June 2010 | Food & Beverage International by FoodBev Media Ltd

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Focus on South Africa Innovation Texture Automation Vitafoods review Special supplement: Top tips for productivity

Technology update: Packaging Processing Ingredients

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June 2010

JUNE 2010 CONTENTS

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Features 5 Editorial

18 South Africa:

The successful commercialisation of innovative ideas is greatly influenced by a company’s organisation and business structure

14 Innovations

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

The latest yoghurts & desserts to have been seen on supermarket shelves around the world

10 CIAA report The CIAA’s report ‘Promoting balanced diets and healthy lifestyles - Europe’s food and drink industry in action’ includes case studies demonstrating the progress made by manufacturers in delivering on commitments pledged under the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAH)

11 Industry news Unilever tops the value rating for sustainability

12 Industry news

- special report

22 Innovation: Three Pillars for Success SIT, the global innovation consultancy, highlights some of the pitfalls and opportunities for companies pursuing a successful innovation culture and suggests a model for implementing one

16 Dairy

26 Taking time for texture

Innovation Awards

The complexity of today’s food product formulations has put increased pressure on development teams to find the right texture solution

The inaugural dairy innovation awards programme attracted over 170 entries from 29 countries in 12 categories - a report on some of the winners

Special supplement: Top tips for productivity

The Global Harmonization Initiative will introduce several new consensus-building resources at the IUFoST Congress of Food Science & Technology in South Africa in August

36 The challenge of productivity Improvements in productivity are closely linked to production management and innovations in technology development. SIK, The Swedish Institute for Food & Biotechnology, highlights the latest developments

38 ABB

Technology updates

Boosting productivity with the help of variable speed drives

28 Ingredients

40 Arkema

New developments in chocolate & confectionery, fats & oils are bringing innovation to many product areas

The benefits of replacing phosphoric acids

29 Vitafoods news

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42 Boyer Manlids with optimum performance

44 Toyota Material

Handling Europe

Productivity - the Holy Grail

46 Productivity update © Barry Callebaut

Visitor levels were up by 5% on 2009 at this year’s Vitafoods exhibition held in Geneva in May

With a tumultuous history and a land rich with exotic raw materials, South Africa is developing apace and its food industry holds diverse promise for all sectors

Cover images: © Melodi2; Robert Sholl; Egorov2204; Mark Hryciw; Izaokas Sapiro | Dreamstime.com

8 Events

the Rainbow Nation

Operational cost reduction for dairy and juice manufacturers; automated end-of-line packaging; robotics; and streamlined packaging operations bring benefits to companies seeking to improve productivity

June 2010 www.foodbev.com

EDITORIAL

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Organising to be open to innovation

nnovation is the commercialisation of an innovative idea and having this happen very much relies on the organisation of a company, according to recent research by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark; the University of Manchester, UK; and the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. The study on Innovation & Integration in the Agri-food industry in Denmark identified vertical integration as well as contractual arrangements as significant in bringing successful products to market. ‘The larger the number of firms that a manufacturer deals with, the larger the number of new products the company tends to introduce,’ according to the research. ‘This indicates that network linkages may have positive effects on the introduction of new products, since the number of new products introduced increases with the number of firms that the company buys from, or sells to. One interpretation is that companies who sell to a large number of firms may have to differentiate their product in order to cater to each customer’s needs.’ Within a company, clearly reporting and internal structure are key to supporting innovative activities, as is also outlined in this issue’s article from SIT on page 22. “Innovation is a part of what we do; whether you’re in marketing, consumer insights, R&D, or any other department, for that matter, you’re expected to be part of the innovation process,” said James Andrade, vice president of research & development for Kraft Foods Asia-Pacific.

vegetables and tasty sauce in a flatbread dough that features real grill marks and a bakery-fresh taste,” said Bob Babich, manager of market development for GPI. “However, some people like their flatbread crispier and some like it softer, so we let them cook it just right, simply based on how they position the product and the package in the microwave.” Susceptor technology eliminates hot and cold spots, and allows products to be crisped and browned in a microwave in a similar way to a traditional oven. “As we make susceptor technology sophisticated - combining it with improvements in paperboard design, forming and laminating

Within a company, clearly reporting and internal structure are key to supporting innovative activities Taking a holistic approach can be coupled with an ‘open innovation’ strategy - working with outside organisations to optimise internal potential. Heinz has been working with Graphic Packaging International (GPI) on innovation, which has resulted in an award-winning solution for packaging its Smart Ones brand of Grilled Flatbread. Focus Inset Susceptor Technology from GPI allows the flatbreads to be enjoyed crispy or soft. “These healthy flatbread sandwiches wrap together rich strips of meat, fire-roasted

- we can expect to dramatically re-think and re-shape all types of food packaging, whether it’s boxes, cartons, trays or sleeves,” said Mr Babich. Working with innovative companies and using the latest technologies will always optimise a company’s potential to bring products to market effectively - and, being open to receive these new ideas and develop them both up and downstream of the organisation is likely to reap the greatest rewards over time.

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

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Dr Michael Knowles

Karin Östergren

Dr Philip Richardson

Vice president, Global Scientific &

PhD, Project Leader & Scientifically

Head of Food Manufacturing

Regulatory Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company

responsible within the Sustainable Food

Technologies, Campden BRI

Production section, Swedish Institute Dr J André de Barros Teixeira

for Food Research, SIK

The Campbell Soup Company Mrs Helen Sisson

Catherine François Director, Food Safety Programmes,

Vice president, International R&D, Dr Sebastiano Poretta

(CIES - The Food Business Forum)

President, Italian Association of Food

The Consumer Goods Forum

Technology Mella Frewen

Group technical director, Greencore Group Dr Paul Berryman

Director General, Confederation of the

Huub L.M. Lelieveld

Chief executive,

Food and Drink Industries of the EU

President, Global Harmonization Initiative

Leatherhead Food Research

(CIAA)

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June 2010 www.foodbev.com

www.foodbev.com/food EDITORIAL 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 327 891 Group editorial director Bill Bruce bill.bruce@foodbev.com

ADVERTISING Jesús Luna-López Sales executive Tel: +44 (0)1225 327 862 jesus.lunalopez@foodbev.com Anthony Rochman - Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal and Israel Tel: +44 (0)20 8880 8485 anthonyrochman@btinternet.com Carolyn Eychenne - France, Benelux Tel: +33 1 30 21 15 62 • Fax: +33 1 30 21 12 09 eychenne.carolyn@wanadoo.fr Colm Barry - Denmark Tel/Fax: +46 40 41 41 78 colm.barry@telia.com Michelle White - UK, US, Canada Tel: +44 (0)1883 734 793 whitemm@btopenworld.com

PRODUCTION Production manager Jane Harris jane.harris@foodbev.com Please send advertising materials to: FoodBev Media Ltd, 7 Kingsmead Square, Bath, BA1 2AB, UK Electronic files should be sent to jane.harris@foodbev.com Printed in the UK by Holbrooks Printers Ltd ISSN 1479-0823

June 2010. Volume 9, Issue 3 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 June

June 23-25 The Global Summit of the World Food Business Forum, ‘Winning in a Consumer-led Future’, London, UK. Details from The Consumer Goods Forum, 7 rue de Madrid, 75008 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 44 69 84 91 / 99 38; Fax: +33 1 44 69 99 39. www.tcgfsummit.com June 30-July 2 Food Factory of the Future, conference bringing together industry and academia and emphasising important challenges that the food sector will meet in the future to satisfy consumer preference, acceptance and needs and to accomplish sustainable development. Topics: Sustainable Food Production; Smart Process Control & Automation; Processing for Tailored Quality; and Controlling Micro-organisms, Gothenburg, Sweden. A free ‘matchmaking’ event will be held alongside the Food Factory of the Future Congress, in co-operation with the Network of Excellence Hightech Europe; the Enterprise Europe Network Partners SIK and NRW and will provide opportunities for participants to find technology solutions and research partners for innovative food projects. Details from Ms K Ostergren, SIK - the Swedish Institute for Food & Biotechnology/Sustainable Food Production, Ideon, SE 223 70 Lund, Sweden. Tel: +46 10 516 66 00; Fax: +46 46 18 87 65. www.sik.se. www.food-factory.se For details of the ‘matchmaking’ event contact: Ms Susanne Ekstedt. Tel: +46 10 516 66 53.

July July 1 Food Enzyme Developments, seminar, Chipping Campden, UK. Details from Daphne Llewellyn Davies, Campden BRI, Station Road,

Food & Beverage International June 2010

Click here to subscribe Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6LD, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1386 842 040; Fax: +44 (0) 1386 842 100. www.campden.co.uk July 5-7 International Conference on Food Oral Processing, Physics, Physiology and Psychology of Eating, Leeds, UK. Details from Food Oral Processing, The School of Food Science & Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. Tel: + 44 (0)113 343 2958; Fax: +44 (0)113 343 2982. www.food.leeds.ac.uk/fop July 7-8 International Food Microbiology conference, 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 July 8-9 AgriGenomics World Congress, covering both plant and animal genomics, Brussels, Belgium. Details from Select Biosciences Ltd, Woodview, Bull Lane, Sudbury CO10 0FD, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1787 315 110; Fax: +44 (0)1787 315 111. www.selectbiosciences.com July 14-16 ProPak China, processing & packaging technology exhibition, Shanghai, China. Details from Overseas Exhibition Services, 12/F, Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SP, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7840 2108; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7840 2111. www.propakchina.com

August August 22-26 World Congress of Food Science & Technology under the auspices of the International Union of Food Science & Technology (IUFoST), conference and exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa (see p18-20) plays host to the 15th World Congress of

IUFoST this year. Speakers such as Dr Nina Federoof, science & technology advisor to the US Secretary of State; Professor Gebisa Ejecta, recipient of the 2009 World Food Prize; and keynote speaker, Sir David King, chief scientific advisor to the UK Government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have been invited and more than 1,300 abstracts have been received for this year’s event. Details from IUFoST Secretariat, PO Box 61021, No. 19, 511 Maple Grove Drive, Oakville, Ontario, Canada L6J 6X0. Tel: +1 905 815 1926; Fax: +1 905 815 1574. www.iufost2010.org.za

September September 5-8 European Conference on Sensory & Consumer Research A sense of quality, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Details from Claire Norris, European conference on Sensory & Consumer Research, Carlettdene, Church Hall, Midgham, Berkshire RG7 5UQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 118 971 3710. www.eurosense.elsevier.com eurosense@elsevier.com September 7-9 Australian Food Safety conference: Food Safety Regulation - From Red Tape to Real Value, Melbourne, Australia. Details from Ms Lydia Buchtmann, communication manager, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, PO Box 7186, Canberra BC, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61 2 6271 2620; Fax: +61 2 6271 2278. www.foodstandards.gov.au September 7-10 China Brew China Beverage, international brew and beverage processing technology & equipment exhibition for China in partnership with Drinktec, Europe’s leading fair for beverage and liquid food technology, Beijing, China. www.chinabrew-beverage.com September 12-15 InterMopro (dairy products),

InterCool (frozen food, ice cream, technology) and InterMeat (meat and processed meat) international trade fairs will be held jointly in Düsseldorf, Germany. Details from Messe Düsseldorf, Postbox 10 10 06, D-40001, Düsseldorf, Germany. Tel: +49 211 4560 998/999; Fax: +49 211 4560 8548. www.messe-duesseldorf.de September 13-15 International Dairy Show, packaging, processing and technology solutions exhibition for the dairy industry, Dallas, USA. Details from International Dairy Foods Association, 1250 H Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington CD 20005, USA. Tel: +1 202 737 4332; Fax: +1 202 331 7820. www.dairyshow.com September 14-16 Sustainable Packaging Forum & Expo will focus on sustainable packaging practices, business strategies, critical issues and key technologies from across the globe that support company growth while meeting today’s sustainability challenges, Arizona, USA. Details from Ms Karen Close, events manager, BNP Media/ Packaging Strategies, 600 Willowbrook Lane, Suite 610, West Chester, PA, USA 19382, USA. Tel: +1 610 935 2183; Fax: +1 610 436 6277. www.sustainablepackaging.org September 15-16 Intrafood, the first edition of the ingredients exhibition, and conference programme, for the food industry in the Benelux and Northern France, Kortrijk Xpo, Belgium. Details from Ms Isabelle Fruy, exhibition manager, Kortrijk Xpo, Doorniksesteenweg 216, BE 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium. Tel: +32 56 24 11 36; Fax: +32 56 20 44 33. www.kortrijkxpo.com

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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Industry increases commitment in the promotion of healthy lifestyles

gainst the backdrop of growing concerns today about the nature and extent of societal problems

such as obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases (cardiovascular disease, etc.), Europe’s food and drink manufacturers recognise that they have an important role to play in this area. To address this challenge, the European food and drink industry, via the CIAA, remains strongly committed to promoting healthier lifestyles among Europe’s citizens. This ranges from areas not only within core business activities, such as product development and innovation, extending to domains considered traditionally outside the scope of industry involvement. In doing so, companies today are placing responsible business practices at the very heart of their business models. To illustrate the extent to which this has taken shape, the CIAA has published its Second Edition brochure entitled, ‘Promoting balanced diets and healthy lifestyles - Europe’s food and drink industry in action’. The brochure includes a representative cross-section of case studies demonstrating the progress made by manufacturers in delivering on commitments pledged under the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAH)1. These actions provide a flavour of the range and depth of key initiatives in which the food industry is involved. Efforts to curb the obesity problem range from responsible marketing communications, the provision of food information to consumers, important advances in the field of product development and innovation, product choice and packaging size together with the promotion of physical activity and nutrition education. One of the most important ‘core’ business initiatives undertaken by CIAA members is to inform consumers ‘on pack’ about the nutritional content of foods. In addition to the increased volume of nutrition information for key nutrients provided per 100g/ml on the back of the pack, CIAA members are implementing the

Food & Beverage International June 2010

voluntary ‘Guideline Daily Amount’ or ‘GDA’ nutrition labelling scheme, which helps consumers better understand the nutritional content of different foods, equipping them to make more informed food choices in line with their dietary needs and lifestyle. Over the past three to four years, the GDA scheme has gained critical mass across Europe: at least a dozen major food and drink companies, many retailers and, increasingly, a host of SMEs are implementing the scheme making GDAs the most widely used voluntary nutrition labelling scheme ‘on pack’ for consumers across Europe today.2 Advances in the area of reformulation by the industry also feature among the highlights depicted in the brochure. One example involves the reduction of salt/ sodium in foods. Over the past five years, many CIAA member companies - large and small - have reduced the salt level in their products; this includes breakfast cereals, rice products and soups to name but a few - and, in some cases, the reduction has been by as much as 30%! Driven by consumer demand, such efforts have also been accelerated under the EU Platform. Similarly, we’ve seen key strides in the field of responsible marketing, such as the ‘EU Pledge’ programme. The EU Pledge embodies a common commitment by a group of Europe’s most influential food and drink companies, endorsed and supported by the World Federation of Advertisers. Its signatories are committed to: • No advertising of products to children under 12 years, except for products which fulfil specific nutrition criteria. • No communication related to products in primary schools, except where requested

by, or agreed with, the school administration for educational purposes. The EPODE project3 offers another prime example of a powerful initiative, which began in Northern France 20 years ago, and which has now spread across France, Belgium, Spain and Greece with the help of the EPODE European Network (EEN). Founded on community-wide initiatives, the project helps children to understand the implications of the many small food and exercise choices they make on a daily basis. The examples cited above illustrate just some of the highlights from the new brochure, drawing on actions delivered under EU Platform commitments (of which CIAA and its members account for over 40%); these activities provide a solid database of initiatives of which manufacturers can be proud and a solid basis on which the industry can continue to build. To read more about the CIAA and its members’ actions in this area, please visit: www.ciaa.eu/asp/documents/ brochures_form.asp?doc_id=72

ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/ life_style/nutrition/platform/platform_ en.htm 2 FLABEL (Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life) 1st Work Package research, April 2009, www.focusbiz.co.uk/webinars/flabel/wp1 3 Programme entitled, ‘Ensemble, Prévenons l’Obésité Des Enfants’ (Together, let’s prevent childhood obesity). www.epode.fr

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

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Unilever tops sustainability rating Unilever tops the Tomorrow’s Value Rating for Sustainability in the food & beverage sector, according to an evaluation of the 10 top food and beverage companies based on the Fortune Global 500. According to the Tomorrow’s Value rating, Unilever has demonstrated leadership by cofounding initiatives such as the Marine Stewardship Council and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, it was an early supporter of fairtrade, and started rolling

Acrylamide levels lower EFSA has published a summary of acrylamide levels in different types of food sampled in 2008, and highlighted ‘substitute coffee’ - beverages based on cereals such as barley or chicory - as having the highest average levels of acrylamide. Overall, reported acrylamide levels seemed to be lower in 2008 than 2007. However, this was not the case for all food groups and some, such as potato crisps, instant coffee and substitute coffee, had higher levels. This is the second in the series of three EFSA reports to cover 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively, which is designed to help the European Commission and EU Member States determine whether or not voluntary measures taken by the food industry have been successful. www.efsa.europe.eu

out nutritional labelling practices before most of its competitors. “Unilever’s sustainability strategy is based on stakeholder feedback, governed by the company’s senior leaders, and its performance on important variables such as carbon emissions and water usage has shown marked improvements over recent years,” said Thomas Krick, global manager of the Tomorrow’s Value Rating. “Most food and beverage companies are now very

aware of the major social and environmental issues that impact global food-chains and consequently their businesses. The main challenge for the future, however, still lies in the companies’ global supply chains.” The top 10 players fell into the following order within the Sustainability rating: Unilever, Nestlé, Danone, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, AB-InBev, Kraft, Heineken, Tyson, Kirin Holdings. www.tomorrowsvaluerating.com

Project to link eating and addiction A consortium of organisations including 13 teams from seven countries has been set-up under the EC’s Seventh Framework Programme to explore the neurobiology of addiction and eating behaviour. Co-ordinated by the Goeteborgs Universitet in Sweden, the NeuroFAST project will look at dietary components such as highly palatable foods and alcohol, some of which may have addictive properties, but also cultural and social pressures, and genetic influences.

It is designed to provide data in areas of psychology, epidemiology, human genetics related to eating disorders, human nutrition, eating and addictive behaviour disorders, endocrinology, and human brain imaging, together with studies of the basic mechanisms of eating behaviour and addiction. The €6 million EU project will link eating disorder research with obesity research, stress research and addiction research involving individual food components, and run until 2015. cordis.europa.eu

Americans’ view of food quality 65% of US consumers are concerned about the quality of the food they eat, a 17% decrease on 2008 levels, according to Deloitte’s 2010 Consumer Food Safety Survey. Nine out of 10 consumers believe that food-related recalls are on the rise, which is on par with Deloitte’s 2008 survey. When making food purchases, Americans are doing more hands-on research and reviewing labels carefully, another indication

that they are becoming more engaged in the process behind the foods they buy. Half of the respondents say the new countryof-origin labelling helps them to determine the fresh meat, fish, fruit or vegetables they purchase, and 45% said they would like to find out the country-of-origin on a website for all ingredients in packaged/bottled food products. 55% said they understood half or less of the ingredients on labels. www.deloitte.com

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In Brief The UK soft drinks market grew overall by 1.7% in 2009 - an increase over the past two years - according to figures in the British Soft Drinks Association’s 2010 UK Soft Drinks Report. Total soft drinks consumption was 14,140 million litres, or 229.1 litres per person, with a retail value of £13.224 billion. www.britishsoftdrinks.com BASF has agreed in principle with the private equity owners of Cognis on a takeover of the German maker of additives, says a Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) report. BASF and Cognis’ owners Permira and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners have agreed terms on the price and on the main conditions of the deal, FTD said. www.reuters.com Unilever Italy has put the for sale sign up outside its Findus frozen foods business, which has a turnover in excess of €450 million and a dedicated factory in Cisterna, Italy. www.unilever.com Animal welfare is Britain’s number one food concern with as many as four in 10 (40%) of consumers worried about this issue. Women show the greatest concern with almost half expressing concern compared to 34% of men. British origin, free from additives or preservatives make up the remaining top three food concerns, closely followed by the desire to have locally produced food, according to a survey by Mintel. www.mintel.com

June 2010 www.foodbev.com

NEWS

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GHI to Promote Science-based Food Safety Regulation at IUFoST Congress The Global Harmonization Initiative will offer a full slate of consensus-building workshops in Cape Town designed to foster scientific agreement on global food laws By Julie Larson Bricher, communications director, Global Harmonization Initiative

he Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI), a network of scientific organisations and individual scientists working together to promote harmonisation of global food safety regulations and legislation, will introduce several new consensus-building resources and opportunities to attendees of the International Union of Food Science & Technology (IUFoST) 15th World Congress of Food Science & Technology in Cape Town, South Africa, 22-26 August, 2010 (www.iufost2010.org.za). With the publication of its first book, the release of its first scientific consensus document pending, and the formation of new working groups and an ambassador programme, the GHI is making big strides in bringing together scientists to endorse a science-based global regulatory framework that will enhance the safety, availability and quality of the food supply worldwide.

are supported by IUFoST, EFFoST and

Founded in 2004 as a joint activity of the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) International Division and the European Federation of Food Science & Technology (EFFoST), the GHI is officially registered as a non-profit association, headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The group is supported by nearly two dozen international scientific organisations, academic research institutes and publishers, including IUFoST, the India Central Food Technological Research Institute, the International Association for Cereal Science & Technology, and the Korean Food Safety Institute.

Eat (RTE) Meals; High-Pressure Sterilisation;

GHI furthers the opportunity for collaborative work among members and provides educational outreach to key stakeholders by organising member meetings, workshops and symposia throughout the world. GHI’s activities at the Cape Town conference

Food & Beverage International June 2010

the South African Association for Food Science & Technology (SAAFoST), and include a full session, ‘Harmonising Food Regulations,’ on 24 August. The session features a detailed update on the initiative’s progress, membership and activities given by GHI officer Dr. Vishweshwaraiah Prakash, who will discuss how the elimination of regulatory differences will make it more attractive for the private sector to invest in food safety systems and technology and help prevent the proliferation of non-science based trade barriers that do not have a clear and evident benefit to protecting public health. The session will also provide

In 2009 alone, GHI held working group meetings in the USA, The Netherlands, India, China, Czech Republic, Hungary and Mexico. In 2010, global harmonisation workshops are planned for locations in Turkey, South Africa and the USA, among others

in-depth presentations from GHI officers and experts on global harmonisation challenges and efforts in the areas of mycotoxins, nanotechnology and food security. Of the four standing GHI Working Groups (WGs) - Listeria monocytogenes in Ready to Chemical Food Safety & Toxicity; and Nanotechnology - the latter two will conduct workshops at the IUFoST World Congress. GHI’s working group meeting format serves as the primary mechanism for consensusbuilding among scientists on global harmonisation of food safety regulations. The GHI Workshop on Mycotoxins, led by Prof. Wentzel Gelderblom (South Africa) will take place on 24 August, and the GHI Workshop on Nanotechnology, led by Prof. Frans Kampers (The Netherlands), will be held on 25 August. GHI also will host two special working group knowledge-building courses in Cape Town. On 27 August, the GHI Conventional and Rapid Methods Testing for Listeria monocytogenes in Food Course, led by Dr. Beth-Ann Crozier-Dodson (US), will provide

attendees with a hands-on practical lab emphasising the benefits of harmonised methods. The two-day no-fee Toxicity Testing Course, led by Dr. Firrouz Daroudi (The Netherlands), will be held 27-28 August. This course provides information that supports consensus discussions in the Chemical Food Safety & Toxicity Working Group. GHI’s first book, Ensuring Global Food Safety: Exploring Global Harmonization, published in November 2009 by Elsevier/ Academic Press, will be on display at the GHI Booth (G2). A number of other materials will be available at the stand, including information about the newly launched GHI Ambassador Program, which is designed to empower individual members to inform and invite scientists in their nations or regions to participate in the organisation’s consensusbuilding activities. For more information on GHI’s activities, online no-fee member enrollment, and calendar of events, please visit www.globalharmonization.net

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INNOVATIONS

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Indulgent and healthy US company Genesis Today has just introduced a dark chocolate chilled dessert with açaí, the Brazilian ‘superfruit’, labelled as ‘loaded with antioxidants’. Its positioning is neatly encapsulated in the tagline, ‘Great benefits, great taste’. The product has an all-natural formulation without preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, and is made with real cacao and açaí berries, plus added vitamins and minerals. The company claims that both cacao and açaí have antioxidant properties and are known to help support high energy levels, weight control, and

healthy skin, hair and nails. A back of pack statement refers to cacao’s ORAC antioxidant rating being three times higher than red wine or green tea. The dessert is made with nonfat milk and delivers 3g protein and 3g fibre per serving. A pack of four 100g pots retails at around US$2.50.

The housewife chef Nippon Milk in Japan has recently launched a range of ‘natural’ chilled dairy desserts developed by housewife chef Harumi Kurihara. The new products are made with as

few additives as possible, using sugar and apple juice, for example, rather than sweeteners. One of the latest additions to the line is a milky apple pudding accompanied by a sachet of apple-cinnamon sauce, to recreate the flavour experience of apple pie. The packaging features a simplistic design to underline the product’s natural positioning. The desserts are targeted at affluent women in their 20s to 50s, and an 85g pot retails at around 100 yen, or just over US$1.

Icelandic speciality Skyr, a traditional Icelandic strained yoghurt, is rarely the subject for new product development. But Siggi’s has seen an opportunity in the US market to promote this speciality with a ‘superfruit’ twist. The company has introduced what it describes as Icelandic style skyr, strained non-fat yoghurt, in an açaí variety. The skyr itself leans heavily on the trend towards natural formulation, which is strong in the dairy market. It contains no aspartame or sucralose, and is sweetened with agave nectar, a natural low glycemic sweetener. It is also free from gelatine, artificial colours, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, and is made with rBGH-free (recombinant bovine growth hormone) milk, from grass fed cows. The product carries a premium price over regular yoghurt, selling at $2.69 for a 170g pot.

Home made convenience New in France under the Elle & Vire brand is an innovative preparation for chocolate cream pot desserts. The liquid preparation is sold chilled in a 35cl stand-up pouch with a dispensing spout, and is designed for easy and fast preparation of pot desserts. To use, consumers simply heat the liquid gently, then pour into a mould or ramekin and leave for 20 minutes to set, before refrigerating prior to serving. The product is free from preservatives, and is made with

full cream milk, cream, liquid sugar and 11.5% dark chocolate. The pack retails at €1.99, making this an affordable alternative to ready-made products. Also available in this new line of ‘home made’ desserts are products for crème brûlée and tiramisu.

Olympic yoghurt With the Football World Cup almost upon us, promotional packaging is becoming more common, but it is worth noting that some companies are taking a longer term view of sports-related endorsement. Tine in Norway is marketing YT yoghurt, said to provide natural, long-lasting energy. The ‘protein rich’ product has been developed in

co-operation with the Norwegian Olympic Top Team, and comprises a 192g pack of yoghurt and separate fibre-rich muesli, in a twincompartment pot. It is available in strawberry & cranberry, wild berry, and pear and banana varieties, priced at Nkr 15.90 (approximately €2) per pot.

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

Food & Beverage International June 2010

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INNOVATIONS

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Pocket dessert Sojasun has extended its range of soy based desserts in France with what it describes as a ‘pocket dessert’. Sojasun Pocket is a shelf-stable, soy based dessert sweetened with cane sugar, in chocolate and vanilla varieties. The product is packaged in a small carton with a straw, ideal for use on the go, and is sold under the tagline ‘the small pleasure to take everywhere’. It is low in saturated fat (0.35g per serving); a source of vegetable protein, and is free from gluten, colourings and cholesterol. It is made from non-GM French soy. A pack of 6 x 65ml desserts retails at €2.30.

Portion control Portion control through individually packaged servings has become a popular trend in many food markets geared towards healthy eating, but there has been some consumer backlash against the added costs manufacturers inevitably pass on to consumers, as well as the issue of excess packaging and its negative environmental implications. In Australia, Yoplait has addressed the issue with the launch of Elivae Prebiotic Yoghurt, packaged in a 1050g tub that features tick marks on the side, conveniently indicating a total of seven daily servings of 150g per pack. The yoghurt itself is pre- and probiotic, and promotes its healthiness under the line ‘Inner bliss, outer spark’. The 1050g tub sells for around AUS $3.70, or approximately €2.40.

Beauty yoghurt Yakult, best known for its daily probiotic milk drinks, has wider interests in the yoghurt and dairy desserts market in its home territory, Japan. The company has recently relaunched and extended its Shes brand of yoghurt targeted at women. A spoonable yoghurt based on the Yakult lactic acid bacteria drink, and set with agar & gelatine, the product is aimed at 30-40 year old women who are concerned about anti-ageing. It contains collagen (110mg per pot), added calcium, vitamins and iron - nutrients that can be deficient in modern women’s diets. It also contains live lactobacillus caseii (YIT 9029). Shes yoghurt is available in a peach flavour, priced at 105 yen, or approximately US$1.20, for a 90g pot.

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IDF Dairy Innovation Awards Best new spread UK retailer Asda was a double finalist in the Best new spread category, with its Belgian Chocolate Spread and Extra Special Somerset Farmhouse Butter. The winner was Turkey’s Ak Gıda, with Ülker Içim Fidella Fresh Cheese with Honey and Cream. Best new ice cream The finalists in the Best new ice cream category were: Ljbuljanske Miekarne from Slovenia, with Froothie; and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream from the United States, with Häagen-Dazs Five. The winner was Singapore-based, Nanyang Polytechnic, with La Femme green tea aloe vera ice cream.

At a celebratory gala dinner in Salzburg, Austria on 28 April, the finalists and winners in the 2010 IDF Dairy Innovation Awards were announced

he inaugural awards programme attracted over 170 entries from 29 countries in 12 categories, designed to reward and champion innovation and excellence in the global dairy industry. The Associate Sponsors of the event were Tate & Lyle and Sidel. An international panel of experts met in Brussels on 30 March to select the finalists and choose the winners. The IDF Dairy Innovation Awards is a partnership initiative by the International Dairy Federation and FoodBev Media’s Dairy Innovation magazine. At the Awards dinner, IDF president, Richard Doyle welcomed guests and the awards were presented by Dairy Innovation magazine Editor, Geoff Platt, and hosted by FoodBev Media group editorial director, Bill Bruce. “The 2010 IDF Dairy Innovation Awards received a record number of participants, highlighting the richness and diversity of dairy and its development,” said IDF director general, Christian Robert. “The IDF Dairy Innovation Awards is crucial to better leverage the importance of talented innovation to deliver natural, safe, tasty and healthy food. Around the globe there are numerous examples of excellence – success stories, new trends, best practices, reactive initiatives, inspiring ideas – to consolidate

Food & Beverage International June 2010

the position and foster the expansion of our sector.” “We are delighted to have achieved a record number of entries from every corner of the world for the 2010 IDF Dairy Innovation Awards – and their truly international appeal is reflected with winners from eleven different countries,” said Bill Bruce. “Trends and themes from the awards will be presented at the 2010 IDF World Dairy Summit in Auckland, in November 2010.” Best new cheese UK-based, Kerry Foods, was a double finalist in the Best new cheese category, with its LowLow Cheddar and Cheestring Shots. The winner was New Zealand’s Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, with Savoury Cheddar.

Best new dairy drink The finalists in the Best new dairy drink category were: Puleva Foods of Spain, with Puleva Calcio calcium drink; Elle & Vire from France, with Yaggo!; and Ak Gıda from Turkey, with Ülker Içim Pasifik carbonated yoghurt drink. The winner was FrieslandCampina WAMCO of Nigeria, with its Peak evaporated milk sachet. Other awards were made for the Best new functional dairy product; Best newcomer brand or business; Best health education initiative or nutri-marketing campaign; Best school milk initiative; Best environmental initiative; Best packaging innovation; Best new ingredient for dairy food or beverage; and Best new consumer marketing campaign. Details of these and the other winners can be found at www.foodbev.com. www.zenithinternational.com/events for information on the Global Dairy Congress. www.idfdairyinnovationawards.com. www.fil-idf.org

Beverage and Water Innovation Awards Don’t miss out on your opportunity to enter (before the September 17 closing date for entries) to this year’s Water Innovation Awards, which will be presented during Zenith International’s Global Bottled Water Congress in Gleneagles, Scotland on November 2. www.waterinnovationawards.com And, if you operate in the USA, there’s a chance to enter the InterBev Beverage Innovation Awards, being held by Beverage Innovation magazine in partnership with the American Beverage Association and the International Bottled Water Association and to be presented at a Gala Dinner in Orlando, USA on September 23. www.interbevawards.com

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The

Nation:

challenges and opportunities

hot meal a day (often a cooked maize meal) is often considered sufficient.

Standards

South African food manufacturers supplying the five main retailers in South Africa are forced to maintain high quality standards. While HACCP is not compulsory (except in ground nut production due to the threat of mycotoxins), it has become a given. Currently, each retailer conducts its own audits according to its own specified systems - creating significant pressure on production staff and management as every couple of

With a tumultuous history and a land rich with exotic raw materials, South Africa is developing apace and its food industry holds diverse promise for all sectors *By Juliette Hillmann, editor, Food Review

outh African society continues to exist as a dichotomy. Palatial houses in acres of manicured gardens rub shoulders with shanty towns; BMWs and Land Rovers share the roads (potholed or well-maintained) with clapped-out minibuses ferrying dozens of passengers to work; legislation, considered to be of the best calibre in the world, is powerless without the resources to enforce the laws. The food industry is no different. On one hand, many technical skills and industrial manufacturing facilities are world class; European and American trends predominate

in terms of new product development (NPD) and food safety is non-negotiable. ‘First world’ consumers are becoming more demanding and retailers wield a boisterous, sometimes ruthless, power to determine what goes on the shelf. However, at the other end of the spectrum, more than 75% of South Africans live in poverty, making less than US$5,000 a year to support their families. Close to 50% of families survive on less than US$2 a day. As such, the informal sector thrives in South Africa. With a significant percentage of the urban population living in shanty towns, one

The South African food and beverage industry: • Contributes 3.2% to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and 17.3% to the total manufacturing income in South Africa making it the third largest manufacturing sector after chemicals and metals. • Employs around 207,000 people, about 2.5% of total employment in the country. • Spent R9,943 million (€1,001 million) on capital investment, second only to chemicals in 2008.

Food & Beverage International June 2010

weeks another auditing team arrives. To improve matters, the Food Safety Initiative (FSI), part of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, is in the process of developing a single food safety audit for South Africa. It has the buy-in of all the major retailers. With such a small formal market, the primary goal of many local manufacturers is to export. As such, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard (and ISO 22 000) are becoming firm favourites to enable these companies to operate in the global arena. Adherence to a reputable food safety system with adequate traceability takes on even greater importance when considering the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which was signed into law in April 2009. The CPA allows for a consumer harmed by unsafe goods (or even faulty labelling) to sue almost any person involved in getting that product to market, irrespective of whether that person was negligent. No-one yet knows how litigious the South African consumer may yet become. The Act will come into effect in October 2010. New labelling and advertising foodstuff regulations were published in South Africa on March 1, 2010 setting the tone for health claims and on-pack nutritional content. While there had been much debate on this topic over many years, nearly all labels in SA will now have to change over the next year. The label laws have been divided into two phases with the second phase focusing on

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more contentious issues such as nutrient profiling and health claims. Phase one sets out guidelines for things like comparative claims, quantitative ingredients declaration (QUID), endorsements and nutritional information. Local food industry expert and chair of the IUFoST (www.iufost.org) local organising committee, Nigel Sunley, says that including all required information in a user-friendly format on pack is going to be difficult. Some surprises in the regulations include that all food (not only chilled and frozen) will now need to carry storage instructions for before and after opening and the new regulations only allow for the use of the word ‘flavours/ing’ or ‘flavourant’ and ‘colourant’ irrespective of the type of flavour or colourant being used. This eliminates any marketing advantage to be gained from ‘natural’ additives. Mr Sunley

believes that enforcement will be a problem and self-policing by the industry will be critical to ensure compliance.

Retailer power The power of the retailer has also grown significantly as competition increases and private label products become more popular. Previously, no-name brands (as they were called) were seen as inferior. Now, most of the retailers have introduced high quality private labels across many categories that can compete well with branded goods and are given shelf space.

it has recently launched a lower priced house brand called Essentials. The retailer is also extremely active in new product development and makes sure it subscribes to key trends emanating from around the world such as removing azo dyes and aspartame from all its own brand products as well as reducing salt and including more natural flavours. Woolworths also pays particular attention to its impact on the environment and is a trailblazer in terms of ‘green’ issues in the food industry. The ‘Farming for the future’ initiative, for example, introduced

Retailer Woolworths sells mostly own brand goods and is renowned for maintaining exceptionally high levels of quality. To counteract the perception that it only

a model for sustainable farming, which

sells upmarket food at upmarket prices,

all of Woolworths’ fresh produce suppliers

comes between that of organic and traditional commercial farming methods and guarantees predictable yields. By 2012,

The beer wars in South Africa It is perhaps not a statistic to be proud of but South Africa is now the fifth leading liquor consumer in the world by volume and the eighth in the world by value - it ranks ninth in beer consumption after the UK. This may explain the recent massive investment in the country by Heineken. The new state-of-the-art Sedibeng Brewery (below), south of Johannesburg, is owned 75% by Heineken and 25% by Diageo, and was built at a total cost of R3.5 billion (€0.35 billion). Sedibeng brews and bottles a range of premium beers - including Amstel, Heineken and Windhoek Lager - for the local market. The facility will also be responsible for the supply of leading ready-to-drink (RTD) brands Smirnoff Spin and Smirnoff Storm.

The new facility is built on an 83-hectare site comprising the brewery, production plant and a warehouse managed by Brandhouse Beverages (together with Namibia Breweries, Heineken and Diageo are shareholders in Brandhouse Beverages (Pty) Ltd, the parties’ cost-sharing joint venture in SA and a marketing, sales and distribution company for premium alcohol beverages). With an initial capacity of three million hectolitres, the brewery is already being expanded to increase capacity by one million hectolitres by September 2010 in anticipation of growing demand for the premium brands. Heineken’s share of the South African market has grown to about 11% from 2% four years ago. Heineken’s competitor does not appear worried however. SABMiller is one of South Africa’s proudest success stories and still holds around 89% of the local beer market. It is one of the biggest brewers in the world, representing six of the top 50 global beer brands and one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products worldwide. Established in 1895 in South Africa, it listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1999 and then went on to acquire Miller Brewing Company in North America from the Altria Group in 2002 and a major interest in South American brewery Grupo Bavaria SA in 2005.

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SABMiller has reacted to Heineken’s Sedibeng investment by announcing plans to build a US$34 million brewery north of Windhoek, entering Namibia Breweries’ territory for the first time. The 220,000-hectolitre capacity brewery will produce the Castle and Castle Lite brands. SAB has also recently completed construction on three greenfield breweries in Africa, in Luanda (Angola), Mbeya (Tanzania) and Nampula (Mozambique). The US$125 million state-of-the-art brewery close to Luanda brews beer with cassava, a potato-like root vegetable, which is dried, grated, and added to barley malt as a starch supplement. Cassava beer tastes almost the same as regularly brewed beer and is much cheaper to produce. The beer wars continue.

June 2010 www.foodbev.com

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will need to be compliant. Interestingly enough, Woolworths supports the single food safety audit ONLY for the branded goods it carries and not for its house brand.

Informal sector Regulation and legislation of the industry makes no difference to those who worry about when their next meal will materialise. For this sector, fruits, vegetables and snacks are sold individually on the side of the road or in makeshift markets. Food safety and sell-by dates are often nonexistent, and food is consumed on the day it is bought as refrigeration is not available. Ingredient suppliers supplying the informal market are doing extremely well and often make the choice to supply manufacturers (who service the informal market) based on the sheer volumes (and profit) rather than reputable food safety systems. Street food vending (SFV) offers a source of inexpensive, convenient and nutritious food and also provides a major source of income to the informal sector. In addition, it offers a chance for self-employment and to develop business skills with low capital investment. SFV is considered to be high risk because of the lack of basic infrastructure, services and difficulties in regulation. While there are obviously food safety fears, several studies over the years have shown relatively low microbiological counts and low incidences of pathogens (and, in the case of salmonella, a total absence).

Indigenous ingredients South Africa is blessed with rich mineral and agricultural resources. The diversity of climate results in a wide variety of crops being grown which in turn leads to a variety of secondary food processing industries, both large and small. South African wines, fruits (especially citrus, avocados and grapes), ostrich meat and sugar have unique and premium qualities that place them at the centre of global demand. Fruit processing, especially, has made a name for itself internationally. This includes canned and frozen fruits as well as aseptically packed fruit juices. Arguably, no company is better known in this space than the Ceres Beverage Company, part

Food & Beverage International June 2010

of Pioneer Foods. Its range of juices (incorporating Liqui-Fruit, Ceres and Fruitree brands locally) accounts for close to 50% of the total long-life juice category in South Africa. The products are also exported to more than 80 countries. Macadamia nut growing and processing is a burgeoning industry too and South Africa is now the world’s third largest producer. Since most of the nuts are destined for export, these farmers and their associated processing facilities adhere to Global Gap and BRC standards. Golden Macadamias in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, boasts one of the most advanced macadamia nut processing facilities in the world. Liberated by the advent of democracy, the South African wine industry has gone from strength to strength, with exports growing by 335% between 1995 and 2007. It is now the nineth largest wine producer in the world. Currently, more than 3,999 farmers cultivate some 101,957 hectares of land under vines. Some 256,908 people are employed both directly and indirectly in the wine industry. The estimated annual harvest in 2009 amounted to 1,330,357 tonnes (1,015,4 million litres), of which 77% was used for wine. The South African wine industry is backed by a state body, the Nietvoorbij Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, a leader in research with one of the most modern experimental wineries in the world and several experimental farms. All wines for export must undergo extensive taste and chemical analysis tests before they are granted an export licence. Once known as the poor man’s tea, rooibos, only grown in a small part of the Western Cape, is experiencing strong local and international growth. The indigenous Rooibos plant, Aspalathus linearis, is green when harvested and turns red during the fermenting process - hence its name ‘red bush’. The growing popularity of this herbal tea can be attributed to the absence of caffeine, its low tannin content, and its rich source of nutrients including a powerful antioxidant SOD (super oxide dismutase). Germany, the USA and The Netherlands are the major export markets for the indigenous tea. Value-added products from rooibos are on the rise. Red Espresso, the world’s first tea espresso-based

drink, has taken the local market by storm (red cappuccino being a firm favourite) and is making steady inroads overseas. Baobab achieved GRAS status last year and is starting to appear slowly on ingredient lists. One of the most exciting new products so far has been the recent launch of Baobab Pepsi in Japan. Grant Momplé of Afriplex, one of two processors of baobab locally, believes that a lack of reference point in terms of taste may either help or hinder product uptake. ‘NPD specialists can introduce the ‘taste’ of baobab that will capture the hearts of consumers - it can’t disappoint customer expectations because there aren’t any. Consumers may, however, be reluctant to try it.’ Uptake in South Africa has also been slow, despite the incentive of the FIFA World Cup as a way to showcase uniquely South African ingredients. Beverages seem to have captured most of baobab NPD. In the middle of May, however, Woolworths launched a range of yoghurts, sporting a variety of indigenous ingredients, including baobab.

Challenges South Africa faces many challenges. The government’s Green Drop report has just been published admitting that 55% of its waste water plants need improvement - to the tune of R23bn (€2.31 billion). Electricity outages in 2008 due to a lack of capacity have precipitated an annual price increase of between 24.8% and 25.9% for the next three years to enable ‘partnationalised’ Eskom to build power stations, which is likely to impact on operating costs. Infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, needs attention. Food security is also a contentious topic in a country where poverty is rife, especially in light of the upcoming land redistribution plan. How this is going to be tackled to transfer skills is not yet known. Despite these fearsome challenges, the South African food industry remains innovative and resilient. It has some of the brightest minds and some of the best raw materials to work with.

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Innovation:

Three Pillars for Success Innovation is a continuous challenge for manufacturers in today’s competitive environment. But, why is true innovation so illusive? SIT, the global innovation consultancy, highlights some of the pitfalls and opportunities for companies pursuing a successful innovation culture and suggests a model for implementing one *By Tamar Alterman, facilitator and account manager, SIT; Yoni Stern, vp, business development USA, SIT; Robyn Taragin-Stern, knowledge manager, SIT

‘ding’ announces the arrival of another email, in this case an invitation to a ‘Creative thinking session: New Flavour Development’ for one of your company’s key brands. This situation often initiates a hasty search for excuses to avoid yet another useless brainstorming session. Most participants claim that supposedly ‘fun’ brainstorming sessions are, in fact, tiresome and - although they may result in over 100 ideas - they rarely lead to any practical outcome. However, this need not be the case and many leading companies have already adopted a model that has proven to make people far more likely to click the ‘accept’ button for the next innovation session invitation they receive. Yet, what is innovation and what drives it? When discussing innovation needs in emerging markets, James Andrade, vice president of research & development for Kraft Foods Asia-Pacific, said: “Consumers have nearly endless options in these markets, and there’s a real drive for innovation. In China, for example, at every corner there are outdoor vendors selling everything from savoury products to sweet products, mini-meals, snacks, etc. You’re seeing a lot of variety and competition in that environment.” Marie-Pierre Ambroggi, marketing manager for Nestlé’s Chocolate Business Unit, points out that innovation in mature markets is no less acute.

Food & Beverage International June 2010

“Innovation in a mature market is a great challenge because the entry price is quite high,” she said. “You need to get the right balance between, one, ‘small innovations’, helping to upgrade existing products making them more relevant to consumers and, two, ‘breakthrough innovation’ consisting of the combination of brand new technology plus, a new service plus new route to market. Therefore, if your pipeline is not filled with potential launches, you will quickly and easily be pushed off the shelf and replaced with a new flavour, a more innovative package, or a competitor’s solution to a newly identified consumption opportunity.” True, when done correctly, innovation should pervade every aspect of the organisation. However, critically, innovation is supposed to be how organisations work - and not what organisations do. “Innovation is a tool and not a value,” said Dagan Eshel, innovation manager of Strauss-Elite,Israel’s second largest dairy company. “An organisation must set strategic goals and then test how innovation can be used to help achieve them.” Innovation is for rethinking things in order to do them better, not merely differently. Ideally, it is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation to leverage innovation to help them achieve whatever it is they need to achieve. Many food companies define Innovation Teams - sometimes on a corporate level - to make sure that innovation isn’t tainted by the everyday goings-on of the organisation. While these teams do have value if used correctly, they

Ideas are more than just thoughts

do not substitute the importance of diffusing innovation throughout the company to benefit exactly these routine goings-on. “Innovation is a part of what we do; whether you’re in Marketing, Consumer Insights, R&D, or any other department for that matter, you’re expected to be part of the innovation process,” said Mr Andrade. “Innovation tools and techniques make work processes more efficient. They help all people within the organisation do their job better, more effectively and more efficiently.”

How to innovate Given the importance of innovation, the question still remains: why do so many innovation sessions fail? The foundations of SIT’s innovation model emerge from three possible answers to this question. First, ideas are not enough. Successful innovation is not about ideas on paper it is about ideas that have been implemented. Therefore, no ‘thinking session’ that is held without clear direction as to ‘what to do next’ will ever be truly worthwhile. Often, the facilitator plans to do some type of convergence, but runs out of time, so idea

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lists end up buried in the drawer and in the best-case scenario unearthed when ‘pipeline presentations’ are demanded by management. Although common wisdom asserts that the key to innovation is a lot of ideas, quantity is best replaced with quality - constantly filtering even during the idea generation process. Ms Ambroggi agreed: “We conducted a workshop to create product and packaging ideas. The result was only about 15 or 20 ideas . . . but most of them have been implemented in the market already!” A second reason for failure is that innovative thinking stops at concept development. Therefore, when any given idea hits an obstacle, it is usually discarded, instead of the team making an effort to use innovation - once again - to solve the difficulty. Often, a thinking session on the packaging solution, manufacturing technology, or price point could have overcome the obstacle and fed the idea back into the pipeline - and, guaranteed its place on the shelf. Mr Andrade stressed that the ‘non-conceptgeneration’ aspects of innovation, that allow an innovative idea to overcome a hurdle, are just as important as the breakthrough products themselves. “We call emerging markets ‘growth markets’, because they are tremendous markets for opportunity, however, value consciousness is a key component,” said Mr Andrade. “We have to provide a price point that meets the needs of these markets. One innovation project in particular yielded good results in cost savings and productivity.” Third, in many brainstorming sessions the responsibility for the ‘innovative thinking’ process falls on the shoulders of an external individual who is the innovation process expert, but not closely involved in implementation of the ideas once generated. Therefore, once this person leaves the room, the team is left with ‘business content experts’ but no expert in innovation who can guide them through the common pitfalls that arise. Therefore, even if the company realises that some innovative thinking could help when the implementation process hits a bump in the road, the expertise is no longer available. “So far there have been about 50 people who have worked on innovation and learned systematic tools to do so, just on the Cailler brand,” said Ms Ambroggi.

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The Three Pillars of Innovation model For a company to become an innovative organisation, SIT recognises three distinct yet fully integrated elements that must exist in everything the company does: 1) Tangible innovative results fed to the organisation on a regular and on-demand basis, covering all aspects of the business be it products, internal processes, packaging, strategy, problem solving, point of sale, work

The Intertwined Three Pillars

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with suppliers, etc. 2) Employees with innovation expertise who have the skills and tools to lead innovation processes from idea generation through to implementation. 3) Organisational structures that support implementation, encourage innovative thinking, and save innovative ideas from being discarded at the first sign of difficulty. Some organisations do all three of these, but would not necessarily be called innovative. SIT believes that this is because these three elements need to exist not only within the organisation, but also co-exist within every activity.

Three Pillars of Innovation - solutions in practice To combat the common pitfalls on the quest for an innovation culture that exists in all areas of the organisation, the project work itself can be used to teach the participants innovation skills (pillars 1 & 2) that they can replicate at their own desks or in their own meetings in the future. “You want people to use these tools frequently, not just when they have innovation workshops but on a day-to-day basis to solve innovation issues that are small and innovation problems on a much larger scale,” said Mr Andrade. Also making sure to have the right structures (pillar 3) in place at the start of a project radically increases the chances of implementation. A few examples of helpful structures include ‘defining the participants’ roles in taking the ideas back to their departments and communicating them in order to get employee approval’; ‘a vice president involved in the project whose responsibility is to make sure that colleagues

Training invitation for internal Innovation Coaches

Food & Beverage International June 2010

A typical month’s innovation schedule are aware of - and supportive of - the work being done’; ‘the entire employee base updated about any thinking processes taking place throughout the organisation so that they can contribute’. “Implementation of a new idea requires a great understanding of consumers, multidisciplinary work, internal alignment, commitment and speed to action,” said Ms Ambroggi. “The ‘internal alignment’ factor has always been the most critical part of the process and I really do my best to ensure enough time and resources are spent on that milestone.” It is now clear that any activity needs to work in two steps: one: choosing the primary goal and deliverable of the activity (in this case tangible results); two: making sure the process includes the other two pillars (in this case - innovation skills and structures). If, in step one, the organisation chooses to train employees to become internal ‘innovators’ - drawing on the Employees with Innovation Expertise (pillar 2) - it should ensure that the other two pillars are integrated into this training. For example, to incorporate Tangible Results (pillar 1), the cases worked on during the training should be current, real projects. This would result in ideas and solutions that trainees can implement immediately, which would give them a heightened understanding of how the learned expertise is relevant to their own work. This can also help improve self-confidence among the trainees when they return to their teams and ‘prove’ to their teams that their new knowledge is worth paying attention to.

As for the Structures (pillar 3), any successful training process must take into account what will happen afterwards. If management has not defined what these individuals will be responsible for, what budget they have available, how to choose which projects to help out on, how their skills will be integrated into their work, and how their innovation performance will be measured, there is little chance that these skills will ever be put to use. Without these structural decisions, the innovation expertise will be lost in the sea of everyday work - and the long term effects of the training will be nearly unidentifiable. Ultimately, what it takes to be innovative entails having each of the three innovation pillars: innovative results, skills development, and supportive organisational structures inherent in all that takes place within the organisation. Success will be measured by those Outlook invites being returned quickly as ‘accepted’. *SIT Ltd. is a global innovation consultancy working in over 50 countries with local representation in many of them. SIT applies its Systematic Inventive Thinking® method within the Three Pillars of Innovation Model to help companies achieve success by making innovation a self-sustaining part of their organisation. Its approach is used by major multinationals, NGO’s and SME’s in virtually every sector. For more information about the Systematic Inventive Thinking® method or SIT’s activities, contact: Tamara@sitsite.com; Tel: +972 3 607 0480 www.sitsite.com

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Taking time for texture The complexity of today’s food product formulations has put increased pressure on development teams to find the right texture solution. Leatherhead Food Research has looked at processing, ingredients and formulation techniques to meet this challenge By Wayne Morley, head of ingredients & product innovation, Leatherhead Food Research

here are many tools available to the product developer for the manipulation of the texture of foods. Typically these will involve changes to the aqueous phase behaviour, emulsion droplet interactions, the addition of inclusions such as air or particles, or combinations of these - and other ‘novel’ approaches for controlling texture are also often reported. The scientific literature is full of studies that demonstrate how to characterise and manipulate texture, but achieving the perfect result in the complex formulations used in many of today’s prepared foodstuffs can be an inexact science. The Ingredients & Product Innovation team at Leatherhead Food Research has conducted extensive work in this area and drawn on processing, ingredients and other solutions to influence texture and produce the optimum results in specific product applications.

Processing to control texture Microfluidisation is a well established technique for the high pressure processing

Figure 2a - Confocal laser scanning image of WPI gel (image width approx 20μm)

Food & Beverage International June 2010

of foods that has been extensively studied in the manufacture of oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. It utilises high pressure streams that collide at ultra-high velocities in precisely defined microchannels. However, very little has been published on the application of microfluidisation in the area of hydrocolloids, and the impact that it can have on the rheology and texture of aqueous-based systems. A study at Leatherhead1 considered the impact of microfluidisation on individual hydrocolloids as well as on specific hydrocolloid blends. One such system involved a xanthan gum-locust bean gum-starch mixed system. An aqueous solution of 0.5% xanthan gum in water was prepared and the viscosity measured as a function of shear rate using a Bohlin Controlled Stress (digital) rheometer, fitted with a 40mm parallel plate geometry. The results were that the microfluidised system had a lower viscosity at all shear rates than the unprocessed control. However, possibly of more interest is the observation that the viscosity of the microfluidised system

Figure 2b - Confocal laser scanning image of 25:75 WPI:HWPI gel (image width approx 20μm)

Figure 1 - Light micrograph of xanthan gum-locust bean gum-starch gel (image width approx 300μm)

was relatively insensitive to shear rate, suggesting that it may have applications in food systems that are subjected to a wide range of shear conditions. The xanthan gum was also used as part of a mixed system in which the individual hydrocolloids were microfluidised and then combined to give a final composition of 0.17% xanthan gum, 0.17% locust bean gum, and 2.67% starch in water. Small deformation oscillation measurements demonstrated that a weaker gelled network was produced by the microfluidised hydrocolloids when compared to the unprocessed controls. In addition, texture measurements using a Stable Micro Systems Texture Analyser (SMS-TAXT2plus) showed that they produced soft, more plastic-like gels. Fig 1 is a light micrograph of a xanthan gum-locust bean gum-starch gel, stained with Toluidine Blue.

Figure 2c - Confocal laser scanning image of 25:75 WPI:HWPI + 2% emulsifier gel (image width approx 20μm)

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Ingredients Bioactive peptides are a group of materials that have been subjected to intensive research for their biological properties, such as antimicrobial and antifungal activity, blood pressure lowering effects, cholesterol lowering ability, and enhancement of mineral absorption. However, the peptides themselves have limited abilities to influence the viscosity and gelling properties of foods so may require the use of a carrier material such as protein. A study at Leatherhead2 investigated the textural properties of a range of proteinpeptide blends, with and without the addition of emulsifiers and a stabiliser. One example considered whey protein isolate (WPI) as the protein, with hydrolysed whey protein isolate (HWPI) as the bioactive peptide. The samples were prepared at a total level of 12% by dry mixing and then dispersing in water at 40ºC, stirring for 30 minutes at 85ºC, cooling to room temperature and finally storing overnight at 5ºC. The system containing only WPI (12%) produced a course granular and short-textured gel, whereas the mixed system containing 3% WPI and 9% HWPI was a coagulated mass with a high level of syneresis. Clearly such a system is unlikely to be of any practical use in foods. The problem of syneresis in the mixed system was solved with the addition of the emulsifier sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL). The result was a homogenous solution which exhibited no syneresis, with the viscosity, as measured using a Brookfield viscometer (LV) at 20ºC/50 rpm, increasing from 509cP at 1% SSL to 1970cP at 4%. Fig 2 is a series of confocal laser scanning images for the WPI, 25:75 WPI:HWPI, and 25:75 WPI:HWPI + 2% SSL systems.

Use of air to control texture Aerated products are characterised by the inclusion of bubbles, usually air, within a ‘solid’ matrix. In true foams, the bubbles are separated from one another with no inter-connecting links and thus form a dispersed phase within the surrounding matrix. Marshmallows are examples of high solid, fat-free, high sugar, aerated products. They have traditionally been made with gelatine but there is increasing interest in producing them with alternative materials.

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Figure 3a - Light micrograph of marshmallow containing gelatine (image width approx 1200μm)

A study at Leatherhead3 considered the impact of various aerating agents, hydrocolloids, and emulsifiers on the preparation and properties of marshmallows and mousses. The gelatinebased marshmallows were prepared by firstly soaking the gelatine in cold water until swollen and then dissolving it by heating to 60ºC. The pectin-based marshmallows were prepared by firstly mixing the pectin in cold water and then whisking the solution until the pectin dispersed. The sugar, glucose syrup and water were boiled to the required boil height and then cooled to 60ºC. The appropriate hydrocolloid solution was added and the total mixture whipped until the desired specific gravity (SG) was attained. In the case of the gelatine-based marshmallow prepared with a 42DE (dextrose equivalent) glucose syrup and a boil height of 109ºC, an SG of 0.68g/ ml was obtained. These foams were very stable under ambient storage conditions as assessed by visual observation over a 300 day period. The system containing pectin with the same glucose syrup and boil height, however, demonstrated very poor foam stability. It consisted merely of suspended air bubbles in an offwhite matrix of high SG (1.25g/ml). This was solved with the addition of partially hydrolysed milk protein as an aerating agent. When prepared under the same

Figure 3b - Light micrograph of marshmallow containing pectin and partially hydrolysed milk protein (image width approx 1200μm)

conditions, the pectin/milk protein system resulted in a typical marshmallow foam with an SG of 0.61g/ml, and was stable over the storage period of 30 days. Fig 3 is a comparison of the microstructure of the gelatine and pectin/milk protein-based marshmallow products. These are just a few examples of the challenges that the product developer may face in controlling the texture of foods when specific combinations of ingredients are involved. The solutions that have been presented may not be applicable in all systems but at least offer the hope that the optimally textured product is out there somewhere!

*Leatherhead Food Research is an independent organisation delivering innovative research, scientific consultancy and regulatory guidance and interpretation. Leatherhead’s unique portfolio of products has attracted over 1,000 companies worldwide, representing a who’s who of the global food and beverage industry ranging from large multi-nationals to small and medium-sized companies. Services are built around five key platforms; Regulatory; Food Innovation; Food Safety; Nutrition Research; Knowledge Transfer, each representing a core area of expertise. www.leatherheadfood.com

References 1. Titoria P.M., Groves K.M., and Aragoneses C., ‘Improving texture of multi-phased systems by utilisation of controlled processing’, Leatherhead Food Research report 920. 2. Titoria, P.M. and Groves, K.M., ‘Interactions of proteins and hydrolysed proteins for novel or improved functionalities’, Leatherhead Food Research report 904. 3. Eeles, M. F., Titoria, P.M., and Groves, K.M., ‘Investigations into the stability of marshmallows and mousses made with alternative hydrocolloids to gelatin and albumin’, Leatherhead Food Research report 891.

June 2010 www.foodbev.com

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Full flavoured dairy infusions SpringThyme Oils has developed a range of natural, clean-label dairy infusions in fluid or solid formats, which can be used in a wide range of dairy-based products and prepared foods that include dairy fats. Using butter, butter oils and anhydrous milk fat infused with fresh herbs and spices such as chilli, garlic, coriander and basil,

the new clean label oil and butter infusions are developed using SpringThyme Oils’ proprietary technology. Unlike other flavoured oil products, which rely on stewing, maceration or chemically-derived additives, SpringThyme’s range is created using a high temperature, high pressure, quick infusion method to capture the full flavour of the herbs without adulteration, according to the company. “Our dairy infusions are natural, clean label and GM-free. They don’t need any further preparation and give many dairybased recipes a unique taste sensation,” said Ken Williams, sales & marketing director, SpringThyme Oils. “They keep well without loss of flavour and retain the integrity of fresh herb flavours.”

SpringThyme Oils has perfected its range of natural, clean label all-fat infusions in fluid or solid formats

With a shelf life of up to six months, the range retains its functionality, consistency and authentic flavours even after freezing and processing. They can be used as a base flavour or to impart a boost to existing flavour profiles. www.springthyme.com

Starch replaces fat in sauces For replacing butter and oil in clean label ready meals, Ulrick & Short has perfected its Delyte7 tapioca starch for use in savoury sauces such as carbonara and béchamel in particular. Delyte7 is said also to improve the process tolerance of the sauces by helping with increased water binding, which reduces waste through the improved overall moistness and longer shelf life of savoury products, according to Ulrick & Short. The company has carried out numerous product trials aimed at developing Delyte7 so that it mimics fat during multiple cooking cycles and to be freeze-flash-thaw stable, whilst achieving creamier textures. It is available in a powder form and can be added to other dry recipe ingredients before being ‘cooked up’ to achieve a creamy mouth feel and buttery texture without masking any flavours.

Ulrick & Short’s Delyte7 has been perfected for replacing butter and oils in savoury sauces for ready meal applications “The development of Delyte ingredients was in response to the increased cost of using butter in food production and to address the obesity crisis and growing demand for added nutritional benefits,” said Jacqui Symons, development technologist, Ulrick & Short. www.ulrickandshort.com

Automated assessment of olive oils

Sacmi’s EOS Aroma electronic olfactory system correctly classified all olive oil samples in accordance with the assessments made by professional tasters during trials at Bologna University’s department of Food Science.

directly correlated with ageing of the product. The EOS Aroma system was first trained on known samples: extra virgin olive oil and the same oil deprived of its phenolic compounds (antioxidants) at different degrees of oxidation.

The system was tested as a fast and low-cost alternative method of evaluating the sensorial properties of virgin olive oil, and in particular, the study examined the state of oxidation of the olive oil (rancidity), a parameter

Twenty three oils (10 virgin olive oils of different origins and 13 with varying levels of rancidity) were used as unidentified samples to assess the instrument’s reliability. The system correctly classified all

Food & Beverage International June 2010

the samples according to the results attained using professional tasters. According to Sacmi, this research demonstrates that the EOS Aroma Sacmi’s EOS Aroma electronic olfactory system can be used for system has been found to be effective the preliminary screening in evaluating olive oil samples during of oils to be analysed by tests at Bologna University professionals - especially product shelf-life as the rancid where the high number of taste is the main defect that samples to be evaluated daily occurs over time could otherwise tire the tasting in olive oils. team. The instrument is also www.sacmi.com promoted for use to assess

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Vitafoods and Finished Products Expo Vitafoods and the Finished Products Expo held in Geneva in May demonstrated the increasing confidence that is being felt in the industry as thoughts of ‘life after the recession’ begin to emerge. Visitor levels were up by 5% on last year, with 6,000 people attending Vitafoods; the Finished Products Expo attracted 2,100 visitors, which is a 7% increase on the 2009 figures. And, the show organiser unveiled its plan to launch Vitafoods Asia in Hong Kong in September next year. Among those innovations on show in Geneva was a fascinating array of wellness ingredients that used confectionery and beverages, in particular, as vehicles for delivering their health giving benefits. Sankom highlighted its chews, which have been formulated with vitamins and natural flavours such as cherry, green tea, grapefruit, peach and strawberry, and are said to provide the same amount of fibre as a celery stalk in every chew.

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Visitors could also chew on candies from Ingredia Nutritional, which was highlighting its CranMax chew concepts. CranMax is a natural cranberry extract that Ingredia has incorporated into Cranberry Chews - two of which provide 500mg of CranMax, which is said to fulfil on cranberries’ clinically-proven affects. And, for those looking to improve their ‘inner balance’, Cognis formulated a hard candy concept called Sweet Balance. Containing Omevital Omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have shown may help to improve mood, the candy was created in a sweet apple flavour. The candies were being enjoyed on the stand along with a Pure Harmony orange flavoured beverage containing Omevital for those ‘seeking inner balance to help manage the demands of daily life’, as part of Cognis’ new Newtrition strategy designed to bring consumer wellbeing to the fore. The use of Omega-3 fatty acids was also being promoted by

Attendance at this year’s Vitafoods in Geneva in May was up 5% on last year Nordic Naturals, which had formulated its fish oils into a water-soluble fizzy orange drink mix containing EPA and DHA. Beverages were another popular product concept area with Roquette highlighting its delicious non-dairy ‘milk’ made from its Nutralys pea protein and containing Nutriose soluble fibre, sunflower oil and flavours from Symrise. It could carry claims such as ‘source of fibre’ or ‘source of protein’, ‘lactose-free’ and ‘suitable for vegetarians’. Martin Bauer Group, a business unit of Plantextrakt had created

refreshing beverages within its SuperHerbs concept range including grape seed-hibiscus; green tea-green rooibos; and a pomegranate-grape seed yoghurt drink. A body contour beverage containing Prolibra whey protein milk mineral complex was catching attention on Glanbia Nutritional’s stand along with the company’s anti-stress tonic in a soluble powder format. Further news from Vitafoods will be explored in the next issues of Food & Beverage International. www.vitafoods.eu.com

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Dark chocolate powder with smooth flavour Cargill’s Cocoa & Chocolate business has made a breakthrough in dark cocoa powder taste with the introduction of its innovative DB82 10-12% Gerkens cocoa powder. Until now dark powders provided the necessary intense colour for a range of applications, but came with an off taste, sometimes associated with bitterness. Now, Cargill’s applications centre in Baupte, France has been successful in producing a dark powder with a round, pleasant and smooth chocolatey flavour. Although it has a relatively high pH, DB82 can be used in coatings, spreads, bakery and dairy applications without any negative effect on taste, stability or processing parameters. “Cocoa powder producers have long sought the ultimate combination - a powder with warm intense dark colour, but with a rich smooth chocolaty taste,” said Piet van Amelrooij,

director, Worldwide Powder Sales, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. “With DB82 we have achieved exactly that - and now we have a unique product to offer to the market for use in improving recipes in existing products and to develop new products. The feedback from our customers has been that DB82 produces great flavour from so dark a powder, without compromising on taste.”

director of cocoa,

DB82 is produced at Cargill’s Gerkens cocoa plant near Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

become certified.

Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. “Production is rising and we expect to buy 10,000 tonnes of UTZ Certified cocoa beans this year, as more of the co-operatives which are part of the programme This will enable us to produce more

• Earlier this year, in The Netherlands, Cargill worked with leading Easter egg producer, Baronie, to launch a range of eggs using UTZ Certified chocolate produced by Cargill. “This is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of our people and the cocoa farmers of Côte d’Ivoire. Availability is limited at the moment, but these Easter eggs are just the beginning,” said Harold Poelma, managing

certified chocolate and cocoa products in the years to come.”

Cargill has perfected a dark cocoa powder, which imparts an intense colour but none of the ‘bitter’ flavours often associated with it; and saw the launch of Easter eggs made with UTZ Certified chocolate

The UTZ Certified cocoa programme

Together with its partners in the

was initiated in 2007 by Cargill

Côte d’Ivoire, it has introduced independent certification to improve agricultural, environmental and social practices in cocoa production. www.cargill.com

in collaboration with UTZ Certified, Dutch development organisation Solidaridad, Heinz Benelux, Ahold, Mars, Nestlé, Ecom, WWF and Oxfam Novib.

Antioxidants for chocolate Wild is now offering a natural, powdered antioxidant blend of plant extracts that provide a high and standardised level of antioxidants for chocolate products. Designed to allow chocolate manufacturers the opportunity to formulate antioxidant-rich products even when the natural plant compounds of the cocoa beans do not quite reach the desired level. The antioxidant chocolate blend is suitable for use in bars or pralines, with or without fruit fillings, and can be added to either the chocolate mass or the filling. It is possible to achieve a polyphenol content of up to 700mg in 100g of a filled chocolate bar by adding 200mg to the chocolate mass and 500mg to the filling. The blend combines well with a wide variety of fruits, such as orange-passion fruit or cranberry, which are both a good complement to the flavour of dark chocolate. It contains plant extracts from green and white tea a well as green rooibos and grape seeds. www.wild.de

Food & Beverage International June 2010

Wild’s antioxidant blend has been developed to boost the antioxidant content of chocolate products

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Consistent flavanol content Mars Incorporated has teamed up with Barry Callebaut under a cross-licensing and co-operation agreement that is hoped to increase the uniformity of cocoa flavanol-rich chocolate products internationally.

benefits, resulting in over 100

Within the agreement, the two companies will seek to create a common standard for measuring the useful flavanols in foods, which will allow products to contain and communicate adequate levels of flavanols that are consistent with current scientific research.

agreement with Barry Callebaut

“While flavanols are naturally abundant in cocoa, unless you are specifically measuring and carefully handling a product throughout the manufacturing process, there is just no guarantee the product contains meaningful levels of flavanols,” said Mary Wagner, general manager at Mars Botanical, a scientific unit of Mars Inc, that is dedicated to flavanol research and product development, and which recently launched a cocoa-based dietary supplement, CirkuHealth, in the USA. “For nearly two decades, we’ve been studying the process of measuring and maximising the retention of cocoa flavanols and uncovering their related health

their science, marketing

scientific publications on a broad patent portfolio. Over the past five years we have also sold products such as CocoaVia and continue to sell Dove Rich Dark Chocolate, both high in flavanol content. This will now guarantee reliable flavanol levels in more chocolate products around the globe.” The two companies will cooperate on how to promote © Barry Callebaut

flavanol rich chocolate products containing a guaranteed level of flavanols; and will update communications and websites to reflect the implications of this new collaboration. “Based on years of our own clinical studies, we know cocoa flavanols offer a potentially substantial health benefit, and we know that we can all gain through a consistent method to assure consumers that we’re delivering these important compounds in our products, and through the aligned way in which we communicate these levels,” said Hans P Vriens, chief innovation officer at Barry Callebaut. www.barry-callebaut.com

Tate & Lyle has introduced a new bakery cream starch which forms rich, cuttable gels with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel

Cream starch for hot baked goods

Tate & Lyle’s new bakery cream starch has been developed to provide texture in hot processed bakery creams and form a rich, cuttable gel with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

Under a new agreement, Mars Inc and Barry Callebaut will work together to ensure adequate flavanol content in their chocolate products and consistent communication of information regarding flavanols

Food & Beverage International June 2010

Resistamyl 140 can be used in bakery creams, custards and pastry cream, and gives good adhesion to pastry or biscuit layers while avoiding the cream sticking to equipment or cutlery. A range of textures can be achieved by combining Resistamyl 140 with native maize starch, enabling manufacturers

to produce a wide variety of creative cakes, pies or tarts filled with bakery cream. In addition, bakery creams prepared with Resistamyl 140 have good bake stability and demonstrate tolerance to the freeze-thaw cycle. The new starch is said to be easy to handle and require only short cooking times. It can be used in standard production lines without any additional processing steps or specific equipment. www.tateandlyle.com

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Sugar free confectionery concepts

CNI has developed a range of solutions for different confectionery applications

Sweet confections At ProSweets earlier this year, Colloïdes Naturels International (CNI) was highlighting its latest solutions for confectionery and chocolate applications. For coated products such as chocolates, chewing gum, or nuts, CNI has developed, Coatingum - a range of purified and selected acacia gum designed specifically for gumming or precoating of confectionery. Coatingum forms a film around the centre of the product, which improves its mechanical resistance and temperature stability; thereby boosting the finished product’s shelf-life, according to CNI. Coatingum can be used in combination with other ingredients as a dusting agent. It prevents the migration of fat between the centre and the coating and promotes the adherence to the filling of insoluble particles such as spices, powders, cocoa etc. It can be incorporated directly into the gumming syrup together with sugar or polyols and agglomerates very quickly on the centre, which is said to reduce both preparation and intermediate drying time and improve productivity.

Food & Beverage International June 2010

CNI’s Fibregum and Equacia ingredients have been developed to add fibre to confectionery. Fibregum, and the organic Fibregum Bio, contain a minimum of 90% soluble dietary fibre and can be used in moulded confections, jellies, snacks, or syrup to provide fibre enrichment in addition to their functional properties of thickening and gelling at high dosage, binding and film forming. As Fibregum has high digestive tolerance, low caloric value & glycemic index and is safe for teeth, it lends itself for use in sugar-free confectionery. CNI’s latest nutritional ingredient, Equacia, combines soluble (gum acacia) and insoluble (wheat gluten-free) fibres to deliver a smooth texture in moulded sugar and sugar-free candies. Equacia XE was been developed for gum confectionery to give a soft texture without the need for gelatine or modified starch. It provides a gum that is longer lasting in the mouth, non sticky, with an improved shelf life and a superior flavour release compared with gums made with other texturisers, according to CNI. Gums made with Equacia can be sugar-free and contain up to 27% fibre. www.cniworld.com

Beneo-Palatinit has worked with Baker Perkins to create several new sugar-free confectionery concepts using its sugar replacer Isomalt and its Candy Innovation Matrix. The Matrix combines certain product attributes, such as texture, shape, melting properties and colour with types of confectionery such as chewing gum or chocolate and with potential market positions in a bid to create a ‘virtual’ innovation room for new product development. “The production of sugarfree confectionery requires specific know-how and experience. For this reason, on request, a team of experts can be on hand to advise customers when it comes to the practical implementation (of product concepts),” said Ingrid Willibald-Ettle, head of customer technical service at Beneo-Palatinit. “Our experienced technicians, who are highly experienced in providing support for product developments are able to define and advise on relevant and optimum process parameters, which means that the test phase and associated loss in production time can be kept to a minimum.” Some product concepts that Beneo-Palatinit and Baker Perkins have developed using the Candy Innovation Matrix include a Volcano sandwich

candy, which combines a hot and cold mouthfeel using chilli and ice flavourings. The top and bottom layers are transparent while the opaque centre’s colouring is ‘volcanically’ red. The low viscosity of Isomalt reduces any bubbling effect in the end product and the lower temperature at which the candies are deposited results in a better flavour, according to Beneo-Palatinit. Crushed Candy using Isomalt has distinct visual and sensory properties. When held against the light, the candies reveal a cracked structure that is a result of the manufacturing process, which involves moulding the candies in the traditional way, wrapping them individually into airtight flow-packs and then submerging them in liquid nitrogen for approximately 10 seconds. The cold shock causes the appearance of fine cracks inside the sweet, but leaves the surface completely smooth and undamaged. When bite pressure is applied, the candy ‘explodes’ into small pieces intensifying the effect of its flavour on the tongue. www.beneo-palatinit.com

New sugar-free confectionery concepts using Isomalt are the result of collaborative development work between Beneo-Palatinit and Baker Perkins using Beneo-Palatinit’s new Confectionery Innovation Matrix

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PRODUCTIVITY

Productivity -

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the food industry challenge Improvements in productivity are closely linked to production management and the development of technology. Ultimately, a holistic approach to productivity is vital to achieve real improvements in the long term *By Karin Östergren, (SIK - Institutet för livsmedel och bioteknik) SIK - The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology

he globalisation of the food market and the huge increase of consumer choice have put pressure on food and drink manufacturers and made it necessary for companies to explore all possible methods for increasing their productivity. Given that in the majority of industries only 0.05 to 5% of the total lead time of a product actually creates value for the consumer, it is evident that efficient production management and production methods are cornerstones for improving profitability1. As a new technology is available to everyone, a competitive edge is largely determined by the way the technology is implemented to increase productivity and decrease production costs. A Swedish survey performed at SIK to assess the needs of the ‘Future Food Factory’ identified the following criteria for industrial equipment. • Flexibility in handling different types of food products • Ability to handle short production runs • Minimal change-over times • High availability • Modular equipment. It should be easy to combine and rebuild and extend in different ways • High hygienic standard Research and development should thus be focused on flexibility and resource efficiency without compromising food safety. The criteria above also echo the fundamentals

Food & Beverage International June 2010

of Lean thinking, a management philosophy originated in the Japanese car industry2, and only now receiving interest from the food industry.

Lean production Lean production focuses on customer value and emphasises the need for robust and flexible systems, resource efficiency and on-going corrections and improvements. The five basic steps towards Lean production are: Identification of customer value The ultimate goal in Lean production is that all activities contribute to the perceived value of the product or service being produced. A common understanding of what constitutes customer value is fundamental to the implementation of Lean manufacture. A value adding activity may be identified by asking the simple question “If this step is removed or changed would the customer pay less?”. Process knowledge In this step, focus is put on the activities in the process. Which activities actually create value? Activities that do not create value are considered waste and need to be eliminated as far as possible. Value Stream Mapping (VMS) is the most common tool for evaluating the process along with the principles of lean manufacturing.

Creation of flow The ideal production scenario is an uninterrupted continuous flow of product, travelling along the production line at the same rate at which the customer is buying it. In this way, intermediate inventories can be eliminated and bottlenecks avoided. Just in time Nothing should be produced upstream if it is not needed downstream. In this way material and product will not be locked up in inventories, and perishable products not lost. Creation of perfection (in every action connected to the production process by involving all employees) Along with Lean principles, other systems to help with productivity include management tools such as VMS, 5S (sort, simplify, sweep, standardise and sustain), TPM (Total Production Maintenance), Poka –Yoke (mistake proofing), Kanban (visualisation of material needs) etc.

Green Lean A movement within Lean production is Green Lean, which includes environmental

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PRODUCTIVITY

Click here to subscribe sustainability as a fundamental customer value. In industrial food production, energy consumption and product losses are by far the most important factors contributing to a company’s environmental impact. Significantly reduced changeover times, decreased time between order and delivery, reduced inventories and a reduction in spillages are easy savings to be made by companies as they start to look at their production system using the Green Lean approach. During a study carried out by SIK in a dairy producing yoghurt, it was found that a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is possible with only small changes. Improvements in control and technology led to reduced product spillage (~20%) during product change-overs, and non-renewable fuels were replaced with renewable fuels giving savings in the region of 30%. It was also found that production capacity could be increased by 6-7% and, on targeted products, inventory decreased by 50% just by decreasing the larger batch sizes and by evening-out the production frequency of major high throughput products. In total, the changes in management and control were estimated to give a potential saving of about €2.5 million per year.

Technology development Traditional drivers of technology developments are among others quality, food safety and cost reduction, as well as improvements in the use of raw materials3. Taking a Green Lean focus, flexibility and waste minimisation as well as energy reduction join the list of

other industries in the use of both robotisation and automation, however, due to increasing pressure on productivity the industry has been forced to look into automated solutions more carefully. In the packaging and palletising functions, which are repetitive and ‘non delicate’, automated solutions are already relatively well established, but it is for more complex tasks further upstream in the process line that development is still required. Suitable grippers are still holding back the development of automation solutions in food production areas requiring more delicate handling. As yet, grippers have relatively low flexibility and are capable of handling only one or a few very similar product types. However, as a partner in NovelQ4, SIK has developed a prototype robotic system for food products with the main focus on gripper technology development. A single gripper has been demonstrated to be able to handle products with a mass up to 0.5kg and a width from 5 to 65mm5. Force sensors enable both delicate gripping of strawberries and secure handling of larger products such as apples. A vision system is utilised both to extract the position co-ordinates of the products and to identify the product type together with parameters such as product width and length. The additional parameters enable the force used during gripping to be set individually for each product type. A complete washdownproof design for the gripper is currently being developed to fulfil on the food industry’s hygiene requirements. To simplify reprogramming of the robot a graphical drag and drop operator interface has been developed for product placement planning. During operation the robot system

automatically identifies and grips products and places them according to the operators’ plan. The current prototype can identify and handle seven product types: apples, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli and grapes, simultaneously from the same in-feed. As the gripper is able to handle the variations of up to seven products the need for tool change is greatly reduced and changeover times for a meal design change are minimal. Although possible production rates will not compete with the high throughputs of mass production, this system will enable high flexibility, variable batch size, short changeover times and increase hygiene in food handling. As with all developments to optimise productivity, holistic approach is a key. Those that set-long term goals and work progressively toward these goals using improved management systems, together with the careful selection of materials & equipment and right degree of automation are most likely to succeed. This year’s Food Factory for the Future event, which takes place in Gothenburg, June 30 to July 2, provides an opportunity for companies to discover more about the latest research & developments in sustainable food production. www.food-factory.se *Authors: Karin Östergren, PhD, Researcher at Sustainable Food Production and Research responsible for the Green Lean platform at SIK - The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology. Anders Pettersson, MSc, PhD student at Process and Technology Development, SIK - The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology.

drivers. For example, most equipment used in food production plants for processing and packaging liquid food is developed for mass production and is not well suited to frequent product changeovers. Process improvements in relation to flexibility, process control and reduction of waste during product changes are thus important areas to be looked at.

Robotisation Robots can also be used in order to improve efficiency, as long as flexibility is maintained.

References 1 Lean Production with an environmental focus- Green Lean for smarter food production. SIK Annual Report, 2009 2 Liker, J. K., The Toyota Way, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA, 2004 3 Östergren, K (2009) Closed –loop production for waste reduction in food production. Handbook of waste management and co-production recovery in food processing, ed. Keith Waldron Woodhead Publishing, Oxford, 2009, pp 90-106 4 NovelQ FP6-CT-2006-015710 5 Pettersson, A., Davis, S., Gray, J. O., Dodd, T. J., & Ohlsson, T. (2010). Design of a magnetorheological robot gripper for handling of delicate food products with varying shapes. Journal of Food Engineering, vol. 98, issue 3, pp. 332-338

The food industry has long lagged behind

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PRODUCTIVITY

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Boosting productivity with the help of variable speed drives It’s not just energy savings which variable speed drives can provide food and beverage processes. Here, ABB’s Timo Holttinen discusses the merits of using drives to bolster productivity

The one simple product that can have an impact on all these productivity goals is the

people within that plant. It could mean enhancing the quality of the end-product or a way to increase the throughput of production.

variable speed drive (VSD). Throughout the food and beverage sector some 65% of all electricity consumed is by electric motors. Motors are everywhere: in fans, pumps, conveyors, mixers, centrifuges - the list goes one. For example, the high electrical costs of operating cold storages can be reduced by varying the motor’s speed.

Alternatively it may be a need to reduce the electricity consumed by the process while at the same time meeting carbon dioxide emission limits that may have been imposed. Yet another aim may be to maximise the process up-time while at the same time minimising the costs associated with maintenance. And while achieving all these things, the end user can ill afford to take their eye of the current legislation,

And yet only about 5% of motor-driven applications use a VSD to regulate and control the speed and torque. The rest use fixed speed motors. Traditionally, applying a VSD to these applications is a good way to save energy. But there are many other, just as compelling arguments, as to why a VSD should be used to enhance the productivity goals described above. Enhancing end-product quality A VSD enables a process to achieve fast and accurate speed and torque control while maintaining the repeatability demanded by the production line. This optimal process control leads to a more consistent quality end-product, which means the best profit for the customer. For example, some VSDs feature application macros, which are routines dedicated to say, pumps, conveyors or other uses. A pump macro can maintain product consistency by commanding the drive to start additional pumps in response to a pressure drop, should there be a surge in demand. As well as dedicated pump control, the VSD provides a prepressurisation for process start-ups.

Food & Beverage International June 2010

to cater for future productivity increases. Changing constant-speed equipment to provide higher production volumes requires money and time. With the VSD, speed

mproving productivity in a process means different things to different

regulations and directives.

Increasing production throughput Process equipment is usually designed

increases of 5-20% are not a problem, and the production increase often can be achieved without any extra investment. Energy saving and CO2 emissions reduction Given that power consumption savings of 50% can be made by reducing the motor speed by just 20%, and with payback times being as short as six months, VSDs are arguably the one product that can have the maximum impact of a company’s energy and carbon reduction policy. Maximising process uptime VSDs have many internal functions which can provide better process control. With inputs and outputs (I/Os), for example, different kinds of process information can be fed to the drive and it will control the motor accordingly. Alternatively, the load can be limited to prevent nuisance faults and to protect the working machine and the whole drive system. Furthermore, VSDs provide fieldbus technology that enables process equipment to integrate with plant control systems. This improves the process control as well as the knowledge and information that can be collected from the process. Minimising maintenance Being able to vary the speed and torque of an electric motor means there is less wear and tear on the motor and the driven machine. For example, the ability to bring a process up to speed slowly prevents the sudden shock loading that can damage a motor and the driven machine over time. To ensure the uptime of a VSD, many are equipped with temperature, load, under/

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Whether it is pumps, fans, compressors or conveyors, ABB drive can have a major impact on productivity improvement. Here a conveyor system uses ABB servo motors and ABB high performance machinery drives to control the speed of the tomato handling conveyors, matching the speed of the packing machine and ensuring that the tomatoes are packed quickly and accurately

overvoltage protection and warning features. The real-time clock, featured within the ABB standard drive, allows timed tracing of faults so you know what happened and when. To help avoid any issues with VSDs, adopting a preventive maintenance program helps reduces the risk of failure and increases the lifetime of the VSD, thus lowering the overall operational costs. Preventive maintenance consists of annual inspections and component replacements according to the VSD specific maintenance schedules. Legislation, regulations and directives The food and beverage sector is subjected to much legislation. ABB drives designs take into account many of the legal requirements being imposed on the industry. With combustible dust found in flour and grain handling industries, the risk of ignition is high. Special requirements are set for machine surface temperatures, bearings and critical components. For these special protection areas ABB offers ATEX and dust ignition proof (DIP) certified drives and motors. Eliminating low and high-order harmonics results in low harmonic content in the network and as such many drives meet the requirements of stringent harmonics guidelines such as IEEE519 and G5/4. ABB has patented a swinging choke that lets the drive deliver up to 25 percent less harmonics at partial loads, compared to a conventional choke of equal size. Swinging choke matches the right inductance to the right load, thereby suppressing and reducing harmonics. Another growing area is the impact of the Machinery Directive. Here, several ABB drives have a safe torque-off (STO) function built-in which can be used for prevention of unexpected start-up or as part of emergency stop circuits. www.abb.com/drives ABB Oy: Timo Holttinen, Helsinki, Finland Tel: +358 50 33 2360 Email: Timo.holttinen@fi.abb.com

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Replacing phosphoric acid as scale remover in cleaning formulations *By Bernard Monguillon, Scaleva development manager, Lacq Research Centre - Arkema

hosphorus is an undesirable element environmentally speaking. In waste water from the agro-food industry, phosphorus waste is essentially linked to the phosphoric acid-based cleaning solutions (these could be the cause of 70% of the phosphorus present in the effluents from some agro-food industries). Manufacturers - dairies, breweries, meat processors, fish processors, canning plants and vegetable processors - therefore have to adapt the formulations they use for cleaning their plant and equipment. They have two alternatives at their disposal: either significantly reduce the phosphorus content of their effluents using physicochemical treatments - but this option results in significant sludge production and in extra cost, or eliminate phosphorus at source by replacing phosphoric acid by another less polluting solution . . . but this can prove less effective. Working on this latter option, Arkema recently developed a particularly effective acid substitute: Scaleva®. This new technically

reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sound acid is designed to help manufacturers address environmental constraints. Arkema patented the use of Scaleva® in several fields of food and beverages. It is not easy to substitute phosphoric acid in cleaning solutions for agro-food plant and equipment. This triacid combines the benefits of a weak acid and a strong acid, and can be used for both degreasing and descaling. And yet, cheesemakers and brewers, etc., are endeavouring to find an acceptable alternative. Phosphorus does indeed have a poor ecological profile: it is the main culprit for the eutrophisation of waterways. Binding European directives for manufacturers. Through its Directive 2000/60/EC which sets out a framework for a community-wide water policy, the European Community has set an objective to bring down phosphorus levels in all rivers to a maximum of 0.2 ppm by 2015. In cases where this threshold value is exceeded, manufacturers with their own water treatment plant, as well as collective water treatment plants (groups of industrial or municipal water treatment plants) will incur financial penalties imposed by the authorities. This European directive addresses the fight against water pollution caused by a long list of hazardous substances. Phosphorus is part of a list referred to as ‘list II, second indent of Directive 76/464’, a list of substances for which each member State is responsible for taking the necessary steps to minimise their presence in water. Not easy to find an alternative as effective as phosphoric acid. Eliminating phosphorus from effluents is technically possible, but is proving difficult and costly. For a number of years now, manufacturers who use cleaning formulations and are aware of the harmful effects of phosphorus on the environment

Food & Beverage International June 2010

have been working at reducing phosphorus at source. As they cannot intervene on essential raw materials containing phosphorus initially (milk, meat, vegetables, etc.), they are turning to their cleaning solutions suppliers in order to find alternatives to phosphorus, and so nitric acid and sulfamic acid are used. But solutions containing these acids are not as satisfactory as those based on phosphoric acid in terms of their cleaning performance or compatibility with materials used in agro-food plants, or due to their own poor ecological profile (for example, nitrates). Treating phosphorus, a process which carries additional costs down the line. There are other alternatives which consist of using ever more reagents to chemically cut down phosphorus levels in effluents. However, these induce further constraints, such as the formation of large amounts of sludge which are difficult to dispose of - and, disposing of this sludge is the responsibility of manufacturers. Disposal methods principally involve land application, or, if this is not possible, incineration. This operation can prove very costly (storage of sludge, physicochemical testing of the sludge, identifying land suitable for spreading, and land application periods limited throughout the year). Together with industrial partners, Arkema has evaluated this cost at €4,500/t of phosphorus. This cost is to be added to the cost of the cleaning formulation, and for manufacturers is part of the actual cost of cleaning. Scaleva®, an innovative and cost-effective solution as a substitute to phosphorus. In today’s environmental context in which European and national authorities are tightening up constraints to minimise phosphorus and nitrogen levels in posttreatment waste water, Arkema launched Scaleva® in 2007. A raw material for industrial cleaning, Scaleva is an excellent solution

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Click here to subscribe that provides the effective cleaning of moulds,

The proof is in the studies: Scaleva vs

storage tanks, and pipes used in agro-food

phosphoric acid, citric acid and sulfamic

plants, while complying with European

acid. Studies have shown that Scaleva®

environmental directives on the reduction

is more effective than phosphoric acid,

of phosphorus emissions.

citric acid, glycolic acid or sulfamic acid

Derived from an original, biodegradable molecule, Scaleva® offers a highly effective

in solubilising the main impurity contained in scale, i.e. calcium carbonate.

alternative to phosphoric acid in cleaning

Even diluted in a low concentration, Scaleva®

formulations. It contains neither phosphorus

is more effective than other solutions for

nor nitrogen, and contributes very little COD

dissolving scale in particular over the very

(Chemical Oxygen Demand) into the effluent.

short contact periods which are typical of

Scaleva® features many advantages both

in-situ cleaning.

for manufacturers of cleaning products

Sulfamic acid is similar to Scaleva® in terms

and for end-users in the agro-food industry.

of effectiveness, but this acid generates

• This organic acid helps minimise

nitrates by decomposition in water effluents.

phosphorus emissions at source and therefore comply more easily with regulatory levels. It involves no additional chemical treatment

Moreover, for formulators, this acid is available only as a powder, with very poor solubility in water compared to the other acids which are

cost to precipitate or decompose the acid.

often very easily, if not totally, miscible in water.

• Scaleva® is 100% biodegradable within

Arkema has developed an extensive database

28 days in a purification plant. This therefore

of comparative efficiency tests of Scalava® vs

means complete biodegradability (whereas

organic and inorganic acid. We have acquired

within the meaning of regulation 648/2004/EC,

extensive expertise in replacing these different

a detergent is deemed biodegradable if the

acids with Scaleva®. www.scaleva.com

biodegradation (mineralisation) level measured

(1) The Arkema Corrosion Laboratory, based at the Rhône Alpes Research Centre, has evaluated the corrosion of various materials with Scaleva® aqueous solutions in varying concentrations by using measurement methods based on long-term immersion as per standard ASTM G31-72 (1995), or by electrochemical testing. The surface condition of the materials is checked by optical microscope for metal surfaces and by electronic microscope (MEB-EDX) for non-metal surfaces. Based on these tests, a SCALEVA® aqueous solution of approximately 30 g/l generates a corrosion rate below 5 µm/ year on standard stainless steel grades at a temperature of 90°C, hence well below what is accepted by industry in general. For polyolefins, the surface condition of the samples does not deteriorate after a few days, whether they are fully immersed or exposed to continuous recycling spray with a SCALEVA® aqueous solution of 30g/l maintained at 70°C.

as per test OECD 301 F reaches at least 60% within 28 days). • Decomposition products, carbon dioxide,

Tests conditions: a calcium carbonate cube (1cm3) is immersed in 100g of acid solution (10g/l, equivalent to 1% by weight of Active Ingredient - AI) for 5 at 70°C.

water and sulfates, do not pollute the

Scaleva, phosphoric, citric, sulfamic and glycolic acid - 1% Active Material - 5’ - 70°C

environment and therefore the effluents processed by aerobic treatment in a biological purification plant can be released directly into rivers.

Citric

• The final solution, used in a typical

Glycolic

concentration of 10 to 50 g/l, causes very little materials or to the polypropylene moulds used in industry. Following several years of testing, Arkema has indeed been able to validate how materials withstand very frequent washing and severe thermal constraints (1). Therefore existing plant and equipment require no modification. • Additionally, Scaleva® is a stable liquid

Phosphoric Calcium dissolving (mg/l)

corrosion to 304L and 316 L stainless steel

Sulfamic Scaleva

solution up to 200°C. It is odourless, and does not foam. • Finally, Scaleva® can be formulated with disinfectants in line with European Directive 98/8/EC, to produce detergent-disinfectant solutions.

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Manufacture of high-pressure manlids: Perfect safety, best quality and total user satisfaction

reated in 1936, Boyer excels as the specialist in high-pressure manlids and has always been at the cutting edge of research and technology to fulfil the specific needs of the food industry. Uncompromising quality, constant innovation by its integrated design and engineering department, investment in production tools and

qualification and certification are kept up to date by regular training courses.

compliance with the PED standard are the bottom line.

(ra up to 0.4), seal position providing an optimum surface for overall cleaning and sterilisation

More recently, Boyer has integrated the development, design and manufacturing of its seals to give complete control over the entire process and provide the perfect guarantee for its manlids. Anticipating the markets’ requirements, Boyer continues to make technological advances by perfectly mastering vacuum and pressure techniques that meet the specifications of food safety standards. Ever aware of its customers and their needs, Boyer’s strength in R&D is a major advantage in responding to the

The results are pressure manlids fulfilling a vast range of requirements such as: • complete control of vacuum, pressure and temperatures • hygiene and aseptic standards: no retention zone, inner and outer finish

individual needs of its customers. By designing, conducting tests and qualifying stereotypes, Boyer responds to the individual needs of its customers. This means a veritable bespoke service can be provided.

Every detail counts The right choice of raw material is a key factor in the quality of the manlid. Customers can count on Boyer’s 74 years of experience in selecting the best suitable quality of steel for the current product.

• ergonomically designed via the opening system, auto-centering and guiding • safety provided by the Sydec® system (Boyer patented) for two-phase manlid opening, selflocking clamping lever, positioning of lid on a tapered frame for guaranteed centering • upkeep and ease of equipment maintenance. The seals, designed and made according to Boyer specifications, are clipped on or grimped (no glue required). They are made of natural, EPDM, nitrile, butyl, silicone, FEP Viton® or FEP/FPM Viton® rubber, the entire range of seals meets FDA standards. All special functions (sightglasses, halogen lighting, Atex approved LED, pressure relief or delivery valves, sensors, probes . . .) are examined and manufactured.

As for the manufacturing, complete control can be guaranteed over the whole production line as all Boyer manlids are made in the company’s own workshops, which are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, such as welding robots, high performance polishing machines (ra finish up to 0.6 microns) or hydraulic presses from 100-600 t. Boyer’s technicians are skilled professionals, whose levels of

Food & Beverage International June 2010

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Our quality policy is your safety Constant unit by unit control is carried out throughout the production cycle: from incoming raw materials to the shipment of the manlid. Detailed markings on the manlid and frame allow the traceability of each product. In addition, CCPU product inspection certificates or seal material certificates can be delivered. Boyer is fully committed to a sustainable development policy by striving to minimise the impact on its activities on the environment. As a genuine partner for the food industry, Boyer - as well as its vast network of partners and distributors around the world - concentrates on establishing and maintaining long-lasting relationships with its customers. The company provides ‘solution finding’ for specific requirements and outstanding quality products. Please call: +33 (0) 557 965 310 or visit our website: www.boyer.fr

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PRODUCTIVITY

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Productivity: the Holy Grail I f there is one thing that consistently taxes the minds of manufacturers within the food and drink industry, it is the pursuit of productivity. In many ways, it is the Holy Grail from which all else flows. Yet attaining that goal is only part of the equation. Most of all, it’s about how such productivity can be maximised by applying the right criteria. However, that is a complex challenge in itself, so how exactly can manufacturers be sure they are on the right track? Ask Dave Rostance, sales development, Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) and he will point to a number of essentials that can help those in the industry to achieve this objective. Most importantly, he refers to the ‘Ultimate Cube’, namely the total useable volume of any warehouse, which is all about maximum storage density, maximum access and maximum efficiency. “Maximising cubic capacity is essential within the food and beverage industry and that is all about the minimisation of waste – or Muda within the Kaizen ‘lean’ philosophy. In distribution terms, the most expensive and irreplaceable commodities most commonly wasted are time, energy and space.” Rostance says these are often badly neglected areas that can bring significant payback when addressed. “Remarkably, pallet storage, for

example, languishes at the bottom of the list when it comes to today’s warehouse, behind a long list of other concerns, such as canteens, toilets, marshalling, battery charging and maintenance. Yes, all of these are important as well, but carefully planned storage can eliminate so much waste and contribute enormously to increased productivity. It needs to be high up the agenda.” What TMHE delivers to bridge the productivity gap are solutions specifically designed to maximise payback, such as opportunities to increase cubic capacity. “For instance, you can reduce the number of aisles in wider aisle applications by using narrow aisle trucks, thus increasing storage density,” he adds. “And, by decreasing transfer aisles, you can increase VNA (very narrow aisle) density, which means less aisle and more racks.” There are a whole raft of ways in which TMHE products can be combined to minimise cost, while maximising storage, accessibility and productivity. One vital area where these solutions add value is in boosting picking productivity. As Rostance comments: “Picking is the largest activity and yet much of that task is actually spent travelling. Our laser guided trucks overcome that through AOP (Automation in Order Picking), where the truck follows a predetermined route and the picker simply follows from location to location. Improved pick rates can mean productivity gains of up to 80% in some applications.”

The BT Automation in Order Picking (AOP) solution works side-by-side with driver-operated equipment to substantially boost productivity. The Toyota Traigo 48 is the most compact Toyota 48-volt forklift yet

Food & Beverage International June 2010

As attractive as such technology is, though, how affordable is it to businesses still recovering

Stable thinking

As the focus on workplace safety increases across Europe, one standout technology - SAS (System of Active Stability) - is actively reducing the risk of accidents and driving down costs. Unique to Toyota lift trucks, SAS constantly monitors forklift operations and automatically takes corrective

action when it senses factors that could lead to truck or load instability. It acts automatically to prevent sideways tip-over, the cause of more than 30% of serious forklift accidents. For more information, see: www.toyota-forklifts.eu

from turbulent economic times? Graham Wilkinson, national account manager, TMHUK, offers this response. “Certainly, productivity is the big driving force for food and beverage manufacturers, and specifically cost-effective productivity. This is where I believe we have been able to demonstrate advantage by providing a solution where we supply them with equipment, plus labour, plus parts at a fixed cost, over a fixed period of time. Customers know exactly what they need to budget for and where they stand, which is a huge consideration in an industry where commodities are flexibly priced.” The final word goes to Gunter Simonis, director key account & sales operation support, TMH Germany. “The rate of pick in the food and beverage industry is critical and clearly targeted. So the selection of the right truck should involve a quicker and more efficient operation. Crucial factors include appropriate acceleration and deceleration, exceptional performance during lifting and lowering, high versatility and manoeuvrability, and easy handling. We have been designing such trucks for this industry for many decades. The fact that our solutions continue to be used is actually the only endorsement we require.”

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Operational cost reduction savings Tetra Pak’s Operational Cost Reduction (OCR) programme can help dairy and juice manufacturers make operational cost savings that typically represent 5 to 15% of their total system costs, and cut the costs of running a packaging line by an average of 12%. It has already been applied successfully at the Saudi Arabian dairy and food company, SADAFCO, which produces long life milk, flavoured milk, instant milk powders, drinks, ice cream and a variety of cheeses and snacks. The first Middle Eastern company to implement the OCR programme, SADAFCO began working with Tetra Pak on the pilot phase of the OCR project in 2007 and conducted a detailed analysis of its operating costs - from labour through to utilities, including the costs associated with packaging and product waste, service and spare parts. Each OCR project involves three

main phases: cost mapping & loss analysis; opportunity analysis; and implementation, which allow manufacturers to visualise and understand the elements that impact most on their operational costs. Problems are analysed, root causes identified and improvements are maintained by creating new standards and procedures.

After the success of the

In the pilot phase, SADAFCO selected one line for improvements in three areas: cleaning-in-place (CIP) and filling operations, and distribution equipment performance. Teams were trained, responsibility given for the specific operational areas and targets set. And, over a period of eight months, the company made a 17% saving in CIP set-up time; a 27% improvement in lost filling time, a 14% improvement in distribution equipment lost time and an overall equipment effectiveness improvement of 64%.

for CIP and decreasing the

pilot stage, SADAFCO expanded the scope of the OCR programme to include two additional lines and appointed two working teams per line. Each line included preparation,

Tetra Pak’s Operational Cost Reduction programme can cut the costs of running a packaging line by an average of 12%

processing and filling areas and the teams focused on reducing the set-up time required number of line equipment stops. Since embarking on the OCR programme, SADAFCO has cut set-up time by 23% and reduced CIP cycle times by 25%. The cumulative effect of these activities across its three lines has resulted in a machine up-time of 37.5 hours per week, which has allowed SADAFCO to reduce overtime by 20% and decrease its use of casual labour by up to 7.3%. “Thanks to the OCR programme, we are now able to operate with

lower levels of finished product inventory and to provide greater potential output with the same machines when required,” said Steve Satherley, chief operations officer at SADAFCO, which has also seen improvements in its staff working more effectively as part of a team as a result of the OCR programme. “In conducting both the pilot programme and phase 2 of the OCR programme, we have seen major benefits to the business and the individual staff who have been involved. We continue to implement the learning and disciplines already developed into other areas of the factory.” www.tetrapak.com/ocr

Denester improves efficiency Findus Sweden has decreased downtime and improved the efficiency of its packaging operations following investment in a three-lane pick & place denesting machine from Ixia UK. The company was looking to replace its existing denester that was proving both unreliable and incapable of handling coppice board trays, which have no denest features, are less rigid than foil and plastic trays and can vary in size from plus or minus 10 to 15mm.

Food & Beverage International June 2010

Ixia’s pneumatic Ixia IPP390 denester can handle both coppice board trays and aluminium foil packs; and now runs at speeds of up to 120 packs per minute on Findus’ frozen fish products line. It features an innovative Snapdragon tooling device that allows it to handle coppice board trays and other pack types in various sizes, accurately and efficiently, according to Ixia. “Our previous machine needed constant operator supervision, while the new Ixia denester is

very user friendly and reliable,” said Roland Berggren, project manager, Findus Sweden. “The machine Ixia’s pneumatic Ixia IPP390 denester has has decreased decreased downtime and improved the efficiency of frozen fish packing at Findus Sweden downtime and improved efficiency thanks to its special minutes. We already have plans Snapdragon tooling system, to purchase further machines which allows us to change over from Ixia.” tray sizes completely tool free in www.ixiauk.co.uk

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Automated packaging for small companies To make automated case-packing possible for small to medium sized manufacturers, Bosch has developed its small-footprint, CCV 6400 BA case-packer, which has been installed at the Dutch producer of Japanese savoury rice crackers, Osaka. “We have used our experience in secondary packaging to support small to medium sized manufacturers,” said Cees Coppens, sales director, Bosch vertical form fill seal machines. “The CCV 6400 BA facilitates

the movement from hand to automated packaging; and the high investment is justified by cost-efficiency, faster payback and the higher speed of output.” The CCV 6400 BA is capable of packing various case sizes up to a weight of 25kg in regular slotted cartons, half slotted case trays and display case formats and can handle a range of different stand-up block-bottom bags and equivalent packages or boxes. It can pack 100 packs per minute from a single row or 120 packs from two rows, and fills up to 15 cartons per minute. The highly flexible machine can handle small, varying batches, and Bosch has designed out the use of robotics in order to keep initial outlay to a minimum. Instead, packs are collected and

positioned on a trapdoor from which they are slid into the case. A user-friendly plc controls the machine and is capable of retaining 100 casepacking configurations. The first company to invest in the new case-packer, Osaka, in The Netherlands, Bosch has developed its smallmanufactures block-bottom footprint, CCV 6400 BA case-packer to bags in two sizes, which form help small to medium sized companies 12 different packaging types, automate their packaging functions with weights ranging from 90 that fills the block-bottom bags to 300g ready for filling into two at a capacity of 90 packs per different carton sizes: 194mm minute. It also supplied special wide with varying heights of 160 infeed plates to help pack the light to 222mm; and a second carton bags into comparatively small with fixed dimensions of 290 x cases. Osaka has subsequently 194 x 153 mm. purchased a full Bosch SVE 2510 AR vertical form, fill and seal During the first few months packaging line for block-bottom after installation, Bosch made bag production. adjustments to optimise the line www.boschpackaging.com efficiency and perfected a system

Intelligent carton transport technology Schubert’s new intelligent carton transport technology forms part of an automated packaging line recently installed at the Italian biscuit manufacturer, Asolo Dolce’s factory in Rignano sull’Arno, near Florence. Capable of packing up to 80 bags a minute, the biscuit packaging line includes three Transmodule devices, which move cartons along a rail system that links together the line’s four operations: product grouping, carton erecting, filling and closing. Schubert has added an extra function to the Transmodules by incorporating a special suction plate that can tilt the cartons

Food & Beverage International June 2010

into position in preparation for the filling process. Cartons are erected and transported via the Transmodules to the filling station where a TLM F-44 robot unit picks & places 20 bags into two cartons simultaneously. These cartons are then taken to the line’s closing operation where another robotic unit applies a shoebox-style lid. This new Transmodule technology replaces Schubert’s previous vacuum conveyor scheme and offers wireless data and power transfer. It consists of vacuum suction cups for holding the erected cartons in place, a drive motor and control electronics. For optimum efficiency, the

Schubert has installed its new Transmodule carton transport technology at Asolo Dolce’s biscuit plant in Italy Transmodules only require power when accelerating from a standstill to its travel speed of 5 metres per second. When the Transmodule decelerates,

the drive motor switches over to generator mode, thereby supplying electricity stored in capacitors. www.gerhard-schubert.com

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Robots handle pancakes Honeytop Speciality Food worked with ABB’s robotics business to perfect two robotic lines for producing pancakes at its Dunstable, UK site.

We receive daily orders that are expected to be out to the depots within 12 hours of production,” said William Eid, director for Honeytop Speciality Foods.

This was the company’s first investment in robotic technology and the installation features two robotic lines, each using four FlexPicker IRB360 robots. Each production line includes ABB’s PickMaster 3.2 software and IRC5 controllers, which are said to have dramatically cut changeover times between products.

“We needed to increase the speed of the production line to meet these industry demands, all while reducing downtime. The robots have quickly enabled us to achieve this, by absorbing a number of overheads, thanks to lower labour costs and improved productivity.”

“We work in an industry with very tight turnaround times.

“The food and beverage industries are playing a key role in the growth of robotics

in the UK,” said Nigel Platt, ABB’s UK sales & marketing manager for robotics. “With over 54% growth in 2009 for ABB, the food and beverage industry has recognised the trend to automate and food processors are getting on board, ready to boost their competitiveness and maintain consistently high product quality.” www.abb.com ABB robotics has installed two robotic lines at Honeytop Speciality Food

Three new Mulitpond MP 28-400/400-H will weigh confectionery at a rate of 420 bags per minute at Mederer Süsswarenvertriebs

Weighing for minibags Mederer Süsswarenvertriebs GmbH the German producer of fruit-flavoured, gelatine-based confectionery, has invested in three additional weighing systems from Multipond to meet demand for smaller packs.

Operating on a partial portions principle, the 28-head weigher is controlled and operated using a user-friendly colour touchscreen monitor. All changeover parts can be replaced easily without tools.

The new Multipond MP 28-400/400H weighing system can operate at a rate of 450 weighings per minute, and thanks to its small (0.4 litre) weighing hopper is ideally suited for minibag applications. Plans at Mederer are for production at a rate of 420 minibags per minute.

In comparison with traditional timing hopper concepts, the combination of the weigher and Multipond’s patented high speed product transfer system, up to 40% higher speeds can be achieved. www.multipond.com

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