Automation Technology

Direct-drive Actuator

Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies’ LiveDrive® LDD 1800 Series direct drive actuator is designed for robots and machines in the food, packaging, pharmaceuticals, and electronics industries. Genesis Robotics & Motion Technologies pwgo.to/7326

Servomotors

Siemens introduces the SIMOTICS S-1FS2 line of servomotors designed for the clean condition requirements of the food, beverage, sterile packaging, pharmaceutical, and other process industries. Siemens pwgo.to/7322

Industrial PC

Beckhoff’s C7015 ultra-compact Industrial PC is designed with IP65/67 protection for direct installation on machines or other equipment. It integrates space-saving, fanless machine control directly into harsh production environments. Beckhoff pwgo.to/7321

Sustainable Barrier Coatings

VerdeCoat® barrier coatings offer exceptional levels of water vapor and grease resistant barrier protection to enhance paper-based food packaging. VerdeCoat systems are: water based, food-contact grade, produced from environmentally-responsible sourced materials, and are designed to be biodegradable and/or compostable*.

High performance barrier coatings for: – Sustainable food packaging – Paper based lidding films – Compostable overprint varnishes

www.verdecoat.com

Electronic Position Indicator

SIKO’s AP10 IO-Link electronic position indicator with communication interface is used for monitored format adjustment to reduce setup times and increase machine efficiency. SIKO pwgo.to/7327

Solid State Digital Output Modules

Wago introduces the 750-527 and 750-528 solid state MOSFET digital output modules designed to switch 2-Amp resistive loads at a frequency up to 1 Hz.

Wago FOCKE PS AZ PMMI 9 x 5_4375 01RZ vek.pdf 1 31.08.20 10:22 pwgo.to/7114

Linear Position Sensor

Balluff’s magnetostrictive linear position sensor, featuring a Siemens controller, provides absolute position information over distances of up to 250 meters when used as part of its position measuring system. Balluff pwgo.to/7341

Meal Kit Brand Tests ‘World’s First’ Edible Film

Meal kit pioneer Gousto Recipe Box trialed a pea protein-based film that exhibits some of the barrier properties that plastic provides to powdered product. The edible film dissolves in hot water along with the stock cube, and is consumed along with the meal.

Package as part of the meal Plant protein polymer film

By Matt Reynolds, Editor

British meal kit pioneer Gousto Recipe Box delivers kits containing pre-measured ingredients and expert instructions to help consumers create delicious meals for themselves at home. The company recently teamed with Xampla, a mission-based commercial spinout from the University of Cambridge, U.K., to trial an edible film specifically engineered for a commercial stock (bouillon) cube packaging application in one of Gousto’s meal kits. After

15 years of research and one year of development, Xampla says the application is a world-first edible packaging solution made from pea protein. The product can also be described as a plant protein polymer, natural polymer, or protein polymer. This product is a single layer film, designed for this precise application. The edible stock cube packaging is being trialed to replace Gousto’s existing stock mix sachets, for a packaging-free stock that’s full of flavor.

Gousto beta-tested the technology in November 2021 as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce plastic packaging in its recipe boxes. Following its first full year of profitability in 2020, the recipe box company recently became a certified B Corporation™, joining a global community of businesses that are committed to growing the right way for people and the planet, including Xampla.

This was achieved in part by Gousto’s ongoing work to reduce plastic packaging in their recipe boxes. Last year the business cut plastic by 50% in their boxes by switching to more cardboard packaging and launching the Eco Chill Box, an innovative insulator made of recycled cardboard, that keeps ingredients fresh in boxes.

A further 17 tonnes [18.8 tons] of plastic could be saved by Gousto annually if the new edible stock cube packaging is rolled out in full to customers in the future, the company says.

Made of a tasteless edible combination of pea protein and starch, the film in this application has sufficient barrier properties for a powdered stock cube application in a dry ingredients box.

How the pea protein film is made

The edible packaging is made primarily by engineering and drying a pea protein material into sheets that have the same benefits as plastic, being able to preserve the food’s flavor and shelf life, but with none of the packaging waste, the company says. The material is vegan and gluten-free.

“The film is created using starch and pea protein,” says Simon Hombersley, CEO of Xampla. “Our process for manufacture includes the use of vinegar, but none remains in the final product. This process of controlling the self-assembly of proteins is how we create the strong, flexible film—precise formulation of the material is a trade secret, but everything is 100% natural, we use no synthetic materials in our product or process.”

Home cooks who took part in the trial enjoyed the vegetable stock cube in Gousto’s Indian Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup recipe, by simply dissolving the stock cube and its packaging in hot water.

3138TS-[Half-Page].pdf 1 11/3/21 4:13 PM

Savings are just the beginning.

Characteristics and barrier properties

“We have worked with Gousto to create a bespoke stock cube wrapper that delivers the barrier properties that their stock needs (in box and transit) but that dissolves in use,” Hombersley says. “This precise formulation to meet the customer requirements is Xampla’s expertise. For Gousto, the requirements for oxygen barrier are limited. Plant-protein films generally have very good oxygen barrier performance, and for other applications we are developing this is a priority.

“There is no specific secondary packaging required for this stock cube wrapper. It is packaged alongside the other food ingredients in Gousto’s recipe box. This application is dry, but we are working with other clients on applications for pastes, powders, and certain liquids,” adds Hombersley.

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Sustainability profile

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The new innovation comes after a recent study by environmental services company Foodsteps revealed that dinners from Gousto produce 23% less carbon emissions than equivalent meals from supermarket stores. If every home in the country replaced supermarket dinners with meals from Gousto for just one year, 10.3 million tonnes [11.35 million tons] of CO2 [equivelent] could be saved, the same as taking nearly 140,000 buses off the road for a year, according to the company.

Adds Gousto CEO and founder Timo Boldt, “At Gousto, our purpose is to build products that have a positive impact on people and the planet, and we invest in innovations that will help us get there. We are so proud of our Eco Chill Box and the significant amount of plastic we cut from our boxes as a result. This partnership with Xampla is another super exciting step towards reducing plastic packaging even further. We’re excited to see what our customers think, and to continue paving the way for innovative sustainable solutions in our industry.”

The edible packaging was available for customers to choose to add to deliveries in November 2021, as part of the Indian Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup recipe. PW

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