February 2010 | Food & Beverage International by FoodBev Media Ltd

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Tackling water & energy use Technology update: Packaging Processing Ingredients

Salt & fat reduction Conveying & handling technology Sweetening solutions Lubrication

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ÂŠ Food & Beverage International 2010. Reproduced with the kind permission of FoodBev Media www.foodbev.com For details about syndication and licensing please contact the marketing team on 01225 327890.

February 2010

FEBRUARY 2010 CONTENTS

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Features 5 Editorial

16 Cutting back

Sustainability becomes key as the world looks at how to feed a population of nine billion by 2050

8 Events

Alex Milne of Zenith International highlights how making cuts in water, energy and chemical usage can bring wide reaching benefits to manufacturers prepared to put the work in

11 Industry news

A record of conferences, exhibitions and other events of interest to industry professionals

Kraft Foods and Cadbury deal creates a ‘global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals’

10 CIAA report For many years, food and drink companies have shown leadership in environmental sustainability including voluntarily cutting energy use, water consumption and waste generation, increasing resource-efficiency and working together with food chain partners

Cover image: Rockwell / © Noam Armonn | Dreamstime.com

13 Innovations The latest snack products to have been seen on supermarket shelves around the world

Technology updates 31 Ingredients New sweeteners, sugar replacers and sweetening solutions are providing excellent tools for the healthy product formulator

40 Packaging Brand owners are tapping into glass and aluminium bottles to bring innovation, shelf appeal and convenience to a wide range of products

43 Processing Dry lubrication systems reap dividends for bottling plants in terms of improved efficiencies, hygiene, safety and environmental performance

The Kerrygold Company has reduced its carbon footprint by 15% following the completion of its state-of-the-art cheese factory in Staffordshire, the UK

22 Formulating

for health

Salt and saturated fat reduction is an increasingly important part of healthy product formulation and manufacturers & ingredients suppliers alike are rising to this challenge

28 Conveying

47 Foodex

& handling

Preview

Key players throughout the food and beverage supply chain in the UK and beyond will congregate in Birmingham from March 21 to 24 as eight exhibitions take place under the one roof

Food safety and analysis Your practical guide to food safety, hygiene and analysis

48 Safety showcase H202 decontamination, disinfectant fogs, pulsed light technology, ozonated water and electron beams can help to improve the hygiene of the production plant

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20 Energy savings at Kerrygold

Making the right choice of conveying and handling equipment, and employing it correctly, can bring significant improvements to the efficiency of a plant

42 Environmental

effectiveness

In addition to lower energy consumption, increasingly efficient processing and packaging solutions help manufacturers become more competitive - while reducing their environmental impact

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

EDITORIAL

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Finding ways to feed the nine billion

ustainability continues to impact decisions at all levels of the food supply chain as governments and organisations throughout the world address the critical need to feed an exponentially increasing population. Set to reach seven billion by 2012 and as much as nine billion by 2050, the world’s population will need to eat and as production stands currently this is unlikely to be possible, according to experts. “In the 20th Century, our challenge was to improve human well being, and we did it. Now, in the 21st century our challenge is to manage a single planet with a population of nine billion. This is the biggest challenge our civilisation has yet to face up to,” said Sir David King, director of Smith School of Enterprise & the Environment, University of Oxford, UK, at this year’s City Food Lecture held at the Guildhall in London. He pointed out that the UN has estimated that by 2030 the world will need to produce 50% more food crops than it does today, and highlighted the benefits that genetic modification (GM) could bring agriculture in creating ‘flood-sustainable’ rice strains, for example. In his lecture he highlighted solutions that were already being developed - including the ‘flood-sustainable’ rice that had taken 15 years to perfect using conventional

“Pursuading farmers to do this is not easy, but is key. There is no simple answer, but there are positive signs that we can manage this properly if we get the political management right,” said Sir David, who called for a co-ordinated, political approach to the problem on a world wide, and holistic basis. “National perceptions of risk of depletion will lead to conflict. The alternative scenario is for us to deepen our global governance procedures.”

Now, in the 21st century our challenge is to manage a single planet with at population of nine billion. plant breeding techniques. In the Loess Plateau in China, which had been decimated through excessive farming over centuries, a reforestation programme has created an increasingly verdant landscape with a diverse ecosystem, which could provide valuable cultivatable land in the future. In Rwanda, farmers changed to co-operative farming techniques and began terracing in 2004. The country is now self sufficient in food.

The food industry in partnership with its agricultural suppliers is already taking action to reduce and ensure the sustainable development of the food chain, but clearly these activities will have to become increasingly co-ordinated and far reaching if we are to meet the increasing demand for food in the long term. This situation is combined with increasing consumer and government desire for product labelling to cover information such as carbon footprints and sustainability, so for any company that has not looked at sustainability as part of its corporate strategy already, now is the time to start.

Claire Rowan, Managing editor claire.rowan@foodbev.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr Philip Richardson

Dr Yasmine Motarjemi

Huub L.M. Lelieveld

Campden BRI

Assistant vice president,

President, Global Harmonisation Initiative

Head of Food Manufacturing Technologies,

Dr Harmen Hofstra

Food Safety manager, Nestec Ltd Karin Östergren

Secretary general, The EU Association for Food

Dr Michael Knowles

PhD, Project Leader & Scientifically responsible

Safety; and Head of New Business Development,

Vice president, Global Scientific &

within the Sustainable Food Production section,

Food Safety, TNO Nutrition & Food Research

Regulatory Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company

Swedish Institute for Food Research, SIK

Dr J André de Barros Teixeira

Dr Sebastiano Poretta

Director, Food Safety Programmes, (CIES - The

Vice president, International R&D,

President, Italian Association of Food Technology

Food Business Forum) The Consumer Goods Forum

Catherine François

The Campbell Soup Company Dr Paul Berryman

Mella Frewen

Mrs Helen Sisson

Chief executive,

Director General, Confederation of the

Group technical director, Greencore Group

Leatherhead Food Research

Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA)

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February 2010 www.foodbev.com

www.foodbev.com/food EDITORIAL

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Managing editor Claire Rowan claire.rowan@foodbev.com FoodBev Media Ltd 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath, BA1 2AB, UK Tel: +44 (0)1473 311 531 • Fax: +44 (0)1225 327891 Group editorial director Bill Bruce bill.bruce@foodbev.com

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February 2010. Volume 9, Issue 1 Food & Beverage International is published six times a year by FoodBev Media Ltd, 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, UK. It is circulated to food and beverage manufacturers in Europe. For companies/organisations that are not manufacturers of food or beverage products, or located outside Europe, the subscription charge is €109 (US$179) for one year, or €218 (US$358) for two years. Cheques should be made payable to FoodBev Media Ltd, and sent to FoodBev Media Ltd, 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, UK. No items may be reproduced, copied or stored in any form,

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EVENTS

2010 March

March 3 ETP Food for Life - Five Years of the European Technology Platform Food for Life: Driving Research in the Agri-food Industry Towards a Competitive Europe 2010, workshop for industrialists and academics, the research community, SMEs and large companies. The aim of the event is to present the achievements of the Platform’s work to date, its role in the evolution of the debate on European food research, and to provide key stakeholders with an outlook on future research objectives, Brussels, Belgium. Details from Ms Roberta Mancia, CIAA - Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries in the EU, Avenue des Arts, 43, 1040 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 500 8758. http://etp.ciaa.be March 9-11 Innobev Global Soft Drinks Congress, Istanbul, Turkey. Details from Ms Linda Leonard, Zenith International, 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1225 327 900; Fax: +44 (0) 1225 327 901. www.zenithinternational.com/events March 25 Food Innovation - Practical Ideas for Doing Things Differently, seminar and workshop for senior managers of SME food manufacturers, London, UK. Details from Mr Fash Darabi, director, Knowledge Peers plc, 6/7 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8AD, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 0076. www.kc-uk.knowledgepeers.com/ user_assets/3724.html

April April 7-9 International Peanut Forum, presentations & discussions, London, UK. Details from Ms Louise McKerchar, European Marketing Director, American Peanut Council, Grosvenor Gardens House,

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Click here to subscribe 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0BS, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7828 0838; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7828 0839. www.peanutsusa.com April 21-22 Eurofins International seminar - Food Safety Solutions, Paris, France. Details from Ms AnneSophie Acker, Eurofins Scientific Analytics, Rue Pierre-Adophe Bobierre, BP 42301, F 44323 Nantes cedex 3, France. Tel: +33 251 83 21 04. www.eis.eurofins.com April 27-29 Global Dairy Congress, Salzburg, Austria. Details from Ms Linda Leonard, Zenith International, 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1225 327 900; Fax: +44 (0) 1225 327 901. www.zenithinternational.com/events April 29 Nutrition & Health Claims Europe: Designing Clinical Studies for Success, interactive workshop, Brussels, Belgium. Details from VVZRL Health Claims Europe, Haverhuisstraat 28, B-8870 Izegem, Belgium. Tel: +32 51 31 12 74; Fax: +32 51 31 56 75. www.healthclaims.eu

May May 6 Stevia: Scientific & Industrial Perspectives - Is there a Place for Stevia to Prevent the Metabolic Syndrome, congress, Pasteur Institut, Paris, France. Details from France Stevia Conference, Société Francaise des Antioxydants, 15 rue e la Paix, 75002 Paris, France. Tel: +33 155 04 77 55. www.sfa-site.com www.isanh.com May 8-13 IFFA - International trade fair for processing, packaging and trade for the meat industry, Frankfurt, Germany. Details from Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Ludwig-ErhardAnlage 1, 60327 Frankfurt aM, Germany. Tel: +49 69 75 75 0;

Fax: +49 69 75 75 64 33. http://iffa.messefrankfurt.com May 11-12 Conference on Sustainable Agriculture - The Art of Farming. The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the Sustainable Food Lab, the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA), and the IDH (Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative) host this global event that will address the challenge to improve the way we produce our food, Brussels, Belgium. Details from Conference secretariat, WG Plein 475, 1054 SH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 20 589 32 32. www.sustainable-ag.org May 18-19 Kiel Food Science Symposium on Functional Food & Food Safety, with a focus on milk and seafood, Kiel, Germany. Details from Prof Dr KJ Heller, The Organising committee, Max Rubner-Institut Federal Research Institute of Nutrition & Food, Symposium Office, Hermann-Weigmann-Strasse 1, D 24103 Kiel, Germany. Tel: +49 431 609 2437; Fax: +49 431 609 2409. www.mri.bund.de May 18-20 Vitafoods, international nutraceutical ingredients exhibition, being held alongside the Finished Products Expo - exhibition for functional food, drinks, cosmeceuticals and dietary supplements, Geneva, Switzerland. Details from Laura Plumbly, Exhibitions Administrator, IIR Exhibitions, 5th Floor, 29 Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5EW, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 7019. www.vitafoods.eu.com May 18-20 Food Ingredients Central & Eastern Europe, ingredients exhibition, Warsaw, Poland. Details from CMP Information, PO Box 200, 3600 AE Maarssen, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 346 559 430. www.fi-events.com May 19-20 Central European Congress on Food, Bratislava, Slovakia. Details

from Food Research Institute, Priemyselná 4, PO Box 25, 82100 Bratislava, Slovakia. Tel: 421 2 555 74 622. www.vup.sk www.cefood2010.eu vup@vup.sk May 25-27 Total Processing & Packaging exhibition, integrated processing and packaging exhibition, showcasing production line solutions from beginning to end, Birmingham, UK. Details from Mr Graham Earl, Reed Exhibitions, Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8910 7890. www.totalexhibition.com May 25-27 Snackex Asia, international snack production exhibition, Beijing, China. Details from the European Snacks Association, 6 Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7420 7220; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7420 7221. www.snackex.com May 25-28 European Congress on Obesity being held by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) and the Turkish Association for the Study of Obesity (TASO), Istanbul, Turkey. Details from Professor Volkan Yumuk, EASO, 113-119 High Street, Hampton Hill, Middlesex TW12 1NJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8783 2256; Fax: +44 (0) 20 8979 6700. www.eco2011.org

June June 10 Campden BRI Open Day, Chipping Campden, UK. Details from Daphne Llewellyn Davies, Campden BRI, Station Road, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6LD, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1386 842 040; Fax: +44 (0) 1386 842 100. www.campden.co.uk www.eco2011.org

Your event:

If you have a diary event you wish to publicise, send details to the editor at: claire.rowan@foodbev.com

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CIAA REPORT

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Cutting back: Reducing waste, energy and water usage brings wide-reaching benefits By Pascal Gréverath - chairman of the CIAA Environment & Sustainability Committee

very day, some 500 million EU citizens rely on food for their nutrition, health and well-being and the industry is fully aware that the production and consumption of this food (from farm to fork and beyond) has environmental implications. To ensure longterm sustainability, the common objective of European food and drink manufacturers is continuously to improve the environmental performance of their products and processes, while meeting consumers’ needs for food safety, nutrition, convenience, ‘life-style’ and product choice. For many years, food and drink companies have shown leadership in environmental sustainability including voluntarily cutting energy use, water consumption and waste generation, increasing resource-efficiency and working together with food chain partners.

waste and non-waste, risked hindering the efficient use of by-products, especially when national authorities, often overburdened with legal ambiguities, wrongly classified by-products as ‘waste’. In 2004, the CIAA launched an Integrated Resource and Waste Management (IRWM) platform, a forum that developed clear criteria to distinguish between products and waste in the sector. This process opened up more opportunities for food companies to develop innovative technologies and initiatives designed to reduce waste. The food industry comes near the bottom of the European league table for energy consumption, accounting for only 1.5% of all greenhouse gases, and some ingenious technologies have been developed to reduce the energy footprint of plants still further.

Food and drink manufacturers are increasingly targeting ‘zero waste’ and the primary objective of the industry is to use 100% of agricultural resources wherever possible. Crops are separated into different components, with each component, including those that used to be discarded as waste, now being turned into useful

Remo-Frit in Belgium produces ‘Green’

by-products such as animal feed, fertilisers, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, bio plastic packaging and fuels.

heat and power generation (CHP) plants.

In Nescafé plants, coffee chaff from roasting and spent coffee grounds is converted into alternative carbon neutral fuels that can replace fossil fuels, and even be used to produce green electricity. Sugar factory lime can be used on farmland to improve the soil structure whilst reducing the demand for mined limestone reserves. Every year, European oilseed processors produce 550,000 tonnes of fatty acids that can now be recycled for heat and power generation.

into their daily business with impressive

For many years, the lack of legal clarity within

were leading the way well before ‘Green’

the EU regarding the distinction between

energy became fashionable. Nearly 15%

Food & Beverage International February 2010

energy from the potatoes and starch-rich waste water derived from chip production. Brewery Göss in Austria pioneered the use of anaerobic digestion to produce power from the brewer’s grain. Most food companies are also reducing energy consumption by installing increasingly efficient combined

Countless food and drink companies have integrated energy and carbon management results. Danone, for example, set itself the goal of reducing energy consumption per tonne of product by 20% between 2000 and 2010 and is already well ahead of target - clocking up a rate of almost 18% reduction in just four years. Unilever’s record of 33.5% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne of product in ten years since 1995 is equally impressive and demonstrates that many food manufacturers

of the total energy used by Unilever sites now comes from renewable resources and that figure is growing constantly. Austrian firm, Landsfrisch, has launched Europe’s first bi-reactor for the production of biogas from sour whey. The plant produces a third of the factory’s energy needs and it pumps enough energy back into the national grid to power 1,250 households. 100% of the reactor’s heat output is recycled in the factory. Even the sludge from the fermentation process is composted and used as a bio fertiliser on local farms. Throughout Europe there has also been considerable investment in technology that not only reduces the demand for fresh water but also recycles plant wastewater for irrigation. In this way, Nestlé has been able to reduce by 58% its water consumption per tonne of product during the past ten years. There remains considerable scope to build on achievements to date and given the complexity of the food chain, each player in the chain, including consumers, has a crucial role to play in achieving further long-term results. Collectively, the food chain’s efforts are likely to have more impact than the sum of their individual activities. For more information on CIAA and its environment-related activities, visit: www.envi.ciaa.eu

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

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Global powerhouse created Industry & CEO of Kraft, which in January Kraft Foods and Cadbury plc criticised over - at the same time as it looked have sealed the deal and now for extra cash to finance the begin their plans to create a nanotechnology The food industry has been criticised for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. In its report, Nanotechnologies & Food, the UK House of Lords Science & Technology Committee says that the approach of food companies in not publishing or discussing details of its research in this area is unhelpful. It notes that transparency and honesty are key components for ensuring public trust in both food safety and scientific developments. Although the Committee acknowledged that the industry is right to be concerned about negative public reactions to developments in nanotechnologies, it asserted that appearing to be secretive about its research ‘is exactly the type of behaviour which may bring about the public reaction it is trying to avert’. The Report, published in January, also recommends that the Food Standards Agency should establish and maintain a publicly available register of food and food packaging containing nanomaterials, and for this register to be made available online; and urges the UK Government to define clearly ‘nanomaterials’ in food legislation to ensure that all uses of nanomaterials in food are subject to appropriate risk assessment procedures. www.parliament.uk/ hlscience

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‘global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals’ with joint annual revenues of approximately US$50 billion, and sales in around 160 countries. Cadbury shareholders finally succumbed to an offer of cash and Kraft shares worth US$11.9 billion. “Together we have impressive global reach and an unrivalled portfolio of iconic brands, with tremendous growth potential,” said Irene Rosenfeld, chairman

Cadbury deal - sold its North American frozen pizza business to Nestlé for US$3.7 billion.

Cadbury’s planned closure of its Somerdale, UK factory has already been confirmed by Kraft, despite initial suggestions to the contrary, and 400 Cadbury employees are destined to lose their jobs. Further restructuring is likely to provide cost savings of over US$600 million a year within the next five years. www.kraftfoodscompany.com

Romania proposes junk-food tax The Romanian government has proposed a so-called junk-food tax on products such as carbonated beverages and foods high in sugar or saturated fats including some fast foods. Currently at the public consultation phase, the tax is scheduled to come into force as early as March 1 this year and is hoped to combat the problem of obesity in the country, where one in two of the population is overweight.

The European Public Health Alliance welcomed the proposals made in January and sent a letter of support to Romanian ministers: ‘Pricing interventions have been proven to produce meaningful changes in patterns of food consumption and a reduction in diet-related disease. If combined with health promotion measures, designed to increase awareness of the health issues associated with poor diet, the impact may be significant’. www.epha.org

Consumers choose carbon labelling In a survey of supermarket shoppers in the UK, 72% of consumers declared their desire to see carbon labels on food products to help them ‘think green’ when purchasing. Although 83% of the shoppers questioned by researchers from the Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University did not know their own personal carbon footprint, 63% claimed that carbon labels were a useful indicator for comparing

environmental standards. They stated that their spending habits had shifted towards purchasing more free range (46%), more fair trade (42%), more locally sourced food (32%) and more organic and less processed food products (32%) during the past ten years. Quality and taste (76%), however, remain the most important factors when purchasing. www.newcastlebusiness school.co.uk

In Brief Amcor has completed its acquisition of Alcan Packaging for US$1,948 million. The purchase provides Amcor with leading global positions in its nominated strategic growth markets of flexible packaging as well as folding carton packaging for tobacco. www.amcor.com Nestlé has opened a global R&D centre for biscuits & cereal-based snacks in Santiago, Chile, where it will draw on ingredients such as wholegrain, fruits & nuts, biscuits and new technologies to formulate tasty, healthy and more nutritious biscuits. It will focus on ‘lighter’ more healthy products including biscuits with bioactive ingredients for digestive health and fortified products. www.nestlé.com The Environment Agency in the UK has introduced a new environmental management toolkit to help food & beverage manufacturers improve their environmental performance. In partnership with industry trade associations, the Agency has developed a set of simple template forms with embedded guidance. The toolkit is designed to ensure that companies comply with legislation, reduce the risks of pollution and improve their sustainability credentials. www.environment-agency. gov.uk In the December issue article on High Pulsed Electric Fields: Extending Shelf Life we wrongly published the contact website. NB the correct address: www.tecal.udl.es

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

INNOVATIONS

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Healthy granola snacks As its name suggests, Yogi Tea (based in Oregon, US), is best known for its range of natural teas and herbal infusions. Now, the company has extended its simple, natural, better-for-you philosophy into new categories with the launch of cold cereals and snack products, which have recently appeared in the domestic market and abroad

(mainly in Latin America). Yogi Granola Crisps are described as an all natural, fresh cereal snack that combines five nutritious and flavourful ancient whole grains into bite-size crisps. The five grains comprise oats (for soluble fibre to help support a healthy heart), barley (as a natural source of antioxidants), spelt (an ancient and nutritious form of wheat), quinoa (to help sustain energy and promote vitality), and amaranth (rich in vitamin E for healthy circulation). The crisps are free from preservatives, artificial colours, flavours, high fructose corn syrup and GMO ingredients, and deliver 20g wholegrain per serving. They are available in three varieties - Strawberry Crunch, Baked Cinnamon Raisin, and Mountain Blueberry Flax - and a 295g bag sells for around US$2.85.

Colourful nutrition Research shows that while consumers are interested in healthier snacks, taste remains a barrier for many - and manufacturers are faced with the challenge of creating snack products that taste good, without high levels of fat, calories, sodium, etc (see p22). Japanese suppliers have been inventive in their approach and Calbee Foods has recently introduced a new purple potato variety of its Jagabee potato snack range. Made from naturally purple coloured potatoes, claimed to be rich in anthocyanin (antioxidant), Jagabee purple potato snacks meet the growing interest in ‘nutrition by colour’, and appeal to consumers for their novelty factor. As with other varieties in the range, the snacks are packaged in 40g board cups, priced at 165 yen or US$1.80.

75% less fat than potato chips In Australia and New Zealand the Healtheries Kidscare brand is associated with dietary supplements for kids, as well as medicated lollipops, juice drinks, fruit snacks and rice-based snacks - all with a strong nutritional positioning. The brand’s latest line is Potato Stix, chicken flavour, crunchy potato and rice snacks with 75% less fat than regular potato chips. Potato Stix are free from artificial colours and flavours, dairy ingredients and MSG, and are sold in a 160g pack of eight single-serve portions, with a tray to ensure they ‘survive’ in a child’s lunchbox. Their retail price of around US$4.90 is a premium price but one that healthconcerned parents may well find acceptable.

Snacks help wishes come true Seasonal or limited edition snack flavours are not new, but Japanese snack supplier Tohato has come up with a rather special seasonal line extension for its long established brand of Caramel Corn snacks. The regular product is an extruded snack made from corn with honey and flavourings. To maintain consumer interest in the brand, the new Kanaeru Corn product is designed for students sitting university entrance exams, as ‘Kanaeru’ means ‘wishes come true’. To support the positioning, the pack contains a random number of odd, star-shaped pieces, as the

word for a five-pointed star in Japanese rhymes with ‘good luck’! An 87g bag retails for 128 yen, or about US$1.40.

Mintel International Group Ltd, gnpd (Global New Products Database) is a web-based database capturing information on new packaged consumer goods products, including ingredients, nutritional information, pricing and packaging. The fully searchable database also includes colour photos of products, and editorial features on product trends and innovations. For further details on how the service can help you gain the competitive edge, call Mintel on Tel: +44 (0)20 7606 4533. www.gnpd.com

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INNOVATIONS

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Whisky inspired snacks Recognising the natural combination of drinks and snacks, Jim Beam Brands has extended its whiskey brand with the introduction of meat snacks (jerky) and flavoured nuts, and has now introduced in Australia a line of potato crisps. The Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Cuts Potato Chips are available in three US-inspired varieties: Southern Salt with a Hint of Black Pepper, BBQ, and Chilli Grills. These premium potato chips are said to be bursting with ‘downhome Southern flavours people really want to eat’. A 100g bag retails at the equivalent of around US$3.25.

Pizza collaboration PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snacks business has a good track record of developing flavours that are very well suited to local markets, and will join forces with other businesses where appropriate to gain a flavour ‘edge’. In Japan, the company has recently introduced Doritos corn-based snack chips that are designed to replicate the local Pizza-La pizza chain’s menu. One of the flavour varieties, for example, is Spicy Italiana featuring salsa sauce, chorizo, thick cuts of bacon and pepperoni flavours. Packs clearly indicate the collaborative efforts of the two companies, in order

to underline the authenticity of the flavours presented. The snacks retail at 124 yen, or about US$1.35 for a 70g bag.

Sweet & salty Nostalgic values, and ideas of tradition and comfort, always work well for food products in recessionary times. In the US, retailer Trader Joe’s recently took this concept one step further with its launch of a novel product that combines a myriad of snack food favourites

Food & Beverage International February 2010

in a highly convenient format. The PB&J Bar is based on peanut butter and jelly, and is a shamelessly indulgent product containing peanut butter, raspberry jam, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, sprinkled with crushed potato chips for a novel sweet-salty combination. The 57g bar has a retro-style wrapper and retails at US$1.99.

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CUTTING BACK

Reducing water, energy and chemical usage brings wide reaching benefits to manufacturers prepared to put the work in *By Alex Milne, manager water technology, Zenith International

s the prices of water and energy and the cost of effluent disposal rise remorselessly there has never been a better time to start managing the use of these utilities more effectively. The core benefits in cost reduction and legislative compliance may be key drivers, but companies would do well to consider other, less apparent ones when assessing the potential of any project. When deciding on a course of action, it is worth looking at those benefits that are central to a project and then expand on them. Saving money is clearly paramount. But to be sure this objective is actually achieved

it is crucial to understand how the charges associated with water, effluent, energy and chemicals are measured. The source data for this will be the bills for these services and each site should have responsibility for, and the ability to monitor its own usage through access to meters, delivery notes, the bills themselves and all other relevant data. If anyone needs convincing as to the value of undertaking a water saving project there are many case studies to be found on the internet that clearly demonstrate the potential benefits with real-life examples from commercial businesses. They clearly show an average saving of just under 40% of these sites’ water and effluent bills, which

Real life examples of water saving projects demonstrate potential cost savings of 40%

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Rockwell / © Noam Armonn | Dreamstime.com

How making cuts can make savings

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equates to sizeable amounts of money, and most omit the savings associated with energy, labour and consumables. Water is central to a combined utility saving. Key to appreciating the true value of water is an understanding of its in-use cost. And to gain this understanding it is necessary to appreciate the value added to water as it moves through any site. The component costs; the purchase price, the costs for treatment, pumping, labour, heating, cooling, disposing, and polluting are all quantifiable yet changing and should be defined by the water manager. It is possible to find generic and country specific information relating to the added value of water on the internet, but this information is soon obsolete and may be particularly misleading if the contracted charges for a business are structured in an unusual way. So the best way forward is to take a methodical approach and build up an added value spreadsheet for the water used in a plant. For example, in the case of the cost of hot softened water (often used for cleaning specific areas of the plant), the contributing components to be considered include: • The cost of raw water per cubic metre • The cost of pumping (a pump manufacturer can help work this out) • The volume of salt used for regeneration of the softener resin • The cost of the softening plant and its depreciation

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CUTTING BACK

Click here to subscribe • The cost to maintain the softener; including the hardware, software and labour • Charges associated with the service calls of a water treatment company • Charges to dispose of the water rejected during regeneration (taking into account its polluting load and the impact this has on site effluent charges not just its volume) • The manpower needed to check water hardness, fill the salt tank, manage the salt deliveries and generally operate the plant • The costs associated with softener malfunctions: production stoppages and lost revenue, repair bills, descaling costs, additional cleaning etc • The costs of heating the water from ambient to operational temperature: if the price of steam has not been calculated companies can use a generic figure, such as £10 (€11.5) per tonne in the UK; or a figure can be worked out with the help of the company managing the steam boilers, for example. And, the costs for labour, maintenance and depreciation, if necessary, should not be forgotten. Once these costs have been assigned, they should be added up and the cost of hot soft water at the point of use calculated. Companies can then apply this methodology to treated water, blended water, ultrapure or whatever other type of water is used on site.

Making use of true water costs Many water saving projects fail once the data has been gathered and assimilated because a clear implementation strategy has not been developed. It is crucial that once the overall cost of water has been established it is multiplied by the volume of water used at the specific points of use in a plant in order to calculate its actual, in-use cost at a given point. Drawing on this in-use cost figure, companies can then work out the cost per hour, per unit manufactured, per operation, per person or whatever metric or Key Performance Indicator (KPI) they wish and therefore understand whether further efforts to save water in a particular area are worthwhile. In this way, they will end up with a list of water use areas and costs (comparable using their own KPIs) and start to identify potential water reduction projects.

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Focus on water and energy For multinational giants, such as The Coca-Cola Company, conserving water and reducing water usage, and saving energy is a corporate imperative. In June 2007, the Company pledged to ‘return’ the water it used in its beverages and its production, by ‘reducing’ the amount of water used, ‘recycling’ the water used for manufacturing processes, and ‘replenishing’ the water in communities and nature. In 2008, the System, which includes the operations of both The Coca-Cola Company as well as all of its international bottling partners, had a water use ratio of 2.43:1 (ie 2.43 litres per litre of product produced), and it is now on track to meet its 2012 goal of a 20% improvement in its overall water efficiency compared with 2004. The System invests in over 200 individual projects to develop Local Community Access to Water and Watershed Conservation, in 60 countries; and works with partners to meet its goal of achieving water neutrality in its operations by 2020.

On the ground

Examples of The Coca-Cola Company’s activities include the water efficiency programmes that have been taking place over the past six years at Coca-Cola Amatil’s (CCA) Australia operations where cumulative water savings of nearly 13% have been achieved. These activities include a programme to reduce the frequency of sand filter backwashing, which is part of the water treatment process. For several years, backwashing of the filters at the Moorabbin plant took place every five operational hours. David Smythe, operations manager at the water treatment plant, worked with his team to extend the operational hours in 30 minute intervals, and by studying the performance characteristics of the filters over several months, determined that the optimum backwashing frequency was 6.5 hours - without impacting the filters’ operating efficiency. The additional 1.5 hour period between backwashing

The Coca-Cola Company’s water efficiency programmes are bringing significant savings

operations now saves the plant 1.4 megalitres - or 1,400,000 litres - of water per year.

Energy Management In 2008, the System’s operations used 59 billion megajoules of energy to make 134 billion litres of product, resulting in an energy use ratio of 0.46 megajoules per litre - the same efficiency as in 2007, and the lowest since the company began reporting energy use data in 2002. One project that has brought significant savings is the conversion of a boiler from a coal-fired to a natural gas-fired system at one of the bottling plants in Wadeville, South Africa. The investment brought a pay-back to the company within 3.8 years; a reduction in electricity costs of over 60% and savings in labour and maintenance that equate to around US$160,000. “Many companies look for a rapid financial return on investment on capital projects but we look at the broader benefits to the enterprise past the pure financial payback,” said Carletta Ooton, vice president & chief quality officer, The Coca-Cola Company, who explained that projects were considered on their benefits to the communities in which the company operates, how they support sustainability goals, and the improvements they make to the company’s overall efficiency and savings. For further information on specific water and energy saving initiatives at The Coca-Cola Company see: www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ citizenship/index.html

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

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Click here to subscribe It is at this stage that the work needs to be done to assess how much water each project will potentially save: its monetary value as well as the capital and running costs of the project in order to complete a full cost or benefit analysis. In the UK, one food manufacturer that was considering installing a reverse osmosis plant to treat all the water coming onto its site, conducted a study balancing the savings of reduced water and chemical usage, improved cleaning and enhanced steam boiler function with the costs of installing the plant, its maintenance and consumables. It arrived at an inconclusive conclusion, however, once the increased waste water charges and pre treatment costs had been taken into consideration the project was shown to be non-viable.

Easing the process Getting all the information needed to make effective decisions requires specialist skills, which may not necessarily be present on site. • Understanding how the utility costs are structured at present (energy company charging regimes, for example can be complex and the person who set them up needs to be consulted, as does the supplier). • Making sense of the data that has already been gathered from meters or chemical tests can be a huge task, many sites have lots of this data but nobody to interpret it. • If there is no data then it will need gathering, meters will need to be checked for accuracy and read, chemical tests started, telemetry installed and all the new data assimilated. This may be best done by an outside consultancy as there is a great deal of activity needed early on but much less once the monitoring systems are in place.

Many water saving projects fail once data has been gathered because a clear implementation strategy is not developed • A full understanding of site processes is necessary so that any suggested changes can be assessed for their potential impact on core activities - not just on utility consumption. • Finally, someone needs to follow through the project tenaciously and resolutely to its specified objective without being side tracked over what may be a long term, and that person will need support from all levels of the company. This individual can monitor progress against targets, communicate the successes, talk to suppliers, renegotiate when appropriate and co-ordinate and manage all activities associated with the utilities. The role is pivotal to meeting any sites environmental, and utility or service cost objectives. One international snack food manufacturer that has seen the benefits of this approach, now easily justifies the employment of a person to fulfil these duties at each of its sites.

How saving water can also improve the safety of plants was debated at the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Food Safety Conference held in Washington in February, and further news will be covered in the next issue of Food & Beverage International. www.tcgffoodsafety.com

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Of course there are costs associated with such projects and include: • The personnel involved (budget for around 1 ½ full time people at the outset and ½ a person in the future, though this clearly depends on the size and complexity of the site) • The data gathering equipment (appropriate meters cost around £10,000 (€11,503) to purchase in the UK though

they can be hired for extended periods) • Consultancy charges and sample taking and analysis fees. Finally, companies should look out for new legislation, changes in charging regimes and new product lines from the standpoint of their impact on the utility bills in order to ensure a proactive rather than a reactive approach to water and utility management. The savings to be made can be significant. One major brewing company that commissioned a detailed study of its water usage and discovered which areas of the brewery were high water users and also high polluters, was able to put in place a long term strategy that reduced its water use by over 40% and saved around £700,000 (€805,213) per annum.

For more information * Zenith International is a consultancy that employs technical specialists with over 35 years’ experience delivering water and utility management projects in order to save money and meet the environmental targets of clients all over the world. For further information on Zenith International’s activities contact Alex Milne or Mike Carney. Telephone: +44 (0) 1225 327 975. Email: info@zenithinternational.com www.zenithinternational.com

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CUTTING BACK

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Energy savings at Kerrygold The Kerrygold Company has reduced its carbon footprint by 15% following the completion of its state-of-the-art cheese factory in Staffordshire, the UK

he Kerrygold Company, which cuts and packs one third of all pre-packed cheese in the UK and supplies all of the UK’s major multiples opened its new £30 million (€35 million) factory in May last year. Said to be one of the most environmentally-friendly facilities in Europe, the 160,000ft2 (49,000m2) factory houses over 550 staff and 24 packing lines, providing the capacity to weigh, cut, slice, grate and pack more than 80,000 tonnes of cheese every year. It currently produces over 700,000 packs of cheese for over 30 customers every day and has also brought a 15% saving in the company’s carbon footprint through energy-saving and production in the factory, as well as changes to packaging materials and reduction in waste. From 2006 to 2008, the company reduced its water usage from 28,877m3 to 20,470 m3, and its electricity usage from 6,954,841 KWh to 6,792,772 KWh. The opening of the new factory in May 2009 brought further decreases during 2009. “The new factory is a significant improvement on the old plant, providing tangible operational and commercial

Food & Beverage International February 2010

efficiencies,” said Carl Ravenhall, managing director, The Kerrygold Company.

The factory has been built taking into account its impact on the environment, which has helped us meet the growing demand from customers and suppliers to be more environmentally conscious, but more importantly it has also allowed us to be more cost effective as a business. Throughout the building process, the company worked with Clegg Group and Ralph T. King & Associates to maximise energy and waste reduction and environmental preservation. As a result, a major influence on the design of the factory was the incorporation of new energy saving techniques and technology, including: • Sun-Pipes: 45 sun-pipes replace circa 90 electrically operated lighting fittings. This saves 5kw of energy in daylight hours and promotes a sense of well-being through natural lighting throughout the internal offices. • Latest Lamp Technology: 168 state-of-theart twin tube fittings replace 252 conventional

twin tube fittings. T5 fluorescent tubes are used within the production areas. They last for two years and produce a greater light output than conventional fluorescent lamps. • Photo-Voltaic Cells: 10kw of ‘free electricity’ generated by photo-voltaic cells has further reduced the company’s carbon footprint. The cells turn daylight into electricity, which is converted to the building supply voltage (230 Volts) and injected into the electricity distribution system. This 100% sustainable electricity replaces the power taken from the utility company’s grid. • CHP Plant: A combined heat and power (CHP) plant generates 100kw of electricity and provides 225kw of waste heat to preheat water for washing and cleaning. The CHP plant comprises a gas engine generator that, in producing electricity, also produces heat that is used to provide the building’s hot water supply. The idea is that the gas has a lower carbon footprint than electricity and therefore contributes toward reducing the building’s CO2 emissions by up to 1%. • Free-Cooling to the production hall when ambient air permits: The production hall requires an operating temperature of between 10-12°C. In winter months, the external air temperature can be lower. Roof-mounted air dampers open allowing cool fresh air to be brought in via fans, where it is filtered and used for the production hall space.

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Click here to subscribe This negates the need for artificial cooling and reduces energy consumption in the plant. The energy reduction from this source is approximately 150,000kw per hour. • Inverter driven motors on pumps and fans: An inverter controls the speed of electric motors so they can be matched to the mechanical load being imposed by the plant and system. A standard speed motor would consume energy constantly, regardless of the loading imposed. This has resulted in a 56% energy reduction against the rated motor loadings.

how the factory feeds the hot water produced by the CHP units into its hot water supply. This reduces waste of both energy and water.

A combined heat and power (CHP) plant at The Kerrygold Company’s new factory generates 100kw of electricity and provides 225kw of waste heat to pre-heat water for washing and cleaning

• Air-cooled refrigeration plant: Using air as the cooling medium has led to a 60% reduction in electrical consumption. The state-of-the-art chiller incorporates variable screw compressors utilising the external ambient air to cool the refridgement area, which in turn provides chilled water.

and monitoring, whilst key alarms highlight deviations. The systems also provide an energy input for cooling relative to the actual cooling load required, and have the ability to vary between 0-100%. This allows energy output to equal actual energy needed.

• Modern Technology control systems: The plant operates to its optimum efficiency, relative to the load at the time. The control systems permit centralised management

In addition to energy-saving technologies, the factory’s fully integrated production system enables the reduction of waste. An example of waste reduction in action can be seen in

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Nigel Windsor, manufacturing services manager at The Kerrygold Company, is responsible for environmental management and was involved in drafting the company’s Environmental Policy. He said, “We are striving to reduce our energy and water consumption to the lowest possible levels. Following the reductions that came with the opening of the new factory, we are now identifying further energy and water saving opportunities. In 2010 we will be developing a new Environmental Management System and working towards ISO 14001 Quality accreditation.” www.kerrygold.co.uk

Extra information For news of how the Faragalla Group has made savings in both energy and chemical usage following the world’s first installation of Tetra Pak’s Tetra Lactoenso Aseptic solution for UHT milk production, see page 42.

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

HEALTHY PRODUCTS

Formulating for health

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Salt and saturated fat reduction is an increasingly important part of healthy product formulation and manufacturers & ingredients suppliers alike are rising to this challenge By Claire Rowan - managing editor

espite the recession, consumer health and wellbeing remain key concerns of food and beverage manufacturers. And, in light of the increasing attention from international governments on reducing salt and saturated fat consumption, companies are investing heavily in formulating products that are not only perceived as more healthy but that contain lower levels of these less desirable nutrients. “Reformulating for health is being talked about more and more as a result of a growing awareness of obesity and healthy diets, and as an industry we need to

improve on both our quality offering and the nutrition of our products,” said Andrea Cattaruzza, applied science manager, Mars Chocolate at the Fi Europe conference in November. “Nutritional science is unanimous on the link between saturated fatty acids and heart disease, for example, so as an industry we cannot ignore this.” Similar views were aired regarding salt reduction at the same meeting, where Dr Gerda Feunekes, global nutrition director, savoury Unilever said: “We are reaching a tipping point internationally and a lot is happening. Salt reduction is a journey not just for Unilever, but for all of us. Consumers have got to get used to lower salt levels. And, for governments and scientists to boost awareness of the issues it needs us all working together.” She pointed out that saltreduction programmes and government initiatives were being established throughout the world including China, which has recently become concerned with the need to tackle high blood pressure.

One of the hurdles to salt reduction is consumer acceptance, according to Dr Gerda Feunekes, global nutrition director, savoury, Unilever

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Unilever removed 9,000 tonnes of salt between 2003 and 2008 and continues to innovate in this area

Since the 1970s, Finland has conducted a significant amount of work, which has been government led but involves stakeholders. Australia has been active in its salt reduction activities for around 20 years; Switzerland is just starting its programme developed by the National Food & Health Organisation; and in the US, there are now plans to reduce the average consumers’ intake of salt by 20% in five years. Dr Feunekes explained that as each country is at a different stage of its ‘journey’ to reduce salt, action had to be taken on a local level. “As a global company, Unilever, has to do different things in different countries in order to meet specific needs and interests,” said Dr Feunekes. “With our Vitality Mission and our Nutrition Programme to reduce salt, we are committed to meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.” The WHO has set a daily recommended intake level for salt at 5g per day per person, however, typical world consumption is currently between nine and 12g per day, per person, and the majority of this salt comes not from adding salt at the table or during cooking but from consuming manufactured or prepared foods.

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Click here to subscribe “We did research on several reduced salt options (9%, 15%, 20%, 26% and 37% reduction) for our Heinz Baked Beans,” said Dr Robinson. “We found that a 15% salt reduction was achievable and actually preferred by consumers. So we did that successfully and then six months later we repeated the exercise and made a further 15% reduction.” ‘Look at those products that impact consumer salt consumption the most and tackle those first’; ‘Collaborate with other industry partners, manufacturers and suppliers’; and ‘Don’t shout to consumers you are reducing salt’ are Heinz’s three remaining rules to successful salt reduction. “When the Food Standards Agency published the information we had shared for their website that Heinz had reduced the salt content of its Baked Beans by 30% we received a flood of complaints, despite the fact that consumers had been eating the beans for 18 months,” said Dr Robinson. Dr Feunekes echoed the need for industry to listen to consumers.

“We think it is challenging (to meet the WHO targets), but we are confident it can be done,” said Dr Feunekes. “We all need to work together and we need to take consumers with us.” Heinz, which applies five rules to salt reduction, has achieved a 39%

“One of the hurdles to salt reduction is consumer acceptance, because there is no great demand right now for reduced salt products. Unilever research highlights that taste and price are more important to consumers than health: half of the people in the world would not give up

taste for health; and a third would not give up convenience for health,” she said. “Some of the solutions available include adapting the taste of the product; gradually reducing the salt content without affecting the taste of the product; and making compelling claims such as ‘natural’ rather than ‘reduced salt’.”

Solutions “However, for different products, you need different solutions. We can probably reduce salt by 20 to 30% in some products, but after that we really need more breakthrough technology,” said Dr Feunekes. “At Unilever, where we have 230 chefs and 250 nutritionists, we concentrate on combining ‘chefmanship’ with new salt replacer technology. But steps have to be taken slowly. If we adopt the ‘adaptation’ method - of having consumers adapt to lower salt contents over time – it may only be possible to reduce the salt content in a soup, for example, by 10% per two years. However, this has to be done on an industry wide basis otherwise consumers will just switch to another ‘saltier’ product.” Between 2003 and 2008, Unilever removed 9,000 tonnes of salt and some of the alternatives it is researching include the use of herbs, spices and new salt replacers; as well as the sensory interactions between texture, colour, flavour etc; and the ability to affect the ‘sodium receptor’ in the body so that it gives the perception of sodium without consuming sodium.

reduction in its Cream of Tomato Soup product since 2002 by gradually taking the salt content down. However, Tristan Robinson, company nutritionist with Heinz, stressed that this work had to be done gradually. “We reduced the salt content in our Cream of Tomato Soup by 10% in 2002 to 2003; by 23% in 2003 to 2004; and just 11% between 2004 and 2009,” he said. “We decided to revamp our entire soup range significantly in 2003 and 2004, but we did notice an increase in complaints about the taste of the soup. So, we increased the tomato content and managed to bring the consumer with us without adding any salt back in. Since then we have gone back to a gradual approach, which is our number one rule.” Heinz’s number two rule, is ‘listen to consumers’.

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Heinz applies five rules to salt reduction and has successfully achieved a 39% reduction in the salt content of its Cream of Tomato Soup since 2002

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

HEALTHY PRODUCTS

Click here to subscribe Nestlé is also working on texture, colour, taste and how salt works on the tongue. “What we have discovered by looking at the taste buds, is that there are tight junctions between the cells that allow minerals through such as sodium and potassium, so one could look at possible new avenues for optimising the taste of salt using these tighter barriers,” said Dr Nicolas Godinot, sensory scientist, Nestlé Research Centre. Dr Godinot concurred with Dr Feunekes that the greatest results would be achieved if the whole food industry took part, and reductions were made gradually. An Australian study has already demonstrated that a 25% salt reduction in bread can be achieved without detection if done gradually, according to Dr Godinot, who also pointed to the option of modifying the salt distribution in finished products such as ready meals. “It is possible to add salt to a specific component of a complex food product so that it is detected most effectively - ie in a glazed chicken with rice product, the salt is best added to the sauce, or to the rice after cooking, in order to optimise its impact for the consumer,” said Dr Godinot. “We have also looked at the interactions between different sensory modalities: by increasing acidity you can increase saltiness, for example, however, too much acidity decreases saltiness. Similarly, increasing the thickness or sweetness can also increase the perceived saltiness of a product. Some spices increase perceived saltiness although this depends very much on the product and the levels used.” Nestlé has achieved a 44% reduction in salt in an asparagus soup during its salt

substitute research, which includes the combining of different ions such as sodium, potassium, chloride and flavour enhancers. “Once you have achieved the reduction, you then have to look at the feasibility of doing it, and the costs,” said Dr Godinot. “Currently, it is not possible to replace salt totally, but we can partially replace it and combined with good formulation skills and consumer insight, reach up to 50% reduction, in some cases, which will bring significant reductions overall. In this way, Nestlé has already managed to cut out 7,000 tonnes of salt from its products since 2002.”

Salt replacers Ingredients companies are responding to the demand for salt and fat alternatives and at the Food Ingredients Europe exhibition in Frankfurt last year many took the opportunity to demonstrate their new solutions. Armor Proteines was highlighting its new salt replacer, LactoSalt Optitaste, which won the bronze award for innovation at Fi Europe in 2007. A mineral compound produced by milk ‘cracking’, LactoSalt contains only 10% sodium (compared with 40% in salt) and allows products such as breads, cheese and charcuterie to be formulated with 25% less salt in the final product without any aftertaste. “Through a process of concentrating milk proteins and fine filtration, we are able to concentrate the proteins in milk to give a longer, lower curve of flavour very similar to that of salt but with four times less sodium than salt,” said Xavier Moine, marketing director. “Depending on the sodium reduction target, it is possible to replace 100% salt with LactoSalt,

but most companies start by combining the two to reduce the overall sodium content of the end product. A ratio of 70:30 (salt to LactoSalt), for example, will give a 25% reduction.” Development work at Armor Proteins has resulted in LactoSalt being approved for use in traditional British cheeses such as Stilton, Cheshire and Cheddar.

As LactoSalt is derived from milk it can be added to traditional cheeses and they can still be called Stilton or Cheddar, for example, said Mr Moine, who explained that as salt makes up only 1 to 2% of a recipe, a global reduction of 25% sodium would not add more than a penny to the overall price per 250g portion, yet bring the benefit of a low-salt label. Mineral Resources International (MRI) (UK) Ltd was at the show to discuss its solution to sodium reduction derived from the Great Salt Lake in Utah, US. FortiFlavor, as the product is known, contains no sodium chloride and can be used to reduce the sodium content of finished products by up to around 60%. To create FortiFlavor, water from the Great Salt Lake is channelled into an evaporation dam where sodium chloride and potassium chloride are the first minerals to crystalise out leaving a super saturated solution of other naturally occurring minerals - FortiFlavor is the powder or liquid form of this super saturated solution. “Sodium chloride is an essential mineral for the body, so the idea is not to remove sodium from the diet altogether but to balance the body’s nutrient intake,” said David Thomas, founder director, MRI (UK) Ltd. “FortiFlavor effectively is sea water with all of its inherent minerals (it contains 70 trace and ultra-trace elements) - minus the sodium chloride, which is present at a level of less than 1%. With its natural flavour of sea water, FortiFlavor imparts a naturally salty flavour to products as well as enhancing their nutritional profile.” MRI (UK) Ltd is already talking to some of the giants of the food world and has signed non-disclosure agreements for a wide range of product areas.

Armor Proteines’ new salt replacer, LactoSalt Optitaste, can help companies reformulation with 25% less salt in the final product without affecting flavour

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Dr Paul Lohmann has developed several products in its LomaSalt range of mineral

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Click here to subscribe use in foods with an acidic character, such as cream cheese, dips or vegetable juices and has a limited impact on their pH; and LomaSalt RS 50 Extra, which has a 20% sodium content and contains no anti-caking agents or additives. LomaSalt RS 50 is said to be a premium salt replacer that provides the optimum in taste and sensoric performance compared with salt. Finally in the LomaSalt range is LomaSalt RS 100, which is a 100% sodium-free blend of ‘saltytasting’ minerals with flavour enhancers that can be used for the complete replacement of salt with the minimum of off-taste. Mushrooms are the new ‘superfood’ Balance Salt from Esco has 50% less sodium chloride than standard salt

according to Scelta Mushrooms, which was at the show to demonstrate its mushroom concentrates that can be used as a natural

mixes, which are capable of replacing salt by 50% to up to 100%, depending on the product. The mineral salts are carefully blended with ingredients to optimise their salty taste yet minimise any off-flavours or bitterness, according to the company. The LomaSalt range includes LomaSalt RS 50 Classic, which has a sodium content of 20%, and can be used as an alternative to table salt; LomaSalt RS 50 Neutral, which has a sodium content of 20% and is suitable for

alternative to monosodium glutamate and have the potential to reduce salt. Extracted from residual materials such as mushroom cooking juice or mushroom stubs using the company’s ‘Waste2Taste’ production process, Scelta mushroom concentrate imparts a umami mouth feel and taste to any product thereby reducing the need for other flavour enhancers such as MSG or salt. It is available as a spray-dried powder, which lends it to use in dry soups and dry sauces.

Esco, the European salt company, was highlighting its new Balance Salt range, which replaces 50% of the sodium chloride in salt with other minerals such as potassium chloride (44.5%), magnesium sulphate, magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate. Said to offer a high purity and entirely natural source, Balance Salt is available for consumers and manufacturers.

Saturated fat reduction Formulating for healthy products would not be complete without addressing their saturated fat content. Cutting out saturated fat has been a strategic objective for many companies for a long time, particularly as differentiating between good and bad fats becomes increasingly part of consumers’ health repertoire, and governments take actions to reduce their nation’s intake of saturated fats. “We are committed to reducing saturated fatty acids in our products, however, reducing the saturated fat in chocolate products is a difficult challenge,” said Mr Cattaruzza, Mars Chocolate, which has recently announced its intention to reduce the saturated fat content of its core chocolate bars by the Summer of this year. The result

Salt that’s saltier Researchers at eminate have discovered a method of modifying salt to produce a new salt product, called Soda-Lo 20, which allows bakers to reduce the amount of salt in their products without affecting taste. Together with its research partner, the Nottingham Trent University, and the aid of an Innovation Support Grant from the Food & Drink iNet, eminate has created Soda-Lo 20, which features particles that are a fraction of the size of standard salt – about 1/100th the diameter. The increased surface area of the particles provides a far more salty flavour in application. “We were looking at a 2% level of salt in a loaf of bread and we have been able to take it down to 0.6%,” said Andrew Stacey, sales & marketing manager, eminate. “Soda-Lo 20 can reduce the salt content of baked bread by as much as 70%.” According to Steve Minter, chief technical officer at eminate: “There are many solutions out there that are being looked at by the food industry. Ours provides a very acceptable solution, without replacements. The results we are seeing are looking very promising.” www.eminnovation.org.uk

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Left to right: Paul Sheppard, Food & Drink iNet business adviser for Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire; Andrew Stacey, sales & marketing manager at Eminate Ltd; and David Wallace, innovation director, emda, highlight the applications for Soda-Lo

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

HEALTHY PRODUCTS

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Mars UK has pledged to reduce the saturated fats content of its core brands by 15% by this Summer of five years of development work, an investment of €10 million and over 40,000 man-hours in R&D, this latest initiative will see chocolate brands such as Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Topic and Flyte containing 15% less saturated fat per bar compared with their current recipes, without any change to the taste or quality of the products. “Our goal is to make our products better for you without compromising on taste,” said Fiona Dawson, managing director, Mars Chocolate UK. “We are proud to have achieved this as a result of many years of research and investment.” Part of the difficulty in reducing the saturated fats in chocolates is the need to retain the texture in the finished product. “Hydrogenated fats, for example, do offer a solution for formulating with less saturated fats in chocolate fillings, but consumer perception is that hydrogenated fats are always associated with trans fats and therefore not beneficial - this is not accurate,” said Mr Cattaruzza. “Key to reducing fats in confectionery is the ability to communicate to consumers so that they understand the benefits - helping them to consume chocolate responsibly.” Although Mr Cattaruzza would not be drawn on what solution the company is using for its saturated fat reduction, he revealed that Mars has invested in many different fat options including the use of sunflower oil.

characteristics of saturated fats. It is the result of three years of research into the behaviour of different types of hard fats in combination with other ingredients and using different mechanical processes. “We played around with different combinations of fats and liquid oils and noticed that some combinations gave harder structures than expected. Using a high speed knife, we produced crystals of hard fat, which would capture and hold onto the vegetable oil when they were mixed together. This process produces a fat blend with a hard overall texture and yet a limited amount of solid fat content,” said Bernard Cleenewerck, chief operating officer, Fuji Oil Europe. “With one type of triglyceride we could produce a very hard structure and with other triglycerides we achieved none. Surprisingly, the hard fats traditionally used to provide structure, such as palm stearine, gave weaker structures than others. Redusat is based on symmetrical triglycerides with a high stearic acid content. “Using Redusat, it is now possible to reduce the saturated fat content of a product by 50 to 60%, without compromising on its sensory or eating properties,” said Mr Cleenewerck, who explained that Redusat is available in three standard types 25, 30 and 40 for varying medium or hard confectionery creams. “A double benefit is that the saturated fat in Redusat (stearic acid) is actually equivalent to an unsaturated fatty acid in the way it behaves. It does not increase LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol but actually increases HDL (‘good’) cholesterol.”

Saturated fat replacers

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Shortlisted for the Fi Europe Awards were Deliair NH from AAK and Biscuitine 580 from IOI-Loders Croklaan, which had entered their own non-hydrogenated fat, confectionery filling solutions. Deliair NH is a non-hydrogenated, aerated filling solution for confectionery fillings, which allows manufacturers to formulate with reduced fat while maintaining the same volume of filling in the finished product, according to AAK. It can be labelled as vegetable fat and is based on non-lauric raw materials. It is designed to give good aeration and a high whipping capacity, and also allows manufacturers to add fruit, cocoa butter and crunchy pieces to the very light foamy, aerated filling. IOI Loders Croklaan’s speciality, nonhydrogenated filling fat, Biscuitine 580, is free from trans fats and contains a ‘moderate’ level of saturated fats. It demonstrates quick and easy processing characteristics, and offers an alternative for slow crystallising filling fats without increasing their saturated fat content, according to IOI Loders Croklaan. In contrast to other lauric filling fats that offer similar processing qualities, Biscuitine 580 is designed to reduce saturated fats by more than 25% in the end product. Creating a ‘healthy’ product will always be dictated by the product itself, consumer understanding, the market, legislation and the cost & quality of the end product. Clearly significant work is ongoing in the area of both salt and fat reduction (see p31 for sugar reduction solutions) and Food & Beverage International and www.foodbev.com look forward to bringing you news of other developments as they arise.

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Ingredients companies are also continuing to work on ingredients for saturated fatreduced formulations, and at Fi Europe, three innovations in fats were shortlisted for the Innovation of the Year Award for the Confectionery sector. Fuji Oil Europe scooped the Gold Award for its Redusat product - a hard, nonhydrogenated fat that can be labelled as vegetable fat yet provides all the textural

Several leading confectioners have shown concrete interest in testing Redusat in their products, according to Fuji Oil Europe.

www.croklaan.com www.fortiflavor.co.uk www.armor-proteines.com www.lohmann4minerals.com www.sceltamushrooms.com Fuji Oil Europe’s Redusat is a hard, nonhydrogenated fat that can be labelled as vegetable fat yet provides all the textural characteristics of saturated fats

www.fujioileurope.com www.esco-salt.com www.aak.com

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CONVEYING & HANDLING

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Movers & Shakers: transporting product around the plant Making the right choice of conveying and handling equipment can bring significant improvements to the efficiency of a plant By Claire Rowan - managing editor

ptimising efficiency, environmental performance, hygiene and cost as well as reducing down time, saving energy and minimising maintenance are key drivers of all purchasing decisions throughout the plant. Conveying and internal handling systems are no exception, and selecting the right product for the task brings significant benefits. To help companies identify the optimum belting solution for any application, Habasit Rossi has recently developed its online belt calculation service. The Habasit SeleCalc programmes can be downloaded from Habasit Rossi’s website and use calculation processes based on advanced engineering principles. They guide manufacturers to enter all the necessary technical parameters of a given application including product data, images, and process information

and include programmes such as: ConveySeleCalc for fabric belt applications; Link-SeleCalc for plastic modular belt applications; Sync-SeleCalc for timing belt applications; and Power-SeleCalc for power transmission flat belt applications. Ardo UK has already selected a Habasit Rossi plastic link conveyor belt for its frozen food facility in Kent, which produces frozen vegetables, fruit, pasta and rice. The company’s previous belts on four of its conveyor lines transferring frozen vegetables in temperatures as low as -5°C, had problems with poor drive and incorrect sprocket engagement. As the temperature in the production facility dropped, water that had become trapped was freezing in between the belt and the sprockets, causing the belt to seize up. “Habasit Rossi’s solution exceeded our expectations,” said Trevor Sharp, engineering efficiency manager at Ardo UK, which specified the Habasit plastic link conveyor belts, which feature positive drive and sprocket engagement. The open sprocket design of the belt allows water to drain away and not freeze in minus temperatures. “The Habasit belts last between 12 to 16 months, whereas competitor’s belts only last between three to four months. We are pleased with the solution, not only on material costs, but importantly on the reduction of downtime and labour costs.”

Ardo UK has installed four Habasit Rossi plastic link belts for transporting vegetables at temperatures as low as -5°C

Food & Beverage International February 2010

“Year on year, food processors are looking for continuous improvement when it comes to performance and efficiency to help

Ammeraal Beltech has perfected its Ultrasync belting technology after development work with the Hovis bakery

control costs. They also need to reduce wastage and down time, save energy and minimise maintenance; and hygiene issues are always a high priority due to increasingly strict legislation,” said Ian Thornham, sales & marketing director, Habasit, which has also recently introduced its HyClean plastic modular belting solution for food processing. “HyClean is specifically designed to meet the most demanding hygiene requirements, while delivering tangible cost savings and improvements to process and performance.” The HyClean belting solution features a new sprocket and 2" flat top module, both produced with an advanced hygienic design as well as a cleaning in place (CIP) system that is said to be far easier to operate. Conveyor specialist Ammeraal Beltech has worked closely with Hovis, part of Premier Foods, to improve belt performance as part of a major project to upgrade Hovis’ dough handling systems at its Forest Gate bakery. As the belts operate in close contact with the dough from the time it drops from the divider to when it is panned-up ready to go into the prover, they are an integral part of the dough production system. Hovis worked with Ammeraal Beltech to create a new design of belt that combined the best properties of modular belts (positive drive, ease of fitting and cleaning) with the best qualities of plastic-coated continuous belts (the intrinsic hygiene of plastic coatings and good release). After testing the pre-production samples of the belts at two points in the dough

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CONVEYING & HANDLING

Click here to subscribe handling system for six months, the chosen solution was Ultrasync. “Ultrasync is a marriage of different technologies,” said Graham Hoole, major accounts manager at Ammeraal Beltech. “In order to get the bread dough pieces correctly spaced for efficient baking, the positive drive and tracking of Ultrasync belts are employed. To release these sticky dough pieces from the belt, we use our latest polymer technologies combined with special surface profiles.” According to Ammeraal Beltech, the new Ultrasync solution gives greater reliability, better tracking, less slippage and improved hygiene; and as the driven side of the new belts stays clean from dough, it ensures less downtime and better reliability. At Drinktec last year, Iwis Antriebssysteme GmbH introduced new flat top chains for any conveying tasks that require a flat transport surface such as for the conveying of glass and plastic bottles, cans, cases, barrels and packing drums in bottling and packing lines. The Flexon flat top chains are available in various plastic and stainless steel versions and as both linear and curved tracks. Their low-contamination materials are said to fulfil the strict hygiene requirements

Iwis Antriebssysteme introduced new flat top chains for conveying of glass and plastic bottles, cans, cases, barrels and packing drums on bottling and packaging lines

of beverage plants; and as they have exceptionally low friction coefficients they are also very energy efficient. It is not just the choice of belt that makes the difference to plant efficiency, but also its configuration. Sewtec Automation has recently designed and installed a conveying solution at United Biscuits’ McVitie’s production facility in Carlisle for the case packing of flow wrapped mini variety packs of biscuits. Integrated into the existing packing line, which includes seven flow wrappers, each wrapping a different biscuit type into mini flow wraps of three biscuits per pack, which are then collated and hand packed into outers, the new conveyor system had to make the hand packing operation more efficient and ergonomic for operators. According to Sewtec Automation, one important change that was made to the previous operation was positioning the hand packers on the far side of the conveyor rather than inside the line by the flow wrappers. This has created more space for both the packers and flow wrapper operators and enabled the system to function more efficiently. Cases are taken from an existing Endoline case erector and transferred onto the modular Sewtec belt conveyor which takes them through to a side flap plough station that holds the flaps open to enable unimpeded placement of the biscuits. Side belts, that are adjustable for speed, control the transport of the cases at the required packing rate. The biscuits themselves exit the flow wrappers onto a Sewtec inclined belt transfer and are stacked on tangential conveyors to enable easy collating and counting of the required number of packs for hand loading into the cartons. Belt speeds can be adjusted to regulate the flow of packs, and a second base

Steel belt training in Thailand Berndorf Band has recently opened a new training centre in South East Asia together with its local partner Vienna Far East, Thailand.

Training Centre South East Asia is a training and seminar facility that will provide an opportunity for regional players in the food industry to learn about steel belts.

Located at the Thai German Institute (TGI) in Chonburi, Thailand, forty five minutes from Bangkok airport, the Berndorf Band

An installed steel belt conveyor will allow simulation of on-site repairs and maintenance. www.berndorf-band.at

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Sewtec has created an ergonomic conveying solution for United Biscuits for the case packing of its McVitie’s mini variety packs of biscuits conveyor takes away any rejected packs for repacking. The Sewtec system, which is said to have improved efficiency and reduced manning levels on the line by around 25%, can be used to pack around seven cases a minute with the flow wrappers operating at up to 110 packs per minute. Once in place, and up and running, any line needs monitoring, and Key Technology has recently developed a new wireless performance monitoring system for its Iso-Flo vibratory conveyors that enables manufacturers to monitor the equipment at any computer workstation. The new SmartArm system measures and reports speed and stroke to provide real-time analysis of the shaker function, line-flow conditions and trends at a glance; and can be linked to any plant-wide network to deliver line performance data and alerts to remote users. The SmartArm sensor is mounted on the Iso-Flo’s existing spring arm bracket and operates in environments from -20°C to 70°C. It measures acceleration and reports speed and stroke every 15 minutes, wirelessly transmitting this data to the base station positioned within 90m of each sensor in a non-washdown location and with Ethernet connection to the plant network. “Using sensors to collect and report equipment and environmental data to plant personnel in an easy-to-use manner is a sign of the future,” said Teri Johnson, marketing manager at Key Technology, which produces is Iso-Flo conveyors for distributing product on processing and packaging lines. www.iwis.com www.habasitrossi.co.uk www.ammeraalbeltech.com www.sewtec.co.uk www.key.net

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

INGREDIENTS

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Sweetening for tea and cereals Tate & Lyle has worked on a wide range of solutions to help companies reduce the sugar and fat in their products.

reduction of up to 40% in the finished product - resulting in only 25g of sugars per 100g of coated cereals.

On its stand at Fi Europe, Tate & Lyle demonstrated that a combination of fructose and sucralose has a synergistic effect that can mask the flavour and astringency of green tea extract in a Lotus Blossom-flavoured water beverage. The flavoured water contained the company’s Fructopure fructose, Splenda sucralose, Sta-Lite polydextrose and Teawell 95 green tea extract and had 75% fewer calories than a full calorie near water reference.

“Coated cereal products typically contain around 37g of sugar, we have reduced that using Sta-Lite polydextrose and Fructopure fructose,” said Caroline Sanders, marketing director, food & industrial ingredients Europe, Tate & Lyle. “Polydextrose adds 23g of fibre per 100g of product, which allows you to claim high in fibre. We work with companies to Rebalance their products with lower sugar or fat contents,

The beverage was shown alongside a new formulation for sweetening breakfast cereals. Tate & Lyle’s solution for coating cereals allows for a sugar

matching market demands, and this provides the opportunity to Enrich the products with fibre at the same time.”

maize starch, which uses starch modification technology to allow fat substitution in a wide range of food products such as yoghurts and fermented desserts, cream desserts, frozen desserts, mayonnaise and dressings, and processed meat.

For fat replacement, the company has launched a cook-up waxy

Creamiz does not affect the creaminess of products, but

Humidity-resistant icing sugar

Among many sweetening solutions on show at the Tereos stand at Fi Europe were the company’s new humidityresistant icing sugars, Sucre Glace Décor and Perlo Suc Decor, and a multi-functional ingredient for sponges, ice creams, macaroons, cream

Tereos unveiled several sweetening innovations at Fi Europe

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Tate & Lyle works with companies to Rebalance and Enrich their products

fillings, waffles and pastries, called Sucreline. Sucre Glace Decors is enrobed with non-trans, non-GMO fat, which provides a functional barrier to humidity and therefore preserves the shelf life of products decorated with fine icing sugars, and prevents melting and slipping of the icing. Sucreline has a sweetening power that is greater than sugar and prevents or delays the crystalisation of sugar in order to produce softer, smoother products. It has a reduced freezing point, which can be used to create easily scoopable ice cream even at low temperatures; and its ability to stabilise moisture enhances the texture of products over time. www.tereos-foodindustries.com

instead complements and enhances their existing texture creating a rich and full bodied flavour, according to Tate & Lyle. Creamiz, which can be used in standard equipment, has a low viscosity impact, good resistance to shear, and good stability to freeze-thaw and retrogradation. www.tateandlyle.com

Hard and crunchy confectionery shells For application in the sugar and sugar alcohol syrups used in confectionery coating and hard panned products, TIC Gums has introduced TicaPAN Quick Crunch, a gum-arabic alternative that allows the production of harder and crunchier shells in the finished products.

TIC Gums’ new TicaPAN Quick Crunch for panned and coated confectionery applications is compared with gum Arabic (in the beaker on the left)

“When compared to gum arabic, there are significant production advantages with TicaPAN Quick Crunch, including ease of hydration, ease of processing, and ease of panning a smooth finish,” said Maureen L Akins, MS, applications scientist and TicaPAN project manager. “A non-GMO grade is available as well as a cold water soluble version, and TicaPAN Quick Crunch meets sugar-free FDA

guidelines and other regulatory standards (including in the EU).” According to TIC Gums, TicaPAN Quick Crunch dries up to 20% faster than gum arabic, which makes it ideal for sealing, hard panning and chocolate panning confectioneries in both sugar and non-sugar variants. It also allows for a whiter shell to be achieved. www.ticgums.com

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

INGREDIENTS

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Zero-calorie candies and yoghurt

Until now, sugar-free candies with a calorific value reduction of just 40% were possible and using ingredients that carried a laxative warning against consuming in excess. Using Zerose allows a 100% calorie reduction and

its high digestive tolerance mitigates the problem of laxation. Formulating zero-calorie hardboiled candies had also been difficult in the past due to the crystalline properties of erythritol, but now Cargill has developed a working methodology that enables it to create deposited hard-boil candies. “Erythritol crystallises more easily than other polyols, so there are certain limitations,” said Henry Hussell, marketing manager, Cargill Sweetness, EMEA, who pointed to the company’s reduced calorie strawberry yoghurt concept. “We can now handle the white mass and the fruit preparation of

Alternative source of sucralose

Solo Sucralose is said to be produced using proprietary manufacturing technology – the subject of 28 patent applications internationally – to give a ‘viable, valuable and affordable alternative source of sucralose to competitor

Food & Beverage International February 2010

the yoghurt and add Zerose to both. So we have taken out the bulk sweeteners: sucrose from yoghurt and glucose/fructose from the fruit preparation and

“It gives a nice full texture with 0% calories and, although obviously there is a cost issue as sugar is still cheaper, it is possible to create yoghurt products that

replaced them with Zerose, which is 70% less sweet than sugar but more rounded.

have 50% reduced sugar without the need for intense sweeteners.” www.cargillsweetness.com

Sugar beet fibre reduces oil uptake

Solo Sucralose is the new patent-pending sucralose from Bioplus Life Sciences of India

Bioplus Life Sciences of Bangalore, India, is gearing up the marketing of its intense sweetener, sucralose, as an alternative to other products on the market.

At Fi Europe, Cargill Sweetness was showing prototype yoghurts and cream desserts with 30% reduced calorie and zero-calorie hard-boiled candies

products’. It is available in high quality granular, powder and liquid formats. Six hundred times sweeter than sugar, Solo Sucralose can be used in many foods and beverages, including carbonated beverages and baked goods. It is stable in formulation, which makes it suitable for use at high temperatures as well as in acid (low pH) environments. www.biopluslifesciences.com

A small addition of Fibrex sugar beet fibre to a coating mixture can give a decreased oil uptake for deep fried chicken meat, according to a recent study by the Faculty of Food Technology & Biotechnology at the University of Zagreb. At the same time, the water loss from the fried meat was reduced and the texture improved as a result. Fibrex from Nordic Sugar, part of the Nordzucker Group, is a natural fibre derived from sugar beet. It has a composition and water holding ability that remains unaffected by heating, freezing and thawing. The process stable fibre is available in a wide range of sieve sizes and has been found to perform well in bread to increase the water content and thereby prolong freshness. In minced

Cargill Sweetness is currently developing a wide range of applications for its Zerose erythritol, which is produced through a natural fermentation process and is the only polyol recognised to contribute zero calories in finished foods. At Fi Europe, Cargill Sweetness was showing prototype yoghurts and cream desserts with 30% reduced calorie and zero-calorie hard-boiled candies.

Nordic Sugar’s Fibrex has been found to reduce oil uptake in the coating mixtures of deep fried chicken products

meat products, it is said to reduce frying loss and improve juiciness, texture and yield. It is produced in Sweden from sugar beet pulp and its application in coating applications can help add value in terms of the lower costs involved in lower oil uptake; improved quality and a reduction in the energy value of finished deep fried products, according to Nordic Sugar. www.nordicsugar.com

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INGREDIENTS

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Gives stable volume and crumb structure Cognis’ Spongolit EP 320 aerating emulsifier has been introduced to give stable volume and crumb structure in all types of cakes, and especially fat containing batters. It also allows manufacturers to replace trans fatty acid-rich shortenings as it can be formulated effectively with trans fatty acid-free oils. Based on a range of specially selected emulsifiers, such as polyglycerolesters and distilled mono- and diglycerides, Spongolit EP 320 is available as a freeflowing powder and can be used in virtually all flours, recipes and processes. It exhibits a distinctive fat

Food & Beverage International February 2010

tolerance that makes it suitable for use in fat containing batters, which are often the most challenging in terms of aeration. The product remains tolerant and stable even when the batter is beaten for a prolonged period of time.

Cognis’ new aerating emulsion, Spongolit EP 320, brings light and delicious baking results

Cakes made with Spongolit EP 320 are said to have a fine and uniform crumb structure and a stable-elastic texture and are less likely to crumble when cut. The aerating agent’s ability to absorb liquid makes it ideal for soaking cake products with syrup or other liquids, and it can be used for sponge cakes with or without added fat, such as Madeira cakes and sponge cakes. www.cognis.com

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INGREDIENTS

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Limagrain has developed a wide range of solutions for bakery applications

Ingredients suit bakery applications Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) introduced a natural fat substitute for pastry applications and a new range of clean label improvers for bakery products at Fi Europe; and an ingredient for reducing the gluten content in recipes, at IBA. LCI’s Farigel wheat TM80 is a functional flour derived from a patented process, which imparts a softness, normally due to fat, to muffins and cakes. A clean label texturising solution, Farigel wheat TM80 at a level of just 2.2% allows the substitution of up to 30% of fats in a standard cake recipe while preserving the fresh mouth feel and softness of the crumb during storage. It is said to have excellent flowing capacity due to its controlled particle size and also enables the elimination of additives often used to enhance the softness of pastry products. LCI’s new range of clean label improvers for bakery products include dafa crisp croissant CLX for puff pastries such as croissants; dafa soft viennoise CL for brioche, buns or rolls; and dafa soft bread CL for soft prepacked bread. Dafa crisp croissant provides the crisp finish sought after in puff pastry products and boosts the

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quality of the layer structure and the volume of the puff pastry itself. It regulates the consistency of the dough, making it soft and resistant without compromising its initial strength, according to LCI. The improver is suitable for all technologies including direct process, frozen dough process, or pre-proofed process. Dafa soft viennois CL is an improver without additives that improves the softness and freshness during the shelf life of viennoise products. It allows them to retain their softness with a good regularity and thinness of crumb, without compromising on the dough characteristics. Dafa soft bread CL, without additives, improves the softness of soft bread dough while retaining the dough characteristics and elasticity of the crumb during shelf life. Glusafe Sweet can increase the volume of Viennese type pastries and reduce the gluten required. It is used in addition to a standard improver to substitute a part of the added gluten. At a level of 0.3% it provides the same benefits as added gluten with increased elasticity, decreased extensibility and improved tolerance, according to LCI. www.limagrain.com

INGREDIENTS

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Vegetable oil specialities Unimills, the subsidiary of Sime Darby, introduced two new product series at Fi Europe. Syral has perfected several different confectionery applications using maltitol and sorbitol

Applications for sorbitol and maltitol At its new Application Centre in France, inaugurated last year, Syral has investigated several new formulation options.

powder used gave a good coating stability and texture in the mouth.

For aerated confectionery, it has successfully formulated sugar-free marshmallows and chewy candies that have the same chewiness and low stickiness as in the full-sugar versions. Using maltitol syrup and powder, Syral replaced the sucrose and glucose syrups in both of these applications.

MaldexTM 120 improved the

In marshmallow applications using maltitol powder, the texture was said by a tasting panel to be better than other sugar-free products already on the market. The maltitol

For sugar-free hard-boiled candies

For chewy candies, adding a small amount of the maltodextrin overall texture, stability and processability of the recipes. In other studies, Syral was able to replace 40% of the isomalt by maltitol syrup in sugar-free hardboiled candies with no effect on hygroscopicity and stability.

based on gum Arabic, Syral has recently introduced a new sorbitol syrup, MeritolTM 140. www.syral.com

Vitolio 150 is a natural vegetable oil-based ingredient that is rich in natural carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, which can be used as a natural pigment and source of pro-vitamin A. Easy to use and mix with oil-based products, Vitolio 150 imparts colour, from yellow to red, and unlike other food colourings does not require pre-blending. In addition, Vitolio 150 contains natural antioxidants in the form of vitamin E that help improve the shelf life of the foodstuff and add natural nutritional value to the finished product. MasterCraft 100 (for cream layers) and 200 (centre fillings) are the new additions to Unimills’ ingredients for biscuits, chocolate bars, bonbons, nougats and fudges. Both are trans-fat free and feature unhardened confectionery fats. They give full flavour release,

Unimills unveiled several vegetable fat-based solutions for a variety of applications at Fi Europe last year have a smooth texture and attractive appearance and offer the health benefits associated with a lower saturated fatty acid content. The MasterCraft 178 is a fine cream layer fat that provides maximum elasticity and stickiness in layered biscuits. The MasterCraft 200 range of centre filling fats include soft melting fats such as Unimills MasterCraft 282, which is based on no-lauric fats and designed to be used in combination with real chocolate coatings; and the more solidified MasterCraft 274, which is based on lauric fats. www.unimills.com

Special effect sweetness enhancer

Based on a proprietary technology, the new sweetness enhancer forms part of Comax’s Special Effect line of flavours that also include Bitter Blocker, Acid Reduction and Caffeine Mask. It can be used to enhance the mouthfeel and lower the Brix level of fruit and alcoholic beverage formulations; and adds sweetness while reducing the products’ calorie content to half that of sugar without any aftertaste.

Food & Beverage International February 2010

The Special Effect sweetness enhancer is virtually colourless and aroma-free and has been shown to enhance sweetness effectively in baked goods, dairy and savoury applications. “For customers who are offering beverages and products where reduced levels of sugar are desirable, our sweetness enhancer can achieve this with outstanding results,” said Catherine M Armstrong, vice president, marketing, Comax Flavors, which has also extended its Special Effect line with a new masking flavour for the natural sweetener, stevia (which has been approved in the USA, but still

awaits EU approval). “We have used the proprietary technology to create our one-of-a-kind stevia masking flavour, which not only overcomes the bitterness caused by stevia but also deflects the lingering or clinging sweetness that interferes with the enjoyment and acceptability of the finished product. “We are already assisting customers who are formulating with stevia and we are providing customised support to those customers who up to now have been hesitant to work with stevia because of the taste distortions it could impart.” www.comaxflavors.com

Comax Flavors has developed a sweetness enhancer that brings out a more pleasant taste in a wide range of beverages and food products.

Comax Flavors has introduced two new lines in its Special Effects flavours range including a sweetness enhancer and stevia masking flavour

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INGREDIENTS

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On the Roquette stand at Fi Europe, several new product concepts demonstrated the performance of its SweetPearl, naturally sweet bulk sweetener

SweetPearl performance Roquette has formulated several new product concepts to demonstrate the performance of its SweetPearl, naturally sweet bulk sweetener, from renewable wheat or maize. In no-added-sugar biscuits, SweetPearl gives an excellent crunchiness and softness to the finished product and intensifies the natural taste and nutritional benefits of cereal ingredients. Demonstrated to delicious effect at Fi Europe, biscuits containing SweetPearl were made with wheat flour, butter, eggs and salt to give a nutritional profile per 2-biscuit serving (17g) that could be labelled as: Calories - 78Kcal; Sugars - 0.07g; SweetPearl maltitol sweetener - 3.8g; Proteins – 1g; and Fats – 3.7g. This compares with labelling for standard biscuits of: Calories – 84Kcal; Sugars – 3.8g; Sweetpearl – 0g; Proteins – 1g and Fats – 3.7g.

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SweetPearl also intensifies the flavour of no-added-sugar chocolate in dark or milk varieties. Blended, in the case of dark chocolate, using 44.5% cocoa mass; 43.5% SweetPearl; 11.5% cocoa butter; soya lecithin as an emulsifier and natural vanilla, Roquette’s concept chocolate was preferred by 54% of consumers in a taste test with the same chocolate containing sugar, which was preferred by 34% of the consumers. SweetPearl maltitol sweetener can be used in most processes without alterations and was discussed alongside Roquette’s other ingredients such as Nutralys pea protein, Nutriose soluble fibre, and new chlorella microalgae, which is naturally rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and green pigment such as chlorophyll and lutein. www.roquette.com

INGREDIENTS

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Super low fat margarines

“Traditional methods of producing emulsions use brute force to get the two fluids to mingle until one of them is dispersed through the other in the form of miniscule droplets,” said Mr Van Dijke. “But this costs a lot of energy and the result is by no means always optimal.” In his studies, Mr Van Dijke used computer simulations and high-speed cameras to understand the process of forming emulsions, and work out

Food & Beverage International February 2010

the effects of, for example, the viscosity of the fluids used on the droplet formation. Drawing on the insights he gained he developed a new system for emulsion formation and developed a process on a micro scale, that would let a very thin film of oil run into water. “As the oil enters the water, droplets form at a rate of two thousand per second, and mix with the water,” said Mr Van Dijke who explained that the emulsions obtained in this way are more homogenous than those obtained with standard techniques and require less energy. In addition, it is also possible to make double emulsions using this technique, with a water-

Super low fat margarine may be possible following the conclusion of research by Koen van Dijke at the Food Process Engineering Group at Wageningen University who has developed a novel method of forming emulsions.

Research at Wageningen University has identified a new low energy technique for producing high quality emulsions in-oil emulsion being added to a watery fluid. The oil droplets in this emulsion consist mainly of water, which offers new possibilities for making superlow-fat margarine that tastes the same as full fat, according to Wageningen University.

“Research shows that the taste of mayonnaise is largely determined by the size and the quantity of the drops,” said Mr Van Dijke. “If you fill the oil drops with water, you still get the same taste.” www.resource.wur.nl

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PACKAGING

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Air drying improves label quality Herres Grupps, based in Trier, Germany has invested in extensive drying equipment from Sonic Air Systems to solve the problems caused by moisture gathering on glass bottles that prevented adequate label adhesion.

To solve the problem, Herres

remove 98% of visible moisture

Grupps contacted Florin, the

at 2°C from the neck and sides of a range of smooth round Champagne bottles travelling in a single file on a conveyor moving at 18,000 bottles per hour.

At its 160,000m2 plant, the company has three bottling lines operating at speeds of 18,000 to 28,000 bottles per hour to produce sparkling wines, fruit-based products, cocktails and premixes. The introduction of new self-adhesive labels, however, meant that moisture

humidity (the filling temperature

on the bottles caused labels to be crooked due to inadequate adhesion and water droplets causing unsightly puckering under the label.

European distributor of Sonic Air Systems. “With their self-adhesive labeller, Herres Grupps was having problems with condensation on the bottles depending on the was 15°C) and on the season,” said Sandra Marquardt of Florin, who suggested a Sonic Variable Temperature drying system as the solution. Herres Grupps invested in a complete Sonic system designed to produce an air knife speed of 9,250 metres per minute, with an approximate air temperature rise of 25°C above ambient. The air system was designed to

Sausages launched in plastic ‘cans’ The first commercial product to be packed in PermaSafe packaging from Weidenhammer Plastic Packaging has been introduced onto the market. Muller’s Hausmacher Wurst will be selling its Heidverführung sausage, which is aimed at the younger consumer, in Weidenhammer’s new 150g plastic alternative to cans and glass jars, which has been developed for sterilised and pasteurised food products. “The biggest challenge in the development of the new packaging was to ensure the sealing properties and to retain the label brilliance in combination with the sterilisation process,” said Andreas Rothschink, sales director, Weidenhammer Plastic Packaging. “Tests have demonstrated that PermaSafe

Food & Beverage International February 2010

Muller’s Hausmacher Wurst’s Heideverfürung, home-style sausage is the first product to be launched in Weidenhammer Plastic Packaging’s new PermaSafe sterilisable and pasteurisable plastic packaging

is extremely airtight and capable of ensuring the shelf life of packed foods for a minimum of 12 months.” PermaSafe is resealable, suitable for microwave ovens, and ideal for foods packed in single portions. It has been shown to be equivalent to the conventional glass packaging. www.weidenhammer.de

A patented Sonic Variable Temperature Centrifugal Blower with an 18.5kW motor was paired with two Sonic XE Air knives, which were stationed within 10mm of the bottles for initial drying and within 1m of the labeller to guarantee complete label adhesion. Three systems were purchased: one for small bottles (20cl and 27.5cl); and the other two for 75cl bottles. “With the drying system, the quality of the product has

Sonic Air Systems has installed a drying system for champagne bottles to solve label problems caused by moisture at the Herres Grupps plant increased,” said Martin Pelle, purchasing manager for quality management, Herres Grupps, where the high velocity air now removed all excess moisture from the bottles. www.sonicairsystems.com

Shakes select aluminium bottles Ball Corporation’s recloseable, lightweight, 16oz Alumi-Tek aluminium bottles have been selected by ABB of Illinois, US, for its Pure Pro 50 ready to drink shakes. “The resealable Alumi-Tek aluminium bottle is a sports nutrition industry first,” said Alan Yengoyan, general manager, Growth Initiatives, ABB. “It distinguishes Pure Pro 50 from the pack and represents an incredible convenience to hardtraining athletes and ‘weekend warriors’ who will appreciate the way the aluminium container keeps this performance beverage cool while giving them the option to re-cap it and save some highquality protein for later.” According to ABB, Pure Pro 50 provides 50g of protein from milk and whey and is formulated for bodybuilders looking to move up to a heavier weight class, athletes

Pure Pro 50 from ABB in Illinois is the first sports nutrition beverage to be packed in the AlumiTek bottle from Ball Corporation who typically burn a lot of calories when training or competing and individuals who need help hitting their daily protein target. The shakes, which come in five flavours, are the first sports nutrition beverage to be packaged in the Alumi-Tek bottle, which has the same high quality graphics found on cans and is decorated with the same printing process. www.ball.com

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PACKAGING

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Syrups launch in aluminium bottles Systeme U, the French retailer, has introduced a new range of fruit syrups produced by Teisseire and packed in Boxal high definition aluminium bottles. The Saveurs Gourmandes premium range of syrups comes in six flavours: raspberry, mango, pear, peach, caramel and violet in 33cl bottles with flip-top lids. They feature a silver offset background with high definition, six-colour pictures of the ingredients for optimum shelf impact. Boxal’s aluminium bottles provide 170 dpi printing for great sharpness, stronger colour contrasts and improved contours. www.boxal.com

Ishida has installed a completely automated line for minced meat packing at Embutidos F Martinez RSA in Spain

Automates minced meat packing Boxal’s aluminium bottles have been selected by Systeme U for its new range of fruit syrups

Label adhesives resist condensation Beneo Bio Based Chemicals - formerly known as Remy - has developed two new bottle labelling adhesives, which provide exceptional ice water and condensation water resistance. Multicollac TW51 is a casein-based adhesive, which exceeds the 14 days required for the increasingly important ice water resistance test for beer bottles to be exported to the US, South Africa and other hot countries where it is common to serve bottled beer and lager in ice buckets. It can be applied at

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speeds of up to 60,000 bottles per hour. Multicollac TW02 has been developed to give the highest levels of condensation water resistance, which means that labels can be applied to wet bottles at speeds of up to 60,000 bottles per hour without them moving or becoming detached during the bottling process. This adhesive requires a very low coat weight of as little as 10g per m2. www.beneobbc.com Beneo Bio Based Chemicals’ two new adhesives offer exceptional ice water and condensation water resistance

Ishida Europe has designed and installed three complete packing lines for leading Spanish meat producer Embutidos F Martinez RSA, which has effectively eliminated any human handling from its minced meat packing operations. From insertion of the meat into trays to the placing of the sealed trays into palletready cases, the lines operate automatically at a total capacity of over 72,000kg of packed product per shift. The product is all destined for the national retailer, Mercadona. Extruded minced meat is automatically cut and checkweighed, and correct portions are fed to the tray loading point. An Ishida tray denester, which can run in excess of 120 trays per minute, separates trays and places them on the belt in a single lane. The denester tray reservoir allows stacking of nested trays to extend right up to the floor above, where topping up is automatically cued by a sensor. The trays then travel to the loading point, where

the minced meat portions (usually either 400g or 1kg) are accurately dispensed into them. Several sensors positioned before the loading point ensure the tray and portion is co-ordinated. The Ishida QX-1100 tray sealer is capable of speeds of up to 200 packs per minute and is fitted with a monitor at the machine’s infeed to check the length of any object passing by. If any incorrect length product such as a mis-positioned tray or foreign object is detected, the belt stops, allowing the operator to straighten the tray (or remove the foreign object) and restart the belt. Embutidos F Martinez RSA specified an output of 100 packs per minute for the 400g pack and 80 packs per minute for the 1kg packs, and these speeds have been achieved. “Much of the equipment is capable of considerably higher speeds,” said José Luis Temprado Pérez, plant manager, Embutidos F Martinez RSA. “The limiting factor is currently the rate at which the meat can be extruded.” www.ishidaeurope.com

© F&BI 2010. Reproduced with the kind permission of FoodBev Media - www.foodbev.com February 2010 www.foodbev.com For details about syndication and licensing please contact the marketing team on 01225 327890.

ENVIRONMENT

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Environmental effectiveness increases business effectiveness In addition to lower energy consumption, increasingly efficient processing and packaging solutions help manufacturers become more competitive - while reducing their environmental impact By Lars Lundahl, environmental manager, Tetra Pak

n today’s competitive marketplace, manufacturers are working hard to reduce their overall operating costs and optimise performance, while also trying to cope with the unstable cost of utilities and raw materials and rising waste disposal fees. At the same time, many companies have set ambitious sustainability targets, as concerns about climate change continue to mount worldwide. Tetra Pak has developed several innovative solutions to help companies respond to these challenges using Design for Environment (DfE) - the practice of integrating environmental aspects into product design and development. Used in the development of Tetra Pak’s processing and packaging solutions, DfE is incorporated into the design of the components, modules, complete production lines and plants to minimise product losses and the use of water, energy and detergents. For example, drawing on DfE, the new Tetra Lactenso Aseptic solutions for UHT milk production are setting new performance standards through: • Reducing product losses by 40% compared to current industry standards. This equates to less than 60 litres of lost product per production cycle for a 13,000 litre per hour system - compared to more than 100 litres of lost product generated by other equipment on the market, according to Tetra Pak’s figures.

Tetra Therm Aseptic Flex and the Tetra Therm Aseptic VTIS greatly reduce product losses as a result of a double balance tank system, which uses one balance tank for product and the other for water & Cleaning In Place (CIP) solution. As the mixing phases of product and water are kept to a minimum, there is less product loss. • Cutting chemical use by up to 20% and maximising uptime, using Tetra Pak’s new IntelliCIP production-adapted cleaning system. IntelliCIP is a cleaning programme and methodology that adjusts cleaning sequences to match the exact time and inputs required. This improves overall environmental performance while also reducing operating costs. • Decreasing steam, water & electricity consumption by 75%. This is done through Aseptic Energy Hibernation when the UHT system is in ‘water standby mode’ - while waiting for the filler to become available. • Providing up to 95% production availability - based on the longest running times on the market. For example, Tetra Therm Aseptic Flex, the branded processing unit for indirect UHT treatment, offers up to 40 hours of running time between cleanings.

Tetra Pak’s new Tetra Lactoenso Aseptic solution has had a huge impact on operating costs at the Faragalla Group

Food & Beverage International February 2010

“Tetra Lactenso Aseptic has had a huge impact on reducing operating costs in my plant, as it increased availability by up to 95% through more efficient technology,” said Farag Amer, CEO and chairman of Faragalla Group, the first dairy company worldwide to install Tetra Lactenso Aseptic. “The system reduced our use of CIP detergent by up to 20%; minimised energy consumption due to a high degree of energy recovery; and finally, reduced product losses by less than 100 litres at a production rate of 12,000 litres per hour.” DfE has also been used to enhance the benefits offered by Tetra Pak’s packaging solutions. For example, Tetra Pak iLine solutions enable companies to run their operations with greater environmental efficiency, by reducing waste, as well as water and energy consumption. On average, these new Tetra Pak filling solutions save approximately 10% more water than previous carton lines and about eight times more water than a typical plastic packaging line. The robust and operationally efficient Tetra Pak iLine solutions enable companies to increase their capacity and reduce operational costs by up to 40%, depending on the configuration. Package choice also has an important impact on the environment and Tetra Pak’s ambient packages have a comparably small environmental footprint across their entire life cycle - starting with the fact that they are made primarily from carton board, a renewable resource. They are also lightweight, which provides supply chain and transportation fuel efficiencies, and they are recyclable.

www.tetrapak.com

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PROCESSING

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Beverages opt for dry lubrication Both Halewood International, the UK’s independent drinks manufacturer, and Highland Spring, the bottled water specialist, have independently chosen Dry Lube’s water-free conveyor lubrication systems for their processing plants. Extending its existing contract by three years, Highland Spring first installed Dry Lube’s dry lubrication system in 2004 at its bottling plant in Blackford, Perthshire where it ensures the smooth running of the company’s mixed PET and glass, stainless steel line.

The dry lubrication technology has removed the need for water and soap lubrication resulting in a cleaner and drier working environment with reduced risk of slips, trips or falls by personnel. Millions of gallons of water per year have also been saved at the plant as a result of the previous five year Dry Lube contract; and significant operating efficiencies have been achieved as a result of the improved control of the friction between the bottles and the conveyors, according to Highland Spring. The system has also removed the need to

dispose of detergents and other dirty waters associated with wet lubrication. Halewood International, which produces Lambrini, Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer and Red Square Vodka, has selected the Dry Lube technology following a six month trial at its Liverpool bottling plant. “With the aid of Dry Lube, we have been able to establish a cleaner, safer and greener method of lubrication for our bottling lines, further contributing to Halewood’s

Halewood International and Highland Spring are benefiting from the use of Dry Lube technology for their bottling lines impact it has already had on the business, with little change to our existing hygiene regimes.” The Dry Lube technology is also said to have improved the secondary packaging quality and ensured more reliable production at Halewood. www.drylube.co.uk

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

Source: Fotolia

commitment to its staff and the environment,” said Gary Coles, engineering manager, Halewood International. “We have been impressed by the installation of the system and the positive

Klüber Lubrication now offers Halal certified H1 lubricants for applications in the food-processing industry

Halal lubricants Klüber Lubrication has successfully completed the Halal certification of 117 of its Klüber H1 lubricants, which creates the largest portfolio of ISO 21469-certified lubricants that are also compliant with Islamic food law. The range includes greases, oils, pastes, waxes and bonded coating for various applications in the food and beverage industry, such as lubrication for bearings, chains, gears, compressors, conveyors and pneumatic components, as well as products for specialised applications such as high

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temperature lubrication or dry lubrication in conveyors. Islamic food law has a number of complex requirements that are not included in the NSF H1 registration requirements for lubricants to be used in the food industry. These include the absence of alcohols, which can be used in lubricants as additives, for example. The Halal certification involved a comprehensive audit and inspection of Klüber’s production facilities as well as a review of the lubricant formulations. www.klueber.com

PROCESSING

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Dry lubrication wins beverage innovation award At Drinktec, the winner of the Beverage Innovation Award in the Best Environmental Initiative category was Thonhauser for its TM Smart Track Technology for bottling lines, which replaces conventional wet chain lubrication with a dry belt lubrication system that uses 98% fewer chemicals and reduces water usage by 100%. An average sized bottling plant requires around 10,000 litres of conventional soap-based lubricants per year to keep its bottles moving on conveyor belts while the TM Smart Track needs just 150 litres for the same task, according to Thonhauser, which also claims that the system is 100 times more accurate than any other dry lube system on the market. Based on a pH-neutral and fully synthetic chain lubricant designed for use on plastic chains for the transportation of a wide range of food and beverage products, the TM Smart Track applies a uniform lubrication-film, which guarantees low friction on the line. “To dose such small quantities of liquid in a highly precise way

we have developed a unique technology (which allows precise adjustment of the dosing for each specific chain to be lubricated),” said Marcus Mautner Markhof, managing partner of Thonhauser. “Customers benefit not only from the reduction of waste water in their plants, but also the reliability of our technology.” Coca-Cola HBC Austria Ltd (CCHBC/Vienna) has recently evaluated the performance of the TM Smart Track on its bottling plant in Vienna. Tests were carried out to assess to what extent different variants of the conveyor belt lubrication used on CCHBC/Vienna’s glass line had on the hygienic status of the bottling area and on the transporters in particular. The results showed that dry belt lubrication yields significantly better results, and the prevailing dry environment also helped to prevent the growth of germs and therefore improved the hygienic status of the bottling line. “In addition to the significant economic aspects and sound technical solution, dry belt

Thonhauser’s TM Smart Track dry lubrication technology has been successfully tested at Coca-Cola HBC Austria Ltd lubrication is to be preferred,” said Michael Höbinger, engineering & supply chain service manager, CCHBC/Vienna. “This is also the case from a microbiological point of view.” Testing began when the stainless steel conveyors for CCHBC/ Vienna’s glass line needed renewing and were replaced by Acetal belts by Rexnord. Part of the plant (before and after the section from the bottle washer to the filler) was equipped with an automatic TM Smart Track

dosing system. The area after the filler, up to the wrapper, is still operated with traditional wet belt lubrication. Results highlighted that there was virtually no growth of micro-organisms detected in the samples of the dry belt lubrication areas, but a critical biofilm and some yeast cells were detected between the links and the belts in the wet belt lubrication area. www.tiny.cc/hJ19W; www.thonhauser.net

Antimicrobial properties for lubricants Petro-Canada’s Purity FG with Microl is a new generation of lubricants featuring the first NSF-registered H1 lubricant with EPA-registered antimicrobial preservative protection, Microl, which was developed to inhibit the growth of microbes in the lubricant. Purity FG with Microl is available as a

Food & Beverage International February 2010

grease, hydraulic or gear fluid and is the first food grade lubricant on the market that is fully compliant with both the US FDA and EPA regulatory requirements, according to Petro-Canada. The full Purity FG range includes lubricants for compressors and vacuum pumps, hydraulic fluids and light transmission lubricants, high-performance transmission lubricants, white oils, trolley fluid, multi-function aerosols, greases, light and heavy chain lubricants as well as heat carrier oils.

All of the Purity FG products conform to the requirements of the NSF H1, are certified for use in kosher and halal food processing; provide long-lasting protection against rust and have high levels of resistance to air, water and the auxiliary products found in the food industry.

and antimicrobial protection. The company stressed that

According to Petro-Canada, food manufacturers should always

approved food grade packaging

assess the right food grade lubricant for specific applications taking into consideration the lubricant’s key performance features such as fluid life, wear protection, temperature range

there are incremental costs involved in manufacturing food grade lubricants including the use of only USFDA approved ingredients, handling and packaging in a white room environment and the use of materials; and some high grade food grade lubricants, like Purity FG, give greater protection and lower overall maintenance costs than standard, non-food grade lubricants. www.petro-canada.ca

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SHOW PREVIEW

Food industry

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congregates in Birmingham Representatives from many of the key players throughout the food and beverage supply chain, from the UK and beyond, will make their way to Birmingham from March 21 to 24 as eight shows take place at the NEC exhibition centre

ver 1,100 exhibitors will be demonstrating solutions for every aspect of food production and distribution, as well as showcasing a wealth of new food and drink product ideas in March. Eight shows will be held concurrently in halls one to five of the NEC exhibition grounds: Foodex, Baking Industry Exhibition, the new food & Drink Logistics Show and Food & Drink Expo, as well as the Convenience Retailing Show, Café, Off Licence Show and International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show. Covering the gamut of the food supply chain, the exhibition will bring innovations, technology and solutions for all sectors. Foodex, previously known as Foodex Meatex, has been rebranded to communicate the broad appeal of the show, which includes processing technology, packaging and ingredients for meat and poultry, fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables, drinks, confectionery, cereals, organics and ready meals. Over 220 stands, featuring 80 first time exhibitors, have been taken by companies serving all sectors. Food Processing Faraday will be taking the opportunity to demonstrate to visitors its Innovation Portfolio Management (IPM) service designed to help companies in the food supply chain identify the most important technologies of the future. The IPM seeks to ensure that capitalising on technological developments is not a one off event, but a driving force behind all business strategy, according to the Faraday, which is offering a 10% discount to any company taking up the IPM service at Foodex. Fortress Technology will be highlighting its extensive range of Phantom metal

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detectors for the food industry, including the Vector Integrated Conveyor System, which has been enhanced to meet the highest standards set by retailers. Purpose built to integrate with standard rectangular aperture metal detectors, the Vector Conveyor System offers reliable performance even in the harshest production environments. Demonstrating the latest ingredients at Foodex will be companies such as Ulrick & Short, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary and showcasing its latest clean label innovations; and Witwood Meat Ingredients, which will demonstrate its new range of meat glazes, plus rusk, bread rusk and stuffing mixes for meat processors and butchers. Domino UK will be highlighting its Domino V Series range of reliable high quality thermal transfer coders that can produce codes on flexible packaging used in high volume packaging applications using form, fill & seal machines. The V Series features a patented ribbon system that allows up to 60% savings in ribbon usage per print; and a ribbon roll that is 40% longer than other systems, which helps to reduce downtime. Taking place for the first time, the Food & Drink Logistics Show brings together the latest developments in food and beverage supply chain management - an area of the business that currently represents around 10% of a food or drink company’s total spend. Among other exhibitors, Savoye, the international provider of logistics systems and software will highlight its range of solutions including automation, warehouse management systems, and sorting, picking & packaging operations. Craemer will unveil its plastic pallet range - the TC, Totally closed

A record eight exhibitions will be taking place alongside the newly named Foodex exhibition this year at the NEC in Birmingham hygienic plastic pallet and the new cost effective, lightweight D plastic pallet; and Barloworld will demonstrate its new Hyster J1.6XN energy-efficient, electric forklift truck. Alongside these solutions for food & beverage manufacturers, the latest finished food and beverage products will be exhibited at the Food & Drink Expo show where more than 600 suppliers will be taking part. With all this and more happening in one venue, the four days of the show are likely to be some of the busiest in the food and beverage industry’s calendar this year. www.foodex.co.uk; www.ulrickandshort.com; www.domino-printing.com; www.fortresstechnology.co.uk; www.fpfaraday.com; www.witwoods.com; www.craemer.co.uk; www.barlow.co.uk; www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk; www.fdlogisticsshow.co.uk; www.savoyelogistics.com

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

FOOD SAFETY

Safety and analysis Click here to subscribe

Disinfectant fogs for bottles A disinfectant fog that is sprayed directly around the mouths and closures of bottles to protect the product from air-borne contamination is the basis of Indag’s new system for improving the hygiene of the filling area. Serac has perfected the use of H2O2 decontamination for packaging of a wide range of fresh products

Breakthrough in H2O2 decontamination

Serac Group has worked with the Product Technology Centre of the Nestlé Group, in Switzerland, to develop the use of hydrogen peroxide vapour sterilisation technology for packaging ensures the concentration of H2O2 and the uniformity of treatment of each package.

peroxide remain confined within the vapouriser, the system is also easy to clean.

Using a solution where hot air and H2O2 are mixed in a single point in a patented vapouriser ensures the uniformity of treatment in all containers and better control of the decontamination parameters, according to Serac. The newly developed H2O2 process uses very small amounts of H2O2 and consumes no water. As any dried residues generated during the evaporation of hydrogen

Recently used on milk bottles

Food & Beverage International February 2010

A control system monitors

Applied continuously, the disinfectant fog exclusively disinfects the immediate area around the bottle mouths and cap openings where the product is exposed directly to the atmosphere. Special nozzles arranged above the open bottles and closures produce the fog and continue spraying throughout production. According to Indag, depending on the type of product being

Indag’s disinfectant fog technique sterilises bottle mouths and caps during the filling process filled, the amount of preservatives used in the formulation can be reduced dramatically or eliminated altogether when using its disinfectant fog technique. www.indag.com

all the parameters of the decontamination process and stops the machine when a parameter is outside the tolerance limits set.

and on cold-filled sauces particularly sensitive to molds, the H2O2 decontamination system can also be used for the treatment of aluminium and plastic caps. Serac’s Nova packaging machines for fresh products and desserts in preformed cups are now equipped with this new development. www.serac.fr

Crisis Plan Toolkit offer RQA Europe has launched a new on-line toolkit to help food and beverage manufacturers prepare their own product recall action plan, which will conform to the British Retail Consortium, IFS and current best practices. Especially valuable to smaller companies with limited resources to prepare for a full-scale recall, the toolkit guides users, step-by-step, through the necessary stages of designing and implementing an effective recall strategy. It is

also useful for larger companies which can benchmark their own plans against a plan that conforms to the highest industry standards, according to RQA. RQA is offering readers a 20% discount offer on the £400 (€457) crisis plan toolkit. Contact: contact@rqa-europe.com or Tel: +44 (0)118 935 72 42 mentioning Food & Beverage International. www.crisisplantoolkit.com; www.rqa-europe.com

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FOOD SAFETY

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Pulsed light decontamination extended Commercially effective disinfection of closures, packaging materials and sugar syrups is now possible using pulsed light technology from Claranor. The system uses both visible and ultra violet light to give log reductions of three to the five after just one flash, and total reduction after two flashes. “Nestlé Waters has several machines installed throughout the world for closures disinfection for its Nestlé Pure Life water brand. The system can also be used for extended shelf life dairy or fresh juices, with a shelf life of six to 10 weeks. We are now qualifying its use on sugar syrups for sweet yoghurts,” said Christophe Riedel, marketing & sales manager, Claranor. “The system is simple to retrofit just before the filling

Claranor is perfecting the use of its pulsed light decontamination technology for use on sugar syrups, as well as caps and beverages nozzles, and can kill heat resistant organisms that could lie dormant for some time.” Microbial disinfection of greater than 3 logarithms is possible for sucrose and glucose syrups, according to Claranor’s studies; and there is no effect on the colour of the sugar syrups. www.claranor.com

Sterilises bottles with electron beams For sterilising the interior surfaces of bottle shaped packaging, Advanced Electron Beams (AEB) has developed its new e25ITB electron beam emitter, which provides options for a new class of aseptic and extended shelf life treatments. The surfaces of the packaging material are sterilised at high speeds with a stream of energetic electrons - at room temperature. As no chemicals are used, the system avoids the problems of rinsing or drying the material and there is no risk of residual chemical sterilants contaminating the packaged products. The room temperature treatment means that lighter packaging materials can also be used, and its small footprint makes the e25ITB a very environmentally-friendly option

AEB’s e25ITB electron beam emitter allows aseptic filling of bottles using less energy for sterilisation, according to AEB. The compact e25ITB emitter can be easily integrated into standard rotary or linear filling equipment and standard bottles are sterilised in two to four seconds. www.aeb.com

Ozonated water treats fresh produce The Radical Water System has been shown to be effective in treating fresh produce for Salmonella, listeria and E Coli with ozonated water, following tests carried out by the independent research organisation Campden BRI. Using naturally-occurring biocides, generated by advanced oxidation technology, ozonated water can be used to treat fresh produce and reduces the load of harmful micro-organisms. The Radical

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Water System can therefore be used effectively to increase the shelf-life of fresh produce and reduce its spoilage in the supply chain. The ozonated water is safe to handle, leaves no taints or residues and breaks down after use into water and oxygen. “The Radical Water System is not only extremely effective in providing a long-term guard against unwanted microorganisms, it does so in a way that keeps costs down whilst at the same time being safe and environmentally-friendly,” said Mark Fielding, director of Radical. “This is a very encouraging set of results and demonstrates the potential of this technology in helping fresh fruit and vegetable

processors protect their produce from potentially dangerous contaminants while avoiding the use of chemically-based sprays.” Radical has also recently launched its Cleaning in Place (CIP) system for sanitising beverage, dairy, water and soft drinks plant pipe work, fillers, tanks and related equipment. The automated ozone CIP system has been shown to be more effective than existing chemical cleaning processes such as paracetic acid, according to Radical, which has already installed a system at one major beverage manufacturer in the UK and is currently conducting factory trials with others. www.radical.gb.com

The Radical Water System from Radical uses ozonated water to reduce the level of microorganisms on fresh produce; and can be used effectively for CIP systems in beverage, dairy and soft drink plants

February 2010 www.foodbev.com

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING © F&BI 2010. Reproduced with the kind permission of FoodBev Media - www.foodbev.com For details about syndication and licensing please contact the marketing team on 01225 327890.

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Products and services Reach thousands of decision makers in the food and beverage industry worldwide by advertising in the Food & Beverage International marketplace. To book your advertisement or to discuss other options, contact: Jesús Luna-López on +44 (0)1225 327862, or jesus.lunalopez@foodbev.com

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