieve your target. We can offer testing and natural solutions for shelf-life improvement particularly in relation to oxidation, and technical support on a wide range of ingredient and processing challenges. Our Caldic network throughout 21 countries ensures that we can find the most unique and effective ingredients to bring to New Zealand manufacturers.

Chemiplas (NZ) Ltd NPD concepts and development can be challenging for food technologists sometimes. We get that! So, we have put together an online resource to make sourcing ideas, concepts, ingredients much easier. It’s a website that was made for you. Every month we use it to post information on trending ingredients. Did you know: •

Camel milk is more nutritionally like human breast milk than any other dairy milk?

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Sprouted black rice powder is a superfood that can help to fight inflammation in your body?

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Co-enzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant that naturally occurs in the human body?

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There are nine essential amino acids?

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Recent research has highlighted the unacceptably high salt content of sauces sold in New Zealand?

You may even just be wondering how to incorporate different proteins into development work. Or why algal calcium has improved bioavailability over alternative sources? With the search function visible on every page, you can very easily find whatever you are looking for. Use keywords like stress, immunity, diabetes, or be product specific – like whey, salt reduction, protein – or even search registered brands like Epicor® and Creapure®. Search results will appear, along with any products or articles relating to your search. Our in-house nutritionists, scientists and food technologists have published answers to the above questions in articles on the website. You can also use it to get in touch with specific questions and help with your formulations. Visit nutrition.chemiplas.co.nz

Camel milk is more nutritionally like human breast milk than any other dairy milk

Overview Beneo Functional ingredients for Healthy Ageing concepts Today’s health-conscious over-50s want to be the best version of themselves in every life-stage, and it is becoming obvious that managing a person’s blood glucose levels is a key way to support longterm health. In order to promote healthy ageing through blood sugar management, the right choice of carbohydrates is vital. For food manufacturers, this means selecting ingredients that can deliver a lower glycaemic profile. Beneo’s Palatinose™ (isomaltulose), for instance, is a slow-release carbohydrate unique in its ability to deliver a lower rise in blood glucose, while supplying full carbohydrate energy. Its slow uptake results in a low and balanced blood glucose response, making it an ideal ingredient to support blood sugar management. Another solution is Beneo’s Isomalt – a naturally sourced sugar replacer that provides half the calories of sugar alongside a near-negligible effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Additionally, chicory root fibres like BENEO’s Orafti® Inulin and Oligofructose contribute to a low glycaemic diet by replacing available carbohydrates and enriching the food with dietary fibres. Studies also show that prebiotic chicory root fibre supports blood sugar management. With these functional ingredients available, manufacturers can further their efforts to reformulate, while fulfilling the growing importance of ageing healthily.

April/May 2022

Overview Functional Whole Foods (NZ Limited) Functional Whole Foods (NZ) Limited specialises in high quality organic and conventional plant based functional food products. We have been producing omega rich oils and flours for over 30 years. Available for both the consumer and food service industry, we pride ourselves on high quality products that fulfil their nutritional function without compromise. These include cold pressed flax, hemp, chia, pumpkin and blackcurrant seed oils along with defatted flax seed flour, chia seed, pumpkin seed flour and coconut flour, flax seed fibre LSA (with sunflower seeds and almonds). Our flours are high quality functional food ingredients that lend themselves well to many applications. As well as improving the nutritional profile of foods, our flours also offer numerous benefits to the food industry: •

Add texture and volume

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Improve machinability by reducing dough stickiness in biscuits

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Reduce the need for fats because, for example, flax flour contains 16.6% fat (the ‘good’ fat), reducing the need for additional fats when incorporated into other products

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Increase shelf-life as flax flour binds extremely well with water, which improves the keeping quality of goods and reduces the crumbliness of gluten-free baked goods

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Can act as egg replacement in some baked goods

The flours have many potential applications in the food industry:

IFF: Feed with Purpose 2022 is a year of major transformation for the food industry, where changing consumer preferences and the emergence of new technologies play pivotal roles in food and beverage innovations. For example, the awareness of climate change and the impact of food on the environment is fuelling the “Reducetarian/Flexitarian” movement. In addition, the need for convenience and hyper personalisation is growing and is visible in our changing food delivery system and through the uptake of personalised meal plans. Our newly combined Taste, Food and Beverage division, Nourish, combines innovation, agility and leading-edge insights to meet ever evolving consumer needs. We are well-positioned to provide solutions to our customers utilising IFF’s best-in-class talent, industry leading technology and innovation. Whether a detox hybrid drink or a plantbased burger patty, we can provide the correct viscosity, flavour, texture, and function to food and beverages loved by consumers through the most extensive portfolio in the industry. Here at IFF, we're united by one common goal: To apply science and creativity for a better world. IFF Nourish Division will continue collaborating with our customers to "Do More Good" for our people, consumers, and communities. For ourselves, we will keep practicing our "Feed with Purpose" commitment and work together with our partners to facilitate complete product designs that meet the desires of the evolving consumer market 16

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Added to baked products, cereals, granola and pasta

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Mixed with powdered drinks and energy bars

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Used as an egg replacement in vegan foods

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A binder for butchery products

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A thickener for soups

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Rolls, bagels, breads, muffins

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Dry mix for pancakes, waffles, muffins

Overview

Hawkins Watts "Let's create better food solutions, together." At Hawkins Watts, we deliver speciality ingredients supported by industry expertise and experience, enabling our partners to create innovative food and beverage solutions. Our founder, Peter Hawkins, started Hawkins Watts back in 1992 with the ambition to provide quality speciality ingredients combined with expertise and creativity that would help our partners to deliver market winning food and beverage solutions. Now, thirty years on, you'll find our speciality ingredients and formulation solutions in many of New Zealand's most popular and innovative products. Hawkins Watts continues to be a proud family business that values people and genuine relationships more than anything. With 30 knowledgeable food technologists on staff and multiple

R&D laboratories in New Zealand and Australia, we can provide technical support and R&D services, including concept and product development. We also offer manufacturing and process optimisation, blending and customisation, market trends and culinary inspiration, and have extensive supply chain capabilities. We have leading industry expertise in texture, nutrients, colours and flavour ingredients and application experience. Offering over 1,000 products in our range, sourced from leading global ingredients manufacturers to innovative New Zealand companies. Our Supply Partners are incredibly important to us, and we maintain strong relationships to ensure we have an endless supply of the ingredients you need. So if you're working for a food or beverage manufacturer, who is after ingredients or simply after some advice, we'd love to hear from you! Talk soon.

April/May 2022

Overview

The next level of organic colours from GNT Made from fully organic fruit, vegetables, and plants, GNT’s EXBERRY® Organics can deliver vibrant, clean-label colours in almost any food and drink application. Organic products are seeing increased interest as shoppers seek out natural, healthy, and sustainable food and drink options. The Ministry for Primary Industries’ ‘Grown by Nature’ report, published in 2020, showed that New Zealand is among the top 10 countries globally for Google searches on ‘organic food.’ In addition, it found that the nation’s shoppers are willing to pay a premium for organic goods. However, consumers might expect that organic products look less appetising than non-organic alternatives. In fact, the report found that 4% of New Zealanders consider appearance to be the biggest barrier to making organic purchases. While these attitudes are changing rapidly,

GoodMills Innovation GoodMills Innovation has created a range of VITATEX® plant textures which can be used to authentically replicate various meat concepts on the same machines used to produce both meat and meat-alternative products. From a sensory point of view, VITATEX® products impress with their meaty, fibrous texture and, from a nutritional point of view, with their high protein content. Jutta Schock, Head of Marketing at GoodMills Innovation: "Texture is the key to an authentic meat alternative and a decisive factor in whether a product is a hit or miss with the end consumer – if the texture is not right, the decision is made. The product will not be perceived as authentic and will certainly not end up in the shopping cart next time. So no compromises should be made here." About GoodMills Innovation GmbH GoodMills Innovation develops clean-label ingredients based on cereals and pulses for versatile applications in the food, baking, snack and nutraceutical industries, as well as artisanal bakeries. The aim is always to combine maximum enjoyment with one or more additional benefits: consumer health (selected dietary fibres and an improved Nutri-Score), a futureproof planet (meat substitutes) or more economical production (by actively exploiting potential savings).

attractive colours are essential to ensure organic products have strong shelf appeal. GNT offers the ideal solution with its EXBERRY® Coloring Foods that are based on the straightforward concept of colouring food with food. These plant-based concentrates are created from edible crops such as carrots, blueberries and spirulina using traditional physical processing methods including chopping and boiling. This means that, in addition to their organic certification, they qualify for cleaner and clearer label declarations. They are described on the ingredient list as “colouring food (concentrate of carrot and blackcurrant)” or simply “concentrates (carrot and blackcurrant).” With the organic trend gathering pace, EXBERRY® concentrates are perfectly placed to help brands maximize products’ visual appeal – without having to compromise on the ingredient list.

Overview Invita New Zealand What do your ingredients say about you? New Zealand’s food and beverage industry is taking on an immense challenge. Sustainability is a multifaceted issue where the small changes we implement now will make a remarkable difference in years to come. Did you know that many ingredient manufacturers already produce sustainable products? Perhaps you are one of the forward-thinking technologists who is familiar with these offerings or are ready to learn more. Attention to environmental impact underpins the values of leading producers who have received global recognition for their efforts. Driven by science-based targets, Firmenich (flavours and fragrance) is one of only two companies in the world to achieve a CDP Triple A rating for climate, water and forests for the third consecutive year. In the long run, sustainability is the best way to operate successfully, an attitude firmly anchored in the daily functions of BENEO, where integrated considerations of economic, ecological and social benefits form the basis for decision-making, ensuring efficient usage of raw materials, encouraging biodiversity and reducing water pollution and soil erosion. Rainforest Alliance certification, a programme supported by Cargill Gerkens® Cocoa Powder, is gaining awareness among consumers who look for the seal conveying your sustainability awareness. Conserving the natural biodiversity of our oceans is underway with the partnership of DSM and Evonik to create Veramaris® algal oil for animal nutrition. Cultivated and refined in a waste-free way without use of marine resources, Veramaris® algal oil is a breakthrough innovation. Further sustaining our water resource is the OVĀVO avocado orchard in the northernmost tip of New Zealand, where freeze-dried avocado powder is made by means of self-replenishing water aquifers along with use of process-grade fruit to reduce food waste. At Invita we pride ourselves in sourcing ingredients from reputable suppliers whose values align with our own. We have worked with many of them for over 25 years, proactively collaborating on ways to minimise our impact to the environment. To address our social responsibilities as a business, Invita has been a member of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) since 2016. The SBN supports our mission to supply food and beverage companies across ANZ with high quality ingredients from reputable and sustainable suppliers. Join us in working towards a sustainable future. Invita New Zealand. Global Reach, Local Delivery.

Kerry Proactive health concerns are at the forefront of purchasing decisions across all generations, according to Kerry. Kerry research shows that consumers in all age groups are interested in food and beverages with functional benefits – with demand for immune support, joint health and digestive health particularly high. The insights are contained in the company’s new eBook, ‘Functional Health Benefits for Every Generation’, which highlights growing proactivity around nutrition and the expansion in markets for products targeting specific life stages and other demographic categories, such as gender. It explores the needs of three groups in particular: •

Millennial parents: Millennials, who are now parents to around half of children in the US, are particularly likely to carry out extensive research ahead of purchases.

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Young actives: Focus areas for Generation Z consumers and younger millennials include athletic performance, education and work. They have a holistic approach to wellness and are interested in benefits such as improved sleep.

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Older adults: As consumers enter their 40s and 50s their focus shifts, with greater emphasis on physical and cognitive health.

The research also found that demographic factors affect demand for benefits in particular applications. For example, for consumers in the older millennial category and upwards, tea and coffee are popular platforms for immune support. The eBook also highlights the range of value that Kerry offers its customers through collaborative go-to-market support. This includes proprietary market insights, access to a team of more than 1000 scientists, nutritionists, product formulation experts and marketers around the world. It features case studies where partners have formulated with ingredients from the ProActive Health portfolio to create innovative functional products.

April/May 2022

NZFSSRC

Should food and recycled packaging go together? This article has been written exclusively for FoodNZ magazine by the NZ Food Safety Science and Research Centre

Acting Director of NZFSSRC, Professor Phil Bremer

Eco-toxicologist at the Cawthron Institute and the University of Auckland, Dr Louis Tremblay

The urgent shift to a so-called circular economy, which does away with waste, presents many opportunities and challenges for the food industry. We know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s hard and it’s complicated. The NZ Food Safety Science and Research Centre (NZFSSRC) is fast trying to get to grips with the food safety risks that may emerge from the use of recycled plastic and paper/cardboard packaging.

Pressure on the food industry Pressure is converging on the food industry from all sides to replace, at least in part, "virgin" packaging with recycled/sustainable alternatives. Global, national and local regulations and targets to reduce and recycle plastics have alarmingly tight timeframes. For example, Australia has set these ambitious targets which exporters to one of our biggest markets should heed: 20

Dr Tim Harwood, Deputy Director of the NZFSSRC

Dr Andrew Pearson, senior environmental consultant with Tonkin & Taylor and member of a WHO/FAO committee on food additives

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100% of packaging being reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025

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70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted by 2025

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50% of average recycled content included in packaging by 2025

UK and EU countries have different targets and timeframes, with the EU currently considering submissions on regulations which will facilitate the adoption of new and, at least initially, potentially unvalidated recycling technologies.1

Food safety vs protecting the environment? But are such targets feasible for the food industry, where the safety and integrity of product is all important? Is there a fundamental conflict between protecting human health and protecting the environment?

NZFSSRC

Recycled plastics for food carry unintended risks to human health from the carried-over chemicals likely to be present in the non-virgin raw material The NZFSSRC has a very effective and collegial industry advisory group representing the main food sectors. They initiated and co-funded, with government chipping in 40%, a research project to help New Zealand companies understand the safety implications of using recycled plastics, paper and cardboard. Acting Director of NZFSSRC, Professor Phil Bremer, Associate Professors Miranda Mirosa and Pat Silcock (University of Otago), and Professors Paul Kilmartin and Brent Young (University of Auckland), joined forces to cover different aspects.

What are the concerns about recycled packaging?

Bremer and Mirosa have been surveying the data, interviewing New Zealand companies about their particular needs, and mapping recyclable/reusable/compostable packaging alternatives and their suppliers, both here and overseas. Kilmartin and colleagues are meanwhile identifying the chemicals likely to be present in recycled packaging, assessing the potential for them to migrate onto food, and the attendant risks to human health. Silcock is studying packaging-food interactions which might taint the food, and reduce quality and shelf life. Their guidelines are due for release around the time this article appears, so watch out for their report on www.nzfssrc.org.nz if you are not already a member of the NZFSSRC. The next obvious step, says Bremer, is to home in on the risks for individual product categories and companies.

FSANZ has well-researched and managed regulations regarding additives in food packaging. The problem with virgin product is more about the environment than a food safety issue. Discarded, it ends up on land and at sea, or accumulates for near eternity in our landfills, gradually leaching additives into soil and water, which can then find their way into animals, including humans and fish. ESR is researching the impact of environmental microplastics. Single-use plastic now seems like unimaginable stupidity that will shock future generations.

An estimated 600 authorised additives are variously added to first generation plastic. Plasticisers, UV blockers, flame retardants, stabilisers, fragrances, biocides, antioxidants and colourants are used to design a myriad of useful products. In some cases, the additives account for over half the mass.

When plastics from a variety of unstreamed sources – a large fraction of it not food grade – are recycled, indeterminant levels of these additives remain, and further amounts of some must be added to ensure the desired functionality in the next generation of materials, depending on its use. April/May 2022

NZFSSRC

Of additional concern with recycled packaging are the other chemicals that may be present unintentionally (NIAS = non intentionally added substances) – picked up in the waste stream, from the environment, or previous use of the packaging. As well as not knowing what has got into the recycling mix, the risk to human health of many chemicals is unknown, and until it is, regulators will take a conservative approach when it comes to potential human toxicity. Unless removed, unwanted substances may persist, and even concentrate, in successive generations of recycling. As well as the challenges of finding safe, suitable and sustainable alternative forms of packaging, food and drink manufacturers have to navigate all the different regulations in countries we export to. Pushing back against the recycling imperatives are these measures: •

US and European regulations require the same level of safety for recycled as for virgin materials.

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FDA considers recycling processes for food contact containers on a case-by-case basis.

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Switzerland has banned the use of recycled paper and board in direct contact with food.

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In several EU member states the food packaging chain has been called on to take measures to reduce levels of mineral oil hydrocarbons in foodstuffs (these contaminants can get onto food from processing equipment, and are ubiquitous in the environment).

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In 2017, the European Commission issued a recommendation on the monitoring of mineral oil hydrocarbons in food and in materials and articles intended to come into contact with food.

Safety levels with chemicals are a hard sell, no matter how conservative. Consumers and regulators really don’t want any contaminants present at all. As improving technologies are able to detect chemicals at lower and lower concentrations, regulators and consumers may become increasingly risk averse. So, for example, even though the effects of BPAs, (bisphenol A), a widely used additive which gives backbone to plastics but can disrupt hormones in humans and other animals, has been exhaustively studied in the US, and shown to be well under safety limits in packaging and food, consumer and media reaction was such that many manufacturers have removed it from their packaging, and used that as a selling point.

Persistent chemicals In a recent NZFSSRC webinar on emerging food contaminants, (Visit www.nzfssrc.org.nz/events to view) Dr Andrew Pearson, senior environmental consultant with Tonkin & Taylor and member of a WHO/FAO committee on food additives, focused on two groups of chemicals widely used in plastics, which are concerning because of their persistence in the environment and likely uptake by humans 22

and other animals. Their toxicity is as yet unknown, but it is generally agreed that anything that does not biodegrade and accumulates in the body, is not a good thing. All NZFSSRC webinars may be viewed at www.nzfssrc.org.nz One is a group of fluorinated compounds called PFAS for short, dubbed "forever chemicals". They have been used widely as moisture barriers – their dislike of water is their principal virtue – for example in pizza box interiors and microwave popcorn packets. The Ministry for the Environment led an "all of government response" to assess and deal with potential PFAS contamination of land and groundwater around the country.2 Fluorinated firefighting foams are a known source. The report said, “Testing at a number of sites has shown the presence of PFAS compounds above interim guidance levels adopted by the Ministry of Health. Government agencies and regional councils are working to fully understand the extent and possible impact of the problem.” However the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) advised that “there is no risk to the general food supply from produce grown on properties that have been sampled.” There are over 12,000 compounds in the PFAS family. They comprise a string of carbon atoms bonded to fluorine atoms, with a variety of other atoms and molecules added on one end, which confer their individual characteristics. The toughly bonded carbon-fluorine chains are virtually indestructible in the environment. Pearson says that although the long chain ones are being phased out and the UNEP Stockholm Convention has condemned several as POPs (persistent organic pollutant), the short chain ones are still widely in use and can be much more mobile in the environment. They have been reported in soil, compost, wastewater and food. Unless we start screening them out and incinerating them, they will remain and accumulate in the closed recycling loop. Pearson cited a Massey University survey which found them in 100% of its human subjects. A study of packaging in the US market found that one of the PFAS family, PFHxA, exists in 46% of food contact papers and cardboard. PFHxA was the only PFAS found in a 2018 MPI food survey. The smaller molecules, such as PFHxA, can more easily get into food crops via compost and water. As water security becomes more of an issue because of climate change, there will be incentives to use grey water for irrigation, and this may pose problems with chemicals (pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, washing detergents, agricultural chemicals) entering the food chain. Analytical chemist, Dr Tim Harwood, Deputy Director of the NZFSSRC, says sea creatures are at the mercy of whatever washes out of our rivers and streams so vigilance is needed to help protect our valuable seafood resources. Under an MBIE project to investigate emerging organic (meaning carbon-based) contaminants, eco-toxicologist at the Cawthron Institute and the University of Auckland, Dr Louis Tremblay, has been surveying the chemicals in water at two contrasting river sites – one in industrial Auckland, the other in Southland – traversing a mix of agricultural land,

NZFSSRC

light industry and residential areas. His team deployed devices along the rivers, designed to capture different types of chemical contaminants. The work included the exact identification of the chemicals and assessment of their toxicity to various marine biota. One method they used exposed successive generations of little creatures called copepods, to see how the chemicals affected gene expression over time. This brief explanation slides over some very advanced and ingenious chemical and biological analyses. For more detail, see the presentation at www.nzfssrc.org.nz/events. Tremblay says his ultimate goal is to reach a point where chemicals are better managed so eco-toxicologists are no longer needed. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, and his team, have just released a report about the effectiveness of current regulations to manage the fate of chemicals and whether there is sufficient information on the environmental consequences/risks. The report identified data gaps on the releases of chemical contaminants into the environment and suggested the introduction of a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) framework as a partial solution.3

Notes and links 1. https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Feb2022_ Open-Letter-Recycled-Plastics-in-Food-Packaging.pdf https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/ initiatives/12013-Food-safety-recycled-plastic-in-food-packagingupdated-rules-_en 2. https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/ areas-of-work/land/per-and-poly-fluoroalkyl-substances-pfas/ information/#what-is-the-risk-from-consuming-foods-from-affectedproperties 3. https://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/197185/regulating-theenvironmental-fate-of-chemicals.pdf 4.https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-plans-transformrecycling

Tremblay reports that BPA is one of the key plastic-derived contaminants in the water. Its presence may be negligible in our food, but it is commonly detected in our fresh and sea water where it could disrupt the fertility of fish. The second persistent organic pollutant Pearson drew attention to is another common plastic constituent, UV-328, which blocks damaging UV rays and accounts for up to 0.1 to 1.0% of its mass. It also accumulates in humans, fish, and seabirds, but its toxicity is currently unknown. Of course, the simple way to ensure that recycled packaging does not contaminate food, is to make sure it does not come into direct contact with it. The big plastics recycling plant in Seaview, Lower Hutt, sandwiches recycled plastics between virgin sheets, which become the inner and outer layers. They form the sheets into customised retail packs for berries, muffins, meat packs, and so on. Likewise, cardboard boxes can be lined, and papers waxed. But this limited use is going to make meeting the recycled content goals difficult.

Solutions will be found Pearson reminds us that recycling is just one approach on the journey to the top of the circular economy ladder, with effort also being put into reducing and reusing packaging. “It might seem like an impossible goal, but there’s a lot of clever thinking going into the science at NZFSSRC, Universities, and CRIs like Scion and Plant & Food. And the government is moving ahead with plans to standardise kerbside recycling, separate food and other biological waste from general waste and recycling, and start a return scheme on drink containers." 4 We all have to be positive, and just get on with it,” says Bremer. “I’m impressed with the ‘can do’ attitude in the industry.” April/May 2022

Scientific Review – Reprint

Something old, something new: Hurdle technology - a marriage of preservation techniques

L. McIntyre and J. A. Hudson, FNZIFST Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Ltd., Christchurch Science Centre

This paper was originally printed in 2009. Much of this information is still current and worth revisiting. A number of more recent advances are in food protection are foreshadowed and the extensive reference list shows the way for further research.

Figure 1: A realistic depiction of the hurdles faced by a microorganism in a food environment

Hurdle 1

Both Lynn McIntyre and John Hudson are now in the UK, still remembered by those who knew them. John is now Director of Jorvik Food and Environmental Microbiology, based in Yorkshire, and Lynn is a Senior Lecturer in Food Safety at Harper Adams University, in Newport, UK. This article is a review of food preservationusing techniques to inhibit microbial growth in foods.

Hurdle 2

Introduction The term hurdle technology was first coined by Leistner in 1978 to describe “the deliberate combination of existing and novel preservation techniques in order to establish a series of preservative factors (hurdles) that any microorganism present should not be able to overcome” [19]. Originally depicted as a hurdles race where microbes leapt energetically (or otherwise) over variously sized individual hurdles representing each factor, the concept is now considered more accurately as a wall composed of ‘hurdle bricks’ (Figure 1). The height of the wall (i.e. the food’s ability to inhibit microbial growth) is related to both the number of combined hurdles and their applied magnitude. Theoretically, applying more hurdles will produce a greater additive effect, but only if these hurdles have different modes of action capable of affecting, for example, microbial DNA, cell membranes and their ability to respond and adapt to environmental changes (termed homeostasis) [18]. Taking aim at multiple targets also improves the food’s capacity to control a more diverse range of different microbes. For a microbe to scale such a wall requires various physiological responses and modifications to occur which expend cellular energy [16]. Ideally therefore, a multiple-hurdle-preserved food will deplete this energy to cause ‘metabolic exhaustion’. Even under conditions where no growth can occur, the greater the energy needed for the cell to survive, the faster the rate of death among the pathogen population. 24

Hurdle 3

If initial microbial numbers are low, or sub-lethal injury has occurred as a result of a previous exposure or treatment, scaling this wall will be particularly difficult. If, on the other hand, high contamination levels are present, getting over the wall may be a slightly easier proposition. Whether genuinely synergistic relationships occur (as suggested by Leistner) to boost the additive effects of each hurdle is debatable. The growing list of potential hurdles that can be employed to preserve foods is summarised in Table 1. These are generally considered in three main groups - physical, physicochemical and microbial. Many, including heating, drying, salt and sugar addition, acidification, smoking, etc. have been used in food preservation for centuries but have typically been the major hurdle. It should of course be pointed out that producing a micro-biologically

Scientific Review – Reprint

Table 1: Examples of food-related hurdles (adapted from [19]) Hurdles

Examples

Physical

Thermal (high, low temperature) Non-thermal (e.g. irradiation, ultrahigh pressure, pulsed electric and magnetic fields, mano-thermo- sonication, etc.) Packaging (films, edible coatings, modified atmospheres, aseptic packaging.)

Physicochemical

Addition/alteration of: water activity (aw), pH, redox potential (Eh), salt, nitrites, nitrates, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, smoke, ethanol, acids, spices, herbs, essential oils, lysozyme, Maillard browning compounds, etc.

Microbial

Background microflora, protective cultures, bacteriophages, bacteriocins.

Table 2: Examples of the diversity of foods preserved by hurdle technology

stable food (i.e. where microbes are unable to proliferate) does not necessarily equate to a safe food. This will only occur when high quality (ideally pathogen-free) raw mate-rials are used, or alternatively when any contamination present is below the threshold for disease to occur which in practice may be difﬁcult to reliably achieve. Hurdles such as thermal and non-thermal processes capable of inactivating pathogens therefore play an important role in maintaining the safety of foods, particularly those of animal origin, and extending their shelf life. When applied in combination with other factors, often only suboptimal levels of a hurdle may be necessary to create the desired effect. This offers a number of advantages, particularly in terms of the development of "consumer-friendly" foods low in, for example, chemical preservatives, without radical changes in sensory characteristics. Additionally, eliminating the need for refrigeration or frozen storage and reducing the severity of thermal processes potentially offer the additional bonus of cost savings as a result of lower energy requirements [18]. This has been exploited in particular by developing countries in Asia in the manufacture of shelf-stable yet safe traditional meat products [3, 13]. While foods of animal origin have been the main focus of hurdle technology (and also in this review), a large variety of different food products has been developed based on this multifactorial preservation approach (Table 2). A couple of recent publications have made signiﬁcant contributions

Food

Hurdles employed

Grated fresh coconut

Refrigeration, sodium chloride, citric acid, sodium citrate, butylated hydroxyanisole

Shelf-stable seaweed

Pasteurisation, water activity, pH, potassium sorbate

Steamed bread (dumpling-like)

Water activity (glycerol), mild heat treatment, packaging

Tortellini

Water activity, mild heating, modified atmosphere packaging

Fruit

Mild heat treatment, pH, water activity, sorbate, sulphite

Shelf-stable guacamole

Acids, antimicrobials, antibrowning agents, vacuum packaging, high pressure, mild heat processing

Gnocchi

Sorbate, lactic/citric acids, temperature

Shelf-stable military bread

Water activity and pH

Canned peas

Heat treatment, pH and nisin

Fish

Superchilling (core -1.5 C), natural additives, modified atmosphere packaging, refrigeration

Pickled vegetables

Acetic acid, salt, heat treatment

to advancing the understanding of the mathematics behind hurdle technology. The gamma hypothesis suggests that the effects of different antimicrobial factors are independent and do not act in a synergistic fashion, and the authors' analysis of the data tends to support this [1]. While some publications report signiﬁcant statistical interactions, this paper cautions that statistical interactions may not be representative of biological interactions. Further experimental work is required to investigate this further. In the second paper evidence is presented to support the assertion that most of the inactivation occurring under growthpreventing conditions is determined by the temperature of incubation, as opposed to other factors such as pH and salt concentration [27]. These considerations are of importance to food safety as they indicate April/May 2022

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Table 3: Combinations of hurdles used to produce shelf-stable sausage products Product

Hurdles employed

Shelf life

F-SSP e.g. liver, blood, Bologna-type sausages

Heat treatment (F value>0.4) aw<0.96-0.97 pH <6.5 Eh low (air-tight casings)

At least 6 weeks

aw-SSP e.g. Italian Mortadella, German Brühdauerwurst

aw≤0.95 Eh low Heated to 72˚C internal temperature May be vacuum packed and repasteurised (45 min at 85˚C)

15 - 18 months

pH-SSP e.g. brawns (jelly sausages)

pH<5.2 (acetic acid) Heated to 72˚C -<80˚C internal temperature

6 days at 30˚C

Combi-SSP e.g. Brühwurst

aw≤0.965 pH <5.8 Heated to >72˚C internal temperature Vacuum packed and repasteurised (45-60 min at 82-85˚C)

6 days at 30˚C

that the primary drivers behind pathogen reductions in foods that rely on hurdles for their safety are time and temperature. It is suggested that other factors, such as pH, may be manipulated to prevent growth but they have little effect on the rate of inactivation.

Meat Products Shelf-stable salami-style sausages are probably the best recognised example of hurdle technology applied to the preservation of meats. Multiple hurdles are created during processing and ripening including the use of preservatives (salt, nitrites and nitrates), the addition of a competitive microflora (in the form of lactic acid bacteria cultures) which also lowers the pH (through the production of lactic acid) and the redox potential, and reduced water activity due to drying. Smoking may also be used in semi-dry sausage production, adding another hurdle. A fermented meat product manufactured in this way will be microbiologically stable when it has achieved both a pH value in the range of 4.6 - 5.3 and a water activity of <0.95 [10]. Alternatively, either reducing the pH to <4.5 or reducing aw to <0.91 can achieve a similar effect [26]. The use of organic acids such as lactic acid is common in hurdle technology. The acids serve to lower the pH, but they exert an additional effect. In low pH conditions, undissociated molecules form which can diffuse into the microbial cell. Once inside, the molecule dissociates in the neutral cytoplasm to form an acid which the cell must then deal with to prevent acidification. The cell thus has to expend energy pumping the acid out in a futile attempt to maintain its pH. Leistner’s research group was influential in the development of a range of German sausages termed “shelf stable products (SSP) storable without refrigeration” [17]. Four different approaches were developed, all of which focused on differing combinations of F (heat), aw, pH, Eh and packaging (Table 3). Since then, developments in preservation technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and the increased availability of bacteriocins and other novel antimicrobials have resulted in additional approaches to improving the safety of meat products. Researchers at IRTA in Spain have been particularly active in investigating the application of microbially-derived hurdles in combination with HHP to improve the safety and quality of low acid fermented sausage which lacks the pH hurdle.

In experiments to determine the effectiveness of enterocins A and B in combination with pressure processing, HHP and ripening (aw<0.94) was sufficient to reduce Salmonella levels to <1 log10 cfu g-1 in low acid sausage after 30 days of storage [11]. Listeria monocytogenes was controlled only by the presence of both hurdles, where populations were maintained below 1 log10 cfu g-1 under room temperature storage conditions, and progressively declined to similarly low levels at 7°C. However, due primarily to its greater resistance to HHP, Staphylococcus aureus maintained post-ripening levels of ~6 log10 cfu g-1 throughout storage, numbers sufficient to be a food safety concern. Employing a starter culture in conjunction with HHP was shown to reduce Enterobacteriaceae and enterococci significantly in low acid fermented sausage without impacting on other quality attributes [20]. HHP in combination with enterocins or lactate-diacetate has also been demonstrated to control L. monocytogenes on cooked ham [21]. The most effective set of hurdles employed (HHP, enterocins and storage at 1°C) reduced populations to 4 MPN g-1 after three months, despite a simulated cold chain break at day 60 which exposed samples to room temperature abuse for 24 h. Other successes of hurdle technology have included increasing the acceptable shelf life of keema, an Indian ground meat and spices product, at ambient storage temperature by up to four additional days [13]. Reduced water activity and pH adjustments, in combination with vacuum packaging, preservatives (ascorbic acid, sorbic acid and sodium nitrite) and partial frying were employed. Similarly at ambient storage temperature, shelf-stable intermediate moisture mutton kebabs have been developed using reduced water activity and vacuum packaging [12] which do not support the growth of S. aureus, Clostridium sporogenes and Bacillus cereus for up to three months [3]. Applying irradiation at a level of 2.5 kGy successfully reduced both S. aureus and B. cereus to undetectable levels within one month of storage, but even after a 10 kGy treatment, viable C. sporogenes were detectable at a level of 1.84 log10 cfu g-1 after three months.

Cheese Cheese is another fermented food that uses hurdle technology to prevent the growth of pathogens but, like salami, the use of hurdles was not applied by design but occurred by good fortune. Similarly to salami production, the key starter culture organisms concerned are the lactic acid bacteria which ferment sugar (lactose in the milk) to produce lactic acid, so lowering the pH (achieving pH 5.5-5.2 within 24 hours

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is desirable) and producing the bactericidal effects of undissociated fatty acids described above. Salt may be added at levels high enough to cause an inhibitory effect (for example 11.5% in the water phase for blue cheese [24]), and cheeses may be matured for long periods which, in some cases, results in an increase in the salt concentration through water loss by evaporation. The curd cooking temperature may also be high enough to bring about a thermal kill of pathogens (e.g. in cottage cheese [29]) and in some varieties, for example Mozzarella [14], there is a thermal step that is a very effective control of pathogen numbers. In most cheese, most of the time, pathogens present at the start of ripening either do not grow or gradually decrease in numbers during storage/ripening. Exceptions are those cheeses where there is a surface ripening, for example, Camembert. Here the fungus grows on the surface of the cheese and metabolises the lactic acid, so reducing its concentration and causing the pH to rise. For example, the pH of camembert may rise from 4.5 on the day of manufacture to 6.4 at day 50 [30], with the effect more pronounced at the surface compared to the core of the cheese [31]. These cheeses will allow the growth of pathogens such as L. monocytogenes because of this effect. Some cheeses do not rely on a lactic acid fermentation, for example whey cheeses, and so do not benefit from its preservative effect. Given the general rule of thumb that if vegetative bacterial cells are not growing, then they are dying, higher ripening temperatures can bring about faster rates of inactivation than those achieved at lower temperatures [15], although in practice this may not always occur [28]. This is reflected by US regulations concerning cheese made from thermised milk where a maturation period and minimum storage temperature are used [5]. If lactic acid bacteria which produce bacteriocins (e.g. pediocin and nisin) are used, the control of pathogens is increased when compared to the use of non-bacteriocin-producing strains [25], with between 1 (for S. aureus) and 3 (for L. monocytogenes) log10 differences being recorded. Other bacteria associated with cheese can also exert an inhibitory effect, for example the natural flora used to produce red smear cheese [6] where the activity may also be mediated, at least in part, by bacteriocin production. A novel addition to the hurdle controls available for cheese production is the use of bacteriophages [9, 22], and papers have now described the control of Salmonella [23], Staphylococcus [7] and L. monocytogenes [2]. A nice study of hurdle technology in cheese [32] looked at the manipulation of conditions needed to ensure that C. botulinum was unable to grow in cheese spread. They used data from 304 treatment combinations (lots) and varied the salt concentration, pH, aw and disodium phosphate concentration. Storage of the cheese was at 30˚C for 28 days. At water activity values <0.944 no toxin was produced, while when the water activity exceeded 0.957 all lots developed toxin. The authors were able to produce contour maps of moisture content plotted against the pH and total concentration of sodium phosphate and sodium chloride to show the boundary that delimited conditions where toxin was and was not produced. Thus, the model was predictive for conditions not included in the original study. Despite the many hurdles present in cheese manufacture, outbreaks of foodborne disease have been linked to its consumption. As a gross generalisation, pathogens are able to grow during cheese manufacture and may survive subsequent ripening and storage despite the fact that their numbers may decline under these conditions. Therefore the risks associated with cheese consumption depend on the concentration of the inoculum,

the amount of growth that might occur during manufacture and the change in numbers during ripening and storage. Obviously, the higher the concentration of pathogens in the cheese milk the greater the risk of disease when the cheese is consumed. There is little doubt that cheese made with raw milk is “riskier” than the equivalent cheese made with pasteurised milk.

Maori foods Many traditional foods (which would probably include cheese and salami) use hurdle technology in their preparation. Some traditional Maori foods are no different. Kanga Kopiro (fermented maize) is produced in a process whereby organic acids are elaborated [34]. More detailed studies have been made into the processes behind fermented Kina and Tiroi (preserved Puha) production [8]. The fermentation of Kina is unusual as the result is an increase in the pH of the food; we recorded in-creases in the pH in each of the preservation methods studied, although sometimes the increase was not large. This was ac-companied by an increase in organic acid contents under some conditions. With Tiroi, a reduction of pH could be measured in food produced by one of the methods tested, along with an increase in the lactic acid concentration. This food, therefore, appears to be produced by a process similar to that of Sauer-kraut and Kimchi.

Validation of Hurdle Technology-derived foods The ideal means of validating the ability of a set of hurdles in a given food to control foodborne pathogens is to carry out challenge testing. However, this can be a problem as using a pathogen in a processing plant is not wise (!). It may be possible to use a surrogate organism, for example L. innocua for L. monocytogenes, but even here it will be difﬁcult for food busi-nesses to carry out the test satisfactorily, and the surrogate itself would need to be validated to ensure that it behaved in the same way as the pathogen of interest. There would be considerable expense involved and the results would only be good for the range covered: if you changed a parameter outside of the original study it would need to de done again. Alternatively, it is possible that there is a paper in the literature that has examined exactly the same hurdles as those needing testing. One such paper, for example, examines the effects of water phase salt and phenolic compounds on the behaviour of L. monocytogenes in smoked salmon [4]. Another looks at the effects on Salmonella of oregano essential oil concentration, temperature and pH (adjusted with lemon juice) in Taramasalata [15]. Unfortunately it is unlikely that a study will be found that matches any particular set of hurdles, and most of these papers are focused on L. monocytogenes. Validation of a set of hurdles would, of course, need to consider all hazards relevant to the food in question. A more convenient place to start would be the use of predictive models. Some of these are available for free, for example there is a CD produced by Meat and Livestock Australia (Level 1, 165 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia) which predicts the growth of Escherichia coli in fermented meats. The input required is a time/temperature history of product manufacture and ripening. Other models exist, but these have generally been produced using sterile bacteriological broths and so may or may not match well inactivation in “real life”. The Pathogen Modeling Program (http://www.ars.usda.gov/Serv-ices/docs. April/May 2022

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htm?docid=6786) produced by the USDA contains many models to predict growth, but rather fewer that predict non-thermal inactivation. It does, however, contain a useful bibliography. ComBase (http:// ifrsvwwwdev.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/CombasePMP/GP/CBToolbox_About. aspx) has some growth models available, but few model inactivation. For the more adventurous, there are many published models available in the scientific literature, and many of those have been produced by our colleagues across the Tasman in Hobart. As an example a model has been produced which predicts whether L. monocytogenes can grow or not given certain parameters [33]. Many models are, again, based on broth systems and it is undoubtedly preferable to use models produced in food as they should cover parameters not explicitly accounted for by broth-based models, such as the effect of the natural microflora. While the use of models provides some useful guidance and should allow for hurdle parameters to be narrowed down in terms of controlling pathogens in new food formulations there is no substitute for challenge testing! Some guidelines on validation have been proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (www.codexalimentarius.net/download/ standards/11022/cxg_069e.pdf). This document includes the provision of some definitions, tasks that need to be done prior to validation, and the validation process itself. It also provides some examples, one of which is the validation of a process to meet a performance objective for Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (like E. coli O157:H7) in hard raw milk cheese. It will be apparent from this example that this is quite an involved process.

Conclusions Hurdle technology is a commonly used and widely proven technique which can offer a number of different solutions to the age old problems of food spoilage and safety. It is a particularly exciting area given recent advancements in non-thermal processing, packaging and the application of novel antimicrobials such as essential oils and bacteriophages which offer more ‘natural’ alternatives to existing traditional approaches. Developing new hurdle technology foods to cater for consumer needs is, however, not without its challenges and care must be taken to ensure that the hurdles being applied are both appropriate and of sufﬁcient vigour to ensure their safety, particularly for those stored at ambient temperatures. Validation of these hurdles is therefore a crucially important aspect of the product development process. Understanding the science behind the interaction of hurdles is gaining in momentum but more research is required to elucidate and quantify effects to further improve the usefulness of predictive models.

References 1. Bidlas, E., and R. J. W. Lambert. 2008. Quantiﬁcation of hurdles: Predicting the combination of effects-Interaction vs. non-interaction. International Journal of Food Microbiology 128:78-88. 2. Carlton, R. M., W. H. Noordman, B. Biswas, E. D. de Meester, and M. J. Loessner. 2005. Bacteriophage P100 for control of Listeria monocytogenes in foods: Genome sequence, bioinformatic analysis, oral toxicity study, and application. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 43:301-312. 3. Chawla, S.P., and Chandler, R. 2004. Microbiological safety of shelfstable meat products prepared by employing hurdle technology. Food Control 15: 559-563. 4. Cornu, M., A. Beaufort, S. Rudelle, L. Laloux, H. Bergis, N. Miconnet, T. Serot, and M. L. Delignette-Muller. 2006. Effect of temperature, 28

water-phase salt concentration and phenolic contents on Listeria monocytogenes growth rates on cold-smoked salmon and evaluation of secondary models. International Journal of Food Microbiology 106:159-168. 5. D’Amico, D. J., M. J. Druart, and C. W. Donnelly. 2008. 60-day aging requirement does not ensure safety of surface-mold-ripened cheeses manufactured from raw or pasteurized milk when Listeria monocytogenes is introduced as a postprocessing contaminant. Journal of Food Protection 71:1562-1571. 6. Eppert, I., N. Valdéz-Stauber, H. Götz, M. Busse, and S. Scherer. 1997. Growth reduction of Listeria spp. caused by unidentiﬁed industrial red smear cheese cultures and bacteriocins-producing Brevibacterium linens as evaluated in situ on soft cheese. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 63:4812-4817. 7. García, P., C. Madera, B. Martínez, and A. Rodríguez. 2007. Biocontrol of Staphylococcus aureus in curd manufacturing processes using bacteriophages. International Dairy Journal 17:1232-1239. 8. Hudson, J.A., Hasell, S., Whyte, R., and Monson, S. 2001. Preliminary microbiological investigation of the preparation of two traditional Maori foods (Kina and Tiroi). Journal of Applied Microbiology 91:814-821. 9. Hudson, J.A, Billington, C., Carey-Smith, G., and Greening, G. 2005. Bacteriophages as biocontrol agents in food. Journal of Food Protection 68: 426-437. 10. ICMSF. (1998) Micro-organisms in food. 6 Microbial ecology of food commodities. 1 Meat and meat products. VI Raw and comminuted meats. International Commission on Microbiological Speciﬁcations for Foods (ICMSF). Blackie Academic and Professional, London, UK. pp39-42. 11. Jofré, A, Aymerich, T., and Garriga, M. 2009. Improvement of the food safety of low acid fermented sausages by enterocins A and B and high pressure. Food Control 20:179-184. 12. Kannat, S.R., Chawla, S.P., Chander, R., and Bongirwar, D.R. 2002. Shelf-stable and safe intermediate moisture (IM) meat products using hurdle technology. Journal of Food Protection 65:1628-1631. 13. Karthikeyan, J., Kumar, S., Anjaneyulu, A.S.R., and Rao, K.H. 2000. Application of hurdle technology for the development of Caprine keema and its stability at ambient temperatures. Meat Science 54:9-15. 14. Kim, J., K. A. Schmidt, R. K. Phebus, and I. J. Jeon. 1998. Time and temperature of stretching as critical control points for Listeria monocytogenes during production of Mozzarella cheese. Journal of Food Protection 61:116-118. 15. Koutsoumanis, K., K. Lambropoulou, and G.-J. E. Nychas. 1999. A predictive model for the non-thermal inactivation of Salmonella enteritidis in a food model system supplemented with a natural antimicrobial. International Journal of Food Microbiology 49:63-74. 16. Lee, S-Y. 2004. Microbial Safety of Pickled Fruits and Vegetables and Hurdle Technology. Internet Journal of Food Safety 4:21-32. 17. Leistner, L. 1992. Food preservation by combined methods. Food Research International 25:151-158. 18. Leistner, L. 2002. Hurdle Technology. In: Control of Foodborne Microorganisms. V.K. Juneja and J.N. Sofos (eds). Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York NY, 10016. pp493-508. 19. Leistner, L., and Gorris, L.G.M. 1995. Food preservation by hurdle technology. Trends in Food Science and Technology 6:41-46. 20. Marcos, B., Aymerich, T., Dolors Guardia, M., and Garriga, M. 2007. Assessment of high hydrostatic pressure and starter culture on

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the quality properties of low-acid fermented sausages. Meat Science 76:46-53.

governs the inactivation of vegetative bacteria under growth-preventing conditions. International Journal of Food Microbiology 128:129-135.

21. Marcos, B., Jofré, A, Aymerich, T., Monfort, J.M., and Garriga, M. 2008. Combined effect of natural antimicrobials and high pressure processing to prevent Listeria monocytogenes growth after a cold chain break during storage of cooked ham. Food Control 19:76-81.

28. Ryser, E. T., and E. H. Marth. 1987. Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes during the manufacture and ripening of cheddar cheese. Journal of Food Protection 50:7-13.

22. McIntyre, L., Hudson, J.A., Billington, C., and Withers, H. 2007. Biocontrol of foodborne bacteria: Past, present and future strategies. Food New Zealand 7:25-32. 23. Modi, R., Y. Hirvi, A. Hill, and M. W. Grifﬁths. 2001. Effect of phage on survival of Salmonella Enteritidis during manufacture and storage of cheddar cheese made from raw and pasteurised milk. Journal of Food Protection 64:927-933. 24. Papageorgiou, D. K., and E. H. Marth. 1989. Fate of Listeria monocytogenes during the manufacture and ripening of blue cheese. Journal of Food Protection 52:459-465. 25. Rodríguez, E., J. Calzada, J. L. Arqués, J. M. Rodríguez, M. Nuñez, and M. Medina. 2005. Antimicrobial activity of pediocin-producing Lactococcus lactis on Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cheese. International Dairy Journal 15:51-57. 26. Ross, T., and Shadbolt, C.T. 2001. Predicting E. coli inactivation in uncooked comminuted fermented meat products. Prepared for Meat and Livestock Australia by the Centre for Food Safety and Quality, School of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania. North Sydney: Meat and Livestock Australia.

29. Ryser, E. T., E. H. Marth, and M. P. Doyle. 1985. Survival of Listeria monocytogenes during manufacture and storage of cottage cheese. Journal of Food Protection 48:746-750. 30. Schlesser, J. E., S. J. Schmidt, and R. Speckman. 1992. Characterization of chemical and physical changes in Camembert cheese during ripening. Journal of Dairy Science 75:1753-1760. 31. Sulzer, G., and M. Busse. 1993. Behaviour of Listeria spp. during production of Camembert cheese under various conditions of inoculation and ripening. Milchwissenschaft 48:196-200. 32. Tanaka, N., Traisman, E., Plantinga, P., Finn, L., Flom, W., Meske, L., and Guggisberg, J. 1986. Evaluation of Factors Involved in Antibotulinal Properties of Pasteurized Process Cheese Spreads. Journal of Food Protection 49:526-531. 33. Tienungoon, S., D. A. Ratkowsky, T. A. McMeekin, and T. Ross. 2000. Growth limits of Listeria monocytogenes as a function of temperature, pH, NaCl and lactic acid. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66:4979-4987. 34. Whyte, R., J. A. Hudson, S. Hasell, M. Gray, and R. O’Reilly. 2001. Traditional Maori food preparation methods and food safety. International Journal of Food Microbiology 69:183-190.

27. Ross, T., D. Zhang, and O. J. McQuestin. 2008. Temperature

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Research

Protein diversification: exploring the potential of seaweed for food Authors: Stephen Haines, Alastair Ross, Ancy Thomas, Linda Samuelsson, Santanu Deb-Choudhury Affiliation: AgResearch Limited, Lincoln Research Centre, 1365 Springs Road, Lincoln 7674, New Zealand

Introduction Undaria spp., a nutritious food All-year-round availability and relatively easy collection makes seaweed a potentially inexpensive food source [1]. Undaria pinnatifida is directly used in culinary applications in several Asian countries [2]. Seaweed in general is, however, also used exclusively for the extraction of food hydrocolloids such as agar, alginates and carrageenan. Marine algae are a viable protein source with an essential amino acid composition often on par with other food protein sources [3]. They are a rich source of nutrients including those that are insufficient in some Western diets, including fibre, micronutrient minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and other lipids, and proteins. In general seaweed proteins are rich in glycine, alanine, glutamic acid and arginine and, although limited in lysine and cysteine, contain all the essential amino acids. The amino acid score in Undaria species is determined to be 100, similar to that in animal-derived foods [4]. Red seaweed has the highest protein content, comparable to legumes at 30-40% on a dry weight basis, whereas brown seaweed such as Undaria has a protein content of 16% [5]. Amino acids such as aspartic and glutamic acid which impart flavour are present in higher quantities in brown compared to red seaweed [1]. Undaria pinnatifida or ‘Wakame’ is a kelp that has been studied extensively in New Zealand as an invasive species but the best approach for its management is yet to be reached and the ecological impact of Undaria has not been conclusively proven [6]. Undaria pinnatifida has a broad ecological niche and is highly productive at forming habitats. It inhabits rocky substrates up to a depth of 18 m and is widespread at depths of 1-3 m [7]. It is an important species for seaweed mariculture in China, Japan and Korea and therefore has significant economic value. Although Undaria pinnatifida may have an ecological impact it is not considered major as it does not appear to cause ecosystem change in most invaded regions. This is mainly due to its low natural dispersal ability and comparatively low rate of nutrient uptake and nitrate storage compared to other invasive brown macroalgae species [8]. The Ministry of Primary Industries (New Zealand) has a revised policy for the commercial use of Undaria and for its wild harvest from artificial substrates or when cast shore, in selected regions [6].

Nutrient availability Blanched and salted Undaria pinnatifida is a major wakame product. For blanching, fresh wakame is plunged in water at 80°C for one minute and then cooled quickly using cold water. For the salted product, 1:3 ratio of salt to seaweed is used and the seaweed is treated for 24 hours 30

after which it is stored at -10°C [9, 10]. Wakame is usually cooked before consumption. Although seaweed have poor protein digestibility in their raw and unprocessed form and therefore require adequate processing to improve their bioavailability in food, in vitro studies suggest that Undaria pinnatifida has 87% bioaccessibility expressed as a percentage of casein bioaccessiblity (100%) [3]. One of the major reasons for reduced algal protein digestibility is due to the fibre content of the algal cell wall [11]. Other contributing factors are a high level of cell wall anionic polysaccharides, which may vary according to species, the time of harvest [12] and the presence of phenolic compounds that react with amino acids, rendering them inaccessible [12]. Previous studies have shown different modes of cooking wakame and their effects on nutrient availability of potential bioactives such as carotenoids, polyphenols and polysaccharides and physical characteristics such as colour and texture [13]. There is little evidence of the effect of cooking on the protein profiles and their subsequent modifications. However, to understand cooking effects, robust procedures need to be established to first extract and then to analyse the proteins present in wakame. Proteins in marine algae are also affected by seasonal changes such as seawater temperature and nutritive salt concentration, which greatly affect the growth and maturation of seaweed. Proteomic and metabolomic studies can provide valuable information at a molecular level both on the seasonal changes in seaweed composition and on the effect of processing such as cooking on protein bioaccessibility in seaweed derived food.

Research project Joint research between AgResearch, University of Otago and A*STAR (Singapore) funded through the MBIE Catalyst Strategic fund will be looking at the digestive and nutritional attributes of seaweed, as relevant to humans, using Undaria pinnatifida as an exemplar. The research will create new knowledge about flavour, digestibility, and health benefits of Undaria seaweed from New Zealand and Singapore, as a whole food. The project’s aim is exploring how these attributes can be modulated through cooking technologies, to create an alternative whole food protein source. As well as characterising the protein fraction of Undaria and how it is affected by cooking, we will also be investigating the small molecules (metabolites) present in the seaweed to determine the impact of cooking beyond proteins and get a wider understanding of potential functionality of seaweed constituents. This short paper reports some early results obtained during development of proteomic and metabolomic methods that will be applied to the detailed analysis of the Undaria.

Research Materials & methods Seaweed samples Samples of frozen Undaria and Ulva seaweeds, and of air-dried Undaria that had been rinsed with brine, were provided by the Department of Botany, University of Otago.

Phenol protein extraction method Dried Undaria was ground under liquid nitrogen with a mortar and pestle. The resultant powder was then sequentially extracted with cold (-20°C) 10% trichloroacetic acid in acetone, 0.1 M ammonium acetate in 80% methanol, and finally 80% acetone. The residue was air dried and then extracted at 4°C with Tris-buffered phenol (pH 8.0) and dense SDS buffer (2% SDS, 30% sucrose and 100 mM dithiothreitol in 100 mM Tris buffer, pH 8.0, containing Roche cOmplete™ protease inhibitor cocktail). Proteins were precipitated from the upper phenol phase by incubation with methanol containing 0.1 M ammonium acetate overnight in a -20°C freezer. The precipitated protein was sequentially washed with cold (-20°C) methanol and with acetone and was then allowed to air dry. Finally, the protein was resuspended in 2% SDS / 4 M urea in 50 mM Tris (pH 8). Protein concentration in the extract was determined using the DC Protein Assay (Bio-Rad).

Protein digestion with trypsin The filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) method [14] was used to digest the Undaria protein extract prior to liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In brief, 50 µg of protein was added to a 10 kDa ultrafiltration device and was reduced by incubation for 1 h with dithiothreitol in 8 M urea/100 mM Tris buffer, pH 8 (‘UT buffer’). After three washes with UT buffer, the reduced proteins were alkylated with iodoacetamide in UT buffer for 60 min in the dark. Following washes with UT buffer and then 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate, the reduced and alkylated protein was finally digested with trypsin at 37°C and at an enzyme:substrate ratio of 1:25. The digest was recovered by centrifugation and was dried in a vacuum centrifuge before being resuspended in 0.1% formic acid for LC-MS/MS analysis.

LC-MS/MS analysis of digested Undaria proteins LC-MS/MS was performed on an Ultimate 3000 nano-LC (Thermo Scientific) connected to an impact II Q-TOF mass spectrometer by a CaptiveSpray interface fitted with a nanoBooster device (Bruker Daltonics). The tryptic digest was injected onto a PepMap100 C18 trap column (5 µm particle size; 0.3 x 5 mm; Thermo Scientific) and then separated on a ProntoSIL C18AQ column (15 cm, 100 µm i.d., 3 µm particle size and 200Å pore size; nanoLCMS solutions, Oroville, CA, USA) at a flow rate of 1 µL/min. Mobile phase A was 0.1% formic acid and mobile phase B was 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. A multistep linear gradient was used for separation of peptides, as is shown in Fig. 1.

Peptide and protein identification Peptides and proteins were identified using PEAKS Studio XPro (Bioinformatics Solutions Inc, Waterloo, Canada). This involved initial de novo sequencing followed by a search against a non-redundant database of Undaria, Ulva and Gracilaria sequences downloaded from UniProt (2021_03 release, 32,300 sequences). Finally, an exhaustive PEAKS PTM search was conducted to identify peptides containing amino acid modifications.

Laser-Assisted Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (LA-REIMS) Frozen samples of Undaria and Ulva seaweeds were measured using LA-REIMS to detect metabolite features between m/z 50-1500 in both positive and negative ionisation modes. The REIMS interface was attached to a Xevo G2XS quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (Waters, Wilmslow, UK). April/May 2022

Research

Figure 1: LC-MS chromatogram of a phenol protein extract of Undaria pinnatifida (blue). This is overlaid by the LC gradient (grey), which rose from 2% to 20% solvent B over 45 min and then to 45 % B over a further 15 min. The consistent spread of peaks across the chromatogram shows that seaweed digest contains a multiplicity of peptides of widely varying hydrophobic character, including some very abundant ones that are evidenced by the major peaks in the chromatogram

Figure 2: REIMS fingerprints of Undaria (top) and Ulva (bottom). The lines in the fingerprints are from metabolites and lipids present in the samples, with the scale based on relative amount of each metabolite feature in the sample. The X-axis is m/z, nominally equivalent to molecular weight. These spectra show that Undaria and Ulva have highly divergent metabolite profiles and provide further support for the diversity of seaweed and from this, different potential for food applications. Photos from the public domain (Wikipedia).

Research

Results and discussion Seaweed is a difficult matrix from which to extract protein due to the strength of the macroalgal cell wall and the presence of high levels of polysaccharides and polyphenols [15]. Global protein extraction for proteomics requires efficient disruption of the cell wall and removal of non-protein nitrogen compounds that can bind proteins and interfere with the analysis. Several methods have been developed to achieve this, with the most frequently employed being those based on the protocol of Contreras et al. [16]. This involves the phenol extraction of seaweed that has been pulverised under liquid nitrogen. In this pilot study we have tested the phenol extraction procedure on Undaria and evaluated the quality of the protein extract by LC-MS/MS. As may be seen in Fig. 1, the phenol extract of Undaria gave a complex LC-MS chromatogram that contained a multitude of peaks evenly spaced over the full range of the LC gradient. PEAKS Studio XPro software identified 927 peptides derived from 115 proteins in the sample, with the most abundant (based upon number of identified peptides) being ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, ATP synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and heat shock protein 70. These preliminary results confirm that the phenol extraction method works well with Undaria and is suitable for use in future detailed proteomic analyses that quantitatively reveal the impacts of environmental parameters and processing on the protein composition of the seaweed.

References 1. Rajapakse, N. and S.-K. Kim, Chapter 2 - Nutritional and Digestive Health Benefits of Seaweed, in Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, S.-K. Kim, Editor. 2011, Academic Press. p. 17-28. 2. Wang, L., et al., Bioactivities of the edible brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida: A review. Aquaculture, 2018. 495: p. 873-880. 3. Fleurence, J., Seaweed proteins: Biochemical, nutritional aspects and potential uses. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 1999. 10(1): p. 25-28. 4. Murata, M. and J.-i. Nakazoe, Production and Use of Marine AIgae in Japan. Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly: JARQ, 2001. 35(4): p. 281-290. 5. Marsham, S., G.W. Scott, and M.L. Tobin, Comparison of nutritive chemistry of a range of temperate seaweeds. Food Chemistry, 2007. 100(4): p. 1331-1336. 6. Epstein, G. and D.A. Smale, Undaria pinnatifida: A case study to highlight challenges in marine invasion ecology and management. Ecology and Evolution, 2017. 7(20): p. 8624-8642. 7. Skriptsova, A., V. Khomenko, and V. Isakov, Seasonal changes in growth rate, morphology and alginate content in Undaria pinnatifida at the northern limit in the Sea of Japan (Russia). Journal of Applied Phycology, 2004. 16(1): p. 17.

We have also optimised the use of LA-REIMS to measure seaweed. REIMS is an instrument that detects a fingerprint of the small molecules (up to 1500 Daltons) present in a sample without the need for timeconsuming sample preparation [17]. Results obtained by application of the technique to two seaweeds, Undaria and Ulva, are presented in Fig. 2. REIMS fingerprinting of the two different types of seaweed found a major compositional difference between Ulva and Undaria (Fig. 2). While there is overlap for some metabolite features (e.g., m/z 255 and 309), there is a difference in the ratio, and a clearly higher proportion of high molecular weight features in Ulva, which correspond to phospholipids and triglycerides. Further work is required to confirm compound identifications. The potential impacts of the difference in metabolite and lipid content between different seaweeds for different food as well as potential relationships with the protein content will be investigated in the MBIE-funded programme. The results to date suggest that using LA-REIMS is a useful tool for getting a rapid overview of compositional differences between different species of seaweed as a first step to guide further detailed analyses.

8. Dean, P.R. and C.L. Hurd, Seasonal growth, erosion rates, and nitrogen and photosynthetic ecophysiology of Undaria pinnatifida (Heterokontophyta) in southern New Zealand1. Journal of Phycology, 2007. 43(6): p. 1138-1148.

Conclusion

14. Wiśniewski, J.R., et al., Universal sample preparation method for proteome analysis. Nature Methods, 2009. 6(5): p. 359-362.

Seaweed is a challenging material for analytical measurements and adjusting proteomic and metabolomic tools to measure the protein and metabolite content of macroalgae underpins the work with our research partners on how the diversity of composition is influenced by cooking and how these impact on culinary and nutritional aspects of seaweed. This work, together with other projects on seaweed, will help to fulfil the potential of an abundant New Zealand marine resource that is still locally underutilised as a domestic and export whole food and ingredient.

Acknowledgements

9. Nisizawa, K., et al., The main seaweed foods in Japan. Hydrobiologia, 1987. 151(1): p. 5-29. 10. Yamanaka, R. and K. Akiyama, Cultivation and utilization of Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) as food. Journal of Applied Phycology, 1993. 5(2): p. 249. 11. Joubert, Y. and J. Fleurence, Simultaneous extraction of proteins and DNA by an enzymatic treatment of the cell wall of Palmaria palmata (Rhodophyta). Journal of Applied Phycology, 2008. 20(1): p. 55-61. 12. Holdt, S.L. and S. Kraan, Bioactive compounds in seaweed: Functional food applications and legislation. Journal of Applied Phycology, 2011. 23(3): p. 543-597. 13. Jiang, S., et al., Influence of Domestic Cooking on Quality, Nutrients and Bioactive Substances of Undaria pinnatifida. Foods, 2021. 10(11): p. 2786.

15. Harnedy, P.A. and R.J. FitzGerald, Extraction of protein from the macroalga Palmaria palmata. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 2013. 51(1): p. 375-382. 16. Contreras, L., et al., Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of brown algal protein extracts. Journal of Phycology, 2008. 44(5): p. 1315-1321. 17. Ross, A., et al., Making complex measurements of meat composition fast: Application of rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry to measuring meat quality and fraud. Meat Science, 2021. 181: p. 108333.

This research was funded by the 2020 Catalyst Strategic - New Zealand Singapore Future Foods Research Programme (NZBN 9429038966224). Seaweed samples were kindly provided by Katja Schweikert, Department of Botany, University of Otago. April/May 2022

AIP

Packaging news from AIP Nerida Kelton MAIP, Vice President Sustainability & Save Food

Sustainability: The global lens Forty-five Members of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) Board recently came together – albeit virtually – to discuss what has been happening around the world in the last 6 months. As a part of the Sustainability & Save Food Working Group meeting, 18 countries including the EU, Finland, Austria, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, India, Argentina, Australia & New Zealand, Kenya, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Brazil showcased some of the key initiatives, regulatory updates and programmes that are afoot in their country or region. Whilst the common thread across all countries is a shift towards a more circular economy and the move to design out waste and pollution, every region and country naturally differs in approach. It is encouraging to see that more Governments are establishing regulations, levies and pledges to achieve circularity, reduce problematic materials and unnecessary packaging and lower environmental impacts through circular and sustainable design. The standout discussions focused on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Eco-Modulation, Deposit Return Schemes, Plastic Pacts, Single Use Plastic regulations, the European Green Deal, Certified Compostable Packaging and On-Pack Labelling programmes.

Producer Responsibility (EPR) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is gaining global attention and adoption. This brings to the forefront the need to harmonise EPR across diverse regions, especially given the global interconnectedness of the economy and consumer packaged goods markets. There are many different approaches to the strategy, and many go beyond providing for end-of-life services to promote responsible product design, infrastructure improvements and market development. Effective EPR is often seen as a necessary piece of the puzzle in addressing the current recycling challenges and concern over single-use packaging waste. Many WPO Member countries are following an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) practice and policy approach whereby the 34

Food New Zealand

physical and/or financial responsibility for end-of-life disposal rests with the producers. EPR schemes aim to encourage producers to change design at the start to ensure that the materials and packaging are truly recyclable and recovered at end of life.

Eco-modulation In Europe particularly there is a move within Governments and Product Stewardship/EPR schemes to Eco-Modulation. So, what is EcoModulation? In the simplest of terms, it is a programme that penalises the producers of problematic materials and difficult-to-recycle packaging and it provides incentives for materials that are recyclable and recoverable. The UK Environment Bill enables eco-modulated fees, the CONAI scheme in Italy includes economic incentives and fee modulation and Germany is looking to launch the programme in 2022. Eco-modulation is another piece of the puzzle for many countries.

Single-use-plastic (SUP) Regulations 40% of plastic that is produced globally is classified as Single Use where it is used once and, sadly, discarded. Governments around the world are trying to change the trajectory by establishing SUP regulations and directives. SUP regulations and bans was certainly a hot topic on most of the WPO country reports. The reality is that consumers no longer want to see any packaging placed on to the market that is used only once and then thrown away. Key items on most of the SUP banned lists include plastics bags, cutlery, straws, plates, stirrers, cotton buds, take-away containers, coffee cups and plastic water bottles. Spain and France are just two countries that are set to ban the sale of fruit and vegetables in plastic. In Spain the new regulation also contains measures to encourage the purchase of loose, unpackaged produce and purchase of non-bottled water. One of the main goals of the draft decree is to reduce the sale of plastic bottles for drinks by half by 2030, and for 100% of packaging on the market to be recyclable. The ban on fruit and vegetable packaging will apply to produce weighing under 1.5

AIP

Strategies for mitigation of plastic packaging waste are of global concern kilograms, following similar legislation in France, which will go into effect in 2022. The WPO working group discussed the need for a more collaborative and harmonised approach for the nominated banned materials and SUP across the globe. In places such as Europe and Australia there are differing regulations between regions and states, which presents barriers for brands that sell into multiple markets. Another concern is that alternative material and packaging choices may potentially contaminate recycling streams and may not have a lower environmental impact. A balanced, science-driven approach is needed when establishing SUP regulations and requires packaging technologists, engineers and polymer scientists to be involved in the discussions.

On-pack labelling programme for correct disposal of packaging We are seeing more countries introducing On-Pack Labelling Programmes such as How2Recycle in the United States of America, the Australasian Recycling Labelling programme (ARL) and the OnPack Recycling Label (OPRL) programme in the United Kingdom. OnPack labelling programmes are evidence-based, standardised labelling systems designed to provide packaging designers and technologists and brand owners with the tools to inform responsible packaging design. On-pack labelling programmes are also to aid consumers to correctly dispose of packaging and the separable components in the right bin.

The European Union (EU) is also working on a harmonised model for consumer sorting instructions and how this should be implemented in a uniform way. EUROPEN is working with AIM (European Brands Association) and FoodDrinkEurope to develop a common position on an EU model for consumers' sorting instructions for packaging waste. The objective is to establish a harmonised system in the EU that will provide consumers with understandable and clear sorting instructions for packaging waste. The instructions will improve collection rates and achieve packaging recycling targets. The practical approach is to match the product identification symbol placed on packaging with symbols on waste bins and bins used by waste management/operators and municipalities so that the system is easy for consumers to use. The WPO Sustainability working group discussions have shown that the world of Sustainability is ever-changing, dynamic and there is so much to learn from other countries. No country has all of the answers and it is clear that a collaborative approach to global discussions around circular and sustainable packaging design are paramount. Through the WPO, members have the opportunity to learn from each other, take elements from other country initiatives and apply locally, or help guide new members establish programmes for their region. The true value of the WPO is knowledge-sharing and global harmonised collaboration across the members. World Packaging Organisation (WPO) The full report is available on the WPO website.

April/May 2022

NZIFST

NZIFST Conference

Tony Egan, MD Greenlea Premier Meats, left and Dr Rob Archibald, 2022 Conference Chair “Collaboration building New Zealand Inc” is the theme of this year’s NZIFST conference, 5 - 7 July, Distinction Hotel, Rotorua. Registration now open HERE The Covid 19 pandemic, the climate change challenge, and environmental issues, have made many changes to the way the New Zealand food industry conducts its business and taps into the unrealised potential available to it. New Zealand companies have found that these issues can be addressed and benefited f rom i f t hey c ollaborate: w ith competitors, with others with specialist expertise or through sharing experiences. The theme was chosen as a result of a conversation between Tony Egan, MD Greenlea Premier Meats and Dr Rob Archibald, 2022 Conference Chair, where Tony spoke of the success he had had collaborating with companies who had expertise in areas other than his and Rob had shared his experiences where collaborations had led to new businesses and significant advances in technology for the food industry. The conference will open with a presentation by Tony on the need for collaboration in the food industry (see side bar). He will be followed over the three-day conference by other plenary speakers talking about the decarbonisation of the food industry, building NZ Inc., the circular economy, adapting to climate change, New Zealand’s unrealised potential, and finishing with future opportunities that are available to the industry. In addition to the Plenary Sessions the conference will have 19 sessions dealing with a wide range of topics including: Food Safety, Sustainability, Alternative Proteins, Petfood, Seafood, Dairy, Flavours and Sensory, Consumer Insights, Nutrition, and Commercial Considerations.

Come and join us at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua, 5 – 7th July 2022. 2022, Registration now open HERE

Setting the scene: opening keynote speaker, Tony Egan Collaboration, the act of working to achieve a common goal, is not new. None of us would exist without it! For some it is a tango of destruction, for others it signifies a warm embrace. Cosying up is often frowned upon by those whose grim determination prevails behind an iron curtain of mistrust, for others it can be a liberating experience. The meat industry of old certainly discouraged such closeness, but today this is changing. It began with a few large ego’s tentatively embracing one another, and has fast become a veritable love fest, a full blown discovery of new and meaningful connections. Together we are learning to scale up and to meet the challenges of a changing world. I will share experiences of collaboration with you and explain how they have led me to take a keen interest in one of the world’s oldest professions and equally exciting, one of the dirtiest. I will grapple with my learnings from an encounter with a highly contagious disease and I will reveal my partners. At the risk of creating even more methane in Rotorua I will ponder our environmental issues. So, let’s collaborate to build N.Z. Inc. at the NZIFST conference in July.

NZIFST

New Members NZIFST welcomes the following new members and welcomes and congratulates those who have joined or been upgraded to Professional Membership. Welcome also to new student and Graduate members

Standard Sumeet Brar

Technologist

Synlait Milk Ltd

David Galbraith

Product Development Manager

Mt Cook Salmon

Bridget Gould

Product Development

Goodman Fielder

Stephen Grubb

Senior Product Development Technologist

Goodman Fielder

Andrew McCullagh

Key Components Sales Manager

Tetra Pak New Zealand

Hannah Thomas

Senior Food Technologist

Silver Fern Farms

Hannah Wood

Founder CEO

Little 'Lato

Ran Zhao

NPD Food Technologist

Life Health Food Ltd

Product Development Technologist

Zymus

Graduate Year 1 Rhiannon Hudson Lisa Lin

Food Technologist

Pacific Flavours & Ingredients Ltd

Rose Spencer

Sales Support

Pacific Flavours & Ingredients Ltd

Student Natalie Ahlborn

Riddet Institute/AgResearch

Catherine Maidment

Massey University

University of Otago Stella Green, Ella McCabe, Sunisa Phanitkiat, Brian Thong, Crystal van Gorp

University of Auckland Ryoma Fuse, William Hu, Christine Jian, Shuah Kim, Trishika Nand, Emily Tai, Carla van Wyk, Sophie Wei, Lilian Zhang,y

AUT Jordan McMullen, Priya Patel, Yuxiang Wang, Bridgette Baddeley

NZIFST Directory EXECUTIVE MANAGER

Rosemary Hancock P O Box 5574, Terrace End, Palmerston North, 4441 Ph (06) 356 1686 Mob 021 217 8298 rosemary@nzifst.org.nz

PRESIDENT

Phil Bremer phil.bremer@otago.ac.nz

VICE PRESIDENT

Esraa El Shall esraaelshall@gmail.com

TREASURER

Grant Boston grant@boston.net.nz

As a member of NZIFST you will benefit from Professional development programmes Networking at regular branch meetings, seminars and the Annual Conference

and gain Information through ‘Food New Zealand’, ‘Nibbles’ and our website Recognition through awards, scholarships and travel grants

JOIN NZIFST NOW! https://nzifst.org.nz/join-us

April/May 2022

NZIFST Careers

Four of the year 13s visiting the Foodbowl last year

NZIFST Careers Jenny Dee FNZIFST, Careers Coordinator Food industry support for Year 13 food technology students at Carmel College This is the 13th year we’ve been mentoring Sandy Goonan’s senior food technology students through their product development projects. Having a client and role model from the food processing industry has made a huge difference to Sandy's students. Last year, all five of her Year 13 students who entered their projects for NZQA Technology Scholarship achieved it. In the year when Auckland schools were closed by COVID for 3 months, this is an impressive result. Two of these students have been inspired to go on to study food science at Otago in 2022. Sandy and NZIFST would like to acknowledge the following people who have agreed to mentor this year’s Year 13 students: Bianca Kirk, Fonterra Helen Liu, Fonterra 38

Joy Chemelil, Tegel Mitchell Thompson, ADM Rachel D’souza, Fonterra Sarina Carson, Vitaco Health Support for senior students at Papamoa College Sophie Enefer, the food technology teacher at Papamoa College, asked for our help to find industry support for her senior students. Sophie has previously worked with us. She did the Food Innovation Challenge in 2019, when at Rangitoto College. Nicky Elmsly from Taura Natural Ingredients has agreed to one of her team providing that support. Our thanks to everyone who is supporting school students and teachers, and their employers for enabling them to do this.

NZIFST Branch

Branch News Jonathan Cox, setter of the world-famous-ingreater-Christchurch quiz is at front left of this group of Canterbury-Westland branch members

Canterbury Westland branch members at The Old Vicarage for the Christmas gathering.

Our Branches' efforts to get together have been severely compromised by lockdowns and traffic lights. Now that things are opening up we can expect to see news from all branches in FoodNZ. This issue, we have a late entry from Canterbury Westland Branch who had a wonderful Christmas get-together.

Canterbury Westland Christmas Party In late November, the Canterbury Westland branch’s annual Christmas get together was held at The Old Vicarage in Halswell. Around 30 of us gathered to mark another unusual but highly successful year for our branch.

hosted 11 events covering topics such as compostable packaging, pea protein extraction, product recalls, the human biome and the StatsNZ food price index. Branch Chair Michelle Neyra addressed the group commenting on how well-attended our various hybrid and online only events were, and it has been our great pleasure to welcome members from around New Zealand to our talks. We hope that this will continue in 2021. Naturally Jono Cox’s world-famous-in-greater-Christchurch quiz was a feature of the evening with generous prizes from committee members. Roll on the 2022 programme! Charlotte Sullivan

Despite some event cancellations due to Covid throughout 2021 we April/May 2022

NZIFST CONFERENCE 2022 July 5th to 7th, 2022 Distinction Hotel, Rotorua Registration now open at https://www.nzifst.org.nz/page-18129

An event worth attending, for the science and technology, and for the people For more information contact NZIFST, rosemary@nzifst.org.nz

Food New Zealand, April/May 2022

Articles inside

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EDITORIAL

RESEARCH