ITALIAN FOOD TECHNOLOGY 69/2012

n. 69 - September 2012 ISSN 1590-6515

FOOD

processing & packaging

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CONTENTS 5 - BISCUITS Physico-chemical and electronic nose measurements on the study of biscuit baking kinetics 14 -FRUITS Shelf-life of minimally processed blood oranges as affected by modified atmosphere packaging

S. Romani - F. Balestra - A. Angioloni - P. Rocculi - M. Dalla Rosa

P. Rapisarda - C. Caggia - S.E. Bellomo - P. Pannuzzo - C. Restuccia - N. Timpanaro - C.M. Lanza

DEPARTMENTS 24 - RESEARCH Efficient treatment to inactivate Escherichia coli in process wash water - Crisp study may aid salt reduction - Functional bread with probiotics Infrared-based approach for keeping almonds safe to eat - The control of Listeria in recycled chill brine - The “dark side” of high `-carotene intake - Raising good cholesterol with algae extract - Functional chocolate development - Fat cells can protect the body against diabetes - Bioactive phytochemicals in tomatoes and their by-products - The relationship between taste and temperature - Prebiotic can reduce the severity of colitis - The stability of phytochemicals in processed fruits and vegetables - How to extend the ground chicken meat shelf life

bath chiller for bags - 3-view X-ray inspection system - Electromechanical lubrication systems - Spiral conveyor - Smart lobe pumps - Solutions for analysis laboratories 58 - FOOD SAFETY Fresh to the consumer: Safety throughout the food supply chain - EFSA’s activities in 2011 US demand for food safety products 62 - NUTRITION EFSA sets population reference intake for protein - Folic acid supplements and child’s speech development

32 - FOOD PROCESSING Slicing and packaging machine - Plants for food industry - Laboratory homogenizer - Continuous spiral freezer - Volumetric dosers - Sausage dehumidification system

64 - MARKETING REPORTS World demand for nutraceutical ingredients grows - US demand for alternative sweeteners - Global demand for salt still raising - Thin walled packaging industry consolidates

36 - FRUIT AND VEGETABLE Extraction and refining group - Dicer and peeler under vacuum - Crusher-Kneader-Feeder for olives - Washer system for fresh-cut products - Small olive oil mill

68 - CONSUMER TRENDS Indulgence and health polarize the biscuit market - Lactose-free niche targets the mainstream Authenticity, health and quality add to ready meals success - Sauce manufacturers look to health and spice

40 - CONFECTIONERY AND CHOCOLATE The “Open House Day” at Tecno 3 42 - PACKAGING EQUIPMENT Packaging solutions for a complex market - Xtra shelf life project - Filler with vacuum sealed system - Two companies as one supplier - Automatic packaging machines - Automatic stick-pack machine - Continuous vertical packaging machine

72 - NEWS In Europe nutrition labelling becames mandatory - Perception of health claims - Cimbria acquires the Italian enterprise Sea - All the solutions for industrial automation - First processing and packaging exhibition to be held in East Africa in 2014 - International events in Italy 80 - ADVERTISER INDEX

50 - ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT The right pump for the right processing - Water-

80 - COMPANY INDEX

September 2012 Number 69

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September 2012 - number 69

BISCUITS S. ROMANI* - F. BALESTRA - A. ANGIOLONI - P. ROCCULI - M. DALLA ROSA Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Department of Food Science, Campus od Food Science, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, FC, Italy *email: santina.romani2@unibo.it

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND ELECTRONIC NOSE MEASUREMENTS ON THE STUDY OF BISCUIT BAKING KINETICS

INTRODUCTION Biscuits are a popular food product, consumed by a wide range of people, due to their varied taste, long shelf-life and relatively low cost (Vitali et al., 2009).

The main sequential operations in the production of plain, round biscuits are ingredient metering, dough mixing, dough sheeting, dough sheet relaxation, biscuit shape forming, baking, cooling and packaging. Each of the above mentioned

steps in the process is of equal importance in determining the final character of the biscuit (Cronin and Preis, 2000).

Short doughs are characterised by their composition based upon three major ingredients: flour, sugar and fat. Physico-chemical changes occurring in biscuit dough during the baking stage are very complex and take place following specific kinetics depending on heating conditions. The main transformations induced by cooking are water evap-

Key words biscuit, colour, cooking process, electronic nose, texture

ABSTRACT The main physico-chemical modifications during the cooking process of laboratory-made biscuits were monitored at different cooking times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 min). Moisture content, surface colours and textures were measured. In addition the evolution of the flavour release was performed by means of an electronic nose equipped with 10 metal-oxide sensors. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to distinguish samples as a function of their physico-chemical characteristics. The electronic nose permitted differentiation between raw, under cooked, well-cooked and over cooked products. Similar and complementary information was obtained considering both electronic nose data and traditional physico-chemical cooking indexes. The obtained results showed that it could be feasible to monitor the changes in the biscuit’s aroma and cooking level directly during the process by using an electronic nose with a simplified gas sensor array, as well as allowing the optimization of the technological parameters.

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oration, protein denaturation, starch gelatinisation/destruction, browning and surface colouration (principally due to the Maillard reactions), dough expansion during the production and the thermal expansion of gas cells formed during mixing (Chevallier et al., 2000; Manley, 2001).

In the baking process, the viscoelastic dough is transformed into a solid-like baked item. This process determines the biscuit’s final physical characteristics including dimensions (diameter and thickness), weight and moisture content (Cronin et al., 2000). During the cooking process a typical evolution in the aroma profile takes place. In particular in the initial stages heating produces an increase in the volatility of the distinctive aromas of raw food, deriving from the ingredients used in the formulation. Thereafter, cooking involves the genesis and release of new volatile compounds that are a consequence of chemical reactions occurring in the food matrix. Finally pirolysis reactions (i.e. Maillard and Strecker degradation) take place on the food’s surface with the formation of specific volatile compounds (Ward et al., 2002). The biscuit’s initial aromatic profile, due to the raw matrix composition, changes considerably becoming, at the end of cooking process, very complex in terms of the type and quantity of the numerous chemical substances.

Consumers consider texture and related flavour release as factors of primary importance in determining the profile of dry bakery products and assess texture by using a combinations of bites, particle de-

cay and sound evaluations together with flavour release in the mouth (Piazza et al., 2008).

The complexity of most food aromas makes them difficult to characterize with conventional flavour analysis techniques such as gas chromatography or gas chromatography olfactometry (Peris and Escuder-Golabert, 2009).

Food organoleptic features are usually assessed by human sensory methods. The classical techniques of descriptive analysis, namely flavour profile, quantitative descriptive analysis and texture profile, are mainly useful for the sensory characterisation of food products. These sensory methods need a group of well-trained assessors and several established attributes in order to provide reliable results; requirements that are time-consuming and, in some cases, could cause serious problems to some industries and laboratories (Sinesio et al., 2000). Hence, an instrument such as the electronic nose (e-nose), with recognised high sensitivity and the ability to provide data closely linked to results obtained from human sensory panels would be very useful for several specific applications in food control.

Because they are easy to build, cost-effective and as they provide analysis quickly, e-noses are becoming more and more popular as objective automated non-destructive techniques to characterize and/ or monitor food flavours (Peris et al., 2009).

Gardner and Bartlett (1994) defined the e-nose as “an instrument which comprises an array of electronic chemical sensors with partial

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specificity and an appropriate pattern recognition (PR) system capable of recognizing simple or complex odours”.

E-noses were proposed some years ago as a promising technology for odour detection and discrimination, and it has been successfully applied in different fields, such as food science, medicine or environmental pollution control.

Relevant recent literature shows that there are five major categories of use for e-noses in food control.

These are (i) process monitoring, (ii) shelf-life investigation, (iii) freshness evaluation, (iv) authenticity assessment and (v) other quality control studies (Peris et al., 2009).

Detection of key aromas of bakery products during baking is of crucial importance at an industrial level with regard to the final food quality. Previous works showed the possibility of using an e-nose to detect and monitor the evolution of volatile compounds during the cooking process of some foods (Ward et al., 2002) or key aromas of bread baking (Ponzoni et al., 2008). To our knowledge, there are no works in which the evolution of biscuit quality characteristics during baking has been monitored considering both traditional cooking indexes and a gas sensory array such as e-nose.

The aim of this work was to monitor the baking process of biscuits in terms of the main physico-chemical product characteristics (moisture content, colour and texture) together with the evolution of aromatic compounds during cooking time.

The analysis of flavour release was performed by using of an e-nose equipped with 10 metal-oxide sen-

BISCUITS

sors. The obtained e-nose responses were subjected to a multivariate statistical analysis in order to classify the biscuits on the basis of their cooking level.

mediately set for the e-nose analysis. Conversely, before being used for the physico-chemical analyses (moisture content, texture and colour) the biscuits were cooled at room temperature for 1 hour.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Analyses of biscuits

Biscuit preparation Biscuits were prepared using wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and salt according to the formula given in Table 1. The recipe was based on previous trials performed on the same materials.

The ingredients were mixed in a household mixer (Kenwood, Major, Hampshire - UK) for 10 min, and, after mixing, the dough was kept for 20 min at room temperature (23° ± 1°C) in a closed food container in order to avoid dehydration. Afterwards, the dough was sheeted to a thickness of about 2.5 mm and then was cut by using a stainless steel circular mould (3.5 mm diameter) and placed on a tray. Biscuits were baked in an electric thermoconvection oven (FC61, ANGELO PO, Grandi Cucine S.p.A, Carpi, Italy) at 175°C for different cooking times: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 min.

The cooking times were chosen on the basis of preliminary experiments in order to obtain under and over baked products. The baking experiments were carried out in triplicate for each cooking time. For each test 16 biscuits were cooked in order to obtain enough samples for all the other measurements.

After cooking, the biscuits were removed from the oven and im-

After each baking test, the following analytical determinations were performed: moisture, colour, texture properties, and the flavour release.

Moisture Biscuit moisture was determined by following the ICC Standard Method n° 110/1 (ICC 2004). For each sample three replicates were performed.

Table 1 - Biscuit dough formulation (1,000 g).

Ingredients Biscuit flour Sugar Butter Egg Baking powder (E450*; E500**, E470***) Salt

Amount (g) 544 136 136 163 19.6 1.4

* Disodium diphosphate; ** Sodium bicarbonate; *** Fatty acids calcium salts.

slight modifications. Samples were illuminated by using two parallel lamps (with two fluorescent tubes by lamp, model TLD Deluxe, Natural Daylight, 18W/965, Philips, NY, USA) with a colour temperature of 6500 K (D65, the standard light source commonly used in food research) and a colour-rendering index (Ra) close to 90%. A colour digital camera (CDC) mod. PowerShot A70 (Canon, NY, USA) was located vertically over the sample at a distance of 12.5 cm. Lamps and CDC were inside a wooden box with internal walls painted black in order to avoid the light and reflection from the room. Images of biscuit surfaces were taken on the matte black background and saved in JPG format. The algorithms for pre-processing of full images, image segmentation and colour quantification were written in MATLAB 6.5 (The MathWorks, Inc., USA). The average value of the segmented pixels in CIE L*a*b* colour space was registered as the colour of the sample.

The biscuits’ colour were described in terms of: luminosity (L*), hue angle (h°) = tan-1(b*/a*) and Chroma (C*) = ¥ (a*)2 + (b*)2 (McGuire,1992).

Texture

Colour analysis by computer vision system (CVS) Six biscuits from each cooking experiment, representative of whole sample, were used for colour measurements. Biscuits were placed on a matte black background and images were captured by using the image acquisition system developed by Mendoza and Aguilera (2004) with

The mechanical and fracture properties of biscuit samples were determined by the three-point bending test (Tyagi et al., 2007) using a TA.HDi 500 Texture Analyser (Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, UK) equipped with a 5 kg load cell.

For the analysis, each biscuit was placed on the aluminium platform situated on two supporting beams spaced at a distance of 35 mm. The

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blade was attached to the crosshead of the instrument and was brought down to break the biscuit at a crosshead speed of 3.0 mm/s.

Care was taken to see that the point of contact was at an equivalent distance from both the supporting beams. This test simulates the biscuit hardness during consumer handling and the way it breaks by bending (Tyagi et al., 2007). All the tests were carried out at room temperature. The blade was brought down at a constant speed under computer control and the applied force was recorded as a function of time. The absolute peak force from the resulting curve was considered as biscuit hardness, while the distance at the break (resistance of the sample to bending) was recorded as sample fracturability. Samples that break at a very short distance have a high fracturability. In order to better understand the results in this study the fracturability was expressed as 1/break point distance.

Six biscuits for each cooking time were tested.

E-nose and test procedures Samples were analyzed as follows: about 3 g of powdered biscuit sample was placed into a glass vials (capacity 40 mL); these vials were then sealed with a suitable lid equipped with a pierceable Silicon/Teflon disk in the cap. Preliminary experiments, carried out in order to obtain signals of suitable intensity and good reproducibility, showed that after 60 min at 25° ± 1°C of equilibration, the headspace reached a steady state.

After this period, the headspace was analyzed with a commercial port-

able e-nose PEN2 (Airsense Analytics, Milano, Italy) composed of an array of 10 temperature-moderated metal-oxide sensors (MOS), a sampling system, a data acquisition device and a data processing system.

The sensor response was expressed as relative conductivity (G/G0) of a single sensor with time, G0 is the initial conductivity taken as a reference.

The signal output of the sensors was digitized by recording, and normalized to a value of 1.0 prior to sampling; this arbitrary baseline value was subtracted from the sensor responses prior to enhancement determination. The signal output was measured at 1 s intervals for 60 s at a flow rate of 400 mL min-1. The injection time was long enough for most of the sensors to reach a steady state condition. After each sample analysis the system was purged for 120 s with filtered air prior to the next sample injection to allow re-establishment of the instrument base line. No sensor drift was experienced during the measurement period. The sensor values from 40 to 60 s were used for the statistical analysis.

For each sample, 3 different vials were prepared and each vial was evaluated three times; an average of these nine measurements for each cooking time was used for the statistical analysis.

Statistical analysis The pattern recognition techniques used in this work were Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA). PCA was used to reduce the number of variables

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in the data matrix and to select the most discriminating parameters in order to classify the different samples. CA was applied on electronicnose selected sensor responses. CA performs agglomerative hierarchical clustering of objects on the basis of distance measurements of dissimilarity or similarity.

The statistical package STSG statistica for Windows, version 6.0 (StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA) was used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Baking is the key stage in baked good production; during this process the main quality characteristics of the final product such as size extension, brownness, texture and flavour are formed thanks to several physico-chemical changes in the product. During baking, transformations, which depend on the course of water content and temperature, are decisive for the final product quality. The majority of these transformations occur together and influence each other (Hadiyanto et al., 2007).

In the first part of this study, the cooking kinetics of biscuits were analyzed on the basis of the main changes regarding the most important parameters involved in the phenomenon.

In Fig. 1, the changes of the biscuit’s water content as a function of baking time are shown.

It can be observed that at the beginning of cooking there is a faster reduction in the level of moisture owing to the water migration from the inner towards the biscuit sur-

BISCUITS

Fig. 1 - Changes of biscuit water content during cooking time.

Fig. 2 - Changes of biscuit colour parameters (L*, h° and C*) during cooking time.

face due to diffusion and capillarity phenomena.

After 8 min, the optimum cooking time on the basis of previous experiments, the moisture loss rate decreased reaching the minimum and constant value after 10 min.

Usually, in the last stage of baking, when most of water has evap-

orated, a dried and coloured crust starts to form.

Colour is one of the most important quality attributes for consumer acceptance of baked goods. In fact the surface colour of a baked product is one of the main criterion of acceptance by consumers, together with texture and taste.

Colour is influenced by dough composition, water content and process conditions, temperature and duration of baking. Sugars together with proteins will produce browning compounds, which give colour to the product that lead to irreversible changes. The required relative high temperature needed for these reactions is reached only in the outer zones, once the product is sufficiently dried to have a low water activity and corresponding high evaporation temperature.

The duration of this phase depends on the initial water content of the dough and is ruled by heat and mass transfer phenomena (Hadiyanto et al., 2007).

In Fig. 2 colour results (lightness (L*), hue angle (h°) and Chroma (C*)) measured on the biscuit samples at different cooking times are reported. Obtained variations of colour parameters during baking draw a characteristic trajectory, previously found in similar researches (Broyart et al., 1998; Chevallier et al., 2002).

During the first 4 min of cooking the lightness (L*) and hue angle (h°) values increased respectively from about 70 to 80 and from 87 to 90, while chroma (C*) decreased from about 46 to 39. Subsequently, with the increase of the product’s temperature, lightness started to decrease and the biscuit surface started to brown. These findings suggest that the biscuit samples underwent initial whitening and a subsequent gradual intensification of colour, from a yellow to a brown hue. After 8 min of baking the considerable decrease in lightness, hue and chroma were concomitant with a

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Fig. 3 - Images of biscuit subjected to different cooking times.

Fig. 4 - Changes of biscuit texture parameters (hardness and fracturability) during cooking time.

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dark browning of the biscuit surface (Fig. 3), that becomes unacceptable for consumers.

As is known and established by previous researches (Shibukawa et al., 1989; Broyart et al., 1998; Chevallier et al., 2002) the overall biscuit colouring kinetics involve two stages. During the first stage of baking the increase in lightness, hue and decrease in chroma correspond to a brightening of the biscuit surface; this makes the product surface appear to be lighter. These colour changes are due to the water migration toward the surface and/or modification in the surface state attributable to the sample rise (Chevallier et al., 2002). In the second stage the progressive browning of the biscuit surface is mainly caused by chemical reactions (Maillard reactions, sugar caramelisation) activated by thermal treatment.

In Fig. 4 the changes of texture parameters of biscuit samples at different cooking times are shown.

As expected, the longer the cooking time the higher the hardness and the fracturability of the biscuits. During cooking, biscuit samples underwent an increase in hardness values from 0.46 kg after 2 min of cooking to 2.21 kg at the end of the process.

Regarding the fracturability, the biscuits exhibited values between 1.29 (1/mm) after two min of cooking and 3.76 (1/mm) at the end of the process. The rate of fracturability increase was faster until the first 8 min of cooking; after this time, when the evaporation of water and the production of gases had ended, the fracturability increased more slowly.

These macroscopic changes of biscuit texture characteristics are

BISCUITS

caused by several phenomena that take place during baking: the production of gases from chemical liveners, the water vaporization, the gas thermal expansion associated with a biscuit’s thickness increases and the product dries, resulting in a large decrease in product density and on the development of an open porous structure (Chevallier et al., 2002).

As previously reported, during cooking changes in the biscuit’s colour and texture are concomitant to the evolution of a typical aroma profile.

In Fig. 5 the responses (relative conductivity mean data of six replicates) of the e-nose sensors (MOS 1 to 10) obtained at each considered biscuit cooking time are shown.

It can be observed that only some sensors were more sensitive to the evolution of biscuit aromatic profile during baking. In particular, the responses of 1, 3 and 5 sensors increased with the increasing of cooking time; the 2 and 6 sensors displayed the highest relative conductivity signals. From these results, it seems that the responses of the 1, 3 and 5 sensors are most related to the aroma compounds that are formed and developed during the cooking process. Meanwhile, the 2 and 6 sensor responses seem to be related to the disappearance and/or conversion of others chemical volatile compounds. All the other sensor results were less sensitive to the aromatic profile developed during biscuit cooking process.

PCA was carried out by using the responses from the e-nose sensors collected at the end of each cooking time, in order to highlight and to evaluate whether the most sensi-

Fig. 5 - Sensor (MOS 1 to 10) responses (mean relative conductivity data: G/G0) obtained at the considered biscuit cooking times.

Fig. 6 - PCA loading plot in the plane defined by the first two principal components of the e-nose sensor responses.

ble e-nose sensors were able to detect differences between the biscuit samples during cooking stages as a function of their volatile components. The PCA loading plot reported in Fig. 6 confirms results shown in Fig. 5.

Few sensors were able to explain most of the variance and in particular the MOS 1, 3, 5, 2 and 6 had the highest influence in the pattern file. Their responses were the most relevant in the discrimination of biscuits on the bases of the level

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Fig. 7 - Score plot of biscuit samples in the plane defined by the first two principal components on the basis of the e-nose sensor responses during cooking process.

of cooking. The 4 and 7 MOS sensor responses were not significant from the PCA. Examining the score plot of Fig. 7 in the area defined by the first two principal components (96.21% of the total variance) a clear separation of biscuit samples into different clusters, according to the cooking degree was found.

Moving from right to left along the PC1 axis (79.08% of the total variance), raw biscuit cluster is first encountered, then the biscuits were cooked for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 min respectively. In particular, the group of sensors on the right of the loading plot better discriminate the raw and under cooked (0-4 min) biscuit aromatic compounds; while those on the left of the plot (MOS 1, 3 and 5) better discriminate the cooked and over cooked samples.

The biscuit samples cooked for 6 and 8 min were grouped in the same cluster, probably because of their similar aromatic profiles. The biscuits cooked for 10 min were positioned among them and the over cooked (10 to 12 min) samples. The obtained finger print (sequence) shows a behaviour similar to that obtained by Ponzoni et al.

(2008) who detected, with only four metal oxide e-nose sensors, key artificial aromas related to different stages of the bread baking process.

In the same way at which biscuit samples were here distinguished and separated along the PC axes, they firstly obtained the separation of acetaldehyde and diacetyl, that are key odorants identifying the initial baking steps, and then of pyridines and pyrazines, that are

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flavouring compounds produced

by Maillard reactions as the baking process continues. To verify results obtained from PCA, a cluster analysis was run with the same e-nose sensor selected responses (Fig. 8) in order to isolate groups of biscuits with similar aromatic profiles. The dendogram was obtained using Ward method and Euclidean distance.

Through this analysis, it was possible to subdivide the biscuit samples on the bases of their aromatic profiles, related to cooking times, into five groups: 0 (raw), 2, 4, 6 and 8 min, 10 and 12 min. The distances among biscuit groups increased proportionally to the increase of cooking time, being characterized by more and more different volatile aroma compounds.

The CA results were in agreement with those obtained from PCA and were able to better distinguish the biscuit samples cooked for 10 and 12 min from the others. These outcomes confirm further the suitability of the e-nose in monitoring the evolution of the biscuit aroma changes and cooking degree.

CONCLUSIONS The potential of the e-nose, as an off-line system, for distinguishing the biscuits’ cooking levels on the bases of their peculiar aromatic profiles was demonstrated. Multivariate statistical analysis of the e-nose data collected during the biscuit cooking process showed a clear separation between raw, under-cooked, wellcooked and over-cooked biscuits.

The discrimination of biscuits ac-

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Fig. 8 - Classification dendogram (Cluster analysis) for group of biscuits on the bases of volatile composition: 0 to 12 are cooking time (min). The distance is the geometric distance in the multidimensional space.

cording to the cooking time, obtained by analyzing the e-nose signals, confirmed the results provided from all the other considered traditional cooking indexes (moisture content, colour and texture), showing the interchangeable ability of both approaches.

In particular, only few sensor responses were able to explain most of the variance of the data in the PCA and consequently were relevant in the discrimination of the biscuits’ cooking levels.

The use of e-nose would appear to have a great potential in the future to develop an on-line monitoring system of the baking process. For this purpose much more research is required, as well as many calibration tests to demonstrate its on-line application.

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2. Chevallier S., Colonna P., Della Valle G. and Lourdin D. 2000. Contribution of major ingredients during baking of biscuit dough systems. J. Cereal Sci. 31: 241.

3. Chevallier S., Della Valle G.P., Colonna B., Broyart B. and Trystram G. 2002. Structural and chemical modifications of short dough during baking. J. Cereal Sci. 35: 1.

4. Cronin K. and Preis C. 2000. A statistical analysis of biscuit physical properties as affected by baking. J. Food Eng. 46: 217.

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6. Hadiyanto H., Asselman A., Van Straten G., Boom R.M., Esveld D.C. and Van Boxtel A.J.B. 2007. Quality prediction of bakery products in the initial phase of process design. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol.

8: 285.

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nation of the moisture content of cereals and cereal products (Practical method).

Standard Method 110. Approved 1960, revised 1976. Vienna.

8. Manley D. 2001. Baking Techniques. In: Manley D. (Ed.), “Biscuit, cracker and cookie recipes for the food industry”, p.

27. Woodhead Publishing Ltd and CRC Press LLC, Cambridge England.

9. Mcguire R.G. 1992. Reporting of objective colour measurements. Hort. Sci. 27: 1254.

10. Mendoza F. and Aguilera J.M. 2004. Application of Image Analysis for classification of ripening Bananas. JFS E: Food Eng. Physical Prop. 69: E471.

11. Peris M. and Escuder-Golabert L. 2009.

A 21st century technique for food control: Electronic noses. Anal. Chim. Acta 638: 1.

12. Piazza L., Gigli J. and Benedetti S. 2008.

Study of structure and flavour release relationship in low moisture bakery products by means of the acoustic-mechanical combined technique and the electronic nose.

J. Cereal Sci. 48: 413.

13. Ponzoni A., Depari A., Falasconi M., Comini E., Flammini A., Marioli D., Taroni A. and Sberveglieri G. 2008. Bread baking aromas detection by low-cost electronic nose. Sensor Actuat B-Chem. 130: 100.

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From “Italian Journal of Food Science” Nr. 1/2012

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FRUITS P. RAPISARDA1* - C. CAGGIA2 - S.E. BELLOMO1 - P. PANNUZZO1 - C. RESTUCCIA2 - N. TIMPANARO1 - C.M. LANZA2

1

CRA-ACM - Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, Italy Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agrarie e Alimentari (DISPA), Sezione Tecnologia e Microbiologia degli Alimenti, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy *email: paolo.rapisarda@entecra.it

2

SHELF-LIFE OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED BLOOD ORANGES AS AFFECTED BY MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING

INTRODUCTION Minimal processing of raw fruits and vegetables is designed to maintain a sufficient shelf-life to make distribution feasible within a region of consumption and keep produce fresh without losing nutritional quality (Huxson and Bolin, 1989). Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has commonly been used in combination with refrigeration to increase the shelf-life of food products (Moleyar and Narasim-

ham, 1994). The MAP technique consists of a voluntary replacement of atmospheric gases, which are in the package head space, with specific gases or gas mixtures with various properties. Modified atmosphere packaging should be carefully designed (i.e., it should take into consideration not only steadystate conditions but also the dynamic process) because the package may have no benefit if the product is exposed to an unsuitable gas composition for a long time before

Key words fresh-cut orange, MAP, microbial growth, physicochemical analysis, sensory evaluation, Tarocco orange

ABSTRACT The present study evaluated the shelf-life of two minimally processed Tarocco genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) that were packaged in a modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures of different percentages of O2, CO2 and N2. No important physicochemical differences were observed among the orange slices packaged under modified atmosphere and stored at 4°C for 15 ds. The low O2 percentage in the atmosphere of trays may have caused a decrease in the oxidation process. In addition, the increasing amount of CO2 due to the respiration process did not lead to fermentation phenomena. Sensory and microbiological changes, however, were observed among the slices packaged with the three gas mixtures, especially for the Tarocco Scirè.

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reaching an adequate atmosphere (Fonseca et al., 2002).

Generally, the replacement of air in the package is carried out using mixtures of O2, CO2 and N2 (Jacxsens et al., 1999; Ahvenainen, 2000). Low levels of O2 and high levels of CO 2 in MAP (Jacxsens et al., 1999; Sandhya, 2010) can potentially reduce the respiration rate, ethylene production, decay and physiological changes, which would extend the shelf-life of fresh produce (Kader, 1986; Zagory and Kader, 1988; Watada et al., 1990; Fonseca et al., 2000; Fonseca et al., 2002). Moreover, this atmosphere in minimally processed fruits and vegetables has also been shown to inhibit the growth of spoilage microorganisms, which was attributed to the low O2 concentration because the elevated CO2 percentage (3-10%) inside the package was not high enough to act against microorganisms (Faber, 1992; Bennik et al., 1998; Francis et al., 1999). It is important, however, to emphasize that MAP does not guarantee the desired effect, or at least not in the desired measure, if food is not produced in microbiologically optimal conditions.

Oranges are a non-climacteric fruit, and they are likely to be minimally transformed because of their morphological and physiological characteristics (Pretel et al., 1998). Previous research on minimally processed oranges studied the effects of different types of processing on fruits of common varieties. Pretel et al. (1997 and 1998) studied the effects of enzymatic peeling and MAP on orange cv Salustiana, whereas Rocha et al. (1995) evaluated sen-

sory changes during storage at low temperatures of autochthon Portugal orange slides. Moreover, studies have examined shelf-life extension, microbiological stability and bitter substance development of peeled oranges (Pao and Petracek, 1997; Pao et al., 1997). Finally, Del Caro et al. (2004) have assessed the effect of minimal processing on flavanone glycoside, ascorbic acid contents and antioxidant capacity of coldstored Salustiana and Shamouti orange segments.

Recently, research has been directed towards the possibility of processing blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello varieties) in ready-to-eat products with the aim of finding a new market segment for blood oranges, which have excellent nutritional and sensory characteristics. Previous studies have evaluated the shelf-life of minimally processed fruits of different Tarocco genotypes packaged with films that have different oxygen permeability (Rapisarda et al., 2006a) and the changes in health-promoting components and antioxidant capacity in ready-to-eat Tarocco orange fruit (Rapisarda et al., 2006b). In addition, studies have showed the evolution of several enzymes that cause the qualitative decay in blood orange slices during chilled storage (Catalano et al., 2009).

The present study investigated the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory changes of fresh-cut orange slices of two Tarocco genotypes (Gallo and Scirè), the most extensively grown blood orange varieties in Italy, packaged under modified atmosphere. Since low O2 and high CO2 atmosphere is known

to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut fruits (Rojas-Graü et al., 2009), three different gas mixtures of O2 (2.5, 5.0 and 10%) and CO2 (8.0, 15 and 20%) were used. These studies were designed to identify the most suitable genotype to be processed and the best packaging conditions to extend the shelf-life and marketability of Tarocco products.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample preparation Fruits of two different Tarocco genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) were harvested at the experimental field “Palazzelli” of the CRA-Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee (Acireale, Italy). The samples were processed in a suitably equipped and hygienically controlled environment (UV lamps lighted before processing, disinfection of surfaces and machines by food grade solution of quaternary ammonium salt and room temperature at 15°±1°C). To reduce microbial contamination, the operators wore gloves and masks during all the sample preparation stages, and the cutting and packaging operations were done under a laminar flow hood.

Oranges with uniform size and no blemishes were harvested at maturity (TSS/TA > 10) and sanitized by immersion for 2 min in a solution containing 200 ppm of Cl2 (420 ppm of sodium hypochlorite adjusted to a pH of 7.0±0.1 with citric acid). The oranges were then rinsed with distilled water, air-dried

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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and manually peeled. Next, the fruits were sliced along the equatorial axis using a commercial slicing machine (ALA 430, Treviso, Italy). Fruit slices were handled by sanitized steel pliers and packaged under modified atmosphere conditions with three gas mixtures containing different percentages of O2, CO2 and N2 (Table 1). Crystal polyethylene terephthalate (CPET) trays were heat-sealed with the following film by a vacuum/gas machine (TecnoFoodpack, Pavia, Italy): 17 g/m2 oriented nylon (OPA), 2 g/m2 adhesive and 42 g/m2 polyester (PET) with permeability to oxygen at 35 mL/(m2·24 h), permeability to water vapor at 15 g/(m2·24 h) and a sealing point at 140°/220°C. The thickness of each orange slice was approximately 1 cm, and each tray contained four orange slices (5 180 g). The trays were stored at 4°±1°C for approximately 15 ds.

During the storage period, groups of five trays of each Tarocco genotype were sampled every 3-4 ds to determine the main physicochemical, sensory and microbiological parameters.

Physicochemical analyses The gas (O2, CO2 and N2) percentages inside the trays were evaluated by a gas detector (PBI Dansensor mod. CheckMate 9900, Dansensor Italia srl, Segrate, Italy). The firmness of the orange slices was determined by a digital penetrometer (Turoni & C. snc, Forlì, Italy), and the color evaluation (CIE L* a* b*) was performed with a Minolta CR200 colorimeter (Minolta, Milano, Italy). The chemical

analyses were carried out on juice obtained by squeezing the orange slices of each tray using a juice extractor (Moulinex, Milano, Italy).

The pH value, total acidity (TA) and total soluble solids (TSS) were determined according to classic analytical methods (Maf, 1989; Kimball, 1991). The anthocyanins were determined using the method described by Rapisarda et al. (2000), and expressed as mg/L of cyanidin3-glucoside. The determination of ascorbic acid was carried out by HPLC (Rapisarda and Intelisano, 1996) using a Waters mod. 600E liquid chromatograph (Milano, Italy) equipped with a PDA Waters 996 detector and managed by Millennium 3.2 Waters software. The column used was a C-18 Hypersil ODS 5-μm (Phenomenex, Torrance, CA), maintained at 35°C, and the elution was performed with a solution 0.02M of H3PO4 and a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 260 nm. The sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose) were determined by HPLC using an aminic column (IBSIL5-NH2, Phenomenex, Torrence, CA) and the same liquid chromatograph described above equipped with a refractive index detector (Waters-410). The mobile phase consisted of an 80:20 mixture of acetonitrile:water with a column flow of 1.8 mL/min.

Sensory analyses We used the profile method for the sensory evaluation of the slices during storage (ISO 13299, 2003), which involved the quali-quantitative description of the sample sensory attributes by a trained panel (ISO 8586-1, 1993) in a laboratory consistent with the standard UNI ISO 8589 (1990). Twenty-four judges between 25 and 28 years old were recruited among students from the University of Catania (Italy). The suitable descriptors (i.e., freshness, aroma, acidity, juiciness, sweetness, firmness, and off-flavor) for evaluating the product were defined by the judges in preliminary sessions. During the training period, the judges were required to estimate several samples of Tarocco oranges using fresh product as a reference. In the session, the judges evaluated the intensity of each chosen descriptor and assigned a score between one (absence of the descriptor) and nine (extreme intensity of the descriptor) on a numerical unipolar scale (UNIISO/WD 4121, 2001).

Microbiological analyses The slices of each tray were aseptically weighed and placed in a sterile plastic bag to be blended in a Stomacher® 400 (Lab-Blender 400, Seward Medical, London, UK) for

Table 1 - Gas mixtures percentages used for packaged fresh-cut blood oranges.

Gas mixture 1 Gas mixture 2 Gas mixture 3

16 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

O2 (%)

CO2 (%)

N2 (%)

2.5 5.0 10

8.0 15 20

89.5 80 70

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis of the physicochemical results was carried out with the STATSOFT 6.0 program (Vigonza, Padova, Italy). The statistical differences at 0, 3, 7, 12 and 15 ds of storage were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the differences in the means were evaluated using Tukey’s test. The sensory analysis scores were analyzed by ANOVA to verify significant differences among attributes during storage, and the differences between the means were evaluated

by Tukey’s test.

0 3 5 7 10 12 15

0 3 5 7 10 12 15

Gas mixture 2

Gas mixture 3

0.31 0.38 0.30 0.35 0.33 0.37 0.32

0.35 0.34 0.30 0.29 0.32 0.36 0.32

0.32 0.31 0.33 0.36 0.32 0.33 0.33

3.77 3.79 3.92 3.92 3.99 3.92 3.96

3.90 3.94 4.03 4.01 4.00 3.91 4.02

3.82 3.88 3.89 3.95 3.88 3.93 3.98

pH

0.71 0.67 0.59 0.68 0.60 0.69 0.65

0.64 0.64 0.55 0.57 0.61 0.66 0.63

0.65 0.57 0.57 0.58 0.67 0.65 0.60

TAa (%)

12.16 12.03 12.16 11.79 11.82 12.56 11.53

11.64 12.01 11.65 12.11 11.79 12.48 12.61

11.73 11.19 11.40 11.40 12.07 11.82 11.23

TSSa (%)

45.84 43.90 43.83 44.35 45.88 45.27 45.29

46.47 45.86 46.27 45.05 47.26 46.90 47.27

47.50 47.22 47.46 46.86 49.29 48.91 48.29

L*

11.27 11.96 11.83 11.35 11.13 10.79 10.41

10.77 11.16 10.83 11.15 10.52 10.23 10.53

10.40 10.29 9.84 9.86 9.21 9.19 9.61

a*

12.20 12.72 12.68 12.79 13.04 12.40 12.07

14.63 14.92 15.40 16.07 15.68 15.29 15.33

14.92 15.47 14.78 15.41 15.59 14.60 15.04

b*

58.75 65.87 57.56 57.35 53.85 65.69 64.41

66.06 64.89 63.50 57.15 69.29 65.18 66.04

61.53 55.96 56.72 55.41 63.47 60.91 59.26

AAa (mg/100 mL)

12.12 12.24 13.01 12.95 11.63 13.10 11.47

8.33 8.63 7.85 11.09 10.06 10.46 8.74

8.15 7.45 7.49 9.13 9.33 8.49 9.16

2.52 2.51 2.66 2.34 2.35 2.64 2.51

2.54 2.42 2.46 2.59 2.50 2.62 2.78

2.15 2.33 2.41 2.39 2.45 2.46 2.35

2.57 2.50 2.59 2.50 2.50 2.86 2.67

2.43 2.46 2.47 2.72 2.56 2.83 3.01

2.12 2.29 2.45 2.41 2.53 2.55 2.36

5.72 5.33 5.74 5.68 5.58 5.75 5.29

5.33 5.46 5.17 5.96 5.53 6.06 5.64

4.83 5.07 5.04 5.27 5.24 5.63 5.29

ANTa FRUa GLUa SUCRa (mg/L) (mg/100mL) (mg/100 mL) (mg/100 mL)

Within a column for a given parameter and mixture, different letters indicate significant differences at p)0.01; no letters no significant differences. a TA, titratable acidity; TSS, total soluble solid; AA, ascorbic acid; ANT, anthocyanins; FRU, fructose; GLU, glucose; SUCR, sucrose.

0 3 5 7 10 12 15

Gas mixture 1

Days Firmness (kg)

CO2 (%) 9.06B 13.28AB 16.86A 17.93A 19.02A 19.04A 20.38A 14.42D 18.58CD 22.44BC 25.72AB 26.76AB 26.60AB 29.40A 19.83D 21.12D 26.51C 27.32BC 31.30ABC 31.72AB 35.00A

O2 (%) 2.38A 0.46B 0.12BC 0.11BC 0.00C 0.01C 0.01C 5.58A 2.58B 0.75C 0.34CD 0.00D 0.01D 0.00D 9.99A 7.71B 4.37C 4.14C 1.67D 1.60DE 1.37E

70.18AB 71.17A 69.12ABC 68.54BCD 67.03CD 66.68D 63.63E

80.00A 78.84A 76.81AB 73.94BC 73.24BC 73.39BC 70.60C

88.56A 86.26AB 83.02BC 81.96C 80.98CD 80.95CD 79.61D

N2 (%)

3 min. The microbiological analyses of each trial were performed in triplicate until 12 ds of storage.

Psychotropic viable counts (PVC) were performed on plate count agar (PCA, Oxoid, CM325) by spread plating after one week of incubation at 15°C. Mesophilic viable counts (MVC) were performed with the same medium by spread plating after 48 h of incubation at 32°C. Acetic acid bacteria counts (AABC) were determined by pour plating using GYCA medium (50 g/L glucose, 10 g/L yeast extract, 30 g/L calcium carbonate, and 25 g/L agar) after incubation at 32°C for 48 h.

Yeast and mold counts (YMC) were determined by pour plating with Sabouraud dextrose agar (Oxoid, CM41) after incubation at 25°C for 4 ds (SAB). Acidophilic microorganisms counts (AMC) were performed by pour plating using orange serum agar (OSA, Oxoid, CM657) after incubation at 32°C for 48 h. Colonies were manually counted and expressed as Log10CFUs.

Table 2 - Physicochemical parameters of Tarocco ‘Gallo’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures and stored for 15 days at 4°C.

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0 3 5 7 10 12 15

0 3 5 7 10 12 15

Gas mixture 2

Gas mixture 3

0.23 0.24 0.22 0.26 0.25 0.25 0.25

0.24 0.24 0.25 0.25 0.24 0.26 0.25

3.77 3.89 3.80 3.80 3.91 3.90 3.85

3.88 3.86 3.89 3.79 3.91 3.86 3.90

3.90 3.92 3.91 4.02 3.90 3.93 3.96

0.20B 0.21B 0.23AB 0.22AB 0.23AB 0.22AB 0.26A

0.77 0.64 0.69 0.67 0.63 0.68 0.67

0.81 0.79 0.78 0.83 0.77 0.79 0.77

0.73 0.73 0.70 0.65 0.72 0.69 0.66

12.20 12.29 12.90 12.47 12.42 12.45 12.35

11.99 11.92 12.10 12.12 12.04 11.78 12.21

11.99 11.87 11.91 11.98 11.96 11.68 11.31

TSSa (%)

47.26 45.79 46.15 46.67 45.77 46.21 47.92

44.32 44.72 45.94 46.94 45.83 45.77 45.92

48.62 46.08 46.57 47.04 46.46 46.15 46.56

L*

7.47 7.45 7.15 6.85 7.03 7.60 7.82

9.87 9.52 9.12 9.09 9.38 9.37 9.34

6.83 7.38 6.98 6.68 7.06 7.79 7.11

a*

7.71 7.28 6.63 6.78 6.59 7.31 7.25

12.29 11.63 10.94 11.08 11.17 11.91 12.09

7.32 7.98 7.40 7.04 7.48 8.10 7.96

b*

18.09 18.02 21.21 20.85 19.27 20.84 21.66 22.93 22.52 21.95 23.53 23.53 21.71 21.79

59.95A 56.89AB 54.98AB 54.45AB 50.75B 50.70B 49.13B

26.32 24.08 25.17 28.43 28.49 28.40 26.97

ANTa (mg/L)

58.72 56.39 57.14 60.25 57.14 56.87 59.86

58.64 57.92 58.88 56.33 53.47 53.22 55.44

AAa (mg/100 mL)

2.80 2.86 2.99 2.89 2.77 2.67 2.74

2.52 2.57 2.52 2.52 2.34 2.27 2.45

2.66 2.64 2.63 2.67 2.56 2.48 2.42

2.93 3.01 3.15 3.05 2.93 2.85 2.95

2.57 2.68 2.65 2.66 2.45 2.42 2.63

2.76 2.74 2.73 2.80 2.76 2.63 2.56

9.65A 7.08B 6.06B 3.91C 3.89C 2.91CD 1.84D

4.63A 1.74B 1.35BC 0.66CD 0.02D 0.01D 0.00D

5.23A 5.00AB 4.95AB 5.11AB 4.29B 4.46AB 4.59AB 5.17 5.42 5.61 5.35 5.29 5.11 5.23

2.07A 0.82B 0.16C 0.13C 0.08C 0.00C 0.00C

5.23A 5.20A 5.22A 5.12AB 4.93AB 4.80AB 4.72B

FRUa GLUa SUCRa O2 (mg/100mL) (mg/100mL) (mg/100mL) (%)

Within a column for a given parameter and mixture, different letters indicate significant differences at p)0.01; no letters no significant differences. a TA, titratable acidity; TSS, total soluble solid; AA, ascorbic acid; ANT, anthocyanins; FRU, fructose; GLU, glucose; SUCR, sucrose.

0 3 5 7 10 12 15

TAa (%)

19.20E 22.64DE 23.82CD 27.30BC 28.53AB 29.72AB 32.44A

15.36D 20.54C 21.20BC 23.68B 27.00A 27.08A 26.98A

9.00D 12.52C 14.76BC 15.59B 17.14AB 19.04A 18.68A

Physicochemical results

Gas mixture 1

pH

Firmness (kg)

71.15A 70.28A 70.10A 68.79AB 67.58BC 67.37BC 65.72C

80.01A 77.72AB 77.45AB 75.66BC 72.98C 72.91C 73.02C

88.93A 86.66AB 85.08BC 84.28BCD 82.78D 80.96D 81.32CD

N2 (%)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Days

CO2 (%)

Tables 2 and 3 show the physicochemical results of two Tarocco orange genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) that were packaged in modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures of different O2, CO2 and N2 percentages and stored at 4°C for 15 ds. Analysis of the O2, CO2 and N2 percentages in the tray head space showed that there was a significant decrease of O2 after 3 ds of storage in both Tarocco Gallo and Scirè products, for the three tested mixtures. The CO2 level was increased in all treatments, whereas the N2 percentage in the trays decreased, which balanced the CO2 production. Peeling and slicing severely injured the tissues and induced a high respiration rate, which created a gas atmosphere rich in CO2 and poor in O2 inside the trays (Pretel et al., 1998).

Regarding quality parameters, no important changes were observed for products packaged under modified atmosphere. These results were similar to a previous study that examined the same Tarocco genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) packaged with three films with different oxygen permeability (Rapisarda et al., 2006a). Only a change of firmness between the first and last sampling for Tarocco Scirè slices packaged with mixture 1 was observed, probably due to an increase of pectin viscosity (the gelling behavior) rather than metabolic processes. In addition, during the entire storage period, only a slight decrease in sugar concentration was noted for sucrose

Table 3 - Physicochemical parameters of Tarocco ‘Scirè’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures and stored for 15 days at 4°C.

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in the Tarocco Scirè slices packaged with mixtures 1 and 2. This decrease was probably associated with weak hydrolysis phenomena of the sugar, but the decrease was not directly observed through monosaccharide analyses.

Among the various orange varieties, cv Tarocco is the richest in vitamin C (Rapisarda and Intelisano, 1996; Rapisarda et al., 2001). The content of ascorbic acid in the juice of Tarocco genotypes has been reported to be between 60-90 mg/100 mL (Rapisarda and Russo, 2000). Studies on fresh-cut blood oranges packaged in normal air with three films with different oxygen permeability (Rapisarda et al., 2004; Rapisarda et al., 2006a) have shown a decrease in ascorbic acid by the last day of storage; however, the decrease did not exceed 40% of the ascorbic acid content on the production day. In contrast, most of the products packaged in modified atmosphere containing a low percentage of O2 have maintained the ascorbic acid content during the entire storage period. A loss of ascorbic acid was only observed in slices of Tarocco Scirè packaged with mixture 3 with significant differences after 7 ds of storage. The decrease of this component was probably due to the residual O2 percentage in the packaging.

One of the most important objectives for minimally processed products is the maintenance of the original color (Dorantes-Alvarez and Chiralt, 2000). The two Tarocco genotypes packaged with three gas mixtures showed no change in the parameters of the color (L*, a*, b*) during storage. These data provide further confirmation of the absence of brown-

ing phenomena of the slices during storage, which would be highlighted with a decrease in L* and an increase in b* values. Moreover, the maintenance of the red color parameter (a*) during the 15 ds of storage was confirmed by the absence of changes in the concentration of anthocyanins, which are the pigments responsible for the typical red flesh color for both genotypes.

Sensory results In all the MAP treatments, the judges found that only a few descriptors were changed in the Tarocco Gallo slices (Table 4). A significant decrease in aroma was noted between the fresh and 7 ds stored products packaged with mixture 1.

Moreover, a change in aroma was found between the fresh and 10 ds stored products packaged with mixture 3. The highest value of acidity was observed after 3 ds of storage for slices packaged with mixture 1 and mixture 2. A delay of perception of acidity was noted for slices packaged with mixture 3. Nevertheless, the observed trends of acidity were not comparable with the equivalent chemical parameters. No changes in pH or TA were found for slices packaged with any of the three mixtures.

Considering the sweetness descriptor, only the Tarocco Gallo packaged with mixture 1 showed a decrease between fresh slices and slices stored for 7 ds. Freshness, juiciness, firmness and off-flavor remained unchanged in all treatments.

Tarocco Scirè slices had the worst results with changes observed for almost all the considered descriptors (Table 5). For slices packaged with

mixture 1, a loss of freshness was already perceived after 3 ds of storage, but the other packaged products maintained acceptable levels of freshness up to 12-15 ds of storage.

In slices packaged in mixture 1, the aroma descriptor was different by the 10th day, whereas the judges did not notice a difference in aroma for the other two mixtures until the 12th day.

During the 15 ds of storage, changes in the acidity and juiciness parameters were observed in the slices packaged with gas mixtures 1 and 3, whereas the sweetness and firmness parameters had significant differences in slices packaged in gas mixture 3. Furthermore, the judges perceived an increase in the off-flavor at 5 ds of storage in all Tarocco Scirè packaged products.

Microbiological analysis Table 6 shows the microbiological evolution of both Tarocco orange genotypes during storage.

None of the experimental samples of the Tarocco Gallo slices had microbiological values that exceeded the microbiological criteria (maximal level of 7.5 log CFU/g) recognized for minimally processed fruits and vegetables (CNERNA-CNRS, 1996). In the three different modified atmospheres, the highest microbiological values for the Tarocco Gallo slices were always lower than 4.0 log CFU/g, and the highest value was observed for mesophilic aerobes (MVC) that were cultured on PCA and incubated at 32°C (on the 9th day of storage with mixture 3). A different evolution of the bacterial growth in Tarocco Scirè slices packaged with the three mixtures was

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5.85 5.55a 2.67ab 5.68 6.32a 5.15 3.94

5.05 3.22b 2.72ab 5.42 4.06b 5.45 2.78

4.39 4.01ab 3.28ab 4.24 4.74ab 5.98 3.04

4.69 4.22ab 4.52a 4.53 4.68ab 5.82 3.13

5.12 3.56ab 2.65ab 5.31 5.27ab 5.42 3.05

10 5.00 3.96ab 2.38b 5.35 4.20ab 5.77 3.28

12 4.64 4.53ab 3.59ab 4.85 5.37ab 5.59 3.55

15 5.82 4.76 2.85ab 5.31 5.18 5.03 3.11

0 5.21 5.05 4.32a 5.64 5.20 5.45 3.28

3 5.12 4.76 3.07ab 5.07 4.70 5.85 3.88

5 5.14 3.96 2.35b 5.31 5.96 5.68 2.87

5.96 3.68 2.99ab 6.38 5.48 5.64 3.15

10

7

7

5

3

Days

Days

4.36 4.08 2.88ab 4.66 4.15 5.79 2.77

12 4.82 4.02 3.13ab 5.45 5.13 5.12 3.79

15 5.87 5.20a 3.27ab 5.77 6.04 4.94 4.14

0 5.51 5.22a 3.72ab 5.00 5.68 5.59 3.02

3

20 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september 4.73bc 5.14ab 3.36ab 5.43ab 5.25 4.32 3.88ab

4.48bc 5.15ab 4.20a 4.67ab 3.98 5.39 4.68a

6.25ab 5.19ab 2.59ab 5.97ab 5.64 5.81 3.42ab

7.25a 6.00a 2.85ab 6.08a 5.40 4.51 1.87b

4.60bc 3.40bc 3.58ab 5.53ab 3.95 4.97 3.15ab

4.74bc 3.27bc 2.61ab 5.80ab 4.68 4.42 3.62ab

12 3.42c 2.65c 2.15b 3.65b 4.41 3.65 2.35ab

15 6.59a 5.68a 3.38 6.28 4.69 4.38 1.73b

0 6.23a 5.38a 4.19 5.18 4.27 5.88 3.99ab

3 5.01a 5.10a 4.38 4.96 4.82 5.95 5.44a

5 5.00a 4.18ab 4.04 4.83 4.67 4.77 2.92ab

4.65ab 4.38a 4.81 4.88 4.65 5.62 3.88ab

10 4.42ab 3.65ab 3.59 5.22 4.22 5.21 3.79ab

12 2.62b 2.15b 3.69 4.77 3.95 3.81 4.48a

15 6.70a 5.25a 2.98ab 6.20a 4.98a 5.30a 2.22b

0

3 6.69a 5.02a 2.64ab 6.27a 5.31a 5.80a 2.49b

Within a row for a given parameter and mixture, different letters indicate significant differences at p)0.05; no letters no significant differences.

Freshness Aroma Acidity Juiciness Sweetness Firmness Off-flavor

10

7

7

5

3

Days

Days

0

Gas mixture 2

Gas mixture 1

Table 5 - Sensory evaluation of Tarocco ‘Scirè’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures and stored for 15 days at 4°C.

4.98ab 4.62ab 4.58a 5.40a 5.08a 6.28a 5.78a

5

4.85 3.48ab 2.40b 5.72 4.54 5.57 4.36

7 4.00 2.65b 4.69a 4.79 4.35 5.50 4.54

10

4.91ab 3.72ab 4.58a 5.29a 4.69ab 4.85ab 3.19ab

7

Days

5.22ab 4.48ab 4.33ab 5.27a 3.53ab 4.92ab 4.75ab

10

Gas mixture 3

4.75 4.49ab 2.62b 5.15 4.97 4.71 3.26

5

Days

Gas mixture 3

Within a row for a given parameter and mixture, different letters indicate significant differences at p)0.05; no letters no significant differences.

Freshness Aroma Acidity Juiciness Sweetness Firmness Off-flavor

0

Gas mixture 2

Gas mixture 1

Table 4 - Sensory evaluation of Tarocco ‘Gallo’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures and stored for 15 days at 4°C.

4.05bc 2.98ab 3.16ab 5.41a 3.10ab 4.48ab 5.09ab

12

4.30 3.14ab 4.17ab 5.16 4.58 6.30 4.69

12

2.48c 2.23b 2.08b 2.31a 1.96b 2.92b 2.82b

15

4.16 3.26ab 4.09ab 5.02 5.29 5.07 4.88

15

FRUITS

observed. Microbiological analyses of orange slices packaged with mixture 1, especially for AMC and MVC, showed high values (up to 6.0 log CFU/g) at 6th day and 9th day of storage, respectively. However, the highest values for all detected microbial groups were observed at 9th day of storage. A similar trend was also noted for the product packaged with mixture 3 (i.e., yeasts and molds had values up to 6.0 log CFU/g). Slices packaged with mixture 2 had an increased microbiological value up to the 3th day of storage, which was followed by a decrease from the 3th day to the 6th day and then another increase during the last days of storage (values reached 7.5 log CFU/g for all the considered microbial groups).

Compared with the normal air atmosphere, the microbial results obtained from the slices of Tarocco Gallo and Tarocco Scirè slices packaged in modified atmosphere did not demonstrate an increase of product stability. Previous studies have shown that Tarocco slices packaged in normal air with three different films have lower CFU/g values for all detected microbial groups than the values established by CNERNACNRS (1996), both at the production day and last day of storage (Rapisarda et al., 2006a).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found that sliced oranges obtained from two Tarocco genotypes packaged in modified atmosphere with three different gas mixtures did not show marked physicochemical changes during 15 ds of storage. The low oxygen percent-

FRUITS

ages of the three gas mixtures may have contributed to the maintenance of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and anthocyanin concentrations. Moreover, the high acidity and maintenance of vitamin C content prevented enzymatic browning development and marked changes in the color of the slices. The sensory descriptors and estimated microbial group evolution during storage at 4°C revealed that Gallo was the best Tarocco genotype to be processed as a fresh-cut product. Slices of Tarocco Gallo oranges maintained good freshness, juiciness and firmness during storage. In addition, no development of off-flavors occurred, and the growth of microorganisms did not exceed acceptable limits (CNERNA-CNRS, 1996).

In contrast, the Tarocco Scirè slices spoiled faster than the Gallo slices under the same conditions. The results of the present study suggest that the shelf-life of Tarocco Gallo slices

is 12 ds, whereas Tarocco Scirè slices are not considered acceptable after 5 to 6 ds of storage.

REFERENCES 1. Ahvenainen R. 2000. Minimal processing of fresh produce. In: “Minimally processed fruits and vegetables”. S.M. Alzamora, M.S. Tapia and A. Lopez-Mallo (Ed), p. 277. ASPEN Publishers Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland.

2. Bennik M.H.J., Van Overbeek W., Smid E.J. and Gorris L.G. 1998. The influence of oxygen and carbon dioxide on the growth of prevalent Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas species isolated from fresh and controlled atmosphere-stored vegetables.

Food Microbiol. 15: 459.

3. Catalano A.E., Ingallinera B., Todaro A., Rapisarda P. and Spagna G. 2009. Degradative enzymatic activities in fresh-cut blood orange slices during chilled-storage. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 44: 1041.

4. CNERNA-CNRS. 1996. Products de la IV gamme. In: “La qualité microbiologique des aliments (maitris et critères)”. Jouve P. Ed Polytechnica, Paris, France.

5. Del Caro A., Piga A., Vacca V. and Agabbio M. 2004. Changes of flavonoids, vitamin C

and antioxidant capacity in minimally processed citrus segments and juices during storage. Food Chem. 84: 99.

6. Dorantes-Alvarez L. and Chiralt A. 2000.

Color of minimally processed fruits and vegetables as affected by some chemical and biochemical changes. In: “Minimally processed fruits and vegetables”. S.M. Alzamora, M.S. Tapia and A. Lopez-Mallo (Ed), p. 111. ASPEN Publishers Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland.

7. Faber J.M. 1992. Microbiological aspects of modified atmosphere packaging technology: a review. J. Food Protect. 54: 58.

8. Fonseca S.C., Oliveira F.A.R., Lino I.B.M. and Brecth J.K. 2002. Modelling respiration rate of fresh fruits and vegetables for modified atmosphere packages: a review.

J. Food Eng. 52: 99.

9. Fonseca S.C., Oliveira F.A.R., Lino I.B.M., Brecth J.K. and Chau K.V. 2000. Modelling O2 and CO2 exchange for development of perforation-mediated modified atmosphere packaging. J. Food Eng. 43: 9.

10. Francis G.A., Thomas C. and O’Beirne D. 1999. The microbiological safety of minimally processed vegetables. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 34: 1.

11. Huxson C.C. and Bolin H.R. 1989. Processing and distribution alternatives for minimally processed fruit and vegetables. Food Technol. 43, 124-128.

Table 6 - Microbiological evolution during storage of Tarocco ‘Gallo’ and ‘Scirè’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three different gas mixtures (log CFU/g).

Gas mixture 1 Days 0

3

6

Gas mixture 2 Days 9

12

0

3

6

Gas mixture 3 Days 9

12

0

3

6

9

12

2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

2.70 3.06 2.15 2.06 3.07

1.53 2.40 1.43 1.01 1.53

2.00 4.00 2.00 2.00 2.00

2.00 2.60 2.00 2.60 2.00

7.52 7.53 7.53 7.53 7.53

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1.48 1.33 1.22 1.78 1.49

3.92 4.52 3.73 5.52 4.52

4.90 5.12 5.05 6.07 6.53

5.60 2.60 3.52 2.00 2.00

Tarocco ‘Gallo’ PVCa MVCa AABCa YMCa AMCa

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

3.14 3.72 2.76 2.80 3.72

1.73 2.03 2.37 1.87 2.28

2.00 2.60 3.92 2.00 2.00

2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.60

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

2.91 2.82 2.79 2.93 2.97

2.43 2.56 2.52 2.32 2.97

2.00 2.85 2.00 2.00 2.00

Tarocco ‘Scirè’ PVCa MVCa AABCa YMCa AMCa

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

2.31 2.26 2.38 2.25 2.48

4.00 5.52 3.83 4.53 6.52

4.61 6.57 4.37 4.17 6.82

3.01 3.14 4.14 2.00 3.32

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

3.00 2.69 3.00 3.19 3.04

0.42 1.73 2.56 1.56 1.52

3.53 3.31 3.01 2.00 3.37

a

PVC, psychotropic viable count; MVC, mesophilic viable count; AABC, acetic acid bacteria count; YMC, yeast and mold count; AMC, acidophilic microorganisms count.

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

21

FRUITS

12. ISO 13299. 2003. Sensory analysis - Methodology - General guidance for establishing a sensory profile.

13. ISO 8586-1. 1993. Sensory analysis - General guidance for the selection, training and monitoring of assessors - Part 1: Selected assessors.

14. Jacxsens L., Devlieghere F. and Debevere J. 1999. Validation of a systematic approach to design equilibrium modified atmosphere packages for fresh-cut produce. LWT-Food Sci. Technol. 32: 425.

15. Kader A.A. 1986. Biochemical and physiological basis for effects of controlled and modified atmospheres on fruits and vegetables. Food Technol. 40: 99.

16. Kimball D. 1991. Citrus Processing. Quality Control and Technology. AVI Book, New York.

17. MAF. 1988. Metodi ufficiali d’analisi per le conserve vegetali (Official Analysis Methods for Plant Preserves). Parte generale, D.M. 18. Moleyar V. and Narasimham P. 1994. Modified atmosphere packaging of vegetables: an appraisal. J. Food Sci. Technol. 31: 267.

19. Pao S. and Petracek P.D. 1997. Shelf-life extension of peeled oranges by citric acid treatment. Food Microbiol. 14: 485.

20. Pao S., Widmer W.W. and Petracek P.D. 1997. Effects of cutting on juice leakage, microbiological stability and bitter substances of peeled citrus. Lebensm. Wiss. u.Technol. 30: 670.

21. Pretel M.T., Fernández P.S., Romojaro F. and Martínez A. 1998. The effect of modified atmosphere packaging on ‘ready-to-eat’

oranges. LWT-Food Sci. Technol. 31: 322.

22. Pretel M.T., Lozano P., Riquelme F. and Romojaro F. 1997. Pectic enzymes in fresh fruit processing: optimization of enzymic peeling of oranges. Proc. Biochem. 32: 43.

23. Rapisarda P. and Intelisano S. 1996. Sample preparation for vitamin C analysis of pigmented orange juice. Ital. J. Food Sci. 3: 251.

24. Rapisarda P. and Russo G. 2000. Fruit quality of five “Tarocco” selections grown in Italy. Proc. Intl. Soc. Citriculture IX: 1149.

25. Rapisarda P., Bellomo S.E. and Intrigliolo F. 2001. Anthocyanins in blood oranges: composition and biological activity. In: Recent Research Developments in Agricultural and Food Chemistry. S.G. Pandalai (Ed.), Vol. 5, p. 217. Research Signpost, Trivandrum, India.

26. Rapisarda P., Bellomo S.E., Pannuzzo P., Caggia C., Lanza C.M. and Restuccia C. 2004. Minimally processed blood oranges: physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of four ‘Tarocco’ clones slices. Proc. Intl. Soc. Citriculture III: 1149.

27. Rapisarda P., Caggia C., Lanza C.M., Bellomo S.E., Pannuzzo P. and Restuccia C. 2006a. Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of minimally processed Tarocco clone oranges with 3 different permeability films. J. Food Sci.71: 299.

28. Rapisarda P., Fanella F. and Maccarone E. 2000. Reliability of analytical method for determining anthocyanins in blood orange juice. J. Agric. Food Chem. 48: 2249.

29. Rapisarda P., Pannuzzo P., Timpanaro N.

and Lo Bianco M. 2006b. Changes in polyphenol, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity in minimally processed Tarocco orange fruit. Special Issue Ital. J. Food Sci., 439.

30. Rocha A.M.C.N., Brochado C.M., Kirby R. and Morais A.M.M.B. 1995. Shelf-life of chilled cut orange determined by sensory quality. Food Control 6: 317.

31. Rojas-Graü M.A., Oms-Oliu G., Soliva-Fortuny R. and Martin-Belloso O. 2009. The use of packaging techniques to maintain freshness in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables: a review. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 44: 875.

32. Saltveit M.E. 2003. Is it possible to find an optimal controlled atmosphere? Postharvest Biol. Technol. 27: 3.

33. Sandhya. 2010. Modified atmosphere of fresh produce: current status and future needs. LWT- Food Sci. Technol. 43: 381.

34. UNI ISO 8589. 1990. Analisi sensoriale – Criteri generali per la progettazione di locali destinati all’analisi sensoriale.

35. UNI ISO/WD 4121. 2001. Analisi sensoriale – Linee guida per l’utilizzo di scale quantitative di risposta.

36. Watada A.E., Abe K. and Yamauchi N. 1990. Physiological activities of partially processed fruits and vegetables. Food Technol. 44: 116.

37. Z a g o r y D. a n d K a d e r A . A . 1 9 8 8 .

Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh produce. Food Technol. 42: 70.

From “Italian Journal of Food Science” Nr. 1/2012

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(I¿FLHQW WUHDWPHQW WR LQDFWLYDWH (VFKHULFKLD FROL LQ SURFHVV ZDVK ZDWHU New research supports the efficacy of an electrochemical treatment in water disinfection, using boron-doped diamond electrodes.

A group of Spanish researchers and an R&D engineer at Adamant Technologies, a company specializing in the production and development of thin polycrystalline diamond coatings and related applications in the fields of electrochemistry and materials in Switzerland, have studied an electrochemical treatment in water disinfection and have analyzed its

suitability for the fresh-cut produce industry.

Tap water (TW) and tap water supplemented with NaCl (NaClW), containing different levels of organic matter (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) around 60, 300, 550s50, and 750s50 mg/L) obtained from lettuce, were inoculated with a cocktail of Escherichia coli O157:H7 at 105 cfu/ mL. Changes in levels of E. coli O157:H7 free, combined, total chlorine, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, COD and temperature

&ULVS VWXG\ PD\ DLG VDOW UHGXFWLRQ The journal Food & Function has published the results of a study that may help efforts to reduce salt in snacks and other foods.

The researchers Ian Fisk and Tian Xing from University of Nottingham (UK) monitored the rate of salt release as crisps are chewed. They found that a peak in salivary

24 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

were monitored during treatments.

In NaClW, free chlorine was produced more rapidly than in TW and, as a consequence, reductions of 5 log units of E. coli O157:H7 were achieved faster (0.17, 4, 15 and 24 min for water with 60, 300, 500 and 750 mg/L of COD, respectively) than in TW alone (0.9, 25, 60 min and 90 min for water

with 60, 300, 600 and 800 mg/L of COD, respectively).

Nonetheless, the equipment showed potential for water disinfection and organic matter reduction even without adding NaCl. Additionally, different mathematical models were assessed to account for microbial inactivation curves obtained from the electrochemical treatments.

sodium levels was recorded after 20-30 s implying that a significant proportion of the crisp’s salt flavouring is released in a pulse-type mechanism which would not be encountered when the crisp is exposed to normal eating patterns, i.e. swallowed within 20 seconds of first chew.

This further suggests that consumers are receiving a large proportion of unperceived sodium, perhaps meaning salt consumption is higher than it

would be if the salt has being detected. This has health consequences since high levels of dietary sodium have been linked to negative health impacts such as hypertension.

The research team suggests that future development of novel technologies to modify the rate-release mechanism of sodium in mouth may offer significant commercial and health opportunities within the food industry.

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)XQFWLRQDO EUHDG ZLWK SURELRWLFV Various species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have been used as probiotics but their survival during processing and storage is insufficient and limits usefulness in food applications.

Is it possible to produce functional bread containing probiotics? A study published in the Journal Food Hydrocolloids by Rosell et al. suggests the conclusion. The research team has investigated producing functional partially baked bread combining the encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and starch based coatings and have assessed the microorganisms after baking and after a short storage of 24 hrs.

The researchers used three different probiotic coatings (dispersed or multilayer) applied onto the surface of the bread. Treatment S1 consisted of 5% starch containing 1% microcapsules; S2 was the same at treatment S1 plus a coating of 5% starch

(w/v); S3 consisted of a costing of starch solution (5%, w/v) followed by dispersing microcapsules (2% w/w, corresponding to 0.2 g/bread) and a final costing with starch solution (5%, w/v). The amount of viable Lactobacillus acidophilus in the bread surface after full baking at 30 minutes and after 24 hr storage has been determined. Chemical and physical analyses of the bread were carried out including puncture tests, examining the treated crusts with scanning electron microscopy and using a trained panel of 8 panellists to sensory evaluate the attributes of the bread, including crust appearance, colour, odour, crispness, and crumb hardness.

The scientists found that viable microorganisms remained after the baking process in all the coatings, although reduction was higher in the S3 treatment.

In all treatments, short-term storage caused a reduction in the total colony counts of microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus. However they report that despite this reduction the microbe’s survival indicates that probiotic coatings could be used for obtaining functional breads.

Although the physical and chemical analysis showed that the coating had signifi-

cantly affected the physiochemical properties of the crust, the sensory panellists found the breads to be of good acceptability.

In conclusion Rosell at al. propose the S1 and S2 treatments as the best options for carrying the microcapsules.

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“SIRHA” is the short for “sequential infrared and hot air”, an almond pasteurizing technique proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) engineer Zhongli Pan and microbiologist Maria T. Brandl. Their study has demonstrated that giving almonds a burst of infrared heat, followed by a stint of hot-air roasting, helps make sure these tasty, healthful nuts remain safe to eat.

Findings from their laboratory experiments show that this chemical-free process offers a simple, safe, energyefficient and environmen-

tally friendly way to reduce Salmonella enterica populations to levels generally recognized as safe.

All almonds processed for sale in the United States today are treated with some kind of pasteurization process in order to zap Salmonella, even though it’s generally thought that almonds are only rarely contaminated with this pathogen.

Nearly half-dozen almond pasteurization methods already have federal approval, but many almond processors remain eager to learn about new options, including SIRHA and its

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

25

promise of fast, reliable and relatively economical pasteurization.

According to results from dozens of volunteer tastetesters who participated in the studies, infrared heating doesn’t detectably alter the mild taste, smooth texture, attractive appearance or other characteristics that make almonds one of the Country’s most popular tree nuts.

Dr. Pan reports that, with further work, SIRHA should be easy to scale up for use at packinghouses.

Most are located in California, where all of America’s commercial almonds – 80% of the world’s supply – are grown. He also notes that some almond packinghouses already use infrared heating, but not for pasteurizing.

The idea of using infrared heating to kill germs isn’t new. But studies that Pan and Brandl reported are the most comprehensive investigations of the use of infrared heating to pasteurize almonds and knock down Salmonella.

7KH FRQWURO RI /LVWHULD LQ UHF\FOHG FKLOO EULQH Postprocessing contamination of the products in a processing plant has been identified as one of the major reasons for food contam-

ination with Listeria; brining is one such postprocessing area.

A study published in the Journal of Food Safety, by Dr Parikh et al., is focused on the reduction of L. monocytogenes in recycled chill brine (obtained from a frankfurter processor) using the combinations of ultraviolet (UV) light and antimicrobial agents, such as citric acid (CA), hydrogen peroxide (HP), and dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC).

A previous study of the same research team has shown that the combinations of UV and antimicrobials reduces the number of this organism significantly in fresh brine, but brine is usually recycled from days to

26 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

weeks depending on its use.

The brine solutions are generally recycled in industries for up to 4 weeks as per United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guide.

Thus, it is very important to study various treatments to process recycled brine that was used to process readyto-eat (RTE) meat products to prevent foodborne diseases or outbreaks.

Results show that the combinations of UV and 2,000 and 4,000 ppm HP were the most effective treatments in reducing the Listeria population with the total processing time of 120 min. Both of these treatments were found to be more effective

than UV or HP alone. Additionally, all other treatments, such as the combinations of UV and CA (0.2 and 0.5%) and UV and DMDC (250 and 500 ppm) were comparatively less effective. This may be due to the presence of organic matter in spent brine, which may have reduced the penetration of UV and availability of antimicrobials for microbial interaction.

Industry may benefit from this research in their validation efforts to control L. monocytogenes for recycled brine in recirculating chill brine systems through the use of UV light and antimicrobial agents.

7KH ³GDUN VLGH´ RI KLJK ǃ FDURWHQH LQWDNH Researchers from the Ohio State University (Usa) have investigated the biological functions of the breakdown products of `-carotene. Although `-carotene is mostly broken down to Vitamin A, their findings published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry indicate that certain molecules that derive from `-carotene, the `-apocarotenoids, have an opposite effect in the body, blocking some actions of vitamin A, which is critical to human vision, bone and skin health, metabolism and immune function.

Harrison et al. explain

that depending on the e n z y m e p a t h way s i n volved, `-carotene (BC) can be broken into different products including the `-apocarotenoids, which have been found in food and in the blood of humans and animals but their biological functions are still unknown.

The scientists produced a series of beta-carotene-derived molecules in the laboratory that match those that exist in nature; these molecules were then exposed to conditions mimicking their metabolism and action in the body. They found of

the 11 synthetic molecules produced, 5 appeared to function as inhibitors of vitamin A action based on how they interacted with receptors that would normally launch the function of vitamin A molecules. They thought the compounds would function similarly to vitamin A by activating retinoic receptors however they found that they inhibit the activation instead.

In order to investigate how

prevalent these molecules were in humans, the researchers examined blood samples from 6 healthy human volunteers and found that some of these anti-vitamin-A molecules were present in every sample studied, which indicates that they are a common product of `-carotene metabolism.

The paper suggests that high doses of `-carotene may be detrimental to health.

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the Authors argue that this study merits further investigation in human subjects, once any potential toxic effects of PAZ have been considered.

In the study, sixty male golden Syrian hamsters (8 weeks old) were randomized into controls (W) or PAZ (P), P1, P2, P3, and P4 (n = 10 per group). Hamsters were used in this study because their lipoprotein metabolism is comparable with that of humans in terms of having similar components and metabolism of both lipoproteins and bile acids.

An infusion of either 5% (P1, P2, P3) or 20% (P, P4) concentration (v/v) was ad-

ministered via the drinking water for 4 weeks, while the hamsters were being fed a high-fat diet (30% of calories from fat). Serum lipids were assayed and liver samples subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to determine the relative transcription levels of genes involved in HDL/reverse cholesterol transport metabolism.

The results suggest that PAZ administration results in a favourable lipoprotein cholesterol distribution profile in hamsters, primarily via its effects on multiple targets in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway.

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A dietary study involving hamsters and published in the journal Nutrition and Dietary Supplements suggests that ProAlgaZyme and its subfractions can increase the level of plasma HDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic animals.

ProAlgaZyme (PAZ) algae

Researchers from University of Zagreb (Croatia) have developed a chocolate rich in polyphenols derived from raspberry leaves. They report their work in Food Research International and note that raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus L.) have been used in folk medicine to treat a number of conditions. Many of these potential health benefits are attributed to polyphenolic compounds, especially ellagic acid and ellagitannins, which provide a distinctive flavour of raspberry leaves tea.

In the present study the bio-

infusion is the fermentation product of a blend of freshwater organisms, including green algae. Since current treatment strategies for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease include a focus on increasing low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol,

active content, physical and sensory properties of milk, semisweet and dark chocolates enriched with concentrated (1 and 3%) and freeze dried (1%) red raspberry leaf extract were studied. Researchers found that the addition of 3% concentrated extract reduced the particle size distribution parameter in all chocolates but provided harder product with higher viscosity and rough, coarse product surface, resulting in an unattractive and sensorially unacceptable product. However, the addition of freeze dried extract in-

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

27

creased the particle size of all chocolates and did not cause any significant difference in the chocolate surface, and was scored the best in terms of visual, tex-

tural and flavour attributes.

The addition of 1% of concentrated or 1% of freeze dried extract did not alter the total phenol content (TPC) of enriched chocolate compared to plain samples, while the addition of 3% concentrated extract enhanced the TPC in all chocolates.

Researchers claim that optimal physical, bioactive and sensory properties can be achieved if a freeze-dried concentrate of raspberry leaf is used.

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)DW FHOOV FDQ SURWHFW WKH ERG\ DJDLQVW GLDEHWHV Diabetes in obese people often occurs when the dedicated sugar transport molecules on fat cells are blocked. Glucose is not able to enter the fat cell causing the whole body to become insulin resistant, and blood sugar rises,

leading to diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

In recent years, several research groups have shown that fat cells play a key role in controlling healthy blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the human body.

The current study at Harvard Medical School, published in the Journal Nature, has identified a fat gene that appears to protect against diabetes, a disease that affects more than two million people in the UK. The research showed how the gene, ChREBP, converts glucose sugar into fatty acids and boosts sensitivity to insulin, allowing diabetes to be resisted. The study

28 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

involved tweaking a “glucose transporter” gene in obese mice that serves as a gateway for sugar. Usually the activity of the gene in fat cells decreases with obesity.

The scientists found that when they allowed more sugar into their fat cells by increasing glucose transporter levels in obese mice, they were protected against diabetes. Furthermore, normal weight mice lacking the

glucose transporter gene developed diabetes symptoms.

It is believed that the findings could lead to new treatments for diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

This study adds to previous research, based on 123 fat samples from non-diabetic people, which showed the gene was more active in those whose bodies had a better sugar balance.

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%LRDFWLYH SK\WRFKHPLFDOV LQ WRPDWRHV DQG WKHLU E\ SURGXFWV Researchers from the Dept. of Science of Dietetics-Nutrition and Dept. of Home Economics and Ecology, at the Harokopio University in Greece, have analysed tomato processing by-products, together with unprocessed tomatoes, for several bioactive phytochemicals such as like sterols, tocopherols, carotenes, terpenes, total and simple polyphenols. In addition, their radical scavenging capacity and reducing power were assayed.

On a dry weight (DW) basis, tomato wastes contained significantly lower amounts of lycopene and increased amounts of `-carotene, tocopherols, sterols and terpenes, while their fatty acid profile was similar to that of unpro-

cessed tomatoes.

Tomato by-products contained similar amount of total polyphenols and exhibited similar DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power with tomatoes. Among 18 simple polyphenols determined by GC/MS, hydroxycinnamic acids predominated in

whole tomatoes, while flavonoids predominated in tomato wastes with naringenin comprising 87% of flavonoids.

As most of the phytochemicals determined exert an-

tioxidant activities, tomato processing by-products could be successfully utilized as functional ingredient for the formulation of antioxidant rich functional foods.

7KH UHODWLRQVKLS EHWZHHQ WDVWH DQG WHPSHUDWXUH A research team, led by Pickering, from the Brock University (Canada), have investigated if the temperature of food we eat affects the intensity of its taste.

The Chemosensory Perception journal published the findings.

The study involved 74 participants from the university and local community who were “thermal” tasters (people who have areas of the tongue that produce taste sensations to hot or cold even without the presence of food), “super” tasters (people who are particularly sensitive to taste

in general), and “regular” tasters. Over three sessions, scientists gave the participants sweet, sour, bitter and astringent solutions at both 5° and 35°C. The participants rated the intensity of the taste of the solutions over a period of time.

For all types of tasters, temperature influenced the maximum perceived intensity from all but the sweet solutions. It is found that astringency was more intense when the solution was warm; the flavour intensity lasted longer with the warm solution than

with the cold one. Bitterness was more intense when the solution was cold, whilst the flavour profile declined faster with the cold solution than with the warm one. Sourness was more intense with the warm solution and with the warm solution flavour intensity lasted longer.

Pickering et al. state that they were surprised that the there was no difference in

the perceived sweetness between the warm and cold sugar solutions, but not that it took longer for the cold solution to reach its maximum flavour intensity.

The study concludes by reiterating their findings by saying that their work reveal that in addition to these sensitive individuals, the temperature of a specific taste can affect how intense it tastes.

3UHELRWLF FDQ UHGXFH WKH VHYHULW\ RI FROLWLV The prebiotic GOS (galactooligosaccharides) is a group of indigestible short-chain carbohydrates which are found naturally in human milk. They are also used to supplement infant formulas, dairy products, fruit and energy drinks, cereal bars, and confectionery.

Previous studies have indicated that this prebiotic can reduce intestinal inflammation, improve the intestinal barrier function, reducing colonisation of pathogens, amongst others. A mouse study recently published in The Journal of Nutrition has investigated the effect of a prebiotic on colitis development.

The researchers Fenton et al. fed mice with GOS (5,000 mg/kg) 4 weeks before and after infection with Helicobacter hepaticus and evaluated the effect of GOS

on colitis development. Using PCR they investigated changes in the protective bacteria, Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. in faeces.

It is found that the mice fed GOS saw a 50% reduction in colitis. The state that the positive results were linked to the significant enhancement of the body’s own natural killer cells found in the immune system and crucial in fighting off new infections in the body.

The GOS supplementation enhanced the growth of Bifidobacterium spp. however faecal Lactobacillus spp. did not differ between control and GOSsupplemented mice. GOS also altered NK cells in the spleen and MsLN. NK cells are capable of destroying foreign and dysfunctional cells via degranulation and

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

29

induction of cell lysis; they have an important role in the eradication of cellular infections. Before infection, the number of NK cells did not differ between the control and GOS-supplemented mice; however at day 3 after infection, the percentage of NK cells in GOS-treated mice significantly increased and were greater than in control mice. They then decreased to baseline levels by day 7.

Fenton el al. also investigated IL-15, an important mediator in immune responses in the intestine.

Depletion of IL-15 impairs innate responses to pathogens which the scientists report is associated with reduced NK cell activity, as

well as lowered resistance to colonisation. Researchers report that IL-15 production differed between the control and GOS-supplemented mice. Prior to infection the supplemented mice had higher concentrations compared to the control, and by day 3 postinfection, IL-15 significantly increased in GOS-treated mice, seeing a decrease by day 7 similar to levels seen at baseline.

Results suggest that GOS may be effective in reducing colitis severity by priming the innate immune system.

The mice given GOS had significantly less inflammation and fewer abnormal cells, two precursors for colon cancer.

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The stability of phytochemicals in processed fruit and vegetables A study conducted by Leong and Oey in New Zealand published in Food Chemistry investigated the stability of phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, carotenoids and vitamin C in fruit and vegetables (cherries, nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, carrots, red bell peppers) when exposed to three different processing conditions (98°C for 10 minutes, -20°C and freeze-drying). Phytochemi-

cal-rich fruit and vegetables are believed to have value in the prevention of some chronic diseases. Food processing enables the supply of these commodities outside of their growing seasons.

The aim of the Leong and Oey study was to evaluate the changes in phytochemical content as affected by processing conditions.

The researchers reported that the stability of phyto-

30 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

chemicals depends on their amount and species, food matrix, the presence of other bioactive compounds in fruit and vegetables, geographical locations of foods, and growth conditions.

The authors concluded that heating and freezing release the anthocyanins bound in plant cell membranes and therefore increase their bioaccessibility. They noticed higher anthocyanins content in heated cherries, peaches and plums (but not in nectarines) compared to fresh fruits. On the other hand heating decreased the carotenoids content in apricots, nectarines and carrots but not in cherries, peaches, plums and red bell peppers. Moreover, in contrast to existing literature the researchers reported that heating inactivates ascorbic acid oxidase that improves

the stability of ascorbic acid, with an exception for red bell peppers.

Additionally, the researchers highlighted that heating causes leaching of watersoluble compounds which could change the phytochemical profile and content of fruit in vegetables.

Similarly, the rate of freezing may contribute to the changes in phytochemical content.

In the present study freezedrying as a technique of food processing resulted in a lower phytochemical content when compared to heating and freezing. Thus, in order to achieve high retention of phytochemicals in heated and frozen foods, Leong and Oey propose to heat commodities in sealed vacuum plastic bags and to recover the fruit and vegetables drip loss during thawing.

RSSL

+RZ WR H[WHQG WKH JURXQG FKLFNHQ PHDW VKHOI OLIH Researchers of the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology at the University of Ioannina (Greece) h ave i nve s t i g a t e d t h e combined effect of an O2 absorber and a citrus extract (0.1 and 0.2 mL/100 g) on shelf life extension of fresh ground chicken stored at 4r C. All the microbiological changes (total viable count, Pseudomonads, Lactic

acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridium spp.), physico-chemical changes (pH, total volatile nitrogen, and colour), and sensory changes (colour, odour, and taste) were monitored as a function of treatment and storage time (14 days). Aerobically packaged ground chicken meat stored at 4r C was taken as the control sample.

On day 6 of storage total vi-

able count was reduced by 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 log cfu/g by the citrus extract (0.2 mL/100 g), the O2 absorber and the combination of the O2 absorber plus citrus extract (0.2 mL/100 g), respectively (p < 0.05). Initial pH (6.38) showed an increase (6.73) or decrease (5.83) depending on speciďŹ c treatment. Total volatile nitrogen ranged between 42.5 and 57.5 mg/kg at the time of sensory rejection. Colour parameters remained unaffected in samples containing the O2 absorber and/or citrus extract.

The citrus extract had a small preservative effect extending ground chicken meat shelf life by ca. 2 days.

The O2 absorber resulted to a shelf life extension of ca. 3 days as compared to the control sample. The combined use of citrus extract (0.1 mL/100 g) and O2 absorber resulted to a shelf life extension by ca.

5 days.

The results suggest that combined use of citrus extract and O2 absorber is the best choice to extend a shelf life of ground chicken meat.

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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FOOD PROCESSING Slicing and packaging machine Specialized on the slicing and packaging of ovenbaked products, Brevetti Gasparin has oriented its production range to the development of industrial plants more and more automated, according to the different customer requirements.

One of the latest innovations introduced with success in the market is the slicing and packaging line for rolls, buns, hamburgers, and hot-dogs. The line consists of a new slicer machine with disks combined

in exit with an automatic feeder with the purpose to feed the packaging machine, in this case of ďŹ&#x201A;owpack type.

The cutting head mounted on the conveyor allows to get a partial incision, hinge or web type on the product, with the possibility to be excluded if the product has not to be sliced and placed side by side with a continuous cutting head for the total cut of the products.

After the cutting phase, the products are accumulated and equalized for the

The slicer machine with disks (Brevetti Gasparin).

phasing with the automatic feeder in line or turned of 90°, loading the packaging machine.

Slicing and packaging line for rolls, buns, hamburgers, and hot-dogs (Brevetti Gasparin).

32 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Is also possible the combination in line with appropriate loading system for the bagging machine or even in the version in multiple packaging on bulkpacker.

Developed for medium industrial purpose, the line can be combined with the cooling tower for a continuous cycle of work at high production productive efďŹ ciency, grouping together in small space an unique system of automatic slicing and packaging.

(Brevetti Gasparin - Via I Maggio 19 Z.A. - Marano Vicentino - VI - Italy - Tel. +39 0445 560065 - Fax +39 0445 622484 - email: info@gasparin.it)

Plants for food industry Brambati is a leading manufacturer of handling systems for the food industries. In particular, it is specialized in the first part of the processing, where all the ingredients are properly handled and prepared to feed different processing machines.

The company has a history of 60 years in the bakery, baking, confectionery, baby food, pasta and biscuit industries. It supplies turnkey plants up to the feeding of eventual mixing machines or other utilization points, storage, weighing, cleaning, transportation, dosing machines for both powder and liquid raw materials (flour, sugar, water, oil, etc.).

Brambati also develops complete systems for

crystal and inverted sugar processing and turnkey plants for the coffee industry, from the receiving of the green coffee up to the feeding of the packing machines through the different stages of cleaning, storage, weighing, blending, roasting, conveying (with traditional mechanical transport or with the new generation ones at high density low-speed), milling and degassing.

The capacity of all the Brambati systems varies according to the specific customer requirements, thus having a great processing flexibility.

Roasting machines can be of different sizes, from 5-7,5 kg per batch (20 kg/hour) to 360 kg per

batch (1,440 kg/hour) with traditional or high automation concept, allowing a complete controlling of the coffee roasting process, adapting the roasting characteristics to the different customer requirements.

For each roaster, Brambati supplies the after-burner for fumes emission in the atmosphere mod. “ECO” and the catalyst.

Grinders can be of different sizes and type, the traditional ones with production from 100 to 1,600 kg/hour for Espresso, Moka and filter coffee, and the special ones with produc-

tion from 450 to 700 kg/ hour for Turkish and Greek coffee. The company has also developed a sample roaster mod. BRM-200 with production of max 200 g of coffee and a plate grinder K1 mod.

Brambati also offers control panels, hardware and software, so that all the systems can be completely computerized and automatic.

(Brambati - Via Strada Nuova 37 - 27050 Codevilla - PV - Italy - Tel. +39 0383 373100 - Fax +39 0383 373078 - email: info@ brambati.it)

Laboratory homogenizer Homolab is a laboratory homogenizer developed

by FBF Italia, equipped with two pumping pistons; it can handle about 10 litres of product per hour, with homogenization pressures up to 1,500 bar. This important feature results in a far greater product stability and more reliable results than can be expected from single piston machines.

Options include single and two-stage homogenisation valves, that makes it possible to closely replicate the same homogenization conditions in the laboratory, as can be expected in the real production process.

(FBF Italia - Via Are 2 43038 Sala Baganza - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 548211 - Fax +39 0521 835179 - email: info@ fbfitalia.it)

Homolab laboratory homogenizer (FBF Italia)

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

33

Continuous spiral freezer

PiGo Food Processing Systems develops complete processing solutions for fruit and vegetables. The production covers Easy Freeze & Easy Freeze Spyro, stainless steel fluidized bed and spiral freezers, cooling/pasteurization spiral solution, Easy Cook Vacuum cooking

plants and deaeration plants, as preparation for freezing and producing fruit cubes.

A spiral conveyor and a freezing system, which provides a well-distributed airflow, basically compose the Easy Freeze Spyro freezer.

Regarding the technical design, the drum is without

lateral openings in order to improve the air guidance and to minimize the possibility to accumulate dirt.

In order to obtain a quick freezing process, Easy Freeze Spyro is designed for the high-speed circulation (4-10 m/sec) of cold air in contact with the product on the whole length of the spiral conveyor. In this way, products suffer a very low weight loss (two times less than with vertical air-flow).

Hitting the incoming product with the coldest air, the product is therefore immediately “crusted” reducing the snow formation. The increase of temperature of air that passes through the product is very low, thus avoiding the increase in humidity content.

Cold air passes directly from the evaporator to the product, not through fan motors,

thus providing the coldest air and the most uniform air distribution (otherwise there are losses of 2°C). The lateral aprons to guide the airflow on the opposite side of the evaporators are of easy access design (such as opening or sliding doors).

There is the possibility to have bi-directional airflow and speed on the product adjusting the by-pass and fans.

Finally, the high speed of air in Easy Freeze Spyro increases a good exchange on the surface of the product, the speed of cold penetration, and the quality of the freezing process, and long running time with very low frost forming.

(PiGo - Via Pontaron 30 36030 Caldogno - VI - Italy – Tel. +39 0444 905709 - Fax +39 0444 909778 email: info@pigo.biz)

Volumetric dosers The semiautomatic volumetric dosers developed by Telm represent the perfect solution to dose liquids, creamy and dense products even if with pieces, in a very precise and quick way.

Built completely in stainless steel, they are useful for both small sets of samples and medium or high productions. Simple to use and easy to install, these dosers are characterized by a compact structure and a

minimum size and weight.

Moreover, tri-clamp connections allow simple cleaning and maintenance operations, without any tools.

Several possibilities to customize the machine according to the specific working necessities are guaranteed by the company.

(Telm - Via G. Galilei 6 - 42027 Montecchio E. - RE - Italy - Tel. +39 0522 866116 - Fax +39 0522 866084 - email: telm@telm.it)

34 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Semiautomatic volumetric doser (Telm).

6DXVDJH GHKXPLGL¿FDWLRQ system For an old process as sausage seasoning, “time” is an essential pre-requisite for an innovative treatment. Time is the key-word strategy of the Ghizzoni D. “time-saving” method.

All those who process meat into sausages know perfectly that time is the secret of the incomparable taste of each and any genuine product, but it brings about considerable restrictions in the early production capacity of every cold meat processing plant. A reduction of the timing, with savings of up to 5 fold lower than the

time required by traditional dryers, is what can be obtained with the special patented equipment Ghizzoni D., through the application of the process within a controlled and standardized environment.

Without doubt, the first advantage is a considerable energy saving. This solution removes and replaces the traditional dehumidification equipment with heat convector and refrigerator condensers, which are necessary in this processing stage. In the same way, time reduction also has an

impact on the pre-seasoning and seasoning stage, by drastically reducing them.

The Ghizzoni D. “time-saving” method also becomes a real “space-saving” method because the quicker rotation of products reduces the allocated space needed for the same during the seasoning period. This is an undeniable advantage from an economical point of view.

Another winning aspect, in this delicate process, concerns a second key point of the process, quality. The meat pieces seasoned with this new method are perfectly compact in the centre and show no separation and internal infiltrations, whereas the outer appearance, texture, colour and uniformi-

ty of the pieces are identical to those obtained with the traditional process. Furthermore, the bacterial proliferation is inhibited during the initial stage, whereas the dehumidification subsequently turns out to be uniform in the whole processed meat piece.

The new Ghizzoni D. “timesaving” method in the production of sausages leads to economical advantages in terms of volumes and hence of sales, at the same time safeguarding the quality and authenticity of products.

(Ghizzoni D. - Via Aldo Moro 13/A - 43035 Felino - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 835509 - Fax +39 0521 834498 - email: info@ghizzoni.it)

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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FRUIT AND VEGETABLE Extraction DQG UH¿QLQJ JURXS Boema presents the extraction and refining group Mod. PR410 for fruit and vegetables puree with adjustable rotor. For this model, the production program foresees the construction of three kinds of machines, individual or double, and different only for the rotor length.

Each machine is composed of an Aisi 304 stainless steel rotor with adjustable paddles that can be adjusted by varying 1) the distance from the static filter (radial setting) or 2) the slope as to the machine axis. The rotor, with its support, and the motor are installed on a slide, which enables them to be

moved. In this way, during the cleaning or maintenance operations, the machine can be easily inspected in all its parts. The perforated sheet baskets with reinforced rings and filter with perforation to be defined and casing with a quick opening front door are both made of Aisi 304 stainless steel.

Other features of the extraction and refining group PR410 are the following: DN80 product inlet connection, manifold for washing water distribution, product collecting hopper, electrical motor with frequency changer in order to control the rotation speed of the rotor, flat screw for

'LFHU DQG SHHOHU XQGHU YDFXXP Buscetto is a dynamic Italian company which produces industrial machinery and complete lines for the canning industry.

The company presents the dicer machine mod. GBX297. The machine can be supplied with equipment

for the production of dice with sides of 10, 12, 14, and 20 mm. The product is introduced into the feeding section. The centrifugal action of the endorser shovels forces the same product to move towards the outskirts of the endorser where the

36 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Extraction and refining group Mod. PR410 for fruit and vegetables puree (Boema).

scrap evacuation powered by electrical motorizedgearbox, machine body in stainless steel developed by means of cast iron fusion, which contains the transmission shaft, n. 2 bearings with oil bath lubrication, elastic joint and a support-

ing frame made of Aisi 304 stainless steel closed tubulars.

(Boema - C.so Romano Scagliola 197 - 12052 Neive - CN - Italy - Tel. +39 0173 678711 - Fax +39 0173 67626 - email: boema@ boema.com)

first cut is performed. The second cut is performed by means of a series of longitudinal knives transversally prepared, giving fillet pieces. Finally, the third cut is performed by means of rotating circular knives, thus getting the end product cut into dice. All the parts in contact with the product are built in stainless steel, such as the carrying

structure (in tubular inox).

But the Buscetto flagship product is the thermophysical Alfaterna peeler, which represents an evolution of the project peeler designed for the first time in the world more than 60 years ago. Thanks to the company experience and modern technologies, this machine has today become an advanced product that

combines reliability, speed, and ease of use.

The peeler machine under vacuum Alfaterna 25-4560 consists of a stainless porter elevator, a star valve for product introduction, a chute for product advancement, an intermediate star valve, a star valve for the product discharge, a vacuum creation plant, a centralized lubrication plant, a stainless steel tank, and a structure in stainless steel.

The stainless porter elevator has a structure in tubular stainless steel Aisi 304, which provides the tomato feeding of the inlet big valve and is synchronized with the introduction big valve through the transmission chain.

The star valve for product introduction is driven by a 4.0 kW variable-speed motorunit with inverter, flanged to the valve body. The inner tights consist of bronze leafspring bars, while the lateral tights consist of bronze bands in contact with each other and opportunely lubricated. The tights of the rotation shaft consist of packing with bronze stuffing box. In order to extract these bronze bars, Buscetto proposes an appropriate bronze stopper on the lateral surface of the valve, which guarantees bar change in a few minutes. On the surface there are two flanges to recuperate the steam that naturally comes out. This steam is sent (by a 4” pipeline) to a stainless steel tank Aisi 304 to

extract the condensate. The valve axis is chromate on the length in order to have a greater resistance to corrosion.

The chute for product advancement for the direct steam burn phase is driven by a 4.0 kW variable-speed motor-unit with inverter, flanged to the cylindrical body of the chute. The cylinder is tested on steam pressure 2 bar. On the upper side there are three flanges of 2” (connected with a 3” principal pipe) to introduce the steam into this section. The steam pipeline has a pneumatic valve to regulate the exact steam quantity into the machine.

On the lower side there is a 2” flange to the washing system.

The intermediate star valve, driven by a motor-unit of 4.0 kW, transports the tomato from the burn section to the under-vacuum section.

The chute transporter for the tomato peeling under-vacuum is driven by a 3.0 kW variable-speed motor-unit with inverter. A star valve for the product discharge is connected to the vacuum creation plant and driven with a motor-unit of 4.0 kW. The vacuum creation plant consists of a tube-nest condenser of stainless steel Aisi 304, with pipes for washing.

It is composed of a cylindrical external tube-nest of stainless steel Aisi 304, and some stainless steel tubes are mounted inside it. The vacuum is given by two wa-

ter ring pumps with high capacity each with an engine of 15 kW. The cooling water circulation is given by a centrifugal pump of 3.0 kW. A centralized lubrication plant with switch-board and a pump of 0.37 kW and distribution blocks for 18 points is controlled by a PLC mounted inside the electric panel to regulate the On-Off times.

A stainless steel tank is mounted on the bottom part of the supporting structure, for the condensate collection. Finally, there is a structure in tubular stainless steel Aisi 304 with two floors and with stainless steel stairs.

(Buscetto - Via Atzori 16 84014 Nocera Inferiore - SA

- Italy - Tel. 081 5176122 - Fax +39 081 5176011 email: info@buscetto.it)

Dicer machine mod. GB-X297 for fruits and tomatoes (Buscetto).

Crusher-Kneader-Feeder for olives Officine Meccaniche Toscane develops machines and complete installations for the extraction of oil from olives. Recently, it has presented the Crusher-Kneader-Feeder Group 3/C-20. It is made up of three overlapped bins entirely made of stainless steel, with a cofferdam for the circulation of thermo-regulated hot water.

The capacity of each bin is 700 kg and temperature of the water is thermo-regulated.

The shovels are made of stainless steel and are con-

Crusher-Kneader-Feeder group 3/C-20 (OMT).

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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trolled by single gear electric motor groups. Their geometry allows a perfect mixing of the paste. The kneaded paste is conveyed to the decanter by means

of a variable revolution monopump with a stator made of alimentary rubber, which is located under the inferior bin.

The crusher is entirely made

of stainless steel. Its design guarantees the lowest heating of the paste during the crushing and the best quality of the product.

(Officine Meccaniche To-

scane - Via di Scolivigne 58 - Loc. Grassina - 50012 Bagno a Ripoli - FI - Italy Tel. +39 055 6499389 - Fax +39 055 6499317 - email: info@omtspa.it)

:DVKHU V\VWHP IRU IUHVK FXW SURGXWV The Camel system was developed in 2007 by Turatti, the creator of the first flotation washer, the dewatering system, the air dryer and several other pieces of equipment that have changed the way in which fresh-cut products are processed.

This year Turatti presents the evolution of the Camel model, the third generation of the system. Now operating in several companies worldwide, this system gently transports the most delicate products (fruit and vegetables) while maintaining high quality levels within the most stringent specifications.

The 2012 version fully epitomizes the years of experience handling the most disparate products with different applications. This revolutionary design utilizes the proven technology of the closed pipe flume concept without the use of a centrifugal pump for product movement. In this closed flume, the contact time with the sanitizing water solution is accurately controlled, thus guaranteeing a full submersion and precise treatment time. Its compact design makes it easy to retrofit existing operations with limited space, while improving the

6PDOO ROLYH RLO PLOO For the small sized extravirgin oil olive producer, Toscana Enologica Mori has developed the small oil mill Frantoino Profy.

The operation of this oil mill is very easy. Once the olives have been properly cleaned and washed, they are poured into the receiv-

ing hopper. Here a screw feeds the crusher that is equipped with fix grate and hollow knife impeller. The paste falls into the lower mixer, where a helicoidally shaped stirrer prepares it. A pump with a speed change gear sends the paste to the decanter where the sepa-

38 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Camel washing unit for fresh-cut products (Turatti).

washing operations and minimizing water requirements.

(Turatti - Viale Regina Margherita 52 - 30014 Cavar-

zere - VE - Italy - Tel. +39 0426 310731 - Fax +39 0426 310500 - email: info@ turatti.com)

ration takes place, oil from the front and waste mixed with water from the back of the machine. Frantoino Profy is made of Aisi 304 stainless steel and foodgrade material.

(Toscana Enologica Mori - Via Cimabue 4-6 - Tavernelle Val di Pesa - FI - Italy - Tel. +39 055 8071568 - Fax +39 055 8071293 - email: tem@tem.it)

Profy olive oil mill (Toscana Enologica Mori).

CONFECTIONERY AND CHOCOLATE The “Open House Day” at Tecno 3

Tecno 3 is specialized in the design of machinery and lines for the chocolate and confectionery industry.

During the Open House Day June edition, the company met Italian and foreign technicians and showed them some innovative plants confirming, once again, the Tecno 3 modus operandi: a rigorous selection of materials, the technological know-how in machinery design, the accuracy and

manufacturing precision down to the smallest details, the utmost attention paid to safety and hygiene aspects.

The event was also joined by some University teachers of the Degree Course in Food Science of the Milan University and Chemical Engineering of the Genoa University, who showed great interest in the technological solutions offered by Tecno 3 in the chocolate field. Here some of the machinery.

The Tecno 3 factory.

40 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Multifunctional robotic operator The multifunctional robotic operator is a mobile robotic station equipped with all the electrical, electronic and pneumatic devices necessary. The innovative column structure upon wheels makes it easy to move the machine between the different work positions. The connections between the machines and lines to be served are also very quick, as they are carried out by means of industrial modular connectors. The accessory devices of the station, such as the belts, the vibrating hoppers, the rotary tables, the loaders or the dispensers, are interchangeable depending on the operation to be carried out and are directly hooked to the column.

The station is equipped with a multi-camera vision system for tracking products at inlet-outlet that can also perform product compliance monitoring. The LCD touchscreen panel integrated

into the column allows to supervise the station processing and to monitor the vision system. The machine is easy to be setup in a very short time.

Transfer and palletizing robot This machine allows combining two production jobs in a single robotized station, which optimizes the room and costs. The first function is the handling of items that are at the output of the production lines, in order to transfer, orient, stack or box the products.

The palletizing is made together with the first function, exploiting the waiting time. The pallets move through the working area of the robot on a roller conveyor, that can be fed by hand or a pallet dispenser. On the operator panel, the user can select the palletizing layout. The clamping device, equipped with a suction cups matrix, is developed to fit the different items to handle, with a fully automatic setup.

Robotic station for controlling and depositing pieces in-line The machine was developed for adding missing pieces (such as hazelnuts, almonds, cherries etc.) into moulding and coating lines by means of a double vision system, one camera for the line and the other one for the feeder belt. The product is deposited by tracking the step that means a continuous translation movement of the production flow. It is possible to implement different configurations as well as integration into already existing lines.

heater, a levelling device, and a cooling tunnel. The last operation consists in cutting the product longitudinally and transversally, by means of a system that is specially conceived to grant the utmost precision of chocolate dimensions.

Thanks to an efficient mixing and metering unit that can be integrated alongside each levelling machine, in order to add solid ingredients by guaranteeing an accurate and homogeneous depositing, Cremino line can be used for processing different products (such as the classic chocolate nougat with hazelnuts inside).

Mould vision system Shell Inspector

Vertical roaster for dried fruit

The Shell Inspector is equipped with a camera that detects all the moulds still containing chocolate products or part of them, rejecting them from the moulding process. Thanks to the highest reliability and the extremely easy configuration, this system distinguishes itself from the other similar ones present in the market.

Just entering the show room, the costumer could smell a nice roasted hazelnut fragrance coming from the small continuous roaster Tecno 3 (200 kg/h), which is located in the trial area. In fact some continuous roasting tests were carried out with Piemonte hazelnuts, in order to show customers the efficiency and performances of the machine.

Two other roasting plants (400 and 800 kg/h, respectively) were available to be seen in their advanced assembly phase.

The machine is composed of two different heating compartments, respectively for drying and roasting, followed by a cooling compartment and by a final

Multilayer Cremino chocolate processing line Tecno 3 develops the most traditional complete multilayer chocolate processing line, Cremino. This line foresees the depositing of 4 layers; each product layer passes through a compartment composed of a pre-

Partial view of the assembly department (Tecno 3).

and very effective peeling device.

The test area In the Tecno 3 test area the customer can find a roaster, a cocoa bin winnower (for separating the peel of roasted cocoa beans), a continuous grinding unit – that can be also adjusted for cocoa nibs, for hazelnuts and for chocolate or creme

blends processing –, and a rapid concha for chocolate conching. This laboratory is available for all the customers who would like to test the efficiency of Tecno 3 machinery with their products.

(Tecno 3 - Via Mastri Cestai 2 - 12040 Corneliano D’Alba - CN - Italy - Tel. +39 0173 610564 - Fax +39 0173 619494 - email: tecno3@tecno-3.it)

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PACKAGING EQUIPMENT Packaging solutions for a complex market Saving space, energy and material – these are the issues that currently concern the packaging industry. The driving forces for constant innovations are complex: general economic conditions, political regulations and technological progress.

The packaging industry is facing these challenges for the further development of its products. Ultimately, the sparing use of resources also ensures more efficiency in the value chain.

Packaging: smart films for fast food Meat places special demands on industrial packaging because the juice runs out. A soft film vacuum package with two chambers ensures dry storage in the package. Here the separate active vacuum chamber absorbs the meat juice and oxygen in the air from the edges of the product. The meat keeps the red colour which is appreciated by consumers. The second chamber in the package avoids contact with the escaped meat juice on opening the pack-

age – the system prevents this flowing back into the meat. The new concept also saves production costs. The vacuum system of the second chamber eliminates the need for absorbent pads. A special composition is not necessary for the film. The standard film solutions are suitable for a broad spectrum of products.

Promising packaging solutions help to keep food containing fat, food coated in breadcrumbs or bread products crispy and tasty when prepared in the microwave. Moisture and fat run off through a perforated sealing film during cooking and are absorbed by an intermediate layer. Food not coated with breadcrumbs, such as bacon, can also be prepared much crispier in the microwave. The package also has thermal insulation properties. These reduce the outside temperature of the package after cooking in the microwave, so it is possible to touch the bag without problems. This combined with easily integrated, convenient opening mechanisms makes it easy

42 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

to remove the cooked food quickly. An additional steam valve label permits particularly gentle steaming, which preserves the natural taste and vitamins. The flexible package can be pressed completely flat and has an attractive design with a window to see the product. It is processed on conventional form-fill-and-seal systems and can replace a bag-inbox susceptor package. Susceptors consist of a vapourdeposited metal layer on a film which radiate heat to brown the food. The new microwave package does not require these materials and is made partly from renewable raw materials.

Technology: flexible machines package at top speed Sealed tray packages are popular as industrial packages for fresh products or frozen meals. Products packaged in this way offer a high degree of convenience, can be kept for longer thanks to the modified atmosphere and are quickly prepared. The machine manufacturers offer spacesaving machines with a dual-track arrangement for the tray sealer for fully automatic packaging of large and

medium-size batches. A tray sealer with two independent sealing tracks can simultaneously process different products with different sizes and filling weights at different speeds with a protective atmosphere adapted to each of these products.

Down times are reduced because each track can be stopped independently to change the product, while production continues on the other track. Film rolls with a diameter of up to 450 mm guarantee longer production cycles. All tray sizes and types of film can be processed. Modern servo technology ensures controlled tray transport and film feed at high speed. The integrated checkweigher eliminates trays with the wrong weight before the sealing stage. The sealing heads switch off automatically in the event of faults so the tray sealer can carry on running and automatically control the tray feed.

Tool changes are completed quickly and simply. The open design provides good accessibility for cleaning.

Other dual-track tray sealer concepts automatically optimize speed and movements for the desired output and set new standards for process safety, efficiency and

hygiene design. The packaging line is equipped with a 4-axis robot for cartoning the finished tray packages.

The handling module has three degrees of freedom of movement and an optional rotation axis.

Processing: smart and safe – low-migration printing inks Since 2011, EU Regulation no. 10/2011 has applied to plastic packages that come into contact with food.

Companies processing or using such plastics have to check whether their products also conform to the new regulation. The new standard also limits the use of various materials after functional barriers.

Whereas this regulation applies European-wide, the so-called Printing Inks Regulation is currently being drawn up in Germany.

This covers materials that can be contained unintentionally in the intermediates from which food packaging is manufactured or in the aids used in the production process, which includes migration of printing inks and coatings. The range of lowmigration coatings that meet the legislative requirements is growing all the time.

These coatings offer safety in printing and processing packages. A whole series of UV and dispersion coatings are available covering the widely varying requirements for manufacturing

packages that conform to food package standards.

These give the manufacturers of packaging supplies new possibilities in terms of the functionality and design of their products.

The manufacturer of coatings always uses the highest quality raw materials, which are carefully selected, combined and produced using the most modern manufacturing technology. The new coatings stand out in production for their good printability and foam-free processing. Excellent wetting minimizes the buildup on coating blankets and reduces the washing stops.

Other important functional properties are fast drying and high abrasion and wet block resistance.

Logistics: mobile racking systems, robots, reliable data transfer Almost every product finishes up in the warehouse after production. The important aspects of warehouse logistics are safe transport, packaging and clear identification. Fullrange suppliers of warehouse logistics manufacture racking systems as well as containers. Heavy-duty plastic containers for loads

ABOUT FACHPACK 2012 With around 1,400 exhibitors and a good 35,000 visitors, FachPack is one of the most noted packaging exhibitions in Europe. FachPack in the Exhibition Centre, Nuremberg from 25th-27th September 2012 presents a comprehensive range of products and services in the segments of packaging (about one-third packaging materials, supplies and ancillaries), technology (another one-third packaging machinery, labelling and marking equipment, packaging recycling and package testing), processing (package and label printing, design, packaging supplies production), and logistics (conveying, loading, storage and order-picking systems, including the associated software and transport logistics). The visitors come mainly from industries such as food/beverages, pharmaceuticals/cosmetics, chemicals, printing/paper/ cardboard, packaging- and logistics-related services, plastics, automotive engineering and components, and electrical equipment/components. FachPack impresses again in 2012 with its creative working atmosphere, in which information and the cultivation of contacts are just as important as answering specific technical questions.

up to 500 kilograms are robust, flexible in use and appreciably lighter than wire mesh crates or sheet steel containers. This means they meet all the requirements of lean production and the lean logistics principle. Heavy-duty racking with shuttle systems, i.e. battery-powered, remotecontrolled shuttle vehicles, and mobile racking systems enable efficient use of space. In this way, pressuresensitive products and unevenly loaded pallets can be stacked safely and without damage. Even widely differing types of pallets can be placed in storage without problems. Also suitable for narrow spaces are new linear robots. A low-cost starter model can take care of palleting film containers, cartons, sacks, standard containers and packages. The robots are equipped with clamp, suction or fork grippers. They can handle all kinds of intermediate layers, empty and full pallets up to a height of 2,800 mm. The design reduces the installation time to a minimum and enables the robot location in the plant to be changed without any difficulty. For homogeneous pallet loads like reusable containers or individual containers and boxes, strapping remains the most economic method of securing for transport in terms of material saved. A new product is a strapping machine that uses ultrasonic welding and dispenses with

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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the hot wedge. Ultrasonic units are faster, more costeffective and produce less emission, with a distinctly longer life. The ultrasonic unit welds the ends of the strap using ultrasonic energy and no longer thermal energy. It operates exclusively with brushless, wear-free DC direct drives.

The necessary control electronics is already integrated into the motors.

Labelling data must normally be transferred to new printing solutions manually. A new solution that harmonizes with any user database transfers all data to be printed quickly, reliably and automatically to a laser printer, which processes these immediately without further settings. No

manual inputs are needed, which makes data transfer more reliable. The system is based on laser-activated labels with a special finish that enables the CO 2 laser to “write” in black in the intended places. The characters are clearly focused, whether plain text, graphics or codes. Since the laser does not remove any material, no blurring particles occur and the label is not damaged in any way. Extraction of foreign particles is not required.

As this printing system operates without wear, neither expendable materials nor readjustment are necessary and there are no production interruptions, therefore efficiency is improved. www.fachpack.de

Xtra shelf life project The objective of increasing the shelf life of a product represents a basic added value for those food companies who need to ensure

a sufficient conservation to comply with the rules of the supply chain for cheese, meat, fresh pasta, sweets and many bakery products.

Tucano 600 horizontal flow-pack machine for MAP packaging (Delfin).

44 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

The aim to preserve food has developed highly sophisticated techniques and many solutions have already been successfully applied to the production processes. However, once products are produced they start an inexorable deterioration. MAP can counteract these effects by slowing the deterioration of flavor, aroma and color.

Its effectiveness depends on many other factors, first of all respecting a careful prophylaxis throughout the production process.

In the last few years Delfin has followed closely the evolution of MAP making an important contribution to anticipate market needs of extended shelf life. This attention is at the core of the corporate strategies as evidenced by the recent acquisition of Thermoforming and Vacuum Division from a historical company. This is an acquisition that “has closed the loop” allowing Delfin to offer a wide range of solutions.

The “Xtra Life Project” is the result of the work of the R&D and engineering department. “Take xtra-care

of your produce” is the slogan at the bottom of the horizontal flow-pack machines, vacuum and thermoforming machines especially designed for MAP. It’s not just a matter of the “machine” and for this reason Delfin adopts a systems approach, which is particularly necessary when the customer is looking for a horizontal flow-pack machine. Although vacuum technology provides a great guarantee of success this is not the same for the gas flushing technology applied to flow-pack.

The approach takes the discussion beyond the simple packaging (translating, intermittent or Long Dwell) because the modified atmosphere is not only a question of hermetic sealing, it is a matter of process. Delfin is able to bring together all the conditions for an efficient modified atmosphere packaging. The machine is no doubt one of the essential factors and the choice must be made very carefully.

It is necessary to pay attention to the wrapping mate-

Vela 600 horizontal flow-pack machine, the best price in its category (Delfin).

rial and gas (which gas and which quantities). Moreover, it is necessary to do an appropriate analysis of the environment because the environmental contamination can neutralize the effects of MAP. Finally, it is necessary to control its evolution with the appropriate tools (analyzers).

Thanks to a year long relationship with the world leaders in gas technologies and films, Delfin is able to offer the services of technical operators in every Country with an excellent network of contacts around the world. This is what “designing the mod-

ified atmosphere” means.

The service also includes the packaging tests and trials and the controls tools (inline or stand-alone).

The most important advantage associated with this approach is the incredible amount of data that Delfin and its partners can provide “designing the atmosphere” for the products of a new customer. The data is the natural outcome of shared experience, in short it is a technical literature.

Of course each product is a world apart but the acquired knowledge can provide guidelines and reduce

Detail of the cut&seal “box-motion” designed for the new translating models (Delfin).

the margin for error.

(Delfin - Via G. Keplero 18 36034 Malo - VI - Italy - Tel.

+39 342 5402650 - Fax +39 0445 580766 - email: info@ delfin.it)

Up grading of existing plants to ATEX

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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Filler with vacuum sealed system Alfatek presents the SV filling unit, with vacuum sealed system in the bottle and inert gas pressure in the tank, available with 6 up to 90 valves. This type of process is suitable for bottling dense products such as olive oil, seed oil, syrups, etc. because it employs specific technical solutions that are well suited to the complex chemical and physical characteristics of these products.

The filling system is designed to prevent the mixing of the product with air, thus dramatically reducing the risks of oxidation. Self-levelling filling valves with an anti-

burst device to prevent the leakage of the product in case of a faulty bottle. The collection tank for recyclable or waste products is positioned underneath the work surface of the machine.

Bottles in both PET and PVC can be used.

The filling system in detail: The product, after feeding into the resting bowl, flows inside the annular tank thanks to the communicating vessel principle. The bottle is self-levelling filled and the surplus is brought to the recycling tank, which is set in the inferior part of the shaft, by gravity. An adapted

volumetric pump can send back the surplus in the filling tank, or drain the whole quantity of product inside the machine.

The Alfatek self-levelling valve is the most innovative aspect of the hyperbaric filler with light vacuum, allowing to get continuous and precise levels. The valves can be set with an automatic device of adjustment, in order to proceed with the simultaneous adjustment of the level from the control panel or with a specific program in the PLC. The valves totally avoid the emulsion of the product with oxygen (position of the recycling bowl) and the high pressure vacuum. They allow also a quick and complete draining of the product. There is a

cleaning and washing device in the machine.

(Alfatek - Via Cancelliera 11/A - 00041 Albano Laziale - RM - Italy - Tel. +39 06 9345424 - Fax +39 06 9345427 - email: info@ alfatek.it)

Self-levelling filling valves with anti-burst device mounted on the SV filler (Alfatek).

Two companies as one supplier P.E. Labellers and PackLab propose themselves together to better satisfy the application requirements of all production fields.

PackLab, specialized in selfadhesive labelling systems, produces groups from 20 to 120 m/min, stands for special applications on one side and on the upper and lower part of the product, linear self-adhesive labellers for all kinds of cylindrical and shaped containers of different sizes, from phials to kegs, passing through to

jars and bottles, front and rear applications, wraparound, top-down, non-stop and linerless applications, keg ribbon and ribbon removal machines, as well as print-apply systems for product traceability. All of these are available for speeds from 800 to 24,000 bph (special application performance up to 48,000 bph). No specific equipment required for different formats is a considerable advantage of PackLab linear labellers that guarantee

46 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

PackLab self-adhesive station (P.E. Labellers).

customers a remarkable time saving in labelling containers of different size and shape.

P.E. Labellers offers modular labellers with a machine body which is perfectly adjustable to all labelling

systems today available on the market (cold-glue, hot-melt, self-adhesive, roll-fed). In 2009 the new Adhesleeve Technology, the most economical and ecological solution for roll-fed labeling, was introduced.

Models for speeds from 60 to 1,300 bpm are available. P.E. also proposes Ergonomic safety guards allowing greater accessibility for all the maintenance and change over operations and guaranteeing total levels of safety for the operators, servomotors with integrated drive for the rotation of the bottle plates, optical centring systems of the containers by means of cameras and photocells, programmable changeovers and so on.

The main advantage of having two companies of the same group as your supplier comes from the same technical training and in-stock spare parts suitable for both kinds of machines produced. Due to a complete spare part inventory, both companies can guarantee a higher part availability,

which results in timely supplies.

The great importance of PackLab self-adhesive stations lies in their low, medium and high speed versions which provide both linear and P.E. Labellers rotary labelling machines with a full flexibility of application. Moreover these stations can also be equipped with a “No-Stop system” to reduce machine downtimes and guarantee maximum operativeness.

Another strong point of the two companies, supported by an after-sale service spread worldwide, is the ability to pay attention to the customer requirements and suggestions and, therefore, to design customized technical solutions.

(P.E. Labellers - Via Europa 25 - 46047 Porto Mantovano - Mantova - Italy - Tel. +39 0376 389311 - Fax +39 0376 389411 - email: pelabellers@pelabellers.it) (PackLab - Via Volta 16 46030 San Giorgio - MN Italy - Tel. +39 0376 372300 - Fax +39 0376 372445 email: info@packlab.it)

Automatic packaging machines M.F. has a considerable experience in the packaging sector and carries out on-going technological research. Reliability, safety and the guarantee of af-

ter-sales service are the key qualities of this company.

It develops automatic machines for packaging granules, powders, liquids, creams, single units, in flex-

ible packs with 1-300 mL dosages, using 4-sided heatsealed sachets and stickpacks sealed on 3 sides.

The advanced technology employed by M.F. is especially appreciated in the brushless motors with touch-screen operator interface. In fact they are characterized by the simplicity with which work programmes can be changed and adjusted during production.

The company proposes the Stick and 4S models. The first is a stick/pack 3-seal vertical packaging ma-

chine, produced in different versions from 2 to 16 lanes, reel band 750 mm max. The other model is a 4 seal vertical packaging machine, produced in versions from 2 to 12 lanes with a reel band of 1,200 mm max, and up to two-tracks which allow the regulation of the sachet width. Both these machines offer the possibility to install different types of dosing units.

In detail, M.F. offers the auger filler doser for non flowing powdery products, gravity dosing system for liquid products, pneumatic

Dean’s Decree n. 87/12 - 04/07/2012 Dean's Decree proclaiming the international call for AGR/15 - Alimentary Science and Technology THE DEAN - given the Charter of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, issued by Dean’s Decree n. 1/05 dated 5/05/2005, published in the Official Gazette n. 106 of 9/05/2005 - Ordinary supplement n. 84, subsequently modified by Dean’s Decree n. 33/07 of 18/04/2007, published in the Official Gazette n. 104 of 7/05/2007; - given the “Faculty recruitment plan” included in the 2012/2014 Triennial Plan and approved by the Board of Directors on 20 March 2012; - given the necessity of recruiting faculty members for the scientific sector identified as AGR/15 - Alimentary Science and Technology; HEREBY DECREES Art. 1 - The opening of an international call The international call is intended for applicants who possess the following qualifications.

A background of teaching and research experience is required in the following two areas: - Food Technology (Fundamentals (Unit Operations) and Processes). Food Chains.

- Food Quality and Safety Management Systems. Process and Product Certification Emphasize lecturer profile and the following curriculum aspects: - Research notes in International Refereed Journals - Patents - Invited speaker in International Congresses - Organizer of International meetings - Coordination of National or International Research Projects - Recipient of public or private funds for studies and research Art. 2 - Submission of applications All applications for the available positions must: - be addressed to the Dean of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Office of Comparative Evaluations - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 9 - Loc. Pollenzo - 12042 BRA, or sent by e-mail to the following address: concorsi.pollenzo@unisg.it; - include a Curriculum vitae, a scientific Curriculum, a list of research activities, studies and teaching posts held and a letter describing the applicant's reasons for applying for the post.

Art 3 - Time limits for the submission of applications Applications for consideration must be submitted on or before 15/10/2012.

Letters, academic titles, documents and publications received by the University after the deadline indicated above will not be taken into consideration.

Pollenzo 04/07/2012 The Dean Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi

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Vertical packaging machine mod. M.F. Stick for stick/pack 3-seal (M.F.).

pump doser for creams and gels, and finally reciprocating & oscillating filler for free flowing products. All these dosers are characterized by 1-10 lanes for doses

from 1 to 300 mL. (M.F. - Via Pirano 10/A 61010 Tavullia - PU - Italy - Tel. +39 0721 476688 - Fax +39 0721 476482 email: m-f@m-f.it)

Automatic stick-pack machine Since 1965, Universal Pack is a leading manufacturer of continuous and inter-

mittent-motion packaging machines, in particular for single-dose sachets, heat-

sealed on four sides or shaped, stick-packs, and complete sachet cartoning lines.

Universal Pack machines are renowned for their reliability, quality and efficiency thanks to the experience gained in over 45 years.

State-of-the-art engineering, solid mechanics and minimum maintenance provide the basis for the success of the machines in all market sectors such as food, cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical.

Universal Pack presents ALFA, a range of automatic multilane stick-pack machines and complete lines. These machines are equipped with patented systems that allow easy insertion and folding of the wrapping material around the forming tubes. They are suitable for single portion from 0,1 to 200 cm3.

The automatic multilane stick-pack machine is characterized by a compact footprint and ergonomic design. Its main technical features are, main drive system powered by synchronized servomotors (brushless), on-line check-weighing of

the produced sticks with automatic doser regulation (feedback) and rejection of those sticks which are out of range, coding devices for variable data, InkJet, Thermo Transfer or Laser, and automatic reel alignment and film tension control.

An HMI colour touchscreen makes the use of the recipe module easy. It is possible to memorize all working programs. All the machines are monitored in tele-assistance mode and are conform to cGMP criteria and EC regulations.

The available accessories are dosers for powders, granules, pastes, liquids, tablets, pills, capsules; alternative systems for an easy opening of the sticks; dust extraction devices; collation units to link with carton forming machines, carton erecting machines, etc.; devices for collation of finished sticks and/or automatic filling into cartons, of programmable quantity.

(Universal Pack - Via Vivare 425 - 47482 San Giovanni in Marignano - RN - Italy Tel. +39 0541 955276 - Fax +39 0541 955400 - email: info@upack.net)

Continuous vertical packaging machine

The automatic multilane stick-pack machine (Universal Pack).

48 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Through its natural corporate evolution matured in a forty-year experience, Miele is today a strong,

reliable company in the packaging sector, in both home and foreign markets.

Its compact and motivated

Maxima BC, continuous vertical packaging machine (Miele).

teamwork of engineering experts, designers and qualified professionals continuously plans and researches innovative technical solutions.

Miele has the primary objective of quality, cultivated with care in every company process, from design to the finished product, from internal organisation through to sales and after-sale services.

It has also developed a strong and highly necessary customer-directed orientation where the a s s i s t a n c e a n d a f t e rsales presence make the customer the privileged interlocutor, with whom t o m e a s u r e c o m p a ny strengths in order to constantly improve the standard of the product.

Miele presents Maxima, a continuous vertical packaging machine. It is a powerful industrial instrument for large volumes in a

short time, combined with multi-heads or volumetric dosing system. Latest electronics, high speed, and quality of materials, these and other are the reasons why to choose it.

Easy to use and clean, Maxima guarantees an easy access to internal parts. Sealing times can be adapted to difficult work ďŹ lms, such as polyp r o py l e n e , l a m i n a t e s and coupled materials in general, barrier film, water-soluble film, film of biological origin, etc.

Limited maintenance and servicing are required because this machine exploits the use of an automatic lubrication control unit and a climate control unit for the electrical panel. Its production speed is up to 180 packages per minute.

Regarding the mechanical characteristics, Maxima consists of a basic structure made of painted steel or Aisi 304 stainless steel.

The parts in contact with the product are made of Aisi 304/316 stainless steel, and a forming tube in very thick stainless steel.

Sealing bars are activated by means of the latest generation servomotor, plus integrated axes control. The ďŹ lm drive has an independent motorisation.

(Miele - Via Farniole 2/a 52045 Foiano della Chiana - AR - Italy - Tel. +39 0575 640444 - Fax +39 0575 649073 - email: miele@ miele.it)

Basic ingredients for excellent production.

MINI IP 67 GEARED MOTORS WITH POWER FROM 31 TO 130 W. High performance with low fuel consumption.

Maximum hygiene is provided by: "

" ! " "

"

MINI MOTOR - Via Enrico Fermi, 5 - 42011 Bagnolo in Piano (RE) - ITALY MINI MOTOR USA - 24-25 46th Street - Long Island City, NY 11103 - USA MINI MOTOR Aandrijftechniek - Wagenmakersweg 8A - 3449 HV WOERDEN (NL) MINI MOTOR GERMANY - Alter Kirchpfad 6 - 32657 Lemgo (DL)

www.minimotor.com - info@minimotor.com

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ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT The right pump for the right processing CSF Inox, a company based in Montecchio Emilia, was established in 1970. It is currently a leading company in its field and is strongly expanding in Europe and worldwide.

The entire production range includes centrifugal pumps, displacement pumps and self-priming pumps; moreover, a range of marketed stainless steel

CN-2 Shroud pump (CSF Inox).

SN-80 pump (CSF Inox).

accessories, such as valves, fittings, filters and other adjustment devices, completes the range.

For each production phase of food products, the pump model suitable to meet the high-performance required can be detected, in order to minimise energy consumption.

For the process phases where hygiene requirements of the systems are higher, certified pumps are available according to the EHEDG and 3-A criteria, such as the CSA series centrifugal pumps, lobe pumps and the ASH self-priming pumps, available with 3-A certification.

The CN series centrifugal pumps and SN sinusoidal disc rotary displacement pumps are the latest products developed by CSF Inox.

CN series The new single-stage centrifugal pump series (made of Aisi 316L) is designed according to the latest hygienic design standards, such as EN 13951 and EHEDG guidelines. The pumps are available in the

50 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

single-block version, with open impeller and IEC standard motor in compliance with the new regulations on performance. The optimised design ensures high hygiene levels, ease of cleaning in the CIP/SIP processes, no stagnation points, high-performance and high suction capacity to facilitate installation conditions.

Thanks to these characteristics, energy consumption is reduced as well as that of the sanitising products, in order to helping reducing environment pollution.

The casing pump is made of thick printed metal sheet, whilst the impeller is made by means of the microfusion technique and electro-chemical polishing treatment, in order to ensure a perfect surface finish. Finishes with 0.5 μm RA and in 3-A certified version can be provided upon request.

The range is available in 3 sizes for capacity up to 70 m3/h and discharge head up to 60 metres. The mechanical seals used are the same of CS/CSA and AS/ ASH.

Maintenance is extremely easy, thanks to the simple construction, reduced number of components and design with clamp and internal mechanical seal.

SN series The new displacement rotary pump range is the CSF Inox latest product, which are entirely made of stainless steel, both the parts contacting the Aisi 316 product and the Aisi 304 support. The inner parts that make the pumping chamber are made of technical plastic materials, developed by CSF in cooperation with strategic suppliers in this sector.

Thanks to the special geometry of the rotor and operation principle, the SN pumps can pump liquids and viscous products with a maximum care and no pulsations, thus preventing damaging any suspended solids. They are also self-priming and maintenance is simple, as it can be carried out without disconnecting the pump pipes.

The range is about to be completed and currently

3 models with capacity up to 36 m3/h and pressures up to 15 bar are available; new models with higher capacity will be introduced soon.

ASH series ASH self-priming centrifugal pumps are approved according to the 3-A sanitary standards. They are equipped with internal mechanical seal and the internal finishes of the parts contacting the pumped product are equal to Ra 0.5 μm standard.

Designed for several uses, they represent a top product, thanks to the project characteristics, materials

and technologies used.

They can run with liquids and air/gas or suction pipe only partially filled. They are mainly used during the washing recovery phases and tank discharge.

CSA series CSA Centrifugal pumps have been designed, tested and approved according to the EHEDG guidelines and 3-A sanitary standards to meet the highest hygiene requirements. The CSA versions derive from the wellknown CS series, which they share the hydraulic and structural design and bearing support.

Open propeller with great

Water-bath chiller for bags To increase the shelf life of cooked foods beyond the five days of an ordinary refrigerated product, by preventing the proliferation of bacteria which takes place between 65° and 8°C after cooking, it is essential to quickly reduce the temperature of foods to below 8°C. This is not enough for soups, sauces, ragouts, mashed potato, béchamel sauce, and stews.

Nilma develops an innovative water-bath bag chiller, the Fastercold, which represents the essential technology in a modern, innovative Cook & Chill system.

After cooking in the Mix Matic or Salsamat universal cookers, a connected

p e r f o r m a n c e a n d l ow NPSH values, high-efficient volute body made by using the microfusion technique are the main characteristics of the range. The surface finish of the parts contacting the pumped product meets the requisites of the pharmaceutical 3-A standards and is equal to 0.5 μm.

Recently, the test series for the EHEDG certification have been completed even in the internal seal version.

(CSF Inox - Strada per Bibbiano 7 - 42027 Montecchio Emilia - RE - Italy Tel. +39 0522 869911 Fax +39 0522 865454 email: csfitalia@csf.it)

pumping system transfers the product to the bag filling machine at over 90°C. The airtight bags, produced in different weights as required, are then soaked in the Fastercold chiller. The

ASH pump (CSF Inox)

CSA 3A-EHEDG pump (CSF Inox).

bag chilling time varies depending on their weight and the type of product.

The Fastercold is automatically filled with refrigerated water at 2°C from a remote water cooler connected to

The Fastercold water-bath bag chiller (Nilma).

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it. Once the chilling time has been programmed, the bags are placed in the drum. The water vortex with adjustable intensity allows the product to cool quickly and evenly. The action of the water whirlpool facilitates heat exchange between the cold water and the bags. It also moves the food around within the bag, thus enabling it gradually to reduce its heat. This provides a much higher rate of heat exchange than with the ordinary blast chiller techniques.

The foods processed by the Nilma Cook & Chill method and stored at 0°C maintain their organoleptic characteristics virtually unchanged for more than

20 days. This provides a large number of practical benefits, including, production can be scheduled throughout the day and on more than one shift, stocks of food can be kept ready for use, the product characteristics can be preserved for a long time without the need of freezing, and the product can be conveniently transported to multiple distribution points.

Product, energy, time, space and labour savings are added to the advantages of shelf life of over 20 days.

(Nilma - Via E. Zacconi 24/A - 43122 Parma - Italy Tel. +39 0521 785241 - Fax +39 0521 774642 - email: nilma@nilma.it)

3-view X-ray inspection system The X-ray inspection system Rayon X3 represents the latest development of the ScanVision technology.

It uses a unique 3-beam Xray technique that allows contaminant detection in the most difficult container sizes and shapes, as well as in the presence of product density variations.

The combination of 1 to 3 beams is based on the ScanVision point of view (central beam) in line with the container fill level. It is automatically adjustable to the size of the container

without operator assistance for the best possible detection accuracy.

Up to 2 additional side beams are fixed and in line with the conveyor level.

At speeds of up to 60 m/ min, the Rayon X3 can inspect any size of glass jars, bottles and cans, and up to 4,250 mL jars and 5 kg cans. The system has been developed in order to increase detection performances of foreign bodies that are large but also thinner than 3 mm, regardless of their orientation, even

52 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

in very big containers and in cases of strongly dishomogeneous contents.

Detection accuracy is also improved for contaminants that are hidden by the sidewall areas of square and multi-edge containers.

Interferences in the processed image, caused by thickness and shape variations of the glass containers, as well as by product density variations like air bubbles, will be minimized thanks to the possibility of processing the information from 3 different images, therefore significantly reducing the number of false rejects.

The Rayon X3 can guarantee detection of foreign bodies such as glass shards, stones, metal (including iron, stainless steel, and copper), and bones, as well as high density plastics and ceramics.

It is also suitable for checking the fill level with a very high accuracy.

Th e s t a n d a r d s y s t e m

consists of 1 to 3 X-ray heads, in-feed, inspection and out-feed conveyors, pneumatic reject unit, and closed circuit watercooling.

Latest software developments provide new tools for an easier operator use and product set-up (windows type GUI), including remote access for on-line technical support, data exchange with the local network, storage and management of production statistics and of machine events (type of inspected product, production date and time, counters of inspected/rejected products, images of rejects, list of commands activated by the operator).

Rayon X3 enhances quality, safety and productivity of the production lines.

(Rayonics Italia - Str. Nizza 48 - 10040 La Loggia - TO Italy - Tel. +39 011 9629122 - Fax +39 011 9937496 - email: commerciale@ rayonics.it)

The enhanced inspection system (right) of the Rayon X3 allows to detect thin contaminants (Rayonics).

Electromechanical lubrication systems With 50 years experience in sales and technical advice on chain moving products, Ognibene has developed the compact and economical L1, L2 and L3 electromechanical lubrication systems. The company offers analysis and advice on the systems (station + batch and cleaning systems) in order to create an automatic lubrication always on the cutting edge of innovation and its well-advanced technical solutions improve and increase the productivity, and fully satisfy the customer requests.

L1, L2 and L3 lubrication systems are developed to batch a minimum quantity of lubricant (starting from 10 mm3) at high pressure.

The lack of compressed air avoids the traditional fog nozzle system, thus guaranteeing compliance with all the regulations concerning the food industry and environmental norms.

Moreover, the high-pressure process eliminates any piping obstructions, while the motion sensor guarantees batching only when the mechanical system is running.

Ognibene stations are the best solution for a dry and clean lubrication. Connected to suction systems, they improve the lubrication performance and reduce

oily residues in all tools.

With these lubricants, the product is applied with accuracy where required, such as pivots, chain links, bearings, and moving tools.

CLC (Chain Life Control)

by Ognibene is a wireless monitoring system that continuously or periodically provides an automatic control of transmission and conveyor chains used in industrial environments. The system consists of a wireless vibration transmitter (sensor), a wireless USB receiver, and a data processing software unit.

The wireless vibration transmitter can be applied to a pinion or a chain link (when the chain has the correct dimension). In the ďŹ rst case the sensor detects

vibrations produced by the mating between the chain and pinion teeth, in the second, it detects vibrations due to the running of the chain itself on slide-ways.

Acquired data are wirelessly transmitted in real-time.

The wireless USB receiver collects data transmitted by one or more sensors. The maximum communication range is about 15 m in a free space, however the presence of obstacles or shielding surfaces can reduce this distance. Therefore it is a good practice to place the receiver as close as possible to the transmitters.

Finally, a data processing software unit analyses the vibration outputs, on the basis of a speciďŹ c algorithm. The overcoming of one or more pre-set thresholds will generate an alarm that can be managed in different ways up to

a possible blocking of the line. The wireless receiver has to be connected to a pc Usb port, directly or via extension (maximum length of 5 m with Usb passive cable, about 25 m with Usb repeater cable).

Thanks to a vibration analysis it is possible to highlight eventual trouble and/or chain wear. The tests performed have shown that progressive wear, as well as insufficient chain lubrication, hardening of its joints, presence of dirt and debris between link components, are all directly involved in a change in the vibrational behaviour of the chain, consequent to a worse working with other plant parts.

(Ognibene - Via del Tipografo 6 - 40138 Bologna Italy - Tel.+39 051 534225 - Fax +39 051 535083 email: sales@ognibenechaintech.it)

CLC wireless monitoring system for transmission and conveyor chains (Ognibene).

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53

Spiral conveyor For over thirty years, Zennato has designed and developed machines for the transport and sealing of food.

Launched initially as a manufacturer of conveyor belts, in a few years it has become a major production company, acquiring skills and experience for developing technologies and solutions for both horizontal and vertical transportation.

The strength of Zennato is the attention to detail in the design. The continuous working relationship with the customer leads to build applications based on specific customer requirements in relation to the product. The company distinguishes itself by the ability to analyse and find engineering solutions, and the willingness to accept challenges for the development of new applications, and timely delivery. It has a production, pre-assem-

bly and testing area of over 1,000 square meters, flanked by offices for the technical realization of three-dimensional design using the latest software. The product range varies from classical conveyor belts for the accumulation or the combination with automatic packaging machines to the spiral conveyor, from machines for sealing to turnkey systems for end users in areas such as food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetics.

Zennato presents the spiral modularbelt, a compact and extremely reliable system for the vertical transport of all packaged and unwrapped products such as boxes, bags, bottles, jars, crates (for fruits and vegetables, meat or fish, etc.), newspapers, magazines, books, etc. No controls are needed, as the spiral provides a continuous flow of prod-

Modularbelt spiral conveyor (Zennato).

ucts in a simple and reliable way like a normal conveyor belt. Its winding compact and spiral shape is the key that allows to save valuable space and to achieve great steps in elevation. It can convey loads up to 15 kg/mL at a speed of 50 m/ min. The spiral conveyor can be equipped with a single or

multiple lane and it does not require any maintenance.

The machines are tailor-made to meet the requirements of every single customer depending on the product.

(Zennato - Via A. Urbani 6 - 35042 Este - PD - Italy Tel. +39 0429 611001 - Fax +39 0429 59001 - email: zennato@zennato.com)

Smart lobe pumps Omac introduces three new lobe pumps, the C110, C115 and C270 models.

These pumps present a volumetric capacity of 0,17, 0,21 and 0,38 l/rev. respectively, for maximum pressure from 5 to 13 bars with increased clearances rotors.

C110 and C115 models are provided with DN40 con-

nections, while the C270 model is provided with DN50 connections.

In order to achieve the highest hygienic standard, the lobe pumps are as easily fully cleanable as to enable hot water consumption and reduce the use of chemical products for their cleaning.

54 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

New smart lobe pump model C115 with bi-lobe rotors (Omac).

The materials used, surface finishing and all the characteristics of the design have enabled to get the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group - EHEDG certification. Alike all other models Series C, the C100, C220 and C570 featured new design with new front loading seals for easier and quick servicing. In addition, maintenance is also simplified by means of a new external axial adjustment system.

All the parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel 1.4404, pump body is cast with integral connections without weld-

ing. The rotors have been designed as to reach the best efficiency and cause less damage to the product at the same time.

The pumps of the Series C offer further energy saving, less power thanks to less internal friction and efficiency improvement thanks to the possibility of selecting three different tolerances of the rotors accordingly the working pressure. Two kinds of rotors are proposed, fourlobes and dual wing (bilobes) with new design.

The bearing housing is made of nickel-plated cast iron, sturdy and compact

Section pump mod. C220 (Omac).

with roundish profile and equipped with feet for horizontal or vertical (self-drain-

ing) installation.

As the other Omac lobe pump series B and BF, ap-

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

55

preciated all over the world for stoutness and performances, new C Series confirms their reliability and safety having obtained the Atex certification depositing technical file at TÜV. They can be supplied in Atex execution with classification II 2G kc T4, for the installation in areas with presence of atmosphere potentially explo-

sive caused by gas/vapour and inflammable liquids.

All Omac lobe pumps are available also in special materials such as Titanium, Hastelloy, and Monel.

(Omac Pompe - Via Giovanni Falcone 8 - 42048 Rubiera - RE - Italy - Tel. +39 0522 629371 - Fax +39 0522 628980 - email: info@omacpompe.com)

Solutions for analysis laboratories RG Strumenti is a new commercial reality born from the experience of young and dynamic professionals in the field of scientific instrumentation. The company designs and develops complete laboratories. It is a distributor of laboratory equipment and accessories for research centres and quality control laboratories, and supplies equipment for industrial process verification.

The strengths of RG Strumenti are in-depth knowledge of the proposed instrumentation, the extreme attention to customer needs and the ability to provide the most appropriate equipment to specific analyst needs. The company relies on their knowledge of different industrial processes and direct dialogue with the customer.

The staff is involved in several update missions abroad in order to identify such new equipment that can comply

with the analytical problems encountered.

The products offered are carefully selected as well as the suppliers, which must ensure adequate delivery time, technical accuracy and speed in after-sale service, as required by the modern market.

For this reasons RG Strumenti has made some distribution agreements with leading Italian and foreign companies in instrument production.

RG Strumenti provides mobile laboratories, ready-touse laboratories, pilot plants, and professional cooking for R&D. Producing mobile laboratories, the company wants to help accredited or institutional entities in reaching inaccessible areas or small companies where internal quality control is particularly difficult or too expensive. This kind of laboratory is also useful in the environmental sector to perform the

56 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

analysis directly at the sampling point.

Turn-key laboratories in prefabricated containers, which are insulated and complete with what equipment is necessary to do the analysis are useful to all production companies who need to preform a quality control of their products but have no space in the building and to those who do not want to carry out expensive building work.

RG Strumenti can also design and implement pre-installed systems for small productions and on-line learning of food technologies.

They are very flexible and have a complete control instrumentation. These systems are suitable in canning (fruit and vegetables), milk and dairy products, meat and fish, pasta and baked products. They can also be provided in containers.

Professional kitchens for the R&D department of food industry consist of cooking areas, ovens, worktables made of stainless steel, exhaust systems, and all necessary accessories for preparing new recipes.

RG Strumenti manufactures and distributes the sensorial cabinet “Sensibox” to check the result. Its modularity allows it to be adapted to the space available, and to prepare a taste room (Panel Test) for rating new products or for comparison with products already on the market.

RG Strumenti provides equipment to preform analysis on raw materials, packaging, and finished products.

The company wants to be a reliable ally in the choice of instrumentation for the type of analysis to be performed.

In fact the specialized technicians constantly attend refresher courses in order to be able to suggest the best solutions for chemical and microbiological analysis, analysis of food packaging, physical and structural analysis, process controls, and monitoring of hygiene during the production process and in the work places.

(RG Strumenti - Via Monte Aquila 24/A - 43124 Corcagnano - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 631188 - Fax +39 0521 630929 - email: info@ rgstrumenti.it)

FOOD SAFETY Fresh to the consumer: Safety throughout the food supply chain Nutrition consciousness is becoming more and more widespread. When shopping for groceries, many consumers are no longer focused only on low prices.

Instead, they are making high quality their top priority. Today’s consumers make better use of their rights and are demanding to know exactly which ingredients are in a food product and what its point of origin is. In a recent study by the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE) and the Society for Consumer Research (GfK), 96 percent of the German consumers surveyed said that taste and flavour

continue to be their decisive criteria for determining quality, followed by food safety and health considerations, which were cited by 93 percent of the respondents. The consumers therefore demand that food producers offer products that meet the highest standards for food safety.

HACCP five letters for food safety HACCP, a quality assurance system that is mandatory for all food industry companies in the European Union, is designed to guarantee food safety. HACCP stands for “Hazard Analysis and Critical

58 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Control Points”. A HACCP system monitors the entire food production process, and particularly phases in which errors could lead to health hazards for consumers. The aim is to identify dangers related to the food production process and to assess the resulting risks. Once the factors that can affect food safety, and therefore also the consumer’s health, are identified, measures can be taken to eliminate these risk factors. The risk factors that must be eliminated include, for example, foreign bodies such as tiny pebbles in a mixed salad or glass splinters in a jar of jam. The job of finding such foreign bodies is handled by inspection systems featuring the latest metal detection, X-ray and camera technologies. Special scanners are used to detect glass, ceramic, stone or plastic, but also bone splinters, for example. These systems can also identify product defects such as cracks or splits, trapped air or lumps.

Food packaging is also a fundamental element when it comes to safety - especially with perishable food. Meat

and chilled food are often vacuum packed or packaged in a modified atmosphere, a mixture of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. This inhibits the growth of bacteria and mould and prevents undesirable reactions with oxygen that can give fresh meat a grey colour.

Where do you come from?

- Tracing thanks to ERP Traceability, another means of ensuring food safety, is a tool that is required by law throughout Europe. The main objective here is to enable producers to immediately remove unsafe food and raw materials from circulation in the event of a health hazard.

This requires that the food product can be traced back through all steps in the production and sales processes, starting from the point that the consumer takes possession of it and going all the way back to its point of origin. The key to tracing a specific batch or unit of a food product is comprehensive batch management.

This means that each of the individual batches or units

of the food product, which have been produced and packaged under practically identical conditions, is assigned a number by which it can be identified with certainty. In addition, the batch or unit is labelled with a “best before date”. Should it become impossible at any point to ensure the safety of a food product en route to the consumer, this information makes it possible to determine which batch is affected. The basis needed for this is provided by business software in the form of an ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning). This software displays all movements of all goods within a company, including the individual batches or units - from the receipt of incoming goods to production and storage to picking and delivery. The ERP software is able to do this because all data along the flow of materials are recorded right at the location where they are generated and entered into the system. Sausage production serves as a good example to illustrate how the principle works: Upon receipt of the raw product, the software automatically assigns a batch number that applies to all subsequent process steps, including butchering, weighing, filling, smoking and packaging. Various portions of the delivered fresh meat become intermediate products, which are assigned their own batch numbers, making it possible to de-

termine at any time which individual portions a newly produced sausage product consists of, for example.

In addition, many product variants are not made until the packaging stage. Here a 150 gram package of salami for self service, for example, is assigned a different batch number than that of the entire, unsliced salami sealed in a casing.

Clear information the label as a digital ID The end results of every production process in the food industry are consumerappropriate packing units that have to be given labels on which all required information is clearly stated.

This also involves assigning a “best before date” to each individual package and ensuring that it can be traced by means of a printed batch number. In the past this was done by means of simple designation systems and stick-on labels. Labels were initially conceived to inform consumers about the contents, origin, price and proper use or preparation of a product, but today they can do much more than that.

Many food items are sensitive products whose quality can be diminished by even slight deviations from proper refrigeration and storage temperatures. This is why labels also serve a valuable function as signalling devices (Time Temperature Indicators) that indicate improper

storage and transport temperatures. These labels work on the basis of a colour that is activated using UV light.

The colour then continually changes until the “best before date” is reached. The colour of the label changes from deep blue to colourless; and the higher the ambient temperature, the less time this process takes. The consumer can then determine whether or not the product is still fresh by checking the degree of colour saturation.

A UV filter makes it impossible to reset the label.

In the future we may also see increasing use of small, inconspicuous RFID chips that will accompany food products as they make their way to the consumer. The radio technology RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) makes it possible to transmit data by means of radio waves. “Transponders” are attached to the reverse side of labels. Stored on the transponder is the Electronic Product Code (EPC), which contains general informa-

tion about the product and links this data with individual pieces of information, for example an item’s serial number, date of production and origin. The EPC, which is to replace the European Article Number (EAN) in the future, serves as the basis for a product designation that is unique worldwide. The data can then be read over radio waves by means of a reader device, without visual or physical contact, and saved to a database. And every stop in the value chain can autonomously save information to the transponder. In addition to allowing more effective tracing of a product to its origin, this also makes it possible to detect and reliably prove illegal relabelling. www.anugafoodtec.com

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EFSA’s activities in 2011 High-quality science, core strategic developments and crisis response are the key aspects of EFSA’s activities in 2011, as highlighted in the Authority’s Annual Report. During 2011, EFSA delivered 658 scientific opinions, reports, guidance documents and statements.

The adoption of EFSA’s Science Strategy 2012-2016 by the Management Board was also an important milestone for the Authority, laying out its vision for scientific development over the coming years.

EFSA Executive Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, commented: “Europe faced several food safety challenges during 2011, none more so than the E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France. EFSA’s role in

responding to this crisis together with its partners underlined categorically the high value that we add in terms of public health protection in Europe. In addition to the advice we gave on this and many other scientific issues, EFSA took time to further strengthen its internal systems and procedures in relation to independence and governance and to look forward, establishing its scientific priorities over the next five years. Both EFSA’s Policy on Independence and Scientific Decision-Making and its landmark Science Strategy 2012-2016 will contribute to ensuring that we continue to provide the highest quality scientific advice to European risk managers”.

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In 2011, EFSA’s procedures for responding in a crisis were tested to the full when the European Commission (EC) asked the Authority for immediate scientific assistance in the face of two E. coli outbreaks that struck Germany and France.

Working closely with the national authorities and with the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, EFSA provided urgent scientific advice and technical assistance to support the EC and German and French authorities. Its staff also worked alongside colleagues in Germany to help trace the source of the outbreak, concluding that imported fenugreek seeds probably caused outbreaks.

Of the 658 scientific outputs EFSA adopted in 2011, 58% were related to regulated products, an indicator of the high importance of this activity to EFSA. A significant body of work in this area was the completion of the evaluation of the final series of “general function” health claims.

These are claims made for products that relate to growth, development and the functions of the body, psychological and behavioural functions and slimming and weight control. It brings the total number of “general function” health claims assessed by EFSA since 2008 to 2,758 and marks the culmination of more than three years’ work

by EFSA’s experts.

Among the other scientific highlights of 2011 were outputs on welfare risks to animals during transport, the safety of artificial sweeteners, the risk assessment of food and feed derived from GM plants, meat inspection, and the safety of bisphenol A, used in food contact materials.

The year 2011 was also marked by the adoption of EFSA’s Policy on Independence and Scientific Decision-Making Processes. The new policy outlines EFSA’s approach to safeguarding independence and integrity in its work and integrates in one document the wide range of initiatives EFSA has put in place to uphold its core values of scientific excellence, openness, independence, transparency and responsiveness.

EFSA’s approach to safeguarding independence and integrity in its work can be seen in the related actions and decisions it took in 2011. In total, the Authority screened more than 8,000 Declarations of Interest from external experts and EFSA staff and scrutinised more than 40,000 specific declarations linked to agenda items. By doing so it prevented 356 potential conflicts. EFSA also initiated two “breach of trust” procedures.

The Communications Strategy 2010-2013 began to be implemented last year, following its adoption in

December 2010. In line with the strategy’s focus on a thematic approach to communications, the aim of which is to give context and further meaning to the Authority’s scientific work, a suite of outputs was rolled-out to support its work in the area of zoonoses, including comprehensive content on the EFSA website and the publication of a series of factsheets to coincide with a high-level meeting on zoonoses in the European Parliament.

EFSA also began work on

a wide-reaching internal re-organisation programme in 2011, with the objective of making better use of its resources, strengthening efficiency and providing a higher-quality service to its clients. The re-structuring took place gradually throughout 2011 and is due to be completed in 2012. Already in 2011, EFSA made structural savings of € 1.98 million as a result of overall efficiency gains, particularly in specific areas such as interpretation, translation and meeting organisation.

US demand for food safety products “Food safety products”, a s t u dy b y Fr e e d o n i a Group, explained how the US demand for food safety products is forecast to increase 7.3% annually to $4.5 billion in 2016.

The increased public awareness following recent highly

publicized multistate outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, the need to comply with provisions of the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and industry initiatives that will provide a strong impetus for companies to improve their food safety

practices will lead to solid gains. Additionally, growth will be driven by challenges arising from the increasingly global nature of the food supply, which adds complexity and the potential for the introduction of new pathogens from different regions.

Among major food safety product segments, smart labels and tags, and software and tracking systems are expected to experience the fastest gains, reflecting a heightened emphasis on traceability in the food supply chain. Smart label and tag demand will be boosted by traceability advantages along with expanded usage in food packaging to reduce losses in perishable foods.

Opportunities will also exist in the livestock market as a result of the need for improved traceability of animals to their point of origin. Gains for software and tracking systems will be supported by increased US Food and Drug Administration recordkeeping requirements.

Food processing plants en-

compass the largest market by far, accounting for 60% of total food safety product demand in the US in 2011.

Meat applications account for the largest share of demand in this segment. Robust growth is anticipated for diagnostic products in meat applications based on microbiological testing necessitated by HACCP regulations and implementation of a new US Department of Agriculture policy that will expand routine sampling of beef to include six additional E. coli strains. The smaller fresh prepared food market will log rapid advances, supported by increases in production and consumer demand for convenient meal options.

Among other food safety markets, the farm market will present the strongest opportunities, the result of expanded disinfection and pathogen-testing activities among produce growers following several multistate outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in the past several years.

Food safety product demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth Item

2006

2011

2016

2006-2011

2011-2016

2,294

3,170

4,500

6.7

7.3

Disinfection products

875

1,180

1,620

6.2

6.5

Diagnostic products

596

850

1,245

7.4

7.9

Disposable gloves

495

675

940

6.4

6.8

Smart labels & tags

141

210

330

8.3

9.5

87

130

200

8.4

9.0

100

125

165

4.6

5.7

Food safety product demand

Software & tracking systems Other

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NUTRITION

EFSA sets population reference intakes for protein EFSA completed its work on dietary reference values (DRVs). DRVs comprise a complete set of quantitative values, including average requirements, population reference intakes, adequate intakes, reference intake ranges, lower thresholds and tolerable upper intake levels. They can be used as a basis for food labelling and for establishing food-based dietary guidelines.

A PRI indicates the amount of an individual nutrient that the majority of people in a population need for good health depending on their age and sex.

Following a request from the European Commission for EFSA to update previous European advice on DRVs, taking into account new scientific evidence and recent recommendations issued at national and international level, EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies set PRIs for protein for adults, infants and children, and pregnant and breast-feeding women; previously the Panel has published opinions establishing

DRVs for carbohydrates, dietary fibre, fats, and water.

The Panel used the nitrogen balance approach to set PRIs for protein. Nitrogen balance is the difference between nitrogen intake through food and the amount of nitrogen lost in body waste. In healthy adults the protein requirement is the amount needed to achieve zero nitrogen balance (maintenance). The factorial method is used to calculate protein requirements for physiological conditions such as growth, pregnancy or lactation. In these cases nitrogen is needed not only for maintenance but for the deposition of protein in newly formed tissue and milk. In children, nitrogen balance has to be positive to allow for growth.

EFSA sets set PRIs for protein as follows.

Adults (including older adults) - 0.83 g/kg of body weight per day; Infants, children and adolescents - between 0.83 and 1.31 g/kg of body weight per day depending on age; Pregnant women - additional intake of 1, 9 and 28 g per

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day for the first, second and third trimesters respectively; Breast-feeding women - additional intake of 19 g per day during the first 6 months of lactation and 13 g per day thereafter.

The Panel also looked at several health outcomes that may be associated with protein intake, such as bone health, body weight, muscle mass and kidney function, but concluded that the available data were insufficient to derive PRIs based on these health outcomes.

The Panel considers protein intake in the European population to be adequate for all population groups. According to collated national food consumption surveys, the average protein intake of adults in Europe is often at or above the PRI of 0.83 g per kg of body weight per day (between 67 and 114 g per day for men and be-

tween 59 and 102 g per day for women).

The PRIs apply to mixed dietary protein from both animal and plant sources.

The Panel notes that EFSA’s Comprehensive Food Consumption Database shows that the main sources of protein in European adult diets are meat and meat products, followed by grains/grainbased products and milk/ dairy products. The Scientific Opinion on protein published today.

This and earlier opinions on DRVs have been adopted by the Panel after consultation with Member States, the scientific community and other stakeholders. The consultations ensure that EFSA benefits from the widest range of information, data and views to finalise the work and provide the most up-todate, comprehensive advice to EU decision-makers.

Folic acid supplements and child’s speech development A study of a Norwegian cohort, published by a team of European and North American researchers, suggests that the benefits of taking folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy may extend beyond birth defects and influence child language development.

Women of childbearing age are advised to take folic acid supplements (400 micrograms per day) continued to the 12th week of pregnancy, to reduce the risk of the baby being born with a neural tube defect (such as spina bifida). Further effects of folic acid on neurodevelopment after birth had not yet been investigated. This study looked at severe language delay at 3 years of age, using the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.

Mothers completed questionnaires, ranking their child’s level of language development on a 6-category scale (ranging from no word production to full sentences with complete grammatical markings).

Children of three years, not able to speak more than 1 word or unintelligible utterances, were defined as having severe language delay.

The study excluded children with no word production. The analysis involved

38,954 children, of which 204 (0.5%) had severe language delay.

Women were asked about their supplement use between 4 weeks before conception to 8 weeks after conception, and categorised as using folic acid only, folic acid in combination with other supplements, or supplements not containing folic acid, or none at all.

Compared to women who did not take any supplements, taking folic acid on its own, or with other supplements was associated with a 45% reduced risk (odds ratio 0.55) of the child having severe language delay at 3 years of age.

This was after adjustment to account for (confounding) factors that could be responsible, the mother’s education and weight (given as Body Mass Index, i.e. body weight in kg divided by height in metres squared), parity and whether or not they were married. Furthermore the associations remained after adjustment for other potential confounders (father’s education, age of parents, whether the pregnancy was planned, if the mother smoked during pregnancy, or used alcohol in the first

trimester, mother’s height in meters, breastfeeding at 6 months), missing data, children born before gestational week 32, <2.5 kg or with hearing problems, or with no word production at age 3 years.

The risks appeared reduced for women who initiated supplement use before week 8, but this conclusion is impeded by the small number of women who started taking supplements after this time (12.5% of children).

The attainment of gross motor skills was also assessed,

by for example asking mothers whether their child could hold a large ball with both hands. Delay in gross motor skills was found in 2.5% of children, however, no association with folic acid intake was found.

Severe language delay is a rare condition, but has profound social and clinical implications. This study is not proof that folic acid prevents language delay but does bring new thoughts to research aiming to understand the role of nutrients in neurodevelopment.

EUFIC

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MARKETING REPORTS World demand for nutraceutical ingredients grows The Freedonia Group presents the study “World nutraceutical ingredients” in which explains that world demand for nutraceutical ingredients is projected to increase 7.2% annually to $23.7 billion in 2015.

Substances with clinically confirmed health benefits and broad applications in foods, beverages, dietary supplements, and adult and pediatric nutritional preparations will provide the best growth opportunities.

Global trends in nutraceutical ingredients will result in developing regions achieving much faster growth in both consumption and production than developed regions. Increasing economic prosperity will enable Countries, such as the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as Mexico, Poland and South Korea, to expand and diversify their

food and beverage, processing, and pharmaceutical industries. Based on projected investment levels in these industries and rising consumer incomes, China will evolve into the largest global producer and consumer of nutraceutical ingredients by 2020, surpassing the United States and Western Europe.

Because of maturing markets, the supply and demand of nutraceutical ingredients in the developed Countries will increase more slowly than the average pace of the developing world. Nonetheless, food, beverage and drug makers in the developed economies will continue to pursue opportunities in conventional and specialty nutritional products and natural medicines. As a result, they will remain major customers for nutraceutical ingredients.

Nutrients, including proteins, fibers and various specialized functional additives, will remain the top-selling group of nutraceutical ingredients.

Proteins will post the fastest gains as food and beverage makers throughout the world introduce new high value-added nutritional preparations.

Functional additives and fiber nutrients will also fare well in the global marketplace. Naturally derived substances, consisting of herbal and botanical extracts and animal- and marine-based derivatives, will command the fastest growth among the three major groups of nutraceutical ingredients. World demand for minerals and vitamin ingredients consumed in nutraceutical applications is forecast to reach $6.0 billion in 2015, up 6.2% annually from 2010. www.freedoniagroup.com

World nutraceutical ingredient demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth Item

2005

2010

2015

2005-2010

2010-2015

11,140

16,750

23,700

8.5

7.2

North America

2,792

4,130

5,670

8.1

6.5

Western Europe

2,892

3,875

4,960

6.0

5.1

Asia/Pacific

4,081

6,610

10,010

10.1

8.7

Other regions

1,375

2,135

3,060

9.2

7.5

Nutraceutical ingredient demand

64 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

US demand for alternative sweeteners Entitled “Alternative Sweeteners”, the new study from The Freedonia Group presents the latest data about the US demand for alternative sweeteners It is expected to advance 3.3% annually through 2015 to $1.4 billion.

Gains will be led by continuing market penetration of relatively new entrants to the industry, including the stevia extract rebaudioside-A (rebA). The more mature segments of the market – high intensity sweeteners (such as aspartame) and polyols (including sorbitol) – will see more restrained, though still healthy, increases in demand. Market trends favoring less processed ingredients will drive well-publicized usage of sweeteners that can be marketed as being “natural”. However, continuing consumer preference for reduced-calorie foods and beverages will ensure the ongoing use of ubiquitous sweeteners such as aspartame.

Despite the drag of a declining soft drink market, high intensity sweeteners will remain the largest product category among alternative sweeteners, a leadership position rooted in their continuing domination of

the large diet soft drink and tabletop sweetener markets. Aspartame will remain the leader in diet soft drinks, while the table-top market will continue to be dominated by sucralose. Growth in other markets will be healthy, although high intensity sweeteners are used in much lower quantities outside of their two mainstay applications.

Though expected to remain a fairly small share of the overall market, newer alternative sweeteners will register by far the fastest growth and generate the most interest among food and beverage processors, as well as among consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of reb-A in late 2008 led to high-profile introductions of steviabased products, such as table-top sweeteners (e.g., Cargill’s Truvia), juice beverages, fruit drinks, flavored waters and soft drinks, many of which have met with consumer favor. In 2010, the FDA approved luo han guo (monk fruit) for use as a sweetener in the US; while this product’s potential remains to be seen, its natural profile is on trend with

current consumer purchasing decisions. Furthermore, full-calorie agave nectar is gaining traction due to its natural positioning as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup. www.freedoniagroup.com

US alternative sweetener demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth Item

2005

2010

2015

2005-2010

2010-2015

Alternative sweetener demand

926

1,193

1,405

5.2

3.3

High intensity

560

665

735

3.5

2.0

Polyols

356

471

570

5.8

3.9

Other

10

57

100

41.6

11.9

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Global demand for salt still raising The Freedonia Group presents the study “World Salt” which points out the global demand for salt. This is projected to climb 2.9% annually through 2015 to 327 million metric tons, valued at $13.4 billion. Increased salt consumption in most parts of the world will more than offset expected contractions of demand in Western Europe and Japan. Growth in chemical manufacturing output will fuel the majority of additional demand between 2010 and 2015. Salt suppliers will also benefit from the shale gas drilling boom currently underway in North America, which will boost chloralkali output in the US and Canada.

In 2010, China was the largest consumer of salt, primarily due to the huge size of its chemical industry, although food processing and livestock salt use are also sub-

stantial. This Country accounted for one-fourth of global salt demand in 2010 and is projected to be the fastest growing national market through 2015.

Salt consumption in India is also forecast to grow well above the world average. Here the chemical output by facilities is forecast to rise faster than in any other major producing Country through 2015, leading to sizable increases in associated salt demand.

Chemical manufacturing is by far the largest market for salt, accounting for nearly 55% of global demand in 2010. The vast majority of demand in this market is generated by chloralkali and synthetic soda ash producers, which use salt as their primary feedstock. The Asia/Pacific region accounts for over one-half of the salt consumed by the chemical industry. Western

Europe and North America also have sizable chemical industries, and in 2010 they accounted for 18 and 15%, respectively, of chemical manufacturing salt use.

Solar evaporation is the most prevalent method of producing salt, accounting for 38% of 2010 industry shipments. It is the most economical method of producing salt in areas with favorable weather conditions, which include a number of nations in the Africa/ Mideast and Asia/Pacific regions.

In these regions, salt production is forecast to grow fastest, and as a result solar evaporation will account for an increasing share of global salt output through 2015.

Rock salt and brine production will also post moderate increases through 2015, although their respective rates of growth will lag that of solar evaporation.

World salt demand in million metric tons (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth Item

2005

2010

2015

2005-2010

2010-2015

World salt demand

245.0

283.5

327.0

3.0

2.9

North America

65.8

67.4

71.5

0.5

1.2

Western Europe

44.0

44.0

43.1

--

-0.4

Asia/Pacific

88.7

118.0

152.0

5.9

5.2

Central & South America

10.8

12.3

13.6

2.6

2.1

Eastern Europe

24.5

28.0

30.8

2.7

1.9

Africa/Mideast

11.2

13.9

16.1

4.4

2.9

66 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

Thin walled packaging industry consolidates A report from the industry consultants AMI Consulting pinpoints that in recent years thin walled packaging has become a space of dynamic structural changes in the rigid plastics market.

Large participants of this 2.8 million tonne market have been in the vanguard of change as they fight to secure profitability in the face of the price and innovation requirements of their customers.

Particularly within thermoforming applications, profit erosion has been a symptom of overcapacity and the standardisation of packaging. In response, the industry is evolving to satisfy market needs more profitably, characterised by: greater throughput across a reduced number of converting sites; focused investment in core sites; investment in integrated extrusion thermoforming; exit from unprofit-

able business, and emphasis on differential advantage.

In 2011, the top 10 converters accounted for over 40% of the market. Outside of the leader base, thin wall packaging supply in Europe remains relatively fragmented and more consolidation is expected.

The ranking has changed dramati-

The competitive thin wall packaging landscape, 2011 (AMI Consulting).

cally in the past few years as the industry actively consolidated.

Paccor International is the new market leader. The company was created in 2011 by the acquisition and full-scale integration of three of Huhtamaki’s sites, Veriplast’s rigid plastics sites across Europe and Pannunion’s sites in Central and East Europe. RPC Containers has also increased its market share thanks to the acquisition of a leading injection moulder, Superfos A/S in 2011. Following a number of previous acquisitions, Groupe Guillin bought Sharp Interpack in 2010, which strengthened its position in the European fruit and vegetable sector and develop relationships for meat and fish products. The Italian extruder I.L.P.A. invested in AMP Films & Packaging, which assured the company space in the rPET supply chain, as well as expanded its extrusion and thermoforming capacity. The Danish Faerch Plast has expanded outside continental Europe through acquisition of exVeriplast site in the UK in 2011. www.amiplastics.com

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

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CONSUMER TRENDS Indulgence and health polarize the biscuit market

According to Innova Market Insights, two opposing forces within the sweet

biscuits market are at work globally. The treat image of biscuits is driving the premium sector forward, while rising health concerns have also raised interest in better-for-you products.

Chocolate biscuits have been one of the main beneficiaries of rising interest in the treat image of biscuits and the market has continued to see growth in most Countries despite ongoing financial and health concerns. This is probably attributable to the ongoing demand for everyday treats and the continuing tendency to “trade off,” by mainly choosing healthy options but then having an indulgent product as a reward. Biscuits with some

Lactose-free niche targets the mainstream According to Innova Market Insights data, global launch numbers for lactose-free dairy products more than

tripled in the five-year period to the beginning of 2012. The share of total tracked dairy introductions

68 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

sort of chocolate content accounted for a significant 48% of the global sweet biscuits launches recorded

by Innova Market Insights in 2011, although this was down from over 60% five years previously, perhaps reflecting the greater choice of biscuits varieties and flavours now on offer.

While indulgence is keeping the market for chocolate biscuits buoyant, health can still be a factor in purchasing decisions, although not to the same extent as for some other food and drinks products.

Companies have been endeavouring to improve the nutritional profile of their standard products in many instances and this

may have inhibited growth in the specific healthier or better-for-you biscuits market. Nearly 30% of global biscuits launches in 2011 were positioned on a health platform of some kind, rising to over 40% for savoury biscuits and falling to just over a quarter for sweet biscuits.

The most popular health claims were those relating to naturalness and the lack of artificial additives and/ or preservatives, reflecting rising levels of interest in clean labelling. Over 30% of launches carrying health claims used this type of positioning, equivalent to 12% of biscuits launches as a whole.

featuring a lactose-free positioning rose from less than 2.5 to 4.5% over the same period. Levels of interest and consequently new product activity have been particularly high in the US and Western Europe, which saw products marketed as

lactose-free account for 10 and 6% of total dairy launches, respectively, in the 12 months to the end of March 2012.

Interest in dairy alternatives, improved labelling, growing awareness of the potential problems associated with

www.innovadatabase.com

lactose intolerance and technological developments that have allowed the production of better-tasting products have combined to boost the availability of lactose-free dairy products in recent years.

The Innova Research Manager LuAnn Williams explains how the sector is now trying to emerge from a specialist niche positioning to increase its appeal to a wider audience in the mass market.

The highest share of lactosefree products tends to be in sectors where there are already established dairy alternatives, particularly drinks, where the share of products marketed as lactose free was over 30%.

Creamers, many of which already have non-dairy ingredients, such as vegetable fats, can also relatively eas-

ily be formulated as lactosefree, and this type of product accounted for over 9% of introductions in the subsector. In more traditional dairy markets, such as milk drinks, yogurt and cheese, penetration of lactose-free launches tended to be between 2 and 4%.

There have been specialist lactose-free ranges available for some time, but until recently these tended to focus more on the specialist dietetic market. Recent product activity recorded

by Innova Market Insights indicates that some of these brands are now moving more mainstream and extending into new product sectors both within and outside the dairy category.

These include OBM Omira’s Minus L range in Germany, Arla’s Lactofree in the UK, Valio’s Zero Lactose in

Authenticity, health and quality add to ready meals success A recent review of tracked global launch activity in ready meals over the past year has identified some key trends, including ongoing interest in healthy options and more authentic-style ethnic recipes. According to market researcher Innova Market Insights, there is also more emphasis

on natural, organic and locally sourced ingredients and more interest in restaurant-style products for in-home dining or home entertaining as an alternative to eating out.

The convenience continues to be the key positioning for ready meals and prepared foods, but over 36%

Scandinavia, and McNeil’s Lactaid in the US. The development of own-brand ranges by the leading retailers has also driven awareness in the market, with most of the major multiple chains, including discounters, in many countries now having their own free-from ranges, including lactosefree options, which are rapidly increasing in number and scope.

Most significant in terms of market development, however, has been the arrival of lactose-free options from mainstream brands. In the US, General Mills’ marketleading Yoplait yogurt brand was extended with four Lactose-Free variants in early 2012, while Danone’s market-leading Activia yogurt brand has now been extended with a lactose-free option in a number of Eu-

ropean markets, including Germany and Scandinavia.

Likewise, in New Zealand, the Anchor dairy brand has been extended in the milks market, with two lactosefree alternatives under the Zero Lacto Blue and Zero Lacto Trim ranges.

of introductions tracked used a health positioning of some kind.

Low-calorie, natural, organic are the typical passive claims that dominated. But also more active claims, such as vitaminand mineral-fortified, weight management, heart health, etc., were reported.

The highest levels of health claim usage were among ready meals and meal components, at nearly 50% of total launches, falling to less than 25% for categories generally much less

widely associated with health concerns, particularly meal kits, pizza and sandwiches.

Rising interest in “naturalness” and clean labeling has been a feature of the food and drinks market as a whole in recent years, and ready meals is no exception, despite the challenges presented by its inherently “processed” image. Over 17% of launches recorded

by Innova Market Insights were positioned as additive- and/or preservativefree, over 5% as natural

www.innovadatabase.com

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

69

and nearly 6% as organic, resulting in nearly 25% of introductions using either one or more of these claims.

The next most popular

health-related claims related to free-from or low and light products, with over 6% using a glutenfree positioning and just under 6% a low fat claim.

A significant number is also specifically positioned on a vegetarian platform, equivalent to over 10% of global launches in 2011.

In conclusion, despite difficulties in some parts of the market, product activity in ready meals is continuing as a result of ongoing

Sauce manufacturers look to health and spice New product activity is heating up in the large and diverse prepared sauces market, which covers a wide range of different product types, including pasta sauces, cooking sauces, bottled and table sauces and condiments, and salad sauces and dressings. Innova Market

Insights has recorded consistently rising numbers of launches globally over the past five years or so, probably reflecting the increasing variety of meals and cuisines now being discovered by consumers.

Increasing interest in foreign cuisines has been particularly significant for the cooking sauces category, which alone accounted for half of tracked global sauces launches in 2011, well ahead of bottled table sauces with over a quarter and mayonnaise and dressings with about a fifth.

Despite the strong convenience image of the sauces market, there has been ongoing interest in health in evidence. Nearly 45% of 2011 global launches

70 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

demand for convenient meal solutions among time-pressed consumers.

“The downturn in consumer spending in many Countries and increasing concerns over the health aspects of convenience foods may have a negative effect on the market in some Countries over the next few years – Lu Ann Williams, Research Manager at Innova, concurs –, but product activity is increasingly focusing

on health issues as well as adding value”.

The sector is generally well placed to take advantage of the reduction in eating out, with a growing range of in-home options. These include meal centers, complete meals and meal kits as individual portions or family or sharing packs, including higher-value added choices for in-home meals and even formal entertaining.

recorded by Innova Market Insights feature health claims of some kind, rising to over 50% for salad sauces and dressings, compared with 45% for cooking sauces and 38% for table sauces. The sector has also taken interest in clean-label products on board, with 2011 launches featuring “natural” recipes and “no additives/preservatives” one of the key areas for product positioning, used by nearly 30% of total sector introductions.

The table and cooking sauces markets are both dominated by tomatobased products and are a l s o s e e i n g m ove s t o spicier and more complex flavorings. The table sauces market has started to see more in the way of limited edition products with more unusual flavors, or to feature premium ingredients, such as balsamic vinegar,

or to use a particular type of tomato. The range of barbecue sauces is also growing in many markets, with new variants typically introduced for the summer season, but all-year-round use also promoted. Increasing use of unusual ingredients has already been in evidence for 2012, including wasabi and tequila, following on from 2011 launches featuring flavorings such as raspberry vodka, bourbon whiskey, and blackberries.

The move to spicier flavors has also been in evidence in the cooking sauces market. A greater variety of pack formats, including single-serve products for smaller households, as well as sachets and pouches in place of the more traditional glass jars, has also been reported in this sector.

www.innovadatabase.com

www.innovadatabase.com

NEWS

In Europe nutrition labelling becames mandatory After 8 years of negotiation, a new food labelling law come on the scene.

With the aims to empower consumers to make more informed dietary decisions, the European Commission has replaced the old Directive 90/496/EC of 1990 and Directive 2000/13/EC with a new regulation. The challenge is to generate and promote interest in and motivation for healthy eating among consumers and provision of consistent information across food products will hopefully aid in achieving greater awareness and use of nutrition information.

All pre-packed food prod-

ucts sold within the EU must display nutrition information in accordance with the new rules within three years of their formal adoption where this is already provided, i.e.

by December 2014. However, if no nutrition information has been provided, the obligation to meet the new legal requirements will not become mandatory until five years after the formal adoption, i.e. December 2016.

The new regulation instructs food manufacturers to provide information on the energy value and fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt, exactly in this

72 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

order and expressed per 100 g or per 100 mL of product; further nutrients (i.e. monounsaturates, polyunsaturates, polyols, starch, libre, vitamins, and minerals) can be included voluntarily.

This information should be presented in a nutrition table in the same field of vision, commonly on the “back of pack”, and may in addition be expressed on a per portion basis.

The regulation only mandates nutrition labelling in the same field of vision, labelling in the principal field of vision (e.g. “frontof-pack”) remains voluntary.

If information is repeated on the front of the pack, which can be the content of energy alone or in combination with fat, saturates, sugar and salt, the new rules stipulate that the energy value must be presented in absolute amounts per 100 g (mL) and additionally may be expressed per portion.

The new regulation maintains the requirement to display energy in both kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal) per 100 g (mL) (there are 4.2 kJ in each kcal).

When this information is declared for a portion or unit (e.g. amount per biscuit), the size of a portion/unit must be indicated, in con-

junction with the number of portions or units contained in the package.

Regarding the font size, for the majority of food packaging labels, for all mandatory food information, a minimum font size of 1.2 mm is required. Smaller packaging (with a largest surface below 80 cm2) has a smaller minimum font size requirement (0.9 mm). Additionally, voluntary slogans or claims must not be presented in a manner that impinges on the presentation of mandatory information.

Specific and important rules regarding the allergens are stipulated. The foods, which have been established as responsible for the majority of allergic reactions to foods, must be clearly displayed and highlighted in the list of ingredients. Requirements on the provision of this type of information also cover non-pre-packed foods, including those sold in restaurants and café.

In order to achieve greater awareness and use of nutrition information, the mandatory food information will be required to appear in a language easily understood by consumers. Additionally, the Member States in which a food is marketed may stipulate that the informa-

tion is given in one or more languages from among the official EU languages.

There also requirements in all those cases when food is sold by means of “distance communication” (e.g. internet or catalogues). The mandatory information present on the label must be made available before the purchase is concluded and must also be displayed on any material supporting the distance selling or provided through other appropriate means (e.g. webpage or catalogue).

Certain food categories are exempt from the new labelling law. Exemptions include unprocessed foods or items for which nutrition information is not considered a determining factor for consumers’ purchasing decisions, or for which the packaging is too small to accommodate the mandatory labelling requirements.

Within three years after the entry into force of the Regulation, the EC will examine alcoholic beverages and, if necessary, propose amendments.

Perception of health claims Previous studies have investigated consumer responses to health claims; however very few have attempted to measure how consumers understand claims. This is the starting point of the paper published in Food Quality and Preference by Liisa Lahteenmaki. The paper explores previous studies carried out in this area, noting that for the food sector the increased health concern offers possibilities but also creates challenges.

Three major categories influencing consumer responses are considered, claim structure and content, product category, and consumer-related factors. In brief, Lahteeenmaki states

that a number of previous studies have found that adding health claims to products increases the perceived healthiness, however this impact has been found to be small or moderate.

The paper states that claims are based on three components: compound/component that triggers the function, function as such, and benefit. It notes that the EU often seems to favour long claims which contain all three components, whereas short claims containing only one component can often leave consumers to fill in the blanks. The preference of long vs short is suggested to be Country related. Also health claim response seems

to be different according to Country, with Italians preferring no health claim, Finnish consumers liking risk reduction claims, and in the UK benefit claims attract the higher interest.

The report states that familiarity with claims and functional foods increase perceived healthiness and acceptance of these products. Health claims are more accepted on products that are already perceived as having a healthy image, with it being easier to accept health claims on products with previous health claim labelling.

Lathteenmaki reports that several studies show that consumers are unwilling to compromise taste for health benefits, with taste being the top reason for a product being consumed. There has been conflicting evidence on whether women have a

higher preference for health claims.

Some studies suggest they do however some find no gender differences. Consumers who have family members suffering a disease are more likely to accept the concept of functional food.

The researcher notes that familiarity with a compound, health claims or product category is a factor linked to consumer responses.

Health claims can only be given value if a consumer recognises the benefit and perceive it as being important; however consumers may not understand whether the benefit is relevant to them.

The future studies need to focus on consumer understanding of claims, and whether they make consumers make a better food choice.

RSSL

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73

NEWS Cimbria acquires the Italian enterprise Sea Cimbria and Sea are the protagonists in the latest acquisition in the food industry.

Cimbria is one of the world leading manufacturers for the processing, handling and storage of grain and seed and, to an increasing extent, other products.

Founded in 1947, the company provides project design and process control, as well as the development, manufacture and installation of individual machines, customised systems and complete turnkey plants. Its solid market position is a result of innovation which is deeply rooted in specialist knowledge and experience achieved through decades of intensive research and development. With approximately 600 employees, Cimbria has production facilities in Denmark, Austria and the Czech Republic, in

addition to sales offices in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In 1970, Sea launched the first prototype for the optical electronic colour sorting of rice and became one of the true pioneers within the field. More than 40 years of on-going research and development has established the company as a technological market leader. It primarily sells its equipment in Europe. With around 35 employees at its factory in Imola (Northern Italy), in 2011 Sea had a turnover of approximately 10 million Euro and a profit ratio of approximately 20% and it expects to see an increase in both sales and earnings this year.

Cimbria has reached an agreement with the group of owners behind the Italian company Sea to acquire 100% of the shares in the company.

All the solutions for industrial automation The 6th edition of SAVE, the Italian event for vertical solutions and applications of automation, instrumentation and sensors organized

by EIOM (Ente Italiano

Organizzazione Mostre), will take place in Verona on 24th and 25th October 2012.

Unique Italian event in the field of industrial vertical

74 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

With the acquisition of Sea, Cimbria broadens its range of mechanical sorting equipment with optical colour sorting and other electronic solutions, thus completing the company’s p r o d u c t l i n e - u p . Th i s acquisition is in line with Cimbria’s strategy aimed at strengthening the company’s product and market position via organic and acquisitive initiatives. It is the company’s first acquisition since Axcel became the majority shareholder at Cimbria in August 2011.

“I’m convinced that we can develop and boost Sea’s activities significantly by becoming a member of the Cimbria group, for the benefit of both customers and suppliers,” says Antonio Uzzo, managing director of Sea and the company’s founder. “We now have the potential to grow and attract new customers by means of the strong market position of the combined company,” he adds.

“With more than 40 years’

experience in the market, Sea is recognised today for its excellent quality in the field of optical sorting and other electronic sorting technologies, and the company represents a good fit in relation to Cimbria’s aim to supply high-quality products and full-line solutions within seed corn plants and other industrial products,” says Karsten Larsen, managing director of Cimbria. “At the same time, we’re convinced that in years to come Sea products will meet a growing demand driven by stricter requirements in terms of quality and documentation within precision sorting,” concludes Karsten Larsen.

(Cimbria Heid Italia - Via Ronzani 5/3 - 40033 Casalecchio di Reno BO - Italy - Tel. +39 051 575635 - Fax +39 051 576910 - email: info@ cimbria.it) (Sea - Via Ercolani 30 - 40026 Imola - BO - Italy - Tel. +39 0542 361423 Fax +39 0542 643567 email: info@seasort.com)

solutions, this exhibition represents the reference point for all specialized operators, such as designers, technical managers, engineers, plant engineers and managers, production and maintenance managers, and instrumentation technicians. The 2012 Edition will host the best solutions

and applications specific to industrial markets, such as energy, environment, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, automotive, chemistry, rubber and plastic, paper and wood.

According to tradition, the next SAVE will cover two days full of meetings, news,

discussions, updates, seminars and training sessions, and will see the participation of prestigious companies and famous experts in the field, as well as making use of the scientific support provided by the most important associations which will bring to Verona important contributions of a technical-applicative nature.

“The role of system integrators in automation projects” is the title of the conference organized by ANIPLA (Italian Association for Automation), in which system integrators will be discussed focusing on their role, as flexible companies, within the

interpretation of the final client particular needs: the experience gained in specific fields by these companies translates into an additional asset which makes the automation process more efficient and advanced. The examples provided and discussed by guest system integrators will focus on the various application processes in which the technical and/or relational cooperation of these companies is essential to obtain the best possible outcome in automotive projects.

ANIPLA will also organize the morning session of the day dedicated to “Sys-

tems of artificial vision in industrial processes” (on 24 th October), an event focused on systems of artificial vision and systems of identification, which are increasingly important in industrial processes. Topics discussed will include the status of technological development, market and technology perspectives, examples of multidisciplinary approaches in the application of machine vision, and examples of problems and trends regarding 3D vision in the industrial field.

AIS/ISA ItalySection (Italian Instrumentation Association) will focus on the

topic of “Virtual environments”, a method which is attracting more and more attention in the industrial sector and which is used to improve the engineering and the speed of integration of the different development phases, facilitating maintenance procedures and training activities.

Also GISI (Italian Association of Instrumentation Companies) will take part in the event and will hold an important conference; the committee is deciding topics of which.

Lab#ID (Carlo Cattaneo University - LIUC) will propose an interesting analysis

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

75

of “RFID solutions for automation of production and management systems”, in which topics ranging from tracing to monitoring of the logistics and production components will be dealt with.

Assoautomazione (Italian Automation and Measurement Association) will present the seminar “Development of systems for advanced motion control and mechatronics: presentations, standards, and en-

First processing and packaging exhibition to be held in East Africa in 2014 The East African Community (EAC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Ipack-Ima, Italy’s

leading organizer of exhibitions for the processing and packaging technology industries, will hold a first of its kind exhibition in East

ergy efficiency”, in which central topics of industrial management will be discussed as an ideal completion of the Verona days.

The second day of SAVE will be dedicated to Food Technologies, during which

the participants will focus on the most advanced application solutions in the field of automation for the food industry, and on the latest innovations in the field of food & beverage.

Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2014.

An agreement to organize a major processing and packaging exhibition was signed last week in Vienna by the Secretary General of EAC, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera, the Director General of UNIDO, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, and the Chief

Executive Officer of IpackIma, Dr. Guido Corbella.

“The event marks a major milestone in addressing one of the key challenges of the agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and other strategic sectors of our industrial policy. We anticipate that a good number of companies, including SMEs

www.eiomfiere.it

CHIRIOTTI EDITORI www.chiriottieditori.com

76 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

will have the opportunity to access appropriate packaging and processing technologies”, said Dr. Sezibera.

“This partnership will bring new processing and packaging technologies closer to industries, particularly small and medium scale enterprises in East Africa”, said Dr. Yumkella. “It will also help analyse the current situation of different technologies in the field of processing and packaging in the EAC Partner States and identify potential opportunities for industrial development.”

“The signing of this agreement is an impressive result for our company,” says Ipack-Ima spa CEO. “The packaging industry is a key sector of the world’s economy, and can make a substantial contribution to providing healthy and more plentiful food for everyone. As much as 60% of the total food produced globally deteriorates, or goes wasted, due to the lack of proper processing and packaging. The fact that UNIDO and EAC have chosen Ipack-Ima as their partner in this ambitious project is the result of our continuous commitment to promoting processing and packaging technologies.

The planned exhibition will be the first event of its kind to bring to the EAC region processing and packaging technologies best suited to the needs of the region”. www.ipack-ima.com

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN ITALY 26 - 28 September 2012 - Cesena (Fc): Macfrut, int. fruit processing show. Cesena Fiera - Via Dismano 3845 - 47023 Cesena - FC - Italy - Tel. +39 0547 317435 - Fax +39 0547 318431 e-mail: info@macfrut.com 23 - 24 October 2012 - Verona: Save, int. show on automation and instrumentation.

E.I.O.M. Ente Italiano Organizzazione Mostre - Viale Premuda 2 - 20129 Milano - Tel. +39 02 55181842 - Fax +39 02 55184161 - e-mail: eiom@eiomfiere.it 19 - 23 January 2013 - Rimini: A.B.Tech Expo, int. baking industry show. Rimini Fiera - Via Emilia 155 - Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: g.maioli@riminifiera.it 16 - 19 February 2013 - Rimini: Sapore, int. food show. Rimini Fiera - Via Emilia 155 Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: riminifiera@riminifiera.it 7 - 10 April 2013 - Verona: VinItaly+Enolitech, int. wine show. Veronafiere - Viale del Lavoro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: info@veronafiere.it 7 - 10 April 2013 - Verona: SOL, int. olive oil show. Veronafiere - Viale del Lavoro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: info@veronafiere.it 19 - 22 May 2013 - Rho-Pero (Mi): TuttoFood, int. food show. Fiera di Milano - S.S. Sempione 28 - Rho - MI - Italy - Tel. +39 02 49976610 - Fax +39 02 49976587 - email: info@tuttofood.it 25 - 29 May 2013 - Verona: Siab, int. baking industry show. Veronafiere - Viale del Lavoro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: info@ veronafiere.it 11 - 14 June 2013 - Rimini: Packology, int. packaging industry show. Rimini Fiera - Via Emilia 155 - Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: riminifiera@riminifiera.it 12 - 16 November 2013 - Rho (MI): Simei, int. beverage and wine industry show. Simei - Via San Vittore al Teatro 3 - 20123 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 7222281 - Fax +39 02 866226 - e-mail: info@simei.it 26 - 28 November 2013 - Bologna: Fruitech, int. fruit processing show. Ipack-Ima - Corso Sempione 4 - 20154 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 3191091 - Fax +39 02 33619826 - email: ipackima@ipackima.it 21 - 24 October 2014 - Parma: CibusTec, int. food equipment show. Fiere di Parma - Via Rizzi 67/A - 43031 Baganzola - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 9961 - Fax +39 0521 996235 - e-mail: cibustec@fiereparma.it 19 - 23 May 2015 - Rho-Pero (Mi): Ipack-Ima, int. packaging, food processing and pasta exhibition. Ipack-Ima - Corso Sempione 4 - 20154 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 3191091 - Fax +39 02 33619826 - e-mail: ipackima@ipackima.it

Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september -

77

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Alba & Teknoservice - Villafranca Padovana .................................................. 75

Alfatek .......................................................................................................... 46 Boema........................................................................................................... 36

Brevetti Gasparin - Marano Vicentino................................................... cover 2 Brambati ....................................................................................................... 33 Chiriotti Editori - Pinerolo .......................................................................76-78

Brevetti Gasparin.......................................................................................... 32 Buscetto ........................................................................................................ 36

CSF Inox - Montecchio Emilia............................................................... cover 1

Cimbria Heid Italia ....................................................................................... 74 Escher Mixers - Schio...................................................................................... 2

CSF Inox ....................................................................................................... 50 Delfin............................................................................................................ 44

FBF Italia - Sala Baganza ................................................................................ 1

FBF Italia....................................................................................................... 33 Foodexecutive.com ....................................................................................... 71 Ghizzoni D. .................................................................................................. 35 Ing. A. Rossi - Parma ............................................................................. cover 3

M.F. ............................................................................................................... 47 Miele............................................................................................................. 48

Italo Danioni - Milano .................................................................................. 45

Nilma ............................................................................................................ 51 Officine Meccaniche Toscane ....................................................................... 37 Ognibene ...................................................................................................... 53

Mix - Cavezzo ............................................................................................... 63

Omac Pompe ................................................................................................ 54 Off. Pellacini - Sala Baganza......................................................................... 23

Omac Pompe - Rubiera................................................................................. 35

Pigo - Caldogno ............................................................................................ 39

Sacchi - Vidigulfo .......................................................................................... 31

SCA - Fiorenzuola D’Arda............................................................................. 55

Tecno 3 - Corneliano d’Alba ......................................................................... 57

Tecnopool - San Giorgio in Bosco........................................... gatefold cover 1

Trivi - Galliate ....................................................................................... cover 4

Università Scienze Gastronomiche - Bra ...................................................... 47

Company index

Advertiser Index

Mini Motor - Bagnolo In Piano ..................................................................... 49

P.E. Labellers ................................................................................................. 46 PackLab......................................................................................................... 47 PiGo.............................................................................................................. 34 Rayonics........................................................................................................ 52 RG Strumenti ................................................................................................ 56 Sea ................................................................................................................ 74 Tecno 3 ......................................................................................................... 40 Telm .............................................................................................................. 34 Toscana Enologica Mori ................................................................................ 38 Turatti ........................................................................................................... 38 Universal Pack .............................................................................................. 48 Zennato ........................................................................................................ 54

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FROM THE IDEA TO FACTS 28066 Galliate (NO) - Italia - Via A. Grandi, 25 - Zona Industriale Peco - tel (+39) 0321 806564 - fax (+39) 0321 861187 - e-mail: commerciale@trivisrl.com - www.trivisrl.com