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Search 31.309 producers and exporters of Foods, beverages and agriculture productsNew horizons for dielectric heating
By Erik Esveld, Wageningen University
New hybrid microwave and RF technologies open the route for minimal processing of semi-solid foods
Microwave and radio frequency (RF) heating technologies aim to overcome some of the problems associated with conventional heat transfer. Their rapid volumetric heating can result in a drastic reduction of the process duration and floor space coupled with an increase in flexibility and controllability.
And since the basic technology has already been available for four decades, it is not surprising that installations are found up and running for diverse applications in the food industry, ranging from defrosting and tempering, to drying and baking.
A major concern with conventional cooking, pasteurisation and sterilisation of semi-solid foods is that it inevitably results in a suboptimal product quality due to the inherently prolonged heating time. A minimal time at the high temperature would result in a significantly better retention of the fresh product qualities. Since microwave and RF technologies are not hampered by 33 www.foodandbeverageinternational.com the limited thermal conductivity inside the product, they are the obvious candidates to minimise the thermal impact on the quality.
In the CAN
By Claire RowanInnovation and convenience continue to fuel demand for both steel and aluminium cans for a wide range of applications
Can producers have been working hard to meet the demand for greater choice in shape and texture; ease of opening, and convenience of use, as is borne witness by the innovations that have picked up awards during the past year.
At the Can of the Year award ceremony in Spain, Impress scooped the Gold Award in the Two-Piece Food Can category for the Club Luncheon Meat cans it developed for Daesang in South Korea for the relaunch of Daesang’s luncheon meat range. Produced in 200ml and 340ml sizes in France, the cans feature a drawn rectangular aluminium body with printed Easy Peel foil membrane closures. The design allows the meat to be easily released due to a special gold internal lacquer and a shoulder at the top of the can, according to Impress.
Crown Food Europe was the winner of the 2006 UK Packaging Award in the Metal Packaging Category as well as the Silver Award in the Can of the Year’s Food Category for its distinctive shaped can for Crosse & Blackwell’s Waistline low-calorie food range.
DJAZAGRO 2007 ALGIERS
Bertrand LAURENT
CONFIRMATION OF A REFERENCE TRADE SHOW FOR THE AGROFOOD
The 5th edition of DJAZAGRO trade show was held from 16th to 19th April 2007 in the Central pavilion of the Safex Exhibition Park in Algiers.
With the events that hardly touched Algiers at the eve of the show opening in background, DJAZAGRO 2007 took place on the total area of the Central Pavilion of the Safex Exhibition Park.
Very few cancellations from exhibitors have been then registered.
The show met once more time to the expectations of its exhibitors and its strictly professional visitors.
From scapegoat to saviour?
By Lynda Searby
Legislators and industry are working fast and furious to provide solutions as the obesity debate continues to rage in Europe and throughout the world
New regulations restricting advertising of food and drink with high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) levels during television programmes aimed at under 16s came into force in January in the UK. This dealt a heavy blow to an industry already reeling from last September’s ban on HFSS foods in schools.
More significantly perhaps, it represented another crushing defeat in what is increasingly becoming a battle for food industry independence amid mounting calls for tighter regulations from lobbyists and consumer groups. And it is not just in the UK that manufacturers are feeling the mounting pressure to take action against obesity.
In France, a ban on vending machines in schools has been in place since August last year, and as of February, food manufacturers will be required to either pay a 1.5% levy or include a compulsory health message in any promotional activity.
Minister applauds industry achievements
Food and Beverage InternationalAt the 5th Congress of the CIAA. held in Brussels in October, Markos Kyprianou. the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, praised the 'visible and important' contribution that has been made by the food industry to the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
"I welcome and appreciate the encouraging progresa that the Platform has made to date. Members have activety engaged with the process and firm commitments have been made," said Mr Kyprianou. "I am very pleased to see the initiatives brought forward by the CIAA and its members in areas of key concern, such as advertising and marketing, nutrition labelling and reformulation.
"The issue of effective monitoring of commitments is of vital importance for the overall credibility of the Platform process," Mr Kyprianou continued. "In September, Platform members adopted a framework for the monitoring of their commitments and I appreciate the extensive efforts made by the CIAA in this regard."
Focus on weight reduction
By Maureen Byrne
Hi Europe in Frankfurt played host to over 9,000 visitors, 440 exhibitors, and a wealth of new healthy and functional ingredients as well as those developed specifically to help consumers control their weight
Weight management was very much on the agenda at this year's exhibition, where many new appetite suppressants and fat & sugar replacers vied for attention alongside the innovations in vitamins, minerals, Omega-3s, and a hugh variety of other healthy ingredients.
All three of this year's Hi Europe Awards were given to products that make a contribution to the food industry's efforts lo tackle obesity. Cargill picked up the coveted Gold Award for the best innovation in health ingredients for its Xtend Isomaltulose, a slow digestible sugar that results in a low blood glucose and insulin response. The award recognised the research conducted by Cargill into the role Xtend plays in providing 'sustained energy supplies', 'blunted glycaemic response' and
Developments in world juice
By Claire RowanSuper fruits and super juices were front of mind in Barcelona, Spain in
october as over 400 delegates from all over the world met to discuss the lastest developments and trends
As standard fruit juice sales and those of sugar-filled carbonates stagnate, the more innovative products on the market that extol their heaith benefits and offer pure indulgent and interesting blends are experiencing strong demand.
"I think we are going to see even more fruit juices that are not just juices but blends, such as Britvic's J2O. Manufacturers are changing from producing cheap carbonates to soft drinks that are based on good things," said David Berryman, of the UK juice and fruit company of the same name, at the World Juice conference in Barcelona, Spain. The conference was sponsored by Elopak, which gave a paper on Exploiting Packaging to Deliver Brand Value, and Frutarom, which was demonstrating its new developments for the juice industry.
Functional foods: the next phase
By Stephanie FrenchFunctional foods have already established their place in the mainstream, but what does the future hold?
Stephanie French* an independent nutrition strategy consultant to the food industry explores the hottest potential areas for development
There have been dramatic changes in the market for functional foods over the past five years, with probiotics becoming an increasingly accepted part of the daily diet of millions of consumere across Europe and awareness of other functional ingredients such as Omega-3s and plant stanol ester increasing dramatically. But what about the next five years? What changes might we expect to see and what strategy should food manufacturers have to take advantage of these upcoming trends?
First and foremost any nutrition strategy must continue to be led by consumer pull and not science push. The current key health drivers for dietary modification are problems we suffer from on a daily basis such as lack of energy or stress or excess weight, not longer term health concerns such as cancer and heart disease - and there is unlikely to be significant change in this situation over the next two to three years at least
Packaging for Convenience
By Claire RowanNever has the drive ror convenient products been greater as consumers have less and less time to prepare food and live in increasingly smaller households, and packaging has to keep pace with this growing demand
All packaging forms are expected to experience double digit growth between now and 2010, and demand for smaller packs for more convenient products are one of the biggest drivers of this growth, according to Euromonitor in its new report The World Market for Consumar Packaging. Ever busier lifestyles, the growing number of single households and an increase in disposable income are boosting the sales of prepared and convenience food, and smaller portion sizes.
In a number of Western countries smaller packets of butter and spreadable fats are increasing in popularity, with sales of 250g sizes outpacing those of 500g. In frozen ready meals, 750g bags of frozen vegetables are taking over from 1 kg bags. In France, individually wrapped products were recently introduced by Kraft for its Regal brand of coffee; while in Belgium, Procter & Gamble has introduced Pringles Minis: a pack of five individually wrapped packs of miniature Pringles snacks each containing 118 calories. Dried pasta manufacturers are also innovating in the area of convenience, says Euromonitor, by following these trends and offering individually wrapped small packs within bigger packs.
Pest Control
By Ansgar KemmerlingAt Symrise, the world's fourth-largest manufacturer of flavourings and aroma Chemicals, pest control is an integral part of the company's integrated safety management system.
Symrise has set the highest standards for the quality and safety of its products, and part of its quality management system is monitoring and controlling pests across all company sites. After detailed analysis of many suitable systems, Symrise collaborated with Rentokil Initial for the development of a customised PestNetOnline Internet-based documentation system for this purpose.
Symrise was looking for a system that would deliver standardised tools with which to analyze and evaluate the hygiene status across all three of its sites in Germany: Holzminden, Nórdlingen and Braunschweig. It wanted an IT-based documentation and control system that gave a comprehensive overview of the pest control services being provided, the measures being implemented and any problem-specific action required - anywhere, anytime and with different levels of access for different users. It also needed to be able to ensure that each individual trap was checked during every inspection.