APFI JanFeb 2012

OfďŹ cial Publication For ProPak Vietnam 2012, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Established since 1985 | www.apfoodonline.com

market outlook 2012 Automation

Evolution FOR ASIA

Keeping It

Together

For stioonrsa,ge solut to p9 turn GM Food:

Labelling And Testing

Shots FOR ALL

See us at

Cologne Germany 29.01. - 01.02.2012 Hall 10.1 Booth B020 / C021

Enquiry Number

3012

DSM Nutritional Products’ Nutrition Improvement Program is dedicated to improving human health and prosperity by eliminating micronutrient malnutrition, also known as “hidden hunger.”

Essentials for life

Home fortification

MixMe™ adds nutrition to a diet in a simple and safe way without changing

MixMe™ adds nutrition to a diet in a simple andNutrition safe way without changing Improvement Program Nutrition www.nutritionimprovement.com Improvement Program

A breakthrough in rice fortification

A breakthrough in rice fortification NutriRice™ looks, tastes and cooks exactly like ordinary rice. The kernels NutriRice™ looks, tastes and cooks can be customized in shape, color and exactly like ordinary rice. The kernels micronutrient composition and are mixed can be customized in shape, color and with regular rice.

micronutrient composition and are mixed with regular rice.

3018

We support staple food fortification

We support staple food fortification to improve the nutritional status of to improve the nutritional status of populations and develop tailor-made populations developtarget tailor-made solutionsand for specific groups solutions forwith specific target groups together governments, organizations and the private sector. together with governments, organizations and the private sector.

Home fortification

the taste, color or consistency of food or

the taste, color or consistency of food or drink. The micronutrient composition can be drink.

The micronutrient composition can be adapted to the specific needs of the target adapted to the specific needs of the target population. population.

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Staple food fortification Staple food fortification

Enquiry Number

2816

Apex Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd. is one of the leading exporters and manufacturer of food processing equipments for biscuit, wafer, chocolate, candy and instant noodle production lines and wrapping machines, etc, we also provide various packing solutions to help our customers attain automation in both production and packaging.

Improve bulk tipping 4 ways with new TIP-TITE™ Tippers from Flexicon®

New TIP-TITE™ Universal Drum Tipper handles drums from 100 to 220 litres

New TIP-TITE™ Box/Container Tipper handles boxes up to 1220 mm W x 1220 mm D x 1120 mm H

New TIP-TITE™ High-Lift Box/Container Dumper (shown) and Drum Dumper discharge into vessels 183 to 305 cm high, dust-free

TIP-TITE™ Tippers bring newfound efficiencies and cost savings to the age-old task of discharging bulk materials from drums, boxes and containers, redefining this class of everyday plant equipment 1 Stop dust

3 Increase reliability

2 Improve safety

4 Cut cost

TIP-TITE™ Tippers hydraulically raise and rotate the container, creating a dust-tight seal against a discharge hood that mates with a gasketted inlet port fitted to any receiving vessel.

Pneumatic or manual slide gates control flow.

Ergonomic concerns of manual methods can be eliminated with controlled, automated TIP-TITE™ Tippers, which incorporate features of stringent global safety standards.

Flexicon engineers and builds TIP-TITE™ Tippers specifically for fail-safe reliability under constant use in demanding environments—and backs them 100% with a performance guarantee.

Smooth, safe, dust-free and reliable operation improves the efficiency of a repetitive task, with significant savings in labour and downtime, maximising your payback.

AUSTRALIA sales@flexicon.com.au +61 (0)7 3879 4180

Flexicon offers TIP-TITE™ Tippers in mild steel with durable industrial finishes, with stainless steel material contact surfaces, or in all-stainless models finished to food, dairy, pharmaceutical or industrial standards. All are available with Flexicon mechanical or pneumatic conveyors, rotary airlock valves or with flanged outlets to feed any process.

Most importantly, all are engineered, manufactured, guaranteed and supported by Flexicon— your single-source solution for virtually any bulk handling problem.

USA UK SOUTH AFRICA CHILE

+1 610 814 2400 +44 (0)1227 374710 +27 (0)41 453 1871 +56 2 415 1286

Also available (left to right): Open Chute Drum Tippers, Open Chute Box/Container Tippers and High-Lift Drum Tip Filling Systems

©2011 Flexicon Corporation. Flexicon Corporation has registrations and pending applications for the trademark FLEXICON throughout the world.

Enquiry Number

Z-1231

See the full range of fast-payback equipment at flexicon.com.au: Flexible Screw Conveyors, Pneumatic Conveying Systems, Bulk Bag Unloaders, Bulk Bag Conditioners, Bulk Bag Fillers, Bag Dump Stations, Drum/Box/Container Tippers, Weigh Batching and Blending Systems, and Automated Plant-Wide Bulk Handling Systems

3008

Enquiry Number

3013

STOP BACTERIA GROWTH

HiGenix™ design keeps pump interiors bacteria-free

Grundfos’ unique HiGenix™ pump design combines a range of features, such as electro-polished stainless steel, no dead-ends and gap-free seal areas that ensure bacteria and residue simply have nowhere to hide. The end result is a pump design that maintains your product’s integrity and your professional reputation.

Meet the Energy Challenge NOW

Grundfos is the only pump manufacturer that also produces its own high-efficiency electric motors and variable speed drive technology.

Recognising that pumps use 10% of the world’s total electricity, we have made it our ongoing goal to help pump operators drive down energy expenditure while complying with new legislation, such as the European Union’s EuP directive.

Discover more facts at food.grundfos.com

SMART HYGIENIC SCAN AND LEARN MORE

Enquiry Number

3003

DESIGN NOW

CONTENTS

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

8

40 PROCESSING

•

PACKAGING

•

FLAVOURS & ADDITIVES

•

STORAGE & HANDLING

www.apfoodonline.com

volume 24 no. 1

PACKAGING & PROCESSING 28

INGREDIENTS & ADDITIVES 32

36

End-of-line automation is a trend that is definitely catching up as companies realise its importance and make it an integral part of their investment plans. By Piyush Bhandari, Clearpack Group

Keeping It Together

Emulsifiers and stabilisers have often been added in foods to help keep freshness and quality. However, without proper mixing, some problems may occur during the manufacturing process. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

Automation Evolution For Asia

30

Case Study: Cut Blend Time & Degradation Long mixing cycles degraded the delicate tea leaves, while frequent stoppages and low capacity meant that an entire workday was lost blending enough batches to yield 109 kg of blended organic tea. By Steve Knauth, Munson Machinery

A Wrapper For Stabilising & Protecting Cyclodextrins protect sensitive ingredients and enable ways of emulsifying and texturising. By Dr Philipp Osterloh, Wacker Biosolutions

28

HEALTH & NUTRITION 40

Shots For All

The incorporation of nutrient premixes to fortify single-serve/daily dosing/shot products is an essential step that manufacturers will need to take if they are to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.

By Ram Chaudhari, Fortitech

36 44

Beautiful Bars For Beautiful People While a slimming or meal replacement bar may ultimately be enjoyed from the outside in, the making of a beautiful bar begins from within. By Gerard Janssens, VSI

BEVERAGE 46

A Drink Soy Delicious The manufacturing of soy milk requires steps that would transform the soy bean into a healthy and tasty formulation. By Hanne K Ludvigsen, Palsgaard

32

46

Fast beats slow

Enquiry Number

3014

Effective warehouse design means short routes for goods and staff. Using containers in conjunction with intelligent conveyor systems speed up and optimise logistics operations. We show you how to become fast, flexible and efficient. Contact us, we will gladly advise you.

SSI SCHAEFER 路 regionalmktg@ssi-schaefer.sg 路 www.ssi-schaefer-asia.com

CONTENTS

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

10

PROCESSING

•

PACKAGING

•

FLAVOURS & ADDITIVES

www.apfoodonline.com

SPECIAL FEATURE

•

STORAGE & HANDLING

volume 24 no. 1

The year brings on new challenges and opportunities for the food industry. Find out more on the year’s expectations and drivers as APFI speaks to the industry’s market leaders.

64

68

Automation: A Plus For Distribution The business case for an automated system should consider not only the ‘hard’ numbers such as labour and building cost savings, but also the ‘second order’ benefits of a safer, more ergonomic environment with improved delivery flexibility and response times.

By Brad Welsman, Schaefer Systems International

Packaging Humanity’s Hopes Food & beverage companies are stepping up in adopting green business models centred on sustainability, in hopes of averting the environmental impact. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

64

GM Foods: Labelling & Testing For GM food producers and importers, engaging a reliable third-party testing and inspection body will allow them to gain access to export markets and shorten their time-to-market by meeting the labelling requirements of their importing companies. By Chong Kok Yoong, TÜV SÜD PSB

68

DEPARTMENTS 12 14 16 24 80 80A 80B

FEATURES

60

for Advertisers’ Enquiry Numbers

MARKET OUTLOOK 2012

50

56

14

Refer to Advertising Index on Pg

Editor’s Note Advertiser’s List Business News Product Highlights Calendar Of Events Reader’s Enquiry Form Subscription Information

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Red Alert On Pesticides Quantitative and repeatability analysis of trace level pesticides in plantation food.

By Limian Zhao and Chin-Kai Meng, Agilent Technologies

EXHIBITION & EVENTS 72 74 76 78

Review: Brau Beviale Review: Asia Food Tech Review: Food Ingredients Europe Preview: ProPak Vietnam

Cover Picture Courtesy of Nikola Chuhlev, Manchester, UK • Printed by Fabulous Printers Pte Ltd

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Always perfectly packed

You want to pack powdered, pourable or lumpy goods efficiently and safely?

You set a high value on individual design options for promotional product presentation?

Wolf packaging machines are in use all over the world.

Wolf Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH Bettenh盲user Strasse 3 35423 Lich-Birklar 路 Germany Phone +49 6404 9182-0 路 Fax +49 6404 9182-83 www.wolf-pack.de 路 contact@wolf-pack.de Enquiry Number

3011

Taylor-made applications of highest flexibility For food, non-food and pharmaceuticals Machines for vertical and horizontal applications Modular solutions for operational availability Quick pre- and after-sales service wordwide

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EDITOR’S NOTE managing director

Kenneth Tan

12

editor

Tjut Rostina

tjutrostina@epl.com.sg editorial assistant

Audrey Ang

audreyang@epl.com.sg assistant art director

Libby Goh

libbygoh@epl.com.sg business development manager Randy Teo

randyteo@epl.com.sg advertising sales manager Peh Sue Ann

sueannpeh@epl.com.sg

Enter The Dragon Hope prevails in the Year of the Dragon, a major symbol of fortune in Chinese astrology. Although 2012 is one met with expectations of an uncertain economy from the after effects of major events in the past year, the outlook for Asia Pacific remains positive.

According to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan, 2012 is expected to be a stable year for food prices. Although many countries will be lowering their growth forecasts, with China’s growth expected to go below its achievement in 2011, the situation will not likely increase the demand for food, giving it stability.

The report continues to say that despite the easing up of food prices in the last couple of months, the industry should still exercise caution. “Although the impact of the September floods is not likely to have a significant impact on global production levels, it will create issues at the local level. The floods spread across large areas in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR pushing up domestic prices,” according to the report.

To gain a better insight on expectations for the New Year and trends to look out for, APFI caught up with market leaders to share their thoughts with the readers. (Page 50) Christian Overgaard of Chr Hansen, shares that while the economic outlook for 2012 remains uncertain, with issues of financing and unemployment in Europe and US, Asia Pacific is a region with macro trends that will continue to grow. These trends include continued urbanisation and increasing affluence.

The positive mindset on the Asia Pacific region is shared by Didier Lacroix from Cognex: “Although actual growth could be lower than predictions due to Europe’s economic crisis, the food industry in the Asian region is still poised for healthy expansion.”

As expectations for growth continues to drive the industry, hope floats for a prosperous year of the dragon.

asst sales manager Tracy Cheo

tracycheo@epl.com.sg senior circulation executive

Brenda Tan

brenda@epl.com.sg contributors

Brad Welsman

Chin-Kai Meng

Chong Kok Yoong

Dr Philipp Osterloh

Gerard Janssens

Hanne K Ludvigsen

Limian Zhao

Piyush Bhandari

Ram Chaudhari

Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

Steve Knauth

board of industry consultants Dr Aaron Brody Managing Director Packaging/Brody, Inc Dr Alastair Hicks Adjunct Professor of Agro Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand Professor Alex Büchanan Professional Fellow Victoria University Dr Nik Ismail Nik Daud Head, Food Quality Research Unit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia/ President Malaysian Institute of Food Technology Kathy Brownlie Global Program Manager Food & Beverage Ingredients Practice Frost & Sullivan Sam S Daniels Consultant World Packaging Organisation

Executive Board chairman

Stephen Tay group executive director

Kenneth Tan financial controller

Robbin Lim

etm Tjut Rostina

Eastern

TradeanMedia Pte Ltd Eastern Holdings Ltd company

Head Office & Mailing Address Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building #02-05, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Email: apfood@epl.com.sg

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Join APFI On The Path To

Prosperity For advertising enquiries, please call Peh Sue Ann | Tracy Cheo

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ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY ADVERTISING INDEX ENQUIRY NO.

ADVERTISERS

PAGE

3009

ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA

2816

APEX MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT CO LTD

43

3001

BASF

3013

CLEARPACK SINGAPORE PTE LTD

2815

COGNEX SINGAPORE INC

3018

DSM NUTRITIONAL PRODUCTS ASIA PACIFIC

3005

FHA 2012

73

2902

FIC 2012

63

3008

FLEXICON CORPORATION (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

3017

GEUMSAN PROVINCE

3003

GRUNDFOS FOOD

3019

HEAT AND CONTROL PTY LTD

15

3015

HYDROSOL

33

3016

KALSEC INC

3010

PALSGAARD

6028

PIAB ASIA PTE LTD

65

3007

PROPAK ASIA 2012

79

3006

PROPAK VIETNAM 2012

59

3014

SCHAEFER SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD

2932

SIAL CHINA 2012

75

3012

SOLLICH KG

IFC

3004

STATEC BINDER GMBH

27

3002

TAIWAN SOUVENIR 2012

55

2929

THAIFEX - WORLD OF FOOD ASIA 2012

77

3011

WOLF VERPACKUNGMACHINEN GMBH

11

2

OBC 4&5 19

1

3 IBC 6&7

35

21

9

This index is provided as an additional service.

The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.

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Progress through innovation

Cooking & Frying Systems for Prepared Food Products The AirForce® impingement oven, MPO® oven and Spiral oven are designed to deliver the most consistent temperatures across the product conveyor width. Uniform cooking ensures each piece of product reaches the same safe core temperature in the same amount of time and has consistent qualities such as texture and colour.

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New Delhi, India: Industry body, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has called for reforms and policies to direct credit flow to the agriculture sector and encourage contract farming for furthering financial inclusion across the country.

Agricultural credit can be a means of furthering financial inclusion, as it would be linked to economic activity, it said. Of 148 million rural households, 89 million are farm households and 46 million of these are outside the financial services net, according to a study done by ASSOCHAM and global consulting firm Ernst & Young.

“However, reforms and clear policies are required to effectively direct credit flow to the agriculture sector. Or else, it will end up burdening banks and the state exchequer,” stated the study titled ‘Trillion Dollar Economy – Opportunities and Challenges for Banks’.

A total of 9.1 million new farmers were provided bank credit in FY 2010. Banks – including cooperative banks and regional rural banks – met nearly 113 percent of the government’s target, while the recovery-todemand was over 76 percent. About 18 percent of credit goes toward corporate entitites or organised units.

“Corporates can play a vital role in risk management and providing an assured market for agricultural produce which can benefit farmers, banks as well as the rural economy,” according to the study.

The agriculture sector accounts for 14 percent of the country’s total GDP with 235.88 million tonnes of food grain production in 2010 to 2011 on the back of all-time high output of pulses and wheat. It employs 52 per cent of the total workforce, and is still the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in overall socio-economic development. ____________________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0100

Jram D, Chennai, India

Commercialise Agriculture To Boost Economy

BUSINESS NEWS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY

17

INDUSTRY & MARKET

Aujan Industries & Coca-Cola Sign US$980 Million Agreement Dubai, UAE: Aujan Industries, one of the independent beverage companies in the Middle East, and The CocaCola Company have signed a binding agreement for The Coca-Cola Company to acquire approximately half of the equity in Aujan’s existing beverage business.

Once closed, this US$980 million transaction will provide Saudi Arabia-based Aujan Industries a platform for the international growth of its brands, including Rani and Barbican, while enhancing the regional outlook for licensed brand Vimto.

The transaction will present The Coca-Cola Company a significant equity stake in one of the leading still beverage businesses in the Middle East. This transaction represents the largest-ever investment by a multinational firm in the Middle East’s consumer goods sector.

Under the terms of the agreement, The Coca-Cola Company will acquire 50 percent of the Aujan entity that holds the rights to its own brands, and 49 percent of its bottling and distribution company. The licensed brand Vimto will remain with the Aujan-managed bottling and distribution company.

T h i s a g re e m e n t e x c l u d e s A u j a n ’s I r a n i a n manufacturing and distribution business. Closing of the transaction is subject to certain conditions.

L to R: Sheikh Adel Aujan, chairman, Aujan Industries and Ahmet Bozer, president, Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group.

Both companies expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2012. The Coca-Cola system had said in October 2011 that it will invest US$5 billion in the Middle East and North Africa region over the next 10 years.

_____________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0101

SPRING Invests S$45 Million For Productivity Improvement Singapore: A total of S$45 million (US$34.7 million) will be committed to boost the productivity in the food manufacturing industry over the next five years.

The plan, driven by SPRING Singapore, is expected to increase the sector-wide nominal valueadded per worker by about 20 percent by 2016.

Areas earmarked for improvement include automation and adoption of productivity improvement tools, product i n n o v a t i o n a n d w o r k f o rc e investment. This was announced

by Lee Yi Shyan, minister of state for trade & industry and national

development at the opening of the Asia Pacific Food Expo 2011.

The organisation will collaborate with industry partners such as Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA) to support food manufacturers in their drive towards higher productivity to remain globally competitive.

The organisation aims to put in place resources to aid food manufacturers who are keen to improve their operational efficiency, but lack the know-how to do so.

These include a pool of local industry experts that are trained to guide companies in process streamlining and workflow

re-design. A food automation resource will be launched to provide technical expertise in the development of customised automation solutions.

To adapt and cater to consumer tastes, investing in consumer insights research or adopting Design Thinking methodology in product innovation are ways which food manufacturers can generate ideas. By 2016, the organisation aims to help food manufacturers develop 100 new products or packaging for the local and global consumers.

_________________ Enquiry No: 0102

BUSINESS NEWS

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

18

INDUSTRY & MARKET

Multivac Acquires Trimaster Oy Wolfertschwenden, Germany: With the acquisition of the Finnish company Trimaster Oy in December 2011, Multivac is making an expansion in its product portfolio of line automation, robotics and palletising systems. This move also strengthens its presence in Scandinavia.

Trimaster Oy, which was founded in 1998, specialises in palletising systems and robotic cells as well as monitoring and conveying systems.

“Our customers are increasingly faced with handling challenges, for example with loading of product into packs or with the converging of packs after packaging.

With the acquisition, we are extending in particular our range of ABB robots and monitoring systems,” said Esa Harju, MD of Multivac Finland. _____________________________ Enquiry No: 0103

DSM’s Premix Expands In Colombia & Ecuador Kaiseraugst, Switzerland: DSM Nutritional Products’ global premix offering has been expanded yet further by major investments in Colombia and Ecuador.

In November 2011, the company opened two premix sites in Tocancipá, Colombia, and Amaguaña, Ecuador. The inauguration of the Tocancipá facility in Colombia, which will serve both the human nutrition & health and the animal nutrition & health sectors, comes hard on the heels of a number of important milestones for the company.

These include the opening of its fifth premix plant in China, the opening of the company’s animal nutrition & health premix plant in India, its acquisition of Fatrom Furajeri Additivi in Romania, and the opening of a premix facility in Tatarstan. _____________________________ Enquiry No: 0104

General Mills Reports 2012 Results Minnesota, US: General Mills has reported results for the second quarter and first half of fiscal 2012.

Net sales grew 14 percent to US$4.62 billion. The international Yoplait acquisition completed on July 1, 2011 contributed eight points of net sales growth. Segment operating profit rose two percent to US$873 million, including significantly higher input costs year-over-year and increased advertising expense.

Chairman and CEO Ken Powell said: “General Mills secondquarter results show good net sales growth worldwide. Our Yoplait acquisition fuelled a more than 50 percent increase in total international sales. Significantly higher input costs pressured our margins, as expected. But in total, performance for the quarter and year-to-date has us on track to meet the key financial targets we have set for fiscal 2012.”

The company’s guidance for the second half of fiscal 2012 calls for double-digit growth in net sales and high single-digit to low double-digit growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share.

“Our net sales in the second half will continue to reflect the significant addition of international Yoplait revenues. We also expect our base business to show good sales growth, fuelled by strong levels of product innovation and consumer marketing support,” Powell said.

The company expects its second-half gross margin as a percent of sales will be below year-ago levels, reflecting the shift in business mix to include the Yoplait acquisition as well as the continued pressure of higher input costs year-over-year.

Second-half segment operating profit is expected to be above year-ago levels, including a planned increase in advertising and media investment. _________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0105

BUSINESS NEWS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY

19

INDUSTRY & MARKET

Peninsula Packaging Acquires Thermoforming Division Of Packaging Plus California, US: Peninsula Packaging Company, a provider of thermoformed plastic packaging products has acquired the agricultural thermoforming division of Berkley Operations, doing business as Packaging Plus.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Peninsula is a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners. The company will now serve its customers through four locations on the West Coast and East Coast.

Ed Byrne, the company’s CEO, said: “This transaction enhances the

service offering for our customers by expanding our geographic footprint and increasing the breadth of our product offering.” ____________________ Enquiry No: 0106

You Know Cognex Vision

Hershey To Acquire Brookside Foods Pennsylvania, US: The Hershey Company has reached an agreement in December 2011, to purchase Brookside Foods, a privately held confectionery company based in British Columbia, Canada.

B ro o k s i d e i s a c h o c o l a t e confectioner y company with products for making chocolatecovered fruit juice pieces. It holds patents that enable it to make the centres of these distinctive products from real fruit juice. The company also makes traditional chocolatecovered nuts and dried fruit. The products are made at two facilities in British Columbia and Quebec.

Annual net sales of the business are approximately CA$85 million (US$83.8 million).

The acquisition is expected to be slightly accretive in the year subsequent to closing. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, customary closing adjustments and Brookside shareholder approval. _______________________ Enquir No: 0107

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BUSINESS NEWS

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

20

INDUSTRY & MARKET

QUICK BITES pago inTernaTional opens asia paciFic Hub BanGKOK, ThailanD: pago Group, a provider of labelling systems and technology, has opened a regional hub in Bangkok, Thailand. This move strengthens the company’s presence in the asia pacific Region – one of their focus markets. avinash Ranalkar, based in Bangkok, and Thomas huwyler, based in switzerland, are responsible for the Regional hub.

The company’s expertise on labelling ranges from self-adhesive labels to sleeves through to labelling machines, labelling software and solutions for marking and identification in the goods flow.

urscHel labs conTinues operaTional eXpansion

Petainer Keg Voted Packaging Of The Year boNN, germaNy: The Petainer keg marketed by KHS and the Petainer company has been voted Packaging of the Year 2011 in the Czech Republic. The certificate was presented to Petainer Czech Holdings by SYBA, the Czech packaging association, which is a member of the World Packaging Organisation.

Dr Felix Wagner, manager of KHS GmbH’s competence center for filling and keg technology, explains: “This distinction demonstrates among other things that the keg is perceived as a keg system of the future. We at KHS have thought this of the Petainer keg for some time and it was for this reason that we decided to enter into cooperation with Petainer Holdings UK Ltd.” The disposable keg is 100 percent recyclable, and as compared to the classic refillable steel keg, it reduces the cost of keg washing, logistics, and storage. ________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0108

sinGapORe: urschel laboratories continues to expand globally with the opening of a subsidiary office in italy, relocation of the direct singapore office to a larger location, opening of its first latin american office, and the signing of a sales representative in Chile.

The italy office officially opened for business on December 1, 2011. it is the company’s tenth international branch to open in europe. The company has also signed inter Chile as its official sales representative in Chile.

cHina’s mouTai To increase bY 14.2% GuiYanG, China: China’s national liquor, Moutai, is expected to see an increase of 14.2 percent yearon-year, with its output at 30,000 tonnes in 2011, according to the China Daily.

Kweichow Moutai Group’s total liquor output is expected to go up by 20.7 percent compared to last year, achieving a total of 63,000 tonnes. This year, the group started 61 projects with a total investment of 4.66 billion yuan (us$740.05 million). The group is expecting its annual revenue to top 50 billion yuan by 2015.

www.apfoodonline.com FOR EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FOOD TECHNOLOGY

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INDUSTRY & MARKET

meat. For example, it will be possible for ‘Scotland’, ‘England’, ‘Wales’ and ‘Northern Ireland’ to be used on food labels without mentioning ‘UK’ under new provenance rules. Also, the origin of main ingredients will have to be given if different from where the final product is made.

Allergen information will have to be provided on all food (whether sold prepacked or loose). For prepacked foods, the allergens will have to be highlighted on the ingredient list.

Drinks with high caffeine content will have to be additionally labelled as not recommended for children, or pregnant and breastfeeding women, with the actual caffeine

content quoted. The EU has also agreed to make it easier for alcoholic drinks companies to voluntarily include calorie information on product labels. _____________________ Enquiry No: 0109

Enhanced emulsion stability, mouth-feel, texture and viscosity. Improved stability, whippability, foam structure and water retention... Palsgaard’s emulsifier & stabilizer systems help you achieve it all.

Our technical teams around the world are experts in emulsifiers and stabilizers for various dairy products and know how to create products matching local tastes and preferences.

Visit www.palsgaard.com to find out how we can help you in your product development.

3010

Emulsifiers and stabilizers for dairy

Palsgaard Asia-Pacific Ltd. Singapore Phone +65 64 68 69 05 pap@palsgaard.com.sg

Enquiry Number

loNDoN, uK: The Food Information Regulation (FIR), designed to make food labelling easier to understand for con-sumers, has been published by the European Union.

The regulation combines rules on general food and nutrition labelling into a single EU regulation.

Transitional arrangements set out in the FIR mean that the bulk of the requirements will not apply until 2014, with nutrition labelling becoming mandatory in 2016.

Some of the main points highlighted are the country of origin – subject to further discussion, the introduction of mandatory origin information for most fresh and frozen

Jason Antony, Vancouver, Canada

EU Publishes Labelling Regulation

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QUICK BITES

INDUSTRY & MARKET

Arla Foods Joins Global Dairy Trade Auction Viby J, Denmark: Arla Foods will begin offering dairy products on GlobalDairyTrade from April 3, 2012. With the company’s participation as a seller on GlobalDairyTrade, access to bidders around the world has been expanded, and a tool to improve the challenges of price risk management in the dairy sector becomes available for more market participants.

Acting in a global market, and recognising the need to achieve prices that will ensure the company pays a competitive milk price to its cooperative owners, joining an online dairy commodity trading platform marks the opening up to a source of potential export growth.

The company will start offering Skim Milk Powder (SMP) Medium and Low Heat products and then, over time, other products will be evaluated and added. _________________________________________________ Enquir No: 0110

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Taiwanese FDA Approves Stratum Nutrition’s Ingredient Reus, Spain: The Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the chitinglucan fiber from Aspergillus niger, branded Artinia, as a food ingredient that can be used without any restriction.

The company has partnered exclusively with Taiwanese company Chambio, to distribute the ingredient. The partnership will allow the ingredient to expand into Asian markets.

DKSH Signs Agreement With Seagarden Zurich, Switzerland: DKSH’s Business Unit Performance Materials, a specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor, will provide its market expansion services to Norway-based Seagarden, a specialty marine ingredients company supplying natural ingredients to the global savory and nutritional markets.

The agreement covers Seagarden’s fish protein extract, arctic shrimp powder, arctic shrimp shell powder, and seafood extract for savoury applications, such as soup, condiments, and seasoning.

Ecolab Relocates German Offices Wallisellen, Switzerland: Ecolab has made plans to relocate its German offices and research center in Düsseldorf, Germany, to the city of Monheim am Rhein, 10 km south of Düsseldorf. The location, Im Weidental, will house the European RD&E facility as well as its local sales and marketing functions.

The company expects to begin relocating employees in November 2012, and finish in the first quarter of 2013.

Taiyo’s Facility Exceeds Expectations Of Food Safety Audit Paris, France: Taiyo Europe has announced that the Sunphenon manufacturing facility, Taiyo Green Power, achieved an NSF Food Safety, Quality and Food Defense Audit Score of over 95, as audited by Cook & Thurber. A score over 95 is classified as Meeting or Exceeding Audit Expectations.

Scott Smith, speaking for the company, said: “NSF’s recognition of our manufacturing process, adherence to regulatory compliance and attention to quality and safety further increases the comfort level of customers looking to fortify their products with high quality green tea ingredients”. _____________________________________________________________________ Enquir No: 0111

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SCIENCE & NUTRITION

DuPont & Rosetta Green To Identify Drought Tolerance Genes

_________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0112

Iowa, US: DuPont and Rosetta Green have entered into a research agreement to identify drought tolerance genes in corn and soybeans.

Under the agreement, Rosetta Green will use proprietary technology and bioi n f o rmati cs cap ab i l i ti es to i d entify microRNAs. DuPont, through its Pioneer Hi-

Carol Kramberger, Zagreb, Croatia

Georgia, US: Scientists have obtained the first evidence of one of vitamin E’s normal body functions. The antioxidant found in most foods helps repair tears in the plasma membranes that protect cells from outside forces and screens what enters and exits. This is according to a study by Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU) researchers in the journal Nature Communications.

Everyday activities such as eating and exercise can tear the plasma membrane and the research shows that vitamin E is essential to repair. Muscle weakness also is a common complaint in diabetes, another condition associated with inadequate plasma membrane repair.

“Without any special effort we consume vitamin E every day and we don’t even know what it does in our bodies,” said Dr Paul McNeil, GHSU cell biologist and the study’s corresponding author.

The physical force of exercise tears the membrane.

Vitamin E enables adequate plasma membrane repair despite the oxidant challenge and keeps the situation in check.

The next step of the research which will be aided by two recent National Institutes of Health grants, include examining membrane repair in vitamin E-deficient animals.

Dr McNeil also wants to further examine membrane repair failure in diabetes. Former GHSU graduate student Dr Amber Howard showed in a recent paper in the journal Diabetes that cells taken from animal models of types 1 and 2 diabetes have faulty repair mechanisms. Howard found high glucose was a culprit by soaking cells in a high-glucose solution for eight to 12 weeks, during which time they developed a repair defect.

It is also well documented that reactive oxygen species levels are elevated in diabetes.

Now Dr McNeil wants to know if he can prevent the development of advanced glycation end products – a sugar that high glucose adds to proteins that his lab has shown can also impede membrane repair.

Diego Norma, Caracas, Venezuela

Vitamin E’s Innate Function Identified

Bred business, will test candidate genes in target crops. Pioneer will have an exclusive commercial license for genes identified through this collaboration that will improve drought tolerance in corn and soybeans for farmers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Drought can lead to losses for corn growers of up to US$13 billion annually,” said John Bedbrook, VP, DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology. “We are pleased to collaborate with Rosetta Green to identify new genes leads which can help farmers protect yield and feed a growing population, and build on our strong pipeline of leads for drought tolerance.”

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules in corn, soybeans and other plants. They represent an additional mode of action to develop important trait solutions in corn and other crops. _______________________________ Enquiry No: 0113

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS Ingredients

Frutarom: Energy Compounds For Baked Goods Frutarom has developed a range of energy-providing compounds for bakery products. The bakery compounds contain herbal extracts, selected to enhance both physical and mental performance. The extracts from the ‘natural energy’ range can be chosen and combined to meet tailored energy requirements.

Amongst them are the green yerba maté extract Finomate, which supports the body with vitality and energy thanks to its caffeine content.

Neuravena is extracted from wild green oats and has been shown in human studies to promote mental performance, alertness, as well as stress coping and learning abilities.

The purslane herb extract Portusana maintains healthy blood sugar metabolism and can offer support in weight management. The adaptogen, schisandra, can increase energy levels and at the same time calm the nervous system when facing stress. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P120

Novozymes: Reduce Acrylamide In Coffee Ilker, Izmir, Turkey

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ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Ta r g e t i n g a c r y l a m i d e mitigation in coffee, Novozymes has come up with the Acrylaway CB L, which claims to reduce acrylamide levels in Arabica and Robusta coffees by up to 70 percent.

The main mechanism for acrylamide formation involves the amino acid asparagine. By adding the product before roasting the beans, asparagine is converted into another common amino acid, aspartic acid, which does not take part in the formation of acrylamide.

After the treatment, the acrylamide content is reduced and, in the case of lower quality coffee beans, the taste is less bitter.

This offers an opportunity to optimise blends across different coffee bean types, giving potential cost reductions. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P121

Treatt: Tropical Fruity Notes Tr e a t t h a s d e v e l o p e d two tropical keys to its portfolio of natural flavour ingredients. Tropical Key M and Tropical Key MG offer a natural flavour reminiscent of mango formulated with natural FEMA GRAS fractions.

These can be incorporated into formulations to give the desired flavour profile.

Tropical Key MG comprises enhanced green top notes, while Tropical Key M delivers stronger sulphur base notes. Also suited for use in other exotic fruit flavours, these products can be blended to produce a variety of fruit flavours.

Colourless to pale yellow / green, natural and solvent free, the ingredients are produced by physical processes and are compatible with ethanol, vegetable oils and terpenes.

Recommended dosage in flavoured products is 20ppm v/v.

Usage levels are suggested at 80 to 90 percent. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P122

Vitiva: Stevia Line V i t i v a ’s s t e v i a line, under the Sweet’nVit brand, is said to provide maximum sweetness with minimum bitterness.

Products of the brand are extracted from the leaves Stevia rebaudiana bertoni. This range is standardised with a minimum of 95 percent steviol glycosides, in compliance with EC legislation on food additives and has GRAS status in USA. The products are of all-natural origin with zero calories, and zero carbohydrates. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P123

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

Ingredients/Equipment & Services

Rob Owen-Wahl, UK

DuPont Danisco: Refreshing Water Ice Texture DuPont Danisco has created a s o l u t i o n to distribute fruit chunks evenly and securely in water ice, with a thirst-quenching texture.

Cremodan FruitPro 10 Stabiliser System allows ice cream manufacturers to process new products on a standard water ice line.

It not only enables premium water ice production on a standard line at an affordable cost, the stabiliser also maintains the refreshing mouthfeel of the final product.

To demonstrate the point, a water ice concept has been developed, including free-floating chunks of mango or strawberry.

Brugarolas: Food Grade Spray Grease Beslux Blanco Cadenas NSF H-1 from Brugarolas is a certified food grade spray grease specifically designed for applications with components like bearings, gears, roller chains and related mechanism.

The spray grease’s adhesion properties on metal surfaces and as such prevents the occurrence of drippage. It is an ozone friendly product, as it does not contain harmful propellants.

Moreover, it possesses a resistance to water washout as well as offering protection against corrosion. Additionally, it is safe to be used on solvent sensitive plastics.

The product comes with two different spray nozzles configurations, allowing flexibility in the spray coverage such that ‘hard-to-reach’ areas are accessible. It can also be sprayed on during operation, offering convenience during lubrication. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P126

_______________________________ Enquiry No: P124

Adept Technology: Robot For Speed & Productivity

Cama: Wrap Around For Soup

Adept Technology’s Viper s1700D is a high-performance six-axis robot, aimed at delivering higher speed motion and increased productivity. Designed for applications that require fast and precise automation, the robot is ideal for material handling, machine tending, packaging, cutting and assembly.

The robot offers a reach of 1.7 m and a payload capacity of 20 kg. This is seamlessly integrated with the company’s portfolio; interchangeable robots and controllers ease deployment, support and maintenance, including improving parts availability.

It offers self-diagnostics for monitoring and troubleshooting.

The robot features the ACE software, which deploys the robot through a user-friendly interface. The Ethernet TCP/IP capability allows the robot to be controlled through a PC, PLC, or controller.

Cama recently installed a wrap around machine, developed to pack different recipes of dried soups and pasta. The client was looking for a flexible solution: not only in terms of different formats of bags and wide variety of boxes, but also due to the high capacity FW machine had to be combined with a twin production line.

The engineers proposed an evolution of the FW case packer, suitable to receive and load the bags in the required standing position in two parallel lines. The products are then grouped and alternately loaded in the wrap around case, which is formed starting from flat blank.

The products arrive at a maximum speed of 280 per minute on two lanes, with 140 in each lane. The speed of the delivery of boxes is at 30 pieces per minute. The machine also has a minimum of five formats of bags, and consequently of boxes.

_______________________________ Enquiry No: P125

_______________________________ Enquiry No: P127

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PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS 26

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Equipment & Services

Cermex: Slat Lane Dividers Cermex has recently extended its scope of supply to include the manufacture of slat lane dividers. Lane dividing is a solution to form batches of products prior to case packing/shrinkwrapping or batches of packs or cases prior to palletisation.

Lane dividers are designed to divert, distribute, sort, balance or collate primary or secondary packaging in preparation for the subsequent stage in the production line. The speed and efficiency of a shrink-wrapper, case packer or palletiser consequently depend on the way in which the products or batches are prepared.

The company has adopted an in-depth approach to integrating lane dividers into its industrial process: 3D development, modular architecture and industrialisation/ rationalisation. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P128

Heat And Control: FPS Multi-Coating Applicators Reduce unplanned downtime and uniformly apply coatings. The FPS coating applicators from Heat and Control continuously apply flour, cracker meal, any style of crumb – including Panko – plus sugar, spices, coconut, and even potato sticks to a wide variety of products.

A transverse lift conveyor (TLC) circulates coatings to reduce degradation, jamming, and changeover delays common to applicators that use augers. All models use variable speed AC drives to reduce maintenance. Coatings can be discharged quickly for fast changeovers and sanitation. The coating applicators are currently available in a variety of sizes and models, such as the Tumble Breader, Compact Breader and Batter Applicator. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P130

Rockwell: ROI Calculator

Krones: Contiform 3 Stretch Blow Moulding The Contiform 3 from Krones is a redesigned version of the individual process steps involved. The series has a redesigned blow-moulding station, which enables plastic containers to be produced at a speed of up to 2,250 containers an hour and cavity.

The integrated Monotec drive concept, featuring servomotors, operates synchronously at all times, and as such, ensures accurate transfers. Elimination of transfer belts means there are no longer any mechanical efficiency losses and there is less wear and tear, with concomitant gains in terms of dependable availability. The series of equipment is also said to deliver shorter product changeover times and enhanced flexibility. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P129

Rockwell Automation developed the free Safety Return on Investment (ROI) Tool with JB Titus, a machine safety consultant and owner of JB Titus & Associates.

The Web-based tool addresses manufacturers’ need for a tool to help quantify potential savings and productivity gains from new investments in safety.

At its core, the tool relies on a basic calculation: benefits divided by costs equals ROI. To help simplify the previously complicated process of assessing those costs and benefits, the tool combines injury and productivity data and collects input from users in five categories: estimated project amount, overall equipment effectiveness, increased capital-asset depreciation, direct injury costs, and indirect injury costs.

The tool also allows users to adjust the ratio of indirect-todirect injury costs from 1:1 to 14:1, or to enter zeros for indirect and direct injury costs, based on company requirements. _______________________________ Enquiry No: P131

High-speed packaging systems up to

2000

bags per hour

principac High-speed packaging machines Compact design Form, ďŹ ll & seal machines Pillow bags and gusseted bags Free owing bulk products

High-speed palletizing systems up to

2400

bags per hour

principal Enquiry Number

3004

STATEC BINDER GmbH, Industriestrasse 32, 8200 Gleisdorf, Austria, Tel.: +43 3112 38580-0, office@statec-binder.com

www.statec-binder.com

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BARRING high speed production lines, there are lines in Asia that are yet to be fully automated today. Most investments go into capacity expansion or automation that contribute towards primary packing. End-of-line automation, with the exception of case sealing, is usually left for later or ignored. However, this situation is changing.

Automating end-of-line packaging is a trend that is making its way into the gateways of many factories across Asia. It is the final

feature in the story of Asia today. Rising labour cost, higher employee turnover, faster line speeds along with other macro and micro issues are pushing management to automate and upgrade existing production lines and consider new lines with full automation. gEtting startED Once you have aligned what stock keeping units your markets need, you are ready to funnel down the end-of-line automation options.

Automation

Evolution For Asia

piece of the puzzle to fulfilling a factory’s ambition of automating their packaging line. End-of-Line, also known as tertiary packaging, is exactly what it means – end of a packaging line.

Essentially, end-of-line packaging covers everything after the secondary packing systems, such as labellers (for bottles) or flow wrapper and cartoner ( for food or non-food items). Case erectors, case or crate packer, shrink bundlers, case palletisers and case sealers are usually the equipment referred to as end-ofline machines.

With low labour costs, manual packing has been the most logical option for end-of-line packaging.

In many ways, end of line packaging in Asian factories today is where their European and

End-of-line automation is a trend that is definitely catching up as companies realise its importance and make it an integral part of their investment plans. By piyush Bhandari, manager sales, clearpack American counterparts were in the 80s and early 90s.

A series of factors such as increasing labour costs, stringent work environment & safety laws and reduced legal working hours motivated managements to consider and push for end-ofline automation.

Faster production line speeds and the need for better line efficiencies made it imperative for companies in the West to make end-of-line automation an important part of the whole investment.

The many factors that shifted the West to end-of-line automation

With end-of-line automation, you can get the best results when dealing with as few parameters as possible. However, with greater flexibility come greater costs and greater complexities in the solution.

End-of-line automation is an investment that can make or break your entire manufacturing line. One needs to look for several characteristics in the design of the overall system.

Firstly, the solution needs to be simple. This could be through the principle concept and design of the solution. The case packer or shrink bundler must

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also be ‘future proof’ with easy changeover. This ensures that you are capable of running future products and collations that your market demands.

It also enables your operators to change between your range of products without having to fiddle too much with the parameters of the machine. These machines, like any other, need regular maintenance and check-ups to prolong the life of the equipment.

It is imperative that there be local or at least some regional after sales support for these machines in order to ensure the machine can be brought back to speed in case of a break down.

Packaging materials play an important role in the functioning of the machines. To perform at high efficiency, machines need to use good quality and consistent packaging materials such as corrugated case blanks, self adhesive tapes, hot melt glue.

An end-of-line packaging professional should be able to guide on the optimum packaging material needed and construction of the packaging consumable such as cases.

As with everything, eventually its people who would be the difference in a successful or not so successful end-of-line project. Right from the packaging professional you speak with, to the project manager who works on the project, to the operator who is tasked with operating the machinery, they all play a crucial role in the success of an automation project.

Experts Weigh In The end of line packaging professionals you work with must have thorough understanding of not only the equipment, but also a good understanding of the other upstream and peripheral equipment. This would help to

ensure that the equipment would be optimally sized, correctly laid out and seamlessly integrated into the existing or new lines.

Many companies make the mistake of entrusting end-ofline automation to companies unfamiliar with the task only to witness disastrous results, even though these companies may be very good with other equipment on the line.

The packaging professional you work with must have demonstrated ability and willingness to develop correct layouts with right amount of accumulation and positive transfers between equipment.

A good layout and quality conveyors play an integral role in delivering high efficiency through the production line. This is often overlooked, but must be given due attention to fully realise benefits of end-of-line automation.

If done correctly, automation is safe, organised, reliable and eco-friendly. Factories can have a much safer working environment

with reduced dependence on manpower to deliver output.

Many multinationals also strive for automation in order to have an organised and simpler systems, and processes within their operation framework which would be chaotic otherwise.

Lastly, automation can allow a reduction of carbon footprint with developments and packing styles.

Financial Impact & ROI Coming to the financial aspects of end-of-line automation, it is no longer a big challenge in Asia to justify the cost of automation.

Most commonly, companies look at direct labour cost savings as a major factor to calculate Return of Investment (ROI).

Increasingly, enlightened companies are star ting to consider savings in costs such as opportunity lost (due to absenteeism), safety and ergonomics related cost, reduction in waste, reduction in carbon footprint, and savings in time and expenses derived from the management of fewer people.

All these factors can lead to an accurate ROI calculation. On the supply side, it is now possible to find companies in Asia who manufacture reliable end-of -line automation solutions under license of their partners from Europe and US. So you can get European standard machine at Asian costs helping in faster ROI. In summary, some see end-ofline automation as a way to reduce labour, while others see it as a way to scale production. Either way end of line automation is a trend that is definitely catching up as companies realise its importance and make it an integral part of their investment plans.

For more information, ENTER No: 0140

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Case Study:

Cut Blend Time & Degradation

Matthew G. Monroe, 2007

When Choice Organic Teas was founded in 1989 by Granum, it launched the first exclusively organic tea brand in the US. The company offered only four choices of organic teas — Green, Ban-cha, Twig, and Oolong. Today, it offers more than 75 varieties of certified organic, sustainably grown teas and herbal infusions.

It recently moved into a facility that is certified organic, meaning

Long mixing cycles degraded the delicate tea leaves, while frequent stoppages and low capacity meant that an entire workday was lost blending enough batches to yield 109 kg of blended organic tea.

By Steve Knauth, general sales manager, Munson Machinery

that all product handling and packaging is done in a safe and environmentally friendly way in accordance with, or exceeding, the US Dept of Agriculture’s National Organics Program regulations.

Dead Zone For Blends All of the company’s teas are packaged using recycled and unbleached materials, and blending and packaging are performed using energy-efficient equipment. In 1990, the company was using a 0.28 cu m capacity, food-grade, and modified cement mixer to blend up to 13.6 kg of tea per batch. During the mixing process, however, the mixer had to be stopped and opened several times, both to add flavouring and to address unblended areas, which significantly slowed the process.

“The modified cement mixer lacked a baffle system like that in the mixer we use today,” explained Rod Hanson, the company’s quality assurance manager. “Because of this, there was a dead zone in the middle of the mixer where the tea would not properly blend, and this area had to be manually scooped and stirred, after which the machine could be restarted.”

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Long mixing cycles degraded the delicate tea leaves, while frequent stoppages and low capacity meant that an entire workday was lost blending enough batches to yield 109 kg of blended organic tea, according to Mr Hanson.

As the company grew, it added increasingly sophisticated bagging equipment, and eventually replaced its blender with a 0.42 cu m capacity mini rotary batch mixer.

Waste Eliminated The stainless steel blender uses a gravity-driven mixing process, which employs internal mixing flights that produce a tumble-turn-cut-fold mixing action. This is said to yield 100 percent batch uniformity in less than three minutes using minimal energy. However, the company runs the mixer continuously for 15 to 20 minutes per batch to prevent stratification of ingredients throughout loading and final discharge with no residual.

Mixing flights produce a tumble-turncut-fold mixing action that yields batch uniformity in less than three minutes.

An employee loads ingredients into the mixer.

Tea blends contain from two to 12 ingredients.

Average weights for each batch of tea range from 68 kg to 136 kg, depending on the type of tea.

“Teabag cuts, which are finer than leaf tea, can be mixed at higher weights — up 145 kg — because they’re stronger and heavier,” says Eric Ring, purchase manager. “Leaf teas are mixed in smaller batches to protect the leaf.” Some blends have only two to three ingredients, while others require 10 to 12.

Internal spray lines built into the mixer allow for a wide, even spray of natural flavours. For instance,

The mixer is self emptying resulting in total discharge and no waste.

oil of bergamot is added to the company’s Earl Grey tea. “Using the internal spray system and a specific nozzle, we are able to pressurise the flavour and apply it widely and uniformly as the tea tumbles, resulting in uniform distribution with no saturated areas,” adds Mr Ring. The internal spray system is also used for cleaning the blender between batches.

“Once the tea is blended, internal baffles elevate the batch and direct it through a stationary discharge chute,” explains Mr Hanson. The mixer is self-emptying and free of any dead areas or shaft seals that can trap materials, resulting in total discharge without waste. “The tea passes through strong magnets that remove the possibility of any foreign metal material, while a vacuum reduces dust associated with discharge,” he adds. Blended tea is then transferred to a packing station.

The 27 loose leaf tea varieties are packaged in 100 percent biodegradable kraft paper bags lined with glassine. Eight whole leaf varieties are packaged in biodegradable mesh pyramid tea bags. Twentyseven varieties of classic and traditional blends and 13 gourmet blends are packaged in unbleached filter paper envelopes and 100 percent paperboard boxes. The company’s original line is packaged in unbleached, staple-free tea bags and is 100 percent compostable.

For more information, ENTER No: 0141

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Additives have been used for centuries to improve the appearance, flavour and texture of food. The earliest food additives were salt and spice, helping to preserve fish and meat and enhance tastes. As foods have become more varied, so have additives, in an effort to provide greater consumer satisfaction.

To d a y, a n y t h i n g f r o m antioxidants to thickeners can be considered a food additive.

Additives are typically assigned a unique number, known globally as ‘E numbers’, indicating that they have been recognised by the relevant food authorities and are deemed safe for consumption.

In some countries, the ‘E’ may be dropped, though the number still appears on packaging for easy recognition.

Stabilisers and emulsifiers occupy a significant portion of the food additives market, owing

to their usefulness, specifically in the beverage and dessert industry. They both complement each other and are often used together in the manufacture of products such as ice-cream and milk.

A Job For Emulsifiers Simply put, an emulsifier allows for water and oils in a food product to remain mixed in an emulsion.

Keeping It

Fran GC, Murcia, Spain

Together

Emulsifiers and stabilisers have often been added in foods to help keep freshness and quality.

However, without proper mixing, some problems may occur during the manufacturing process. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

Without the emulsifier, the two phases would eventually separate, rendering foods inedible and unappealing.

How does the emulsifier achieve this? It does so by surrounding the oil, forming a protective layer that prevents clumping.

The emulsifier typically consists of a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail: when immersed in the emulsion, the head tends to be absorbed by water, while the tail is similarly absorbed by oil. This allows it to position itself at the oil/water or air/water interface, preventing clumping and stabilising the emulsion.

The most widespread type of emulsifiers used are monoglycerides, esters formed from glycerol and fatty acids.

Natural sources such as vegetable

In Foods Given their usefulness and unique properties, it’s not hard to understand the widespread use of emulsifiers in food

The most commonly used emulsifier is lecithin (E322), a fatty substance found naturally in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk.

manufacturing. Emulsifiers impart freshness and quality, and have been proven to prevent the growth of moulds. One of the important jobs they perform is in bread making, where they stabilise dough for easy processing, preventing it from going stale.

Another common food product that uses emulsifiers is chocolate, allowing it to achieve the right consistency. This makes it easy for chocolate to be moulded into bars and other shapes.

Additionally, emulsifiers such as sorbitan tristearate (E492) delay the onset of ‘bloom’, which is the whitening or dulling of the chocolate’s surface when stored at high temperatures.

I c e - c re a m s a re a n o t h e r example of complex food products that require emulsification. In ice-creams, emulsifiers are added during the freezing process, promoting a smoother texture and preventing rapid melting when exposed to room temperature. They also contribute to ensuring the fat content in ice cream is finely dispersed, avoiding the product taking on a ‘buttery’ texture.

Complemented By Stabilisers To complement the use of emulsifiers, stabilisers are often added. As their name suggests,

Enquiry Number

SP Veres, Auckland, New Zealand

oils and animal fats are often used to make such emulsifiers.

In the industry, the most commonly used emulsifier is lecithin (E322), a fatty substance found naturally in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk.

Basic emulsifier production involves combining an oilbased triglyceride with glycerol, resulting in a monoglyceride.

This monoglyceride is then combined with other substances, such as citric acid and lactic acid, to increase emulsifying properties.

3015

A Kalina, Vinnitsa, Ukraine

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY

INGREDIENTS & ADDITIVES

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Michael Illucine, Ukraine

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Janusz Kaliszczak, Cracow, Poland

stabilisers reduce the mobility of water in food products, making them more ‘stable’. Foods that have stabilisers added usually produce a notable increase in viscosity, while adding ‘body’ and keeping a smooth consistency.

The combination of emulsifiers and stabilisers prevent the separation of ingredients.

Common stabilisers include alginic acid, a popular food stabiliser derived from brown algae used in ice cream and syrups, and agar agar, used in jelly. Pectin and calcium chloride are examples of stabilisers used

in dairy products. Although it may be confusing, it is important to note that some ingredients may be considered both a stabiliser and emulsifier. Lecithin is one such ingredient.

When used in food products, stabilisers help in maintaining the physical characteristic of the product. In ice creams for example, stabilisers prevent the appearance of large, grainy ice crystals, maintaining a smooth texture and even taste. In drinks, they help in thwarting the formation of sediments, which would otherwise coagulate and form at the bottom.

The Need For Proper Mixing Although a manufacturing process may differ from one food product to another, in general they all require some form of mixing. This is especially so when additives such as emulsifiers and stabilisers are used, as they need to be mixed into the food product.

For instance, in the case of ice cream, emulsifiers and stabilisers are added to the ice cream ‘powder’, which is then dispersed into a base liquid. The

blending system used must be able to quickly and thoroughly incorporate the powder into the liquid, without allowing clumps to form.

This procedure can become complex especially when stabilisers and emulsifiers are used, as they have a tendency to agglomerate when added to liquids. This is further complicated by the fact that the emulsifiers and stabilisers must be reduced to their smallest possible particle sizes, for maximum yields. Some products do not exhibit their desired characteristics unless particle sizes have been sufficiently reduced.

To prevent this, several steps can be taken. The powder can be added at a controlled rate to reduce such agglomeration.

They can also be premixed, although this will increase costs and manufacturing time. Another popular option is to invest in a high-shear mixer, which uses highspeed rotation of rotor blades to create a powerful suction that draws the liquid and powder into the workhead, where they are subjected to intense shear, preventing agglomeration. This can help in creating more uniform batches of food products.

The Future As the demands of consumers grow, so will the need for additives such as emulsifiers and stabilisers to maintain the quality, freshness and texture of foods. Not only will this involve improving the chemicals that go into formulating such additives, it will also require relooking the manufacturing processes that go into integrating them into food products.

For more information, ENTER No: 0150

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The Kalsec® team of experts can create natural solutions for food ingredients – delivering colors, flavors and antioxidants specific to your product requirements. From the broth, to the meat, to the noodles and more, we can enhance your product’s shelf life, colors and flavors naturally. Discover how you can soak up the benefits of reduced warehousing, clean labels and better margins with Kalsec® products. Find out more about natural solutions for your product by visiting www.kalsec.com or calling Connell Brothers today.

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A Wrapper For

Stabilising & Protecting Molecules with special talents: cyclodextrins resemble donuts that are able to accommodate specific molecules and then release them. This principle gives way to a technology platform enabling cyclodextrins to protect sensitive ingredients and stabilise oil-in-water emulsions.

These properties make the ring-shaped glucose molecules increasingly interesting for applications in the food industry.

Functional foods are experiencing an increase in popularity, as scientists and food researchers are continuously discovering health-promoting ingredients that make the body resistant to environmental

Pascal Thauvin, Paris, France

Cyclodextrins protect sensitive ingredients and enable ways of emulsifying and texturising. By Dr Philipp Osterloh, business development food solutions, Wacker Biosolutions

However, functional foods are also demanding in terms of formulation. Vitamins, antioxidants, flavours, many different plant extracts and some colourants are often affected by light, low pH values or high temperatures, and must therefore be stabilised.

The difficulty lies in integrating antioxidants, plant extracts and other functional ingredients into the food matrix in such a way that they remain stable over the course of the product’s shelf life, and that the product still

stress, prevent certain diseases or even slow the aging process.

Consequently, the market for functional foods is growing and further expansion is expected.

contains the defined amount of these ingredients at the time of consumption.

Cyclodextrin technology offers a novel way of protecting s e n s i t i v e i n g re d i e n t s a n d stabilising oil-in-water emulsions – a wrapper made of cyclodextrins permits reliable and efficient stabilisation in many cases.

Alpha-Cyclodextrin In general, cyclodextrins are non-reducing, chiral cyclic oligosaccharides. They are stable in acidic solutions down to approximately pH 2.5 – 3.

Their ring-shaped molecules consist of a certain number of alpha-D-glucose units, which are linked alpha-(1.4)-glycosidically in a ring.

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Depending on the number of glucose units – and also on the size of the ring – a distinction is made between alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins: alphacyclodextrin consists of six glucose units, beta-cyclodextrin of seven and gamma-cyclodextrin of eight.

Cyclodextrins are natural starch conversion products.

For industrial use, they are biotechnologically produced by enzymatic degradation from vegetable raw materials, such as corn or potatoes.

T h e e n z y m e s u s e d a re called cyclodextrin glycosyl transferases, or CGTases. When acting on starch, the CGTase cuts individual sections out of the helical carbohydrate and combines them in an annular oligosaccharide: the cyclodextrin.

Fig 1: Model of an alpha-cyclodextrin with six glucose units.

When the glucose units form their typical ring structure, they create a hydrophobic cavity. This cavity is able to accommodate a lipophilic molecule as ‘guest’, provided that its size and shape are compatible. The cohesion between the two molecules is relatively weak (van der Waals forces), so that, under suitable conditions, the guest molecule may subsequently be released.

Van der Waals forces do not chemically alter either partner of such an inclusion

Cyclodextrins are natural starch conversion products. For industrial use, they are biotechnologically produced by enzymatic degradation from vegetable raw materials, such as corn or potatoes.

compound. The ring-shaped molecules are stable in alkaline solutions, but are hydrolysed in acidic solutions (at pH < 2.5). In general, cyclodextrins are well-defined, chemically pure substances with consistent technical properties.

Protective Action For AlphaLipoic Acid A useful property of cyclodextrins is their ability to encapsulate and protect sensitive ingredients.

Cyclodextrins shield numerous functional compounds against various external influences – such as oxygen, light and low pH – that could compromise their effectiveness.

A good example is the stabilisation of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). The powerful, vitaminlike antioxidant is found in every cell and assists in converting glucose into energy. Unlike other antioxidants, which only work in water (eg: vitamin C) or fatty tissues (eg: vitamin E and coenzyme Q10), ALA is both fat and water-soluble.

Furthermore, ALA has dual antioxidant capabilities: it is a potent antioxidant itself, but the body also converts some of it to dihydrolipoic acid, which is even more powerful. Dihydrolipoic acid neutralises both oxygen and nitrogen free radicals that are

related to cardiovascular disease and arthritic inflammation. In addition to its ability to work in both the water and fat-soluble parts of our body, ALA can regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and glutathione, t h u s a c t u a l l y p ro v i d i n g a recycling pathway for these vital antioxidants.

However, the amount of ALA taken up in the daily diet and its availability for the body are often not adequate to obtain optimal benefits. Increasing the amount of ALA through dietary supplementation is thus a useful strategy and makes ALA particularly interesting as a food additive.

One of the most studied clinical uses of ALA is the treatment of diabetes and diabetic neuropathy.

It has also been shown to be hepatoprotective. Since it is involved in (muscle) recovery from strenuous exercise, ALA is often included in dietary sports products. However, many products available on the market do not provide adequately stabilised ALA. The difficulty is that ALA is not easily incorporated into food products – it is very sensitive, particularly to heat and the presence of other ingredients, especially minerals. Furthermore,

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Stabilising ALA With AlphaCyclodextrin Alpha-cyclodextrin can help stabilise ALA. The molecules act as a protective wrapper: embedded in the cyclodextrin, the sensitive ALA is safely tucked away inside the powdery dietary product (see Fig. 2).

ALA could be recovered from the mix.

The specialised cyclodextrin complex maximises the product’s efficiency by ensuring that as much of the free-radical scavenger as possible remains active in the powdered end product. A further advantage is the easy handling, storage and transportation of the cyclodextrinstabilised complex, as it comes as a dry, free-flowing powder that disperses easily in aqueous systems. This makes it especially suitable for use in dry or powdery dietary supplements, such as tablets, capsules, powders or nutritional bars.

Fig 2: Illustration of a stabilised form of alpha-lipoic acid with alphacyclodextrin.

As soon as the cyclodextrin complex comes into contact with water, the alpha-lipoic acid emerges from its protective coat and is absorbed directly by the body – the free-radical scavenger enters the bloodstream unscathed and intact. Stabilisation studies conducted with the cyclodextrin complex demonstrate enhanced stabilisation of ALA when encapsulated in alphacyclodextrin as compared to the unprotected ALA. The enhanced stabilisation of ALA with alpha-cyclodextrin in a typical sports nutrition mix can be shown in a second test.

Whereas after ten weeks, only 50 percent of the non-protected ALA was detectable in the nutrition mix, about 90 percent of the cyclodextrin-encapsulated

Alpha-Cyclodextrin As An Emulsifier In the food industry, oil-in-water emulsions are the order of the day. Many foods, such as salad

Fig 3: The hydrophobic interior of cyclodextrins attracts lipophilic molecules, eg: a triglyceride.

dressings, mayonnaise, margarine and some desserts contain both water and oil phases, which only form a stable mixture when emulsifiers are added.

An approach to stabilising oil-in-water emulsions is to use alpha-cyclodextrin. Its hydrophobic interior enables alpha-cyclodextrin to attract and encapsulate selected molecules, such as triglycerides. Once the triglyceride is ‘trapped’ in the cavity, the hydrophilic exterior enables a surfactant-like structure (see Fig 3).

It is worth noting that only one of the fatty-acid tails of the triglyceride is encapsulated in

Marcela Lopez, Hermosillo, Mexico

oxidative or temperature-related effects are detrimental to the stability of ALA. Even in the dry state, it can polymerise, which causes the alpha-lipoic acid to lose its desired activity. As such, it is challenging to guarantee ALA stability for the entire shelf life of the final product.

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the hydrophobic cavity of the alpha-cyclodextrin, whereas the other two are not.

The two non-encapsulated fatty-acid tails now form the lipophilic portion of the surfactant, while the exterior of the cyclodextrin represents the hydrophilic part. In an oilin-water emulsion, the newly formed triglyceride / cyclodextrin complex ‘sits’ on the oil droplet surface and produces stabilised oil-in-water micelles.

Figure 4 illustrates the stabilities of a range of oil-in-water emulsion compositions with the alpha-cyclodextrin content gradually increasing. Whereas unstable emulsions (below the line) separate into two phases sooner or later, emulsions above the line remain stable and do not separate.

Alpha-cyclodextrin not only successfully stabilises oil-inwater emulsions. Depending on the oil-to-water ratio and the amount of alpha-cyclodextrin used, the viscosity and therefore the organoleptic properties of the emulsion can be changed, t o o . F ro m k e t c h u p - l i k e t o peanut-butter-like, numerous different viscosities are possible.

Furthermore, stable emulsions are feasible even at elevated

temperatures – a critical aspect for processing operations performed at higher temperatures.

All in all, alpha-cyclodextrin proves to be a suitable emulsifier

Round-Up Biotechnologically produced from renewable, vegetable raw

Apart from stabilising an oil-inwater emulsion, alpha-cyclodextrin further serves to regulate its viscosity and is even capable of keeping the emulsion stable at elevated temperatures.

materials, alpha-cyclodextrin i s i n l i n e w i t h t h e t re n d toward avoiding animal-based raw materials, especially as consumers increasingly demand naturally manufactured products or products with ingredients from renewable sources.

Alpha-cyclodextrin comes in the form of a colourless, soluble powder, which makes it easy to store, handle and process.

This makes it particularly suitable for use in food and beverage applications to stabilise and protect sensitive molecules and serve as an emulsifier for stable oil-in-water emulsions.

OhWoww, US

Fig 4: Emulsions with vegetable oil (Canola), water and different alphacyclodextrin concentrations (at room temperature).

for a variety of applications in the food industry. Apart from stabilising an oil-in-water emulsion, alpha-cyclodextrin further serves to regulate its viscosity and is even capable of keeping the emulsion stable a t e l e v a t e d t e m p e r a t u re s .

Applications include sauces, dressings, mayonnaise, whipped desserts and margarine, to name but a few.

For more information, ENTER No: 0151

HEALTH & NUTRITION

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Shots for everyone! No, that is not some happy go lucky fellow at your local watering hole celebrating an accomplishment, it is what is going on in the nutrition industry at the moment and it shows no signs of slowing down.

One-shot servings (usually in two to four-ounce sizes), delivering ever ything from improving digestive health and boosting immunity to sustained energy and reducing cholesterol, are catching the attention of consumers all over the world.

And what is driving this market is the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demand for nutrition in a quick, convenient and portable format.

A Shot Drive Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumer, regardless of whether they are a business person, stay-at-home mom or driving a truck, is pressed for

Shots For All

Alessandro Paiva, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The incorporation of nutrient premixes to fortify single-serve/daily dosing/shot products is an essential step that manufacturers will need to take if they are to stay competitive in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketplace. By Ram Chaudhari, senior executive VP, chief scientific officer, Fortitech

time. Functioning under time constraints, it is an ongoing struggle to maintain a nutritious diet, or to get the optimum amount of exercise needed.

Single-serving, fortified/functional shots have been embraced by consumers, realising that their health can be impacted in

a positive way by including them as part of their daily routine.

They also realise that, in most cases, these products need to be consumed on a daily basis over a certain period of time to get their individual benefits.

Another driver contributing to the rise in popularity is that

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enhanced cognitive function, b o o s t i n g e n e rg y, l o w e r i n g cholesterol and improving cardiovascular health, just to name a few.

The variety of categories that exists, and continue to evolve, is due to the fact that consumers are looking for personalised nutrition that address their specific health and lifestyle concerns.

Consumers have come a long way in their understanding of the role nutrition plays in their long

Patty Ho, Toronto, Canada

for many consumers, a beverage application is a more natural way to contribute to their health, versus popping a tablet or capsule. Most shots are consumed as part of the ‘morning rush’ to get to work or school, which means that these products can easily fit into their already established rituals.

So, what types of shots are consumers purchasing? Well, it is a myriad of products ranging from drinkable yoghurts that include probiotics to address immunity through gut/digestive health, which many experts point to as the launch point of the overall product category, to shots that can help support bone health,

term health, and actively seek out specific vitamins/nutrients that target their specific need they wish to address.

The challenges associated with premix formulations that incorporate multiple nutrients include the type of finished product as well as the desired taste, flavour and colour of the finished product.

FoRMulATing A SuCCeSSFul ShoT There are several variables that manufacturers need to take into consideration when formulating shots. These include taste, texture, mouthfeel and ingredient selection/interaction, among others. However, taste is the number one defining point for consumer acceptance and repeat purchase. A few ingredients that can address specific health conditions include: • Cholesterol Reduction: Plant sterols, CoQ10, B vitamins, Lycopene, Vitamin E • Weight Management: CLA, 5-HTP, Garcinia, Chromium, Fibre, Green Tea • Energy/Fatigue: Taurine, B vitamins, Omega-3, L-Carnitine, Rhodiola • Bone Health/Osteoporosis: Calcium, Vitamin K,

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Interactions that can occur utilising some of these nutrients include: • Omega 3 fatty acids and minerals like copper and iron would cause oxidation at elevated temperatures, and give rancidity and/or an undesirable odour to the finished product.

• Chromium and vitamin C in the presence of iron and copper would enhance a discolouration reaction. If you were to add vitamin B, it would impart sulphur notes in the finished product.

• Choline in the presence of L-carnitine tends to interact in the presence of any transition minerals and causes discoloration, as well as giving off a ‘fishy smell’.

• Utilising any of the above mentioned ingredients would be best addressed by employing a custom blended n u t r i e n t p re m i x i n t h e product’s formulation.

Managing Multiplicity The challenges associated with premix formulations that incorporate multiple nutrients include the type of finished product as well as the desired taste, flavour and colour of the finished product, solubility, bioavailability, pH level, safety/ toxicity, interactions among various ingredients, bioavailability and stability of the individual ingredients.

Factors that can affect stability, for instance, include temperature, pH, oxygen, shelf life, type of packaging, light and moisture; to name a few. Many

shots utilise a fruit flavoured base because the link between fruit and health is intuitive for consumers.

Having said that, an example of a potential interaction is the formulation of a product that contains thiamine, as well as a superfruit and its possible sulphur dioxide content.

Thiamine plays an important ro l e i n h e l p i n g t h e b o d y metabolise carbohydrates and fat to produce energy, and helps to maintain proper functioning of the heart and the nervous and digestive systems.

Combining this nutrient with a superfruit can possibly result in immediate degradation of thiamin due to the fruit’s carryover of sulphur dioxide. The level of sulphur dioxide should be determined prior to fortification and appropriate overages should be added to compensate for losses.

Among the many factors that can contribute to minimising interactions, a manufacturer can separate vitamins and minerals into two individual premixes, encapsulate certain vitamins or minerals, or utilise a particular form of ingredient.

Iodine’s ingredient form may be potassium iodide, magnesium’s

Logis, Kallithea Greece

Manganese, Boron, Vitamin D • Enhanced Cognition: GABA, L-theanine, Omega-3, Choline, Gingko Biloba, Phosphatidylserine

may be magnesium phosphate; zinc’s may be zinc citrate; copper’s may be copper sulphate and calcium’s could possibly be tricalcium phosphate, dependent upon what other ingredients are utilised in the premix.

The incorporation of nutrient premixes to fortify single-serve/ daily dosing/shot products is an essential step that manufacturers will need to take if they are to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.

To successfully introduce products to the marketplace, a manufacturer needs to lay a solid foundation at the beginning of the development process.

That foundation should include partnering with an experienced nutritional premix formulator to minimise the challenges associated with not just bringing their products to market, but to ensure a product that lives up to its label claims and delivers repeat purchase.

For more information, ENTER No: 0160

Enhance your nutritional appeal

Boost your healthy profile Encourage a natural attraction

Appeal to the hearts of millions

Enquiry Number

3009

Connect with healthy consumers

HEALTH & NUTRITION

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Beautiful Bars FOR Beautiful

People

While a slimming or meal replacement bar may ultimately be enjoyed from the outside in, the making of a beautiful bar begins from within. By Gerard Janssens, CEO of VSI As consumer lifestyles and dietary habits have evolved over the past few years, there has been a shift in the market for functional bars. A decade ago, the market largely consisted of protein bars aimed at sportspeople. However, weight management is one of the biggest driving forces, and sales of slimming and meal replacement bars are booming.

For as long as the world is gripped by what the World Health Organization (WHO) describes as ‘globesity’ (global epidemic of overweight and obesity), then the demand for weight management tools will continue to rise.

According to the WHO, more than one billion adults are overweight – at least 300 million of who are clinically obese.

Current obesity levels range from below five percent in China, Japan and certain African nations, to more than 75 percent in urban Samoa. But even in relatively low prevalence countries like China, rates are almost 20 percent in some cities.

Aside from being a visible problem, obesity does of course have a serious impact on health and health spending.

So, the argument for weight management is indisputable.

Modern lifestyles conspire to make weight management difficult for many people. Calorie-laden and fat-saturated ‘fast foods’ are easy to come by and take no time to prepare, while nutritionally balanced, wholesome meals are more time consuming and require more forethought in terms of buying ingredients and preparing the meal.

As such, consumers are increasingly turning to meal replacements as nutritious alternatives.

Weight Management Options Consumers who are looking to lose or manage their weight have various off-the-shelf options. Meal replacement bars can satisfy what has been identified as the five major consumer demands: functionality, convenience, indulgence, snacking, as well as a natural and premium image.

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These bars can be developed to work with a variety of diet or weight management philosophy, such as low carbohydrate, high protein, low fat or low calorie diets. Specific ingredients can be used to achieve specific properties such as hunger control, lowering blood sugar levels or promoting feelings of satiety.

With the latest technologies, ingredients and insight gained over the years into the influence of ingredients on product characteristics, diet and meal replacement bars that meet the standards consumers now expect of regular confectionery.

There is also an awareness that for many consumers, a ‘clean’ or organic label is important. For this reason, bars can be made from 100 percent natural and organic ingredients.

Unlimited Possibilities CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is expected to become an important ingredient, according to an Euromonitor International report.

This report sees ingredients such as CLA as being key to the future of weight management. CLA has achieved GRAS status in the US, but Novel Food Approval in the EU is still pending.

Functional bars could contain L-Carnitine for a boost in fat burning, and the application of encapsulated probiotics in bars.

These too could be incorporated into weight management bars with a health and well-being slant.

But innovation is not just about functionality – it is always about taste and flavours too. With the combination of creativity, market knowledge and technical experience, the bar can be established as the link between snacks, dietary supplements and weight management.

The possibilities are endless: consumers could choose from

granola, nougat or whey-based bars, as well as those with added fibre and/or fruit.

Technical Demands Putting these ideas into practice and producing meal replacement bars that deliver results in terms of taste and nutrition does, however, have its challenges.

More than with any other type of bar, meal replacement bars are defined by regulations regarding their nutritional requirements.

A meal replacement bar is exactly what its name implies – a bar that is intended to replace a meal with adequate quantities of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins and minerals.

Technical difficulties often lie in bringing together the right texture, flavour and nutritional requirements, as well as satisfying food regulations and ensuring adequate shelf life.

There are several factors involved in ensuring stability for the life of a meal replacement bar, and it is important to know which processes and reactions will take place within the bar during production, as well as throughout its shelf life. Of course, different ingredients react with each other in different ways.

Minerals and vitamins, for instance, tend to create robust and tough nougat bars and could produce off-flavours. The right combination of flavours and vitamins and minerals will prevent this. By choosing the best match between protein source, other ingredients and syrup mix, the best possible texture can be obtained.

The Right Processes During the design phase of a bar, combinations of raw materials are tested and evaluated over time. New developments in the market and consumer trends are to be carefully. This ensures that the latest information and most up to date innovations are tested and utilised.

The production process for meal replacement bars start by mixing the right ingredients together. Batch by batch, the dry ingredients are mixed with syrups and other fluids to produce a sticky mass. This is followed by the use of sheet-forming equipment to make this mass into a sheet of dough, and then cut into the right dimensions.

This core of the bar will be rich in protein, fibres, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

As an indulgent finishing touch, the bar can then be covered with a reduced-calorie chocolate coating.

To d a y ’s c o n s u m e r s a re b e c o m i n g m o re a n d m o re sophisticated in terms of both tastes and nutritional awareness, so the bars they want to purchase have to fulfil many requirements.

While a slimming or meal replacement bar may ultimately be enjoyed from the outside in, the making of a beautiful bar begins from within.

For more information, ENTER No: 0161

BEVERAGE

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A Drink

Soy

Delicious

the manufacturing of soy milk requires steps that would transform the soy bean into a healthy and tasty formulation. By hanne K ludvigsen, product manager dairy and ice-cream, Palsgaard a/S.

FOR the industrial production of soy milk and beverages from soy beans, the first step is the extraction of soy milk base. This is then followed by standardisation and further processing into, for instance, a UHT drink.

Today, soy beans are an important source of protein and oil in human nutrition,

especially in Asia. In other parts of the world, soy based foods are consumed due to its image of health. Following are several health benefits found in soy proteins: • Cardiovascular health • Bone health • Menopausal symptoms

• • • •

Cancers Cognitive Glycemic Index Weight loss/control

Within soy products an increasing consumption around the world is seen in soy products resembling dairy products like for instance milk, yoghurt and ice cream. These products also make up a valuable alternative for people allergic to cow’s milk.

KnoW the Bean The cultivated soybean Glycine max is a member of the Leguminosae family and related to clover and peas. The seeds are contained in pods. Depending on the variety, the seed size is 3,600 to 8,000 seeds/kg.

The mature bean normally has a light yellow colour and moisture

The soy pilot plant located at Palsgaardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facilities in Singapore, together with its other pilot plants for dairy and ice-cream allows the manufacturer to experiment with the soy based product.

content of 13 to 14 percent. If the water content is higher than 13.5 percent, the beans must be dried prior to storage; otherwise enzyme activity will lead to oxidation of the fats.

Soy beans have approximately 40 percent protein, 35 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent oil calculated on the dry matter.

Further, it is rich in vitamins and minerals. The beans contain essential amino acids, making it a valuable protein source in human nutrition. milK it!

Soy milk is a water extract from whole soy beans. It is an emulsion containing watersoluble proteins, carbohydrates and oil droplets. Soy milk was traditionally produced in small shops where the soy beans were

soaked, grinded, filtered and cooked. These products have a short shelf life. However, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumers, and the modern lifestyle, request products with a longer shelf life.

For production of such soymilk and beverages, utilisation of the UHT technology is obvious.

Hereby, shelf life ranging from several months and up to a year can be obtained, depending on the composition of the product.

Further, the right choice of emulsifiers and stabilisers is necessar y for ensuring a homogeneous product without creaming and sedimentation during the entire shelf-life.

GoinG induStrial The first step in the production of soymilk, or for that matter yoghurt, desserts and ice cream

from whole soy beans is the production of soy milk base.

During this process the proteins, soluble carbohydrates and oils are separated from the fibre material, called the okara. This base is then further formulated and processed into the desired soy product.

The soy base can be produced in several ways by applying or omitting various processing steps.

The choice of processing determines the chemical, nutritional as well as sensory properties of the soy base, such as the content of oligosaccharides causing flatulence, trypsin inhibitors influencing protein digestion and off-flavour components.

A typical soymilk base has 45 percent protein, 20 percent

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oil, 17 percent carbohydrates and eight percent ash calculated on the dry matter.

Soy Base Production Steps The starting point for the soy base production can be either whole or dehulled soy beans.

By dehulling, some of the bitter tasting components are removed and the level of oligosaccharides is decreased, resulting in a better digestion of the final soy product.

Further, alkali blanching improves the inactivation of the trypsin inhibitors. From a processing point of view, alkali blanching is an advantage as it depresses foam formation during production.

Hydration of the beans prior to grinding improves the grinding efficiency and takes place during soaking or continuous blanching.

Soaking promotes the formation of a beany-beany flavour in the soy product, which is desired in some parts of the world, such as many of the Asian countries.

During blanching, lipoxidases and tr ypsin inhibitors are inactivated. The presence of lipoxidases in the product results in development of beany flavour.

The grinding results in a colloid solution of the soy beans in water, also called soy slurry. The concentration of the slurry, and hence the protein concentration in the soy base is determined by the bean to water ratio at the inlet to the grinders.

The soy base containing proteins, soluble carbohydrates and oils now have to be separated from the fibre material, okara.

This is done by means of a decanter centrifuge. The efficiency of the decanter is important for the yield as well as for the quality of the soy milk. For optimised yield, the moisture content in the okara should be low.

Likewise, the amount of sediment in the slurry should be low to avoid chalkiness caused by insoluble particles in the final soy product. An efficient decanter removes up to 99.8 percent of the sedimentable solids.

For removal of undesirable volatile off-flavours giving beany flavour, the soy base is exposed to direct steam infusion heating to 140 deg C followed by flash cooling and vacuum deodorisation. This process not only removes the volatile

off-flavours, it also inactivates the trypsin inhibitors, and any enzymes not yet inactivated and which might have led to formation of off-flavour during storage.

It also removes air from the product which otherwise could have caused oxidation.

The soy base is now ready for standardisation to the desired protein content and composition by adding water and other ingredients and further processing into for instance soy milk, soy drink, yoghurt and ice cream.

The Production The first step in the production of soy milk is standardisation and formulation of the soy milk base. Basically, two different types of soy milk are produced â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Western style and the Asia one.

The Western style resembles dairy milk when looking at the protein content, as soy milk is seen as an alternative to cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milk.

The product typically contains approximately three percent protein, two percent oil and two percent carbohydrates. It may be fortified with nutrients such as calcium and vitamins. The product is used for drinking as well as for

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cooking, which is challenging the technological properties of the product. Further, flavoured versions such as chocolate and vanilla soy milk are often seen.

The Asian style soy milk is more of a beverage with lower protein content, down to one percent and higher sugar level; 5-10 percent added sugar is quite common. Just like the Western style, the beverages may be fortified as well as flavoured.

Nowadays, a large part of the industrially produced soy milk is produced by means of the UHT process and aseptic filling, thereby obtaining a long shelflife at room temperature. This puts a great demand to the stability of the product as a homogeneous product throughout the entire shelf-life is necessary for the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acceptance of the product.

Direct as well as indirect UHT systems may be applied. From a stability, as well as from a sensory point of view, direct systems are preferred. Direct systems result in less chemical changes in the product due to a lower total heat load and extraction of oxygen from the product in the vacuum chamber. The indirect system is, however, often preferred due to lower investment and running costs.

Whichever UHT system is used, application of emulsifiers and stabilisers in soy milk and soy milk beverages is necessary.

The products are emulsions of oil in water and for ensuring optimal emulsion stability, that is, reducing creaming, during the entire shelf-life, not only proper homogenisation, but also addition of selected emulsifiers and stabilisers is necessary.

Further, the stabilisers improve the stability of the proteins, minimising sedimentation during storage of the soy product.

Palsgaard: Integrated Blends For use in soy milk and soy drinks, the company has developed the integrated emulsifier and stabiliser system RecMilk 122. The product includes mono- and diglycerides, plus carrageenan as the main stabiliser.

If the soy milk contains particles, as for instance in soy chocolate milk and soy chocolate drink, the ChoMilk 199 can be used. It also includes mono- and diglycerides with carrageenan, however, the composition is adjusted to stabilise the particles in the drink.

____________________________________________________ Enquiry No: P170

Emulsifiers For Soy Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are commonly used as emulsifier in liquid soy products.

They are emulsifiers produced by the reaction of edible vegetable fats and oils and glycerol.

The result is a molecule with a hydrophilic and a lipophilic part and consequently it will locate at the interface between the fat/ protein and water. This happens during homogenisation of the soy milk.

The mono- and diglycerides complex with the soy proteins, making the fat globule membrane more resistant towards coalescence. As such, they reduce the creaming or fat separation in the product. However, they do also reduce the net charge of the fat globule and thereby increase the flocculation of the fat globules, forming a three-

dimensional network improving the creaminess in the drink.

Role Of Stabilisers For Soy Carrageenan is by far the most commonly used stabiliser in soy milk. It is extracted from seaweed.

The carrageenan forms a helix with negatively charged sulphate groups turning outwards. This helix interacts to some extent with the protein particles preventing sedimentation in the product.

In a chocolate drink, a threedimensional network formed by the carrageenan keeps the cocoa particles in suspension. Combined with mono- and diglycerides, carrageenan ensures a stable and homogeneous soy milk during the entire shelf-life.

For more information, ENTER No: 0171

Special FEATURE

s on ing and r b r s yea nge The challe es for . ti new rtuni dustry the o n p n i o op food ore ns the out m ctatio e d p Fin ’s ex e r s as yea driver s to th t k rke and I spea ma APF stry’s u ind ers. d lea

market outlook

With an uncertain economic outlook on 2012, how do you think this would impact the food industry?

The economic outlook for 2012 indeed remains very uncertain with the dark clouds of financing and unemployment hanging over Europe and US. However, for Asia Pacific food consumption, a number of demographic macro trends will continue for many years. Today, Asia Pacific is already home to a big part of the world’s seven billion people, with more population growth to come, continued urbanisation (the big cities will continue to grow) and increasing affluence.

The last two factors, urbanisation and affluence, typically generate more interest in exploring Western eating habits (food content, presentation and place), for example, more yoghurt and cereals as part of breakfast meals. A lot of this consumer spending power comes with a cultural background of higher attention to food nutrition which - combined with recent year’s headlines on food scandals - will

Christian Overgaard Regional VP Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Chr Hansen drive product quality and food safety to higher levels than ever before in this region.

Therefore, we foresee that all food companies will boost their regulatory resources and efforts going forward.

On another note, the full impact of the flooding in Thailand and many neighbouring countries still remains to be assessed, and many companies like our own have already taken specific initiatives to aid the re-establishment of food production and supply chains.

Special FEATURE

2012 What are the main drivers of growth in your segment of the business for 2012?

For the food ingredients sectors where the company participates, we expect 2012 to be another year of solid growth opportunities working closely with food companies that are more focused, due to the global uncertainties. As such, the days of rapidly churning out products with short life spans will yield to more deeply researched efforts with a very clear market positioning and target for the longer term.

Talking of longer term, an important innovation driver will be the emerging global ‘battle of the titans’ as beverage companies start to venture into more mixed dairy/fruit drinks; vice-versa as the big dairy companies move into smoothies and fruit drinks.

For some companies with both dairy business units and juice business units, this may be done by more internal cooperation (organic growth), while other companies will resort to mergers and acquisitions, which has already happened in several cases. As such, the ‘battle’ is already beginning. A

product segment like fermented LAB drinks (diluted) will be right in the crossover and is already receiving increased attention from many players who are ‘plotting their longer term future’.

With the favourable macro demographic trends in Asia Pacific, food ingredient players should continue to focus on growing the cake with solutions that provide either much higher product quality and food safety or innovative food products with potential new claims for the end consumer. For instance, some dairies still have room to improve their production quality significantly in fermented milk products, by moving from culture bulk starter to the modern DVS (Direct Vat Set) solution that will also free up labour.

For colour business, we still ride on another favourable wave, the global conversion from synthetic colours to natural colours. In particular for products targeting kids and youngsters, many companies are looking to use more ‘natural’ claims for their marketing and packaging as these ingredient costs still constitute only a small part of the total production cost.

In terms of business strategies and development, what can we expect from your company in the new year?

In addition to the main growth drivers mentioned, for 2012 Chr Hansen in Asia Pacific will launch probiotics for juice beverages supported by clinical documentation, plus thoroughly tested dosing knowledge and solutions. This of course hits right at the earlier mentioned foreseen battlefield between dairies and juice beverages companies.

Also early in 2012, we will launch cultures specifically developed for the low/no fat yoghurt segment to provide smoothness and creamy mouthfeel, while reducing/removing starch and thickeners previously added to obtain similar texture.

Furthermore, responding to a growing trend in the international beverage industry, the company also launches a range of instant natural colours for powder soft drinks (PSDsegment). Finally, we will continue to expand our regional industry technology centre in Singapore with staffs and broader application expertise, also in cooperation with other food ingredient providers. _______________________________________ Enquiry No: 0180

Special FeaTURe

With an uncertain economic outlook on 2012, how do you think this would impact the food industry?

The economic situation means that many consumers are now eating more at home. Private labels are growing in popularity due to their competitive pricing, but unlike the often lower-quality, generic goods that boomed during the 1980s, these are higher-quality, lower-cost goods that consumers often believe to be equal to big name brands.

Increased awareness of food safety, coupled with the consumer desire to buy healthier food produced in a highly ethical manner, means that demand for goods produced naturally and for regional products remains strong.

Highly fluctuating raw material costs continue to impact the food industries. The importance of controlling costs is ever growing, and this need can be met through the effective use of enzymes, enabling manufacturers to secure less from more and to optimise their raw material utilisation.

What are the main drivers of growth in your segment of the business for 2012?

With todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food and beverage manufacturers constantly striving to meet consumer demands for healthy, ethically produced, quality products, enzymes are growing in relevance.

When it comes to seeking a healthy alternative to trans fats, enzymatic interesterification secures trans fat-free hardstock.

Sustainable processing that ensures less waste is also relevant right now. This is particularly important in an economy where the long-term trend of raw material costs is, in general, upwards.

Our technologies that help to get more from less or help achieve more effective raw material utilisation are also driving our business.

In terms of business strategies and development, what can we expect from your company in the new year?

Health and sustainability will remain a key focus area in 2012. We will also continue to promote solutions that ensure the production of goods that can be enjoyed by a wider consumption group. Furthermore, our technologies related to raw material optimisation will be a cornerstone in our strategy. ______________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0181

Anders Espe Kristensen Business Development & Marketing Director Novozymesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Food

With an uncertain economic outlook on 2012, how do you think this would impact the food industry?

As the outlook is uncertain, it is in fact very difficult to predict the impact on the food industry or our packaging and labelling industry.

The weaker economies will develop, and less money can be spent for consumer goods. But food will remain relatively stable in terms of quantities. However, there will be a shift from high-grade image (and high price level) to lower grade image products.

This will impact the packaging industry, as for instance, high-grade decoration solutions will be less required.

But, it is exactly because of the uncertainty, that the food and especially the packaging and packaging machinery industry would have to be very flexible in order to adapt to a new economic situation.

What are the main drivers of growth in your segment of the business for 2012?

One of the main drivers of growth would be innovations that offer customers

Special FeaTURe

With an uncertain economic outlook on 2012, how do you think this would impact the food industry?

The food industry is generally less affected by economic downturns than other processing industries, primarily because food purchases are less discretionary than most.

However, intense pressure is on producers to improve efficiencies while maintaining quality, complying with ever-tightening government regulations and managing increased packaging and shipping costs.

David Boger VP Sales & Marketing Flexicon Corporation

What are the main drivers of growth in your segment of the business for 2012?

No single product line represents a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;main driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as growth is spread across all the equipment lines including bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag fillers, bulk bag conditioners, flexible screw conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, drum/ box/container tippers, manual dumping stations and plant-wide bulk handling systems.

In terms of business strategies and development, what can we expect from your company in the new year?

The company will continue to utilise the economic downturn to its advantage by hiring exceptional people and gaining market share.

Together with expanded product lines, all-new lines in development and manufacturing locations on four continents, the company is poised to maintain its position. ______________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0182

added value, so as to strengthen their branding, marketing, and market position.

Another is in providing efficient and reliable labelling technology to support customers in reducing their total cost of ownership.

There is a need for quality in products and processes even in difficult times, as a trusty partner for our customers. Close relationship to our customers should also be maintained to understand their requirements and to offer customised solutions.

Think on a global scale as many of our customers do, but offer local organisations to realise individual solutions.

In terms of business strategies and development, what can we expect from your company in the new year?

Further expansion of our global network for sales and services can be expected.

Focus and specialisation according to the requirements of the target industries, product developments in the area of labelling equipment, and new label and sleeve printing technologies. _______________________________________ Enquiry No: 0183

Emanuel Schäpper Director Corporate Marketing Pago Group

Special FEATURE

With an uncertain economic outlook on 2012, how do you think this would impact the food industry?

The year 2012 certainly looks like a challenging one where global demand for goods and services across all industries is likely to take a dip. Despite this, the F&B industry in Asia is still expected to experience growth. Earlier forecasts by BMI have predicted the CAGR (up to 2015) for food consumption in China, with an increase of 14.7 percent; India to go up by seven percent; Indonesia to achieve 9.1 percent; Thailand at a growth of 6.1 percent, and Vietnam to reach 9.6 percent.

Although actual growth could be lower than predictions due to Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic crisis, the food industry in the Asian region is still poised for healthy expansion. In a slower moving market, we expect far-sighted manufacturers to take advantage of any available pockets of production time to upgrade their capabilities to streamline production costs and optimise system performance.

Didier Lacroix Senior VP, International Sales & Services Cognex

What are the main drivers of growth in your segment of the business for 2012?

As a supplier of machine vision for Quality Control (QC), guidance and traceability functions in food production, the company sees the increasing regulation for product safety to be one of the major growth drivers.

This is especially important in light of food scandals that have hit China in the recent years and the more recent incidents of plasticisers being used as clouding agents for food and drinks in Taiwan. As the regulatory authorities move in to address these violations, manufacturers in Asia need to improve product traceability via the use of reliable barcode reading technology.

At the same time, manufacturers that are exporting products to Western countries also need to adhere to the safety standards that are maintained in these destination countries. This means that effective QC on production lines is necessary to ensure the integrity of packaging and printed information (eg: expiry and manufacturing dates).

In terms of business strategies and development, what can we expect from your company in the new year?

We will continue to build our capabilities to support our clients in Asia via local partners in each country.

This means ensuring that our existing clients have access to technical expertise and service whenever they need it, and providing quick response times to calls for assistance. Having such a system in place provides the company with a competitive edge over other suppliers who do not have a strong (or any) local presence.

We will also work closely with clients by exploring ways to help them to reduce manpower costs and errors on the production line. The company also takes on an educational approach to conduct seminars and webinars that inform players in the food industry on useful technologies that can help them to improve their manufacturing processes.

_____________________________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0184

Enquiry Number

3002

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Automation:

A

Plus

For Distribution Experience has shown that automated storage and order picking systems can deliver substantial operating savings in distribution centres (DC), while at the same time improving the quality of order fulfilment.

What benefits exactly can be e x p e c t e d f ro m a u t o m a t e d systems within the distribution c e n t re a n d h o w a re s u c h systems justified?

The business case for an automated system should consider not only the ‘hard’ numbers such as labour and building cost savings, but also the ‘second order’ benefits of a safer, more ergonomic environment with improved delivery flexibility and response times. By Brad Welsman, executive GM Automation APAC, Schaefer Systems International

Reduced Labour Costs Automated storage and order picking systems reduce the need for labour and wheeled machinery in the DC. In automated goods-toperson order picking systems for example, the right goods are brought automatically to the person at the right time. Walking is virtually eliminated and productivity when picking slower moving SKUs, in particular, can be ten times higher than with traditional zone picking or walk pick-to-pallet approaches.

Reduced Dependency On Labour Availability A n i n c re a s i n g p ro b l e m i n distribution today is finding enough people to carry out the often laborious task of picking and packing. Moreover, where labour resources are scarce,

High productivity ergonomic goods-toperson pick stations minimise twisting and bending.

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operations often have to contend with a high turnover of staff, which in turn leads to soaring training and administration costs and undermines quality.

Higher productivity automated systems reduce the number of operators required for storage, picking and packing, and provide a much higher degree of ergonomics which helps retain staff and maintain quality.

are coming under more pressure to provide a safe and ergonomic environment for operators.

Safety and ergonomics are becoming increasingly important drivers for automation. Automated storage systems reduce the need for forklift trucks and eliminate the need to have pallet movements interleaved with other tasks, such as order picking.

Automated goods to person

Automated storage reduces space requirements and increases safety.

Improved Space Efficiency By making maximum use of headroom and minimising aisle widths, automated storage systems for pallets, tote bins and cartons reduce footprint requirements for stock storage and with it land and building costs.

Additionally, automated goods-to-person picking systems do not have a traditional pick face, but rather draw stock keeping units (SKUs) directly from an automated buf fer system which is significantly more space efficient.

Improved Ergonomics & Safety With an increasing focus on occupational safety & health, and an ageing workforce, operations

palletising stations provide for sliding rather than lifting of cases and eliminate walking.

Additionally, ergonomic pick from tote stations for small and split case items minimise bending and twisting, reducing injuries, complaints and lost time.

More Resilient To Changing Order Profiles A general trend towards more SKUs, combined with increasing pressure to reduce store stock and optimise store shelf space, has dictated the need for more frequent smaller deliveries.

In manual picking systems, more SKUs and smaller orders mean greater walking distances that reduce productivity. In contrast, automated goods-to-

Benefits Of Automated Storage & Order Picking Systems

• Reduced labour costs • Reduced dependency on labour availability • Improved space efficiency • Improved ergonomics and safety • More resilient to changing order profiles • Extended facility life • Higher quality fulfilment

person pick stations are equally productive for small orders as they are for large orders and the productivity is independent of the number of SKUs. Extended Facility Life Automated systems deliver increased productivity and therefore a higher capacity for meeting future throughput requirements. Automated storage allows for better use of existing space and automated picking systems do not have a pick face whose length increases with the number of SKUs. These things, combined with an increased resilience to changing order profiles, all contribute to extending the life of a facility. The opportunity to ‘sweat the existing assets’ and delay a move to a new or different facility can often translate into significant savings.

Higher Quality Fulfilment In automated picking systems, there is a greater degree of flexibility with respect to how and

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when an order is assembled. So, for example, the ability of goodsto-person picking systems to build pallets in accordance with differing store requirements with equal productivity can translate into significant savings.

Moreover, automated goodsto-person picking systems typically allow for any order to be picked at any time, improving response times and increasing fulfilment consistency and quality, all of which leads to higher customer satisfaction and ultimately increased sales.

Automation For You In general, the justification or business case for an automated system will be based on comparing the automated option to one or more alternatives.

The alternative may be to just continue as is, however, where an operation has outgrown its current facility, the comparison may be between moving now to a new manual site versus automating the existing site to prolong its life. Where an operation has to move to a new site in any case, the comparison

Goods to person pick station productivity is independent of the number of SKUs.

may be between building a new manual site versus building a new automated site.

An automated system will require significantly more initial investment than a manual system, however, potential associated savings in building and land costs need to be taken into account.

Automated systems also require much higher maintenance costs including preventative maintenance, spare parts and breakdown suppor t, which together can run to five to 10 percent of the initial investment per annum.

Where do the savings come from?

• R e d u c e d l a b o u r c o s t s , including recruitment and training costs • Savings in land and building costs • Improved capacity to meet future demands • Fewer lost time injuries • Higher staff retention • Improved customer service

The higher productivity associated with automated system leads to lower labour costs and this is a key driver in determining the feasibility of the higher investment. The savings in labour costs are very much dependent on the labour rate and the throughput of the system.

The case for automation is much stronger for operations that run three shifts in a high labour cost area. In considering a labour rate for the business case evaluation, all associated costs including overtime payments and management, recruitment and training costs should be included.

These can be substantial for large manual sites, especially where there is a scarcity of labour and/or a high turnover of staff.

In most cases, automated systems require a much smaller footprint than manual systems.

This may translate into direct cost savings from an immediate reduction in space usage or alternatively, it may allow a building expansion or a transfer to a new facility to be deferred.

These savings should also be calculated and factored into the business case.

Finally, the business case for an automated system should consider not only the ‘hard’ numbers such as labour and building cost savings, but also the ‘second order’ benefits of a safer, more ergonomic environment with improved delivery flexibility and response times.

Although sometimes difficult to quantify, these benefits include less lost time through injury, increased staff retention rates and higher customer satisfaction, which leads to increased sales.

For more information, ENTER No: 0185

Enquiry Number

3006

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Packaging

Humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hopes

Ivan Philipov, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Packaging food and beverages is not simply about keeping them in attractive bottles, cans or containers. The packaging process allows the product to be kept over a long period of time, without changes to its integrity, gives manufacturers the option of supplying the product anywhere in the world, and provides ingredient and nutritional information to increasingly discerning consumers.

The use of such PET bottles in packaging serves to meet the growing demand for bottled beverages.

In the US, bottled water consumption alone has more than doubled in the last decade, from 13.4 gallons per person to 29.3 gallons. As people adopt more hectic lifestyles, and travel more frequently, such consumption will inadvertently increase.

Klearchos Kaputsis, Santorini, Greece

Love Janine, Hawaii, US

Food & beverage companies are stepping up in adopting green business models centred on sustainability, in hopes of averting the environmental impact. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

However, the environmental impact of these plastic bottles is fast gaining notoriety: they are almost impossible to break down, they have the potential to release harmful chemicals and they require crude oil in their manufacture, further straining our earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s non-renewable resources of energy.

In 2006, an estimated 1.3 million tons of PET bottles were produced, requiring the energy equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil. Seventy-seven percent of

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY

specific targets that seek to reduce the strain of their bottling operations on the environment.

Coca-Cola also jumped on the bandwagon of sustainable bottling in 2009, dubbing its own the PlantBottle, a recyclable PET bottle with 30 percent of its composition made from plantbased materials.

The company debuted the PlantBottle in Denmark and has since seen 2.5 billion such packages reach the global marketplace. In

The Coca Cola Company

these bottles end up in landfills, instead of being recycled.

Nevertheless, as the average consumer becomes more educated and well-read, and given humanity’s penchant for environmental preservation, beverage companies are now under greater pressure to adopt green business models centered on sustainability, particularly to continue retaining consumer confidence, in the face of ever growing competition.

The Sustainable Bottling Endeavour In light of this pressing need for sustainability and environmental responsibility, in recent years companies such as Coca-Cola, Nestle and Pepsico have begun rolling out innovations in PET packaging, focusing on reducing the amount of raw materials that goes into a typical bottle.

These technological innovations have been complemented with quantifiable pledges from the companies themselves, setting

Singapore, the company pledges to integrate this packaging in its local manufacturing operations by 2013.

Amit Oberoi, CEO of F&N Coca-Cola (Singapore) shared with APFI that the plant-based material is derived from bagasse, a by-product of sugarcane when sugar is extracted.

Mr Oberoi added: “We’ve worked with partners from the academic world and with NGOs to ensure we are sourcing our PlantBottle materials responsibly.

Ivan Prole, Serbia

61

As such, there should be no strain on the earth’s forest reserves.”

A Comprehensive Effort The recent innovations in PET by the likes of Nestle, Pepsico and Coca-Cola are not simply one-off feel-good projects, but part of a comprehensive effort by the world’s multinationals to embed sustainability into everything they do.

Although sustainability might seem a difficult trait to measure and determine, it is not impossible.

Two Tomorrows, a corporate sustainability agency in the UK, conducts annual assessments of corporate sustainability practices of the world’s largest food & beverage companies.

In its most recent list, the agency ranked Unilever as the top sustainable food and beverage company, based on research from 2010. Unilever formulates its sustainability strategy based on stakeholder feedback, spearheaded by the company’s senior leaders and supported by its management system. Its CEO Paul Polman unveiled the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan in 2010, which seeks to halve the company’s environmental footprint by 2020 while doubling sales.

Another company with a fast improving environmental record is Nestle. The Swissbased company has reduced

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water consumption over the past decade by 33 percent, while increasing its food and beverage production volume by 63 percent, or a reduction of 59 percent per kilogram of product.

In the same period, it has reduced the quantity of water discharged from its factories into the ecosystem – after treatment and removal of pollutants – by 42 percent, or 65 percent per kilo of product.

These companies are part of a growing breed that are committed to making a positive difference to the world. Antonio Del Rosario, GM at Coca-Cola Singapore was quick to distinguish such comprehensive sustanability drives from the usual fly by night environmental campaigns. At the launch of ‘Live Positively’, an initiative to incorporate sustainability into Coca-Cola’s core business, he said: “We don’t see ‘Live Positively’ as a campaign with a specific cost to it. We are embedding it in every single part of our business.”

The PlantBottle packaging mentioned earlier in the article i s p a r t o f t h e c o m p a n y ’s ‘Sustainable Packaging’ effort, one of the seven pillars of Live Positively. In addition, as part of this effort, the company serves as a signatory of the Singapore Packaging Agreement, a program that seeks to get manufacturers to reduce the environmental impact of packaging. Rodney Goh, VP of the Singapore Retail Liquor Shop Association and a member on the Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA) Governing Board, lauded the company for its efforts in reducing the thickness and weight of their plastic bottles and aluminium cans, and called on other companies to do the same.

A n o t h e r e n v i ro n m e n t a l -

friendly pillar supporting the initiative is ‘Energy & Climate Protection’. The pillar will see the company equipping all of its coolers with intelligent energy management devices that monitor energy usage and deliver energy savings of up to 35 percent.

M r O b e ro i h i g h l i g h t e d other methods employed by

Executives from Coca-Cola Singapore penning their commitment to sustainability.

the company to further energy reduction: “Our lines need to be cleaned when we change from one product to another, as we don’t want any remnants left. The cleaning is achieved using a CIP (cleaning-in-place) system. With a CIP system, a lot of water and chemicals are used. We moved to a system where we do not need to use as much water and chemicals. For hot CIP, you will need to heat the water before you clean the lines. For this, we have done condensate recovery, which is recovering steam and the heat from it. We have also put into place more fuel-efficient boilers.

All these steps help to reduce energy and reduce costs.”

Cost Savings Although many business owners will moan that being sustainable

is only feasible for big companies with huge profits, it is important to note that sustainability efforts can translate to greater cost savings and can be practiced by just about anyone.

For instance, the signatories of the SPA have made significant progress and cumulatively reduced about 7,100 tons of packaging waste over the past 4 years and saved over 15 million dollars of packagingrelated costs. As of October this year, there were 128 signatories on the agreement, many of them local SMEs. Sustainability can also lead to more synchronous business partnerships. According to Mr Oberoi: “We have customers today who are equally keen (on sustainability). I can give you the example of Cold Storage, which has just set up their first green store and are keen on partnering with us to further their green agenda.

So it’s a big plus that we bring to our partnership.”

“We know environmental awareness is rising. Consumers are not just thinking about what tastes best, but also which companies are more environmentally conscious. So we believe it has a positive impact on our business,” he added.

Indeed, these initiatives appear to suggest that the core of business philosophy is shifting away from caring solely for the company’s bottom-line, to wanting to use the business as a platform to bring about a positive change for the present and future.

As the world’s environmental challenges grow more complex, perhaps there can be no other w a y f o r t o d a y ’s f o o d a n d beverage companies.

For more information, ENTER No: 0186

FIC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The

Great Trade Show on Food Additives and Ingredients in Asia

Food Ingredients China 2012 Date: March 28-30, 2012 Venue: Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center No. 850 Bocheng Rd., Shanghai

FIC 2012

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The Most Professional & Outstanding Show!

Review of FIC 2011: Total Space: 58000 m2 Number of Exhibitors: 1102 companies from 27 countries and regions Number of Professional Visitors: 82920 from all over the World Evaluation: 97% of visitors are satisfied with FIC 2011

Enquiry Number

www.ChinaFoodAdditives.com/d_e.htm

2902

For more information, please visit Organized by:

China Food Additives & Ingredients Association China Food Additives Journal

CCPIT Sub-Council of Light Industry

Rm. 1402, Tower 3, Vantone, No. 6A, Chaoyangmenwai St., Beijing 100020, China Tel: +86-10-5979 5833 Fax:+ 86-10-5907 1335, 5907 1336 E-mail: cfaa1990@yahoo.com.cn

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L Goh, Singapore

Labelling &Testing

For GM food producers and importers, engaging a reliable third-party testing and inspection body will allow them to gain access to export markets and shorten their time-to-market by meeting the labelling requirements of their importing companies.

By Chong Kok Yoong, VP of Industry-Food, TÜV SÜD PSB

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), genetically modified (GM) foods are defined as organisms in which the genetic materials (DNA) have been altered in a way that do not occur naturally. Genetic engineering or gene technology as it is commonly known, allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between nonrelated species.

GM foods, typically referring to crops or food products made from GM ingredients, were first put to the market in the early 1990s. They include transgenic plant products such as soybean, corn, canola, cottonseed oil, potato, tomato and rice. Although most of the world’s GM crops are grown in North America, in recent years, there has been rapid growth in the area sown within developing countries.

In 2008, after more than a decade of commercialising genetically modified crops, the total accumulated land areas sown with GM plants have exceeded 800 million hectares. Not only is there an obvious increment in the number of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the market, but there is also a wider diversity in terms of taxonomy (taxon hopst plants) and biotechnology (genetic constructs).

At this moment, GM animal products have been developed, but no known products are in market.

The Necessity For GM Food GM foods are developed and marketed due t o s o m e p e rc e i v e d a d v a n t a g e s f o r t h e producers or consumers. For the producers, GM foods have improved crop yields due to

Rdragan79, Vojvodina, Serbia

GM Food:

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Lotus Head, Johannesburg, South Africa

increased resistance to pests, viruses or herbicides. For consumers, GM foods are more durable and have higher nutritional value. In the beginning, the initial objective to develop plants based on GM organisms was to improve crop protection.

For producers, insect resistance is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). This toxin is currently used as a conventional insecticide in agriculture and is safe for human consumption.

GM crops that permanently produce this toxin have been shown to require lower quantities of insecticides where pest pressure is high. Virus resistance is achieved through the introduction

Zeeshan Qureshi, Karachi, Pakistan

65

More than 40 countries worldwide have adopted legislations on GM crop-related issues. The primary goal of these regulations is to ensure food safety; the coexistence of conventional, organic and GM crop production requires additional traceability and fulfilment of legal obligations of GMO admixture.

Public concerns about GM foods have led many countries including the European Union, Australia, Japan, and other countries to establish laws requiring food manufacturers to label GM foods. By labelling GM foods, consumers can exercise choice between foods that have been genetically modified, conventional or organic origins.

Vacuum – the best way to convey materials!

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Safety Concerns Consumers generally consider traditional, conventional foods, often eaten for thousands of years, to be safe. When new foods are introduced, some of the existing characteristics of the foods may have been altered in positive or negative ways.

PIAB Asia Pte Ltd 4008 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #03-16 Techplace I, Singapore 569625 Tel: +65 6455 7006, Fax: +65 6455 0081, Email: info-singapore@piab.com

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of a gene from certain viruses that cause diseases in plants.

The resistance to viruses makes the plants less susceptible to diseases, and as such, results in higher crop yields. Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying resistance to some herbicides.

In situations where weed pressure is high, the use of such GM crops has resulted in the reduction of herbicides used.

Advantages of the PIAB Vacuum Conveyor: • Simple to install • Dustless conveying • 316L acid-proof polished SS • Modular system • Minimum maintenance • Low noise level • Low energy consumption • Handle powders and granules • Approvals: USDA, FDA, 3A, ATEX

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

GM FooD LaBeLLING

euroPeaN uNIoN In the eu, if a food product contains or consists of genetically modified organisms (GMos), or contains ingredients produced from GMos, this must be indicated on the label.

For GM products sold ‘loose’, information must be displayed immediately next to the food product to indicate that it is GM. on 18 april 2004, new rules for GM labeling came into force in all eu Member States.

The GM Food and Feed regulation (eC) No 1829/2003 lays down rules to cover all GM food and animal feed, regardless of the presence of any GM material in the final product.

This means products such as flour, oils and glucose syrups have to be labeled as GM if they are from a GM source.

Products produced with GM technology (cheese produced with GM enzymes, for example) do not have to be labeled. Products such as meat, milk and eggs from animals fed on GM animal feed do not need to be labeled. any intentional use of GM ingredients at any level must be labeled. however, the Food and

Food manufacturers also have to clarify GM and non-GM organisms at production level and throughout the entire processing chain. This is crucial as GM products can be introduced unintentionally into the conventional product at any point in the production chain.

Other than food safety issues, critics have also objected GM foods on several grounds including ecological concerns and economic concerns brought about by intellectual property law.

FooD TeSTING The two most popular approaches to testing GM foods are: • Detection Of New Genes By Polymerase Chain Reaction The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a biochemistry and molecular biology technique for isolating and exponentially amplifying a fragment of DNA, via enzymatic replication, without using a living organism.

It enables the detection of specific strands of DNA by making millions of copies of a target genetic sequence. The target sequence is essentially

Feed regulation provides for a threshold for the adventitious, or accidental, presence of GM material in non-GM food or feed sources.

uS The uSFood and Drug administration currently requires labeling of GM foods if the food product has a significantly different nutritional property; if a new food product includes an allergen that consumers do not expect to be present (eg, a peanut protein in a soybean product); or if a food contains a toxicant beyond acceptable limits.

photocopied at an exponential rate, and simple visualisation techniques can make the millions of copies easy to see.

The method works by pairing the targeted genetic sequence with custom designed complementary bits of DNA called primers. In the presence of the target sequence, the primers match with it and trigger a chain reaction. DNA replication enzymes use the primers as docking points and start doubling the target sequences.

The process is repeated over and over again by sequential heating and cooling until doubling and redoubling has multiplied the target sequence several million-fold. The millions of identical fragments are then purified in a slab of gel, dyed, and can be seen with UV light.

The method with currently the highest level of accuracy is quantitative real-time PCR. QRT-PCR methods use fluorescent dyes, such as Sybr Green, or fluorophore-containing DNA probes to measure

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• Detection Of New Protein By Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Unlike PCR that detects DNA sequences, enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measures the levels of proteins expressed by DNA sequences inserted by genetic modification. The test works by using anti-bodies specific for proteins.

ELISA relies on a reaction between antibodies (soluble proteins that are produced by the immune system in response to a foreign substance) and a ‘foreign substance’ (typically the inserted protein), called the ‘antigen’. The reaction is detected by a

Microbiologist Kerry O’Donnell stores genetically characterised wheat scab pathogens in liquid nitrogen for future studies.

Keith Weller / USDA

the amount of amplified product in real time. If the targeted genetic sequence is unique to a certain GMO, a positive PCR test proves that the GMO is present in the sample.

PCR and related techniques

ELISA and other immunoassay techniques

Detect DNA sequences

Detect proteins

Cannot be used in the absence of DNA

Cannot be used in foods where no protein is present

Require standardisation for sampling and also for the extraction of material

Require standardisation for sampling and also for the extraction of material

Need strict laboratory conditions and data interpretation to be reliable

Can be performed under less strict conditions without affecting reliability of results

Require reference material to be analysed

Require reference material to be analysed

Very sensitive so false positives can be obtained

Less sensitive

Require detailed information on the structure of the introduced DNA sequences

Require detailed information on the molecular structure and physiochemical properties of the introduced protein

Generally provide a qualitative answer (‘yes’ or ‘no’) but not quantitative, unless using real time PCR

Provide qualitative and quantitative information

*Table taken from Asian Food Information Centre

colour change or a fluorometric reaction that can be measured quantitatively.

The table taken from Asian Food Information Centre attempts to illustrate the main differences for the two most popular methods of testing.

Moving On To date, no adverse effects on human health have been shown as a result of consuming GM food products by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. However, ongoing efforts to build up the body of scientific knowledge in the safety of GM food, coupled with proper regulatory oversight, and consumer education will contribute towards acceptance and confidence.

For GM food producers and importers, engaging a reliable third-party testing and inspection body will allow them to gain access to export markets and shorten their time-to-market by meeting the labelling requirements of their importing companies.

An independent body will help ensure that GM food producers and importers minimise violating regulatory risks and potential legal liabilities. This ensures that their companies are protected from being embroiled in costly and image-damaging product recalls.

For more information, ENTER No: 0187

ASIA PACIFIC FOOD INDUSTRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Keith Weller / USDA

MULTI-RESIDUE analysis of pesticide in fruits, vegetables, and other foods is always a challenge in sample preparation as well as analytical detection.

The required quantisation limit for many pesticides falls below 10 ng/mL (ppb), which demands more sophisticated analytical processes.

G C / M S / M S ( G a s Chromatography Triple Quadrupole) techniques provide selectivity, and as such significantly lower system detection limits.

For target pesticide analysis in complex matrices, the GC/ MS triple quad (GC/QQQ) analyser has a ‘Pesticides and Environmental Pollutants’ MRM database (p/n G9250AA) of over 1,000 compounds, which makes the analytical task easier and productive.

The QuEChERS sample preparation technique has been accepted worldwide for multiresidue pesticide analysis due to its features known as ’Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe’. The QuEChERS extracts can be analysed by LC and GC combined with MS to determine a wide range of pesticide residues.

Column backflushing can be beneficial for the analysis of food extracts because it reduces analysis time and reduces both column head trimming and MS ion source cleaning frequency.

The ultra inert deactivation

RED ALERT ON

Pesticides

Quantitative and repeatability analysis of trace level pesticides in plantation food. By limian Zhao and chin-kai Meng, agilent technologies

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Solutions & Standards One percent acetic acid in AcN reagent blank solution was prepared by adding 1 mL of glacial acetic acid into 100 ml of AcN. This solution was also used as extraction solvent for the QuEChERS method.

Individual pesticide standard stock solutions, at 2 mg/mleach, were made in Acetone and stored at -20 deg C. A 20 μg/ml 33-pesticide mixture was made in Acetone by dilution of individual pesticide stock solutions, and stored at 4 deg C. In order to minimise matrix dilution in the calibration standards, a 500 ng/mL intermediate spiking solution was freshly made in the corresponding matrix blank from the 20 μg/mL standard mixture. The intermediate spiking

Chirnoaga, Romania

Experimental A representative group of 33 pesticides were selected for trace level analysis in six different plantation food matrices.

Plantation food matrix blanks, extracted by QuEChERS AOAC method, were spiked with the pesticide standards. The spiked matrix samples were then analysed by GC/MS/MS under Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode. A calibration curve from 1 to 100 ng/ml was used for linearity evaluation. A 10 ng/mL QC sample was used to evaluate analysis repeatability.

Liner to liner reproducibility study was conducted using four liners.

Friedrich Plechschmidt, Bayern, Germany

process improves the inertness and robustness of wool liners.

T h e w o o l s u r f a c e a re a i s deactivated thoroughly. The ultra inert splitless liners with wool have demonstrated its inertness in quantitative analysis of active and difficult pesticides in fruit and vegetable matrices.

White flour, strawberry, pear, orange, pepper, and spinach were selected as matrix samples in this study.

solution in matrix was then used to spike five matrix-matched calibration standards of 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 ng/ml and a 10 ng/ml QC standard.

Internal standard (IS) stock solution of triphenyl phosphate (TPP) at 2 mg/mL was made in Acetone. A 20 μg/ml IS spiking solution in Acetonitrile was made from the IS stock solution, and stored at 4 deg C. Proper volume of IS spiking solution was then added into all samples to generate a concentration of 100 ng/ml.

Matrix Blank Preparation White flour, strawberry, pear, orange, pepper, and spinach were

selected as matrix samples in this study.

The fruits and vegetables were frozen, chopped, and then homogenised thoroughly. In brief, 15 grm of homogenous sample (except flour sample) was extracted using 15 ml of Acetonitrile with one percent acetic acid and separated into aqueous phase by the addition of extraction salt packet. For flour sample, 5 grm of homogenous sample was mixed with 10 ml of water and soaked overnight.

This mixture was then extracted following the QuEChERS procedure.

After centrifugation, the supernatant was transferred and cleaned up. After vortex and centrifuge, the supernatant was transferred into vials as matrix blank for subsequent experiments. These individual matrix blanks were stored at 4 deg C. Tools Of The Trade All analyses were done on a GC equipped with an autosampler and a GC/MS triple quadrupole system. An ultra inert GC column, was used to provide analyte separation and a highly inert flow path into the detector.

Backflushing was used to shorten analysis time for samples that contain high-boiling matrix residues and reduce system maintenance.

Retention time locking (RTL) was used to eliminate the need for adjusting time segment windows of MRM groups. The runtime was 23 minutes with an additional two minutes for backflush.

For each pesticide, two MRM transitions were selected for quantitation and qualification.

However, different transitions might be used for quantitation in different matrices to minimise matrix effect.

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Keith Weller / USDA

samples in each matrix in the order of orange, pear, strawberry, flour, pepper, and spinach.

Calibration standards and matrix blanks were also included in the sequence. There were more than 80 samples in a sequence for each liner evaluated.

As Omethoate is one of the most challenging pesticides, which can be negatively impacted by the matrix, it is used as the probe to show the benefit of using ultra inert liner with wool.

Entomologist Michael McGuire examines biodegradable pesticide-treated spheres in an apple orchard.

Results & Discussion The purpose of this study was to evaluate the GC/MS/MS performa n c e u s i n g re p re s e n t a t i v e pesticides in six dif ferent matrices at trace level, including pear, orange, strawberry, flour, pepper, and spinach.

With effective deactivation on wool, the ultra inert liners with wool provided inertness as well as protection to the column and MS ion source. As such, the liners provide peak shape and response consistency, especially for the active pesticides. In this study, ultra inert liner with wool was also compared with cyclosplitter liner on peak shape and response repeatability.

The system performance evaluated in this study includes:

linearity in the range of 1 to 100 ng/mL, the limit of quantitation (LOQ), the injection repeatability at 10 ng/ml, and liner-toliner re p ro d u c i b i l i t y. A l l t h e s e evaluations were done in all six matrices. Matrix effect, regarding matrix interferences and impact on the system robustness, was also part of the study.

Some pesticides showed consistent responses in different matrices, but many pesticides had different responses in different matrices due to either matrix enhancement or matrix suppression. Therefore, it is important to use matrix-matched calibrations to achieve accurate quantitation results.

The testing sequence included 10 injections of 10 ng/ml QC

Analysis In Pear The GC/QQQ MRM chromatograms of pear matrix blank and pear matrix spiked at 1 ng/ml.

After careful selection of MRM transitions based on matrix, the pear matrix blank still showed a few interference peaks in several MRM transitions. Most of the interfering peaks were chromatographically separated and did not interfere with the quantitation results. However, there was an interfering peak at the same retention time as Methamidophos.

This interfering peak increased the target LOQ to 5 ng/ ml. The same situation happened also to 2-phenylphenol, and the LOQ had to be increased to 5 ng/ml. Omethoate and Endrin ketone showed low responses in Figure 2, but they both gave acceptable S/N ratio at 1 ng/ml.

Deltamethrinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response was always low.

Although it was detected at 1 ppb with S/N ratio of 3, it was more reasonable to set the target LOQ at 5 ng/ml. Many pesticides could achieve lower LOQ (< 1 ng/ ml) in pear matrix with acceptable S/N ratios.

Except Methamidophos, 2-phenylphenol, and Deltamethrin, all of the other 30 pesticides achieved 1 ng/ml or lower LOQ in pear matrix. The

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Figure 1

Figure 2

repeatability of 10 injections of the 10 ng/mL QC sample was excellent, showing less than 15 percent RSD for all 33 pesticides, even for the most challenging pesticides like Omethoate, Acephate, and DDT.

Trace Analysis In Flour The GC/QQQ MRM chromatograms of flour matrix blank and flour matrix spiked at 1 ng/ml.

Flour matrix showed clean background for all MRM transitions, except 2-phenylphenol.

The LOQ of Carbaryl was set to 5 ng/ml due to its low response in flour. All of the other 32 pesticides achieved 1 ng/ml LOQ. The co-eluting interference peak contributed to less than 20 percent of 2-phenylphenolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response at 1 ng/ml level.

The responses of Methamidophos, Omethoate and Deltamethrin were good and achieved 1 ng/ml LOQ in flour.

The repeatability of 10 injections of the 10 ng/ml QC sample was less than 15 percent RSD for all analytes.

Round Up Multi-residue pesticide analysis in food matrix by GC/MS or GC/MS/MS has always been challenging. Different matrix shows different matrix effect on the analytes, especially active compounds like Omethoate, DDT, and Acephate.

Matrix can cause quantitation interference, lower response (higher LOQ), and/or poor peak shape. Therefore, it is critical to use matrix-matched calibration curves to achieve accurate and reliable quantitation results.

Backflush and an ultra inert liner with wool can protect the whole system and improve system durability. However, for challenging matrix like spinach, more attention is needed to monitor the peak shape and repeatability of active analytes, such as Omethoate and DDT, in analysing multiple samples.

A linearity where R2 > 0.99 and analysis repeatability (percent RSD < 15 percent) were achieved for most pesticides in all tested matrices.

For more information, ENTER No: 0188

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Exhibition Centre Nuremberg Nuremberg, Germany November 9-11, 2011

Review:

Brau Beviale 2011

BRAU Beviale celebrated its 50th year from November 9 to 11, 2011 in the Nuremburg Exhibition Centre, Germany. About 1,384 exhibitors played host at the European beverage industry’s get-together and ensured a great mood with their innovations.

Some 35 percent of the visitors at the exhibition travelled from abroad, such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, France, Russia, Spain, UK, plus Central Eastern and Eastern Europe.

As expected, the German visitors came mainly from the beer state of Bavaria, followed

by Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and the Rhineland Palatinate.

The exhibitors came from 49 nations, headed by companies from Germany (773), Italy, UK, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium and France. A good 96 percent of the exhibitors are satisfied with the overall success

of their exhibiting activities, 92 percent made business connections and 90 percent expect follow-up business.

T h e re w e re 8 7 p e rc e n t involved in investment decisions in their companies. Twenty eight percent of the visitors work in business, corporate or works management, just as many in production and quality control, 14 percent in sales, almost 10 percent in research and development, followed by maintenance, purchasing and marketing.

VISITOR INTEREST One in two visitors came to Nürnberg to source information about new products and almost 64 percent also want to use these in their own companies.

Especially important aspects for the visitors are cultivating existing business contacts and making new ones, exchanging views, training, market orientation, and preparing

for investment decisions. As many as five percent of the exhibition visitors also want to sign contracts in Nürnberg. And these apparently involve more than just Letters of Intent.

The visitors are traditionally mainly interested in the largest product segment of technology (64 percent, multiple answers), followed by raw materials (37 percent), almost levelpegging with operating and laboratory equipment, energy management, working materials and packaging materials, services, marketing, catering equipment and beverage logistics.

NEXT INSTALLATION The event will start a day earlier in the week in future at the request of the exhibitors.

The next get-together for the European beverage industry takes place from November 13 – 15, 2012, in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. ______________________ Enquiry No: 0190

Enquiry Number

3005

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TM

ASIA FOOD TECH

INNOVATION & SAFETY CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Singapore Expo Singapore November 18, 2011

Review:

Asia Food Tech THE Asia Pacific Food Tech, Innovation & Safety Conference & Exhibition was held on November 18, 2011 at the Singapore Expo. The event was co-organised by The Pinnacle Group International and Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA), and colocated with the Asia Pacific Food Expo.

T h e c o n f e re n c e , w h i c h attracted about 200 delegates from the region, consisted of food manufacturers, food researchers, scientists and vendors, in the intensive one-day event.

World renowned food scientist and science leader, Dr Martin Cole who is the Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences was the keynote speaker and he spoke on ‘Implementing Critical Innovation In Today’s Competitive Market’.

Amongst the other speakers

is the sole winner of Outstanding Scientist Award 2011 in Thailand, Prof Sottawat Benjakul. Over 20 speakers presented at the event, covering topics ranging from food technology, food safety, business innovation and risk management strategies in the food business.

A consistent issue raised by several speakers at this year’s event are the challenges facing the world, with regards to food shortages caused by climate change and population growth.

The speakers also reiterated with different examples the importance for businesses to embrace sustainable technologies and strategies for long-term growth and survival.

The dates for next year’s conference has been scheduled for the November 16, 2012 in Singapore. _______________________ Enquiry No: 0191

Enquiry Number

2932

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Paris-Nord Villepinte Paris, France Nov 29 - Dec1, 2011

Review:

Food Ingredients Europe 2011 FOOD Ingredients (Fi) Europe & Natural Ingredients (Ni) 2011, which took place in Paris, France, from November 29 to December 1 last year, has been the largest edition of the show in its 25 year history, with an 11 percent increase in exhibition space and 20 percent increase in visitors compared to 2009.

Over the three days, the show featured 1,200 exhibitors from 65 countries. More than 23,600 food professionals from 127 countries visited the show.

“Over the last 25 years, the show has hosted many manufacturers and seen some significant changes within the industry. In its 25th anniversary, FiE featured great innovations and provided a holistic view of industry developments over the last 25 years, as well as where it will be going in the next 25 years,” said Nick Ornstien, portfolio director at UBM Live.

Visitors and exhibitors benefited from the many educational features provided during the show, including conference modules, exhibitor seminars, and the 25th Anniversary Product Zone. A new feature to the show this year was the Innovation Tours. These tours were conducted by industry experts and took visitors on a guided conference around the show that covered innovations and key market trends.

The Fi Excellence Awards ceremony, held on November 30, has honoured the companies and professionals who have demonstrated innovation and exceptional contribution to the industry.

Fi Europe & Ni will return to Frankfurt, Germany on November 19 to 21, 2013. Fi Europe’s sister show, Health Ingredients (Hi) Europe & Natural Ingredients (Ni), will also take place in Frankfurt, Germany November 13 to 15, 2012. ______________________________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0192

www.worldoffoodasia.com/www.thaitradefair.com

Savor Your Success

23. - 27.05.2012

IMPACT Exhibition Center Bangkok, Thailand A Unique Concept That Has Proven to Work • Meet your desired buyers through our well structured product zones • Network with key regional buyer groups that Thailand’s strong food industry attracts • Benefit from the extensive combined advertising and public relations efforts between organizers

THAIFEX - World of Food ASIA covers • • • •

Food & Beverage featuring HALAL & ORGANIC Food Food Catering & Hospitality Services Food Technology Retail & Franchise

R E T GIS

!

W NO

Thai Chamber of Commerce

Enquiry Number

Jointly organized by Koelnmesse Pte Ltd Ms Lynn How Tel: +65 6500 6712 Fax: +65 6294 8403 l.how@koelnmesse.com.sg

2929

RE

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Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Feb 29 to Mar 2, 2012

Preview:

ProPak Vietnam PROPAK Vietnam is scheduled to take place at Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, from February 29 to March 2, 2012. This is following the previous installation, which featured machinery showcases, latest technologies in production process and packaging related industries. More than 7,500 trade visitors and buyers from 37 countries attended the event.

Apart from providing benefits to the local industry, it was designed to satisfy the needs of trade visitors from Indo-China and beyond, most of which came from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Japan, Korea, including Taiwan. The show has generated sales value of US$55 million with the post-event trading transactions made up to more than US$200 million.

With Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forecasted economic growth of 7.5 to 8.5 percent in 2011, it is expected that the country shall witness the same growth rate in 2012.

The food and beverage production sector has grown over 12 percent since last year and accounted for the largest proportion of Ho Chi Minh cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial production value. Vietnam brewing & beer market is also set to increase by 15 percent this year.

Located on a space of over 4,400 sq m, the 2012 edition features up to 265 leading supplies from over 25 countries. The event is open to all professionals, manufacturers and suppliers involved in machinery, technology and materials in the sectors of packaging, filling, processing, ingredients, labelling, quality assurance, test and measurement. Other related fields are automation, transportation, storage, and refrigeration and pollution control for instance.

The event will co-locate with Plastics & Rubber Vietnam 2012, The International Plastics & Rubber Technologies and Materials Exhibition for Vietnam. ______________________________________________________________________ Enquiry No: 0193

Enquiry Number

3007

Virag Virag, Budapest, Hungary

calendar of events 2012 February 19 – 22: Gulfood 2012 Dubai World Trade Centre Dubai, UAE Dubai World Trade Centre Web: www.gulfood.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

29 – 2: pROpAK VIETNAM Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Bangkok Exhibition Services E-mail: enquiry@besallworld.com Web: www.propakvietnam.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

March 27 – 30: Anuga foodtec Koelnmesse Cologne, Germany Koelnmesse Gmbh E-mail: info@koelnmesse.de Web: www.anugafoodtec.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

28 – 30: Food Ingredients china Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center Shanghai, China China Food Additives & Ingredients Association (CFAA) CCPIT Sub-Council of Light Industry E-mail: ccpitsli@public3.bta.net.cn Web: www.chinafoodadditives.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

April 17 – 20: Food & hotel asia Singapore Expo Singapore Singapore Exhibition Services E-mail: events@sesallworld.com Web: www.foodnhotelasia.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

May 8 – 11: Seoul Food & hotel Korea International Exhibition Center Seoul, South Korea Kotra E-mail: seobi68@kotra.or.kr Web: www.seoulfoodnhotel.co.kr ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

9 – 11: SIAL China Shanghai New International Expo Center Shanghai, China Exposium E-mail: info@comexposium-sh.com Web: www.sialchina.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

22 – 25: Korea Pack Korea International Exhibition Center Seoul, South Korea Kyungyon E-mail: gskim@kyungyon.co.kr Web: www.koreapack.org ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

23 – 27: Thaifex - wof Asia Impact Challenger Bangkok, Thailand Koelnmesse E-mail: l.how@koelnmesse.com.sg Web: www.worldoffoodasia.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

June 12 - 14: Vietfish SECC Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Vietnam Association Of Seafood Exporters And Producers E-mail: info@vietfish.com.vn Web: www.vietfish.com.vn ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

13 - 16: ProPak asia BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok Exhibition Services E-mail: enquiry@besallworld.com Web: www.propakasia.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

27 - 30: Taipei pack Taiwan World Trade Centre Taipei, Taiwan TAITRA E-mail: tppack@taitra.org.tw Web: www.taipeipack.com.tw

E-mail: info@fikorea.org Web: www.fikorea.org ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

18 – 20: propak china Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China China International Exhibitions E-mail: propak@chinaallworld.com Web: www.propakchina.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

September 4 - 7: Food & hotel thailand BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok Exhibition Services E-mail: enquiry@besallworld.com Web: www.foodhotelthailand.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

5 - 7: Vitafoods Asia Asiaworld-Expo Hong Kong, SAR China Informa Exhibitions E-mail: vitafoods@informa.com Web: www.vitafoodsasia.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

5 - 7: Asia Fruit Logistica Asiaworld-Expo Hong Kong, SAR China Global Produce Events E-mail: sinenart@gp-events.com Web: www.asiafruitlogistica.com ❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

NOTE To be considered for a listing in the Calendar of Events, send details of event including: name of event, date, venue and organiser’s contact details to the address given below.

❑ To Exhibit ❑ To Visit ❑ General Enquiry

July 5 – 7: Food Ingredients korea aT Center Seoul, South Korea Korea Food Industry Association

*All details subject to change without notice. Please check with organisers for updates.

Editorial Dept Asia Pacific Food Industry Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05 EPL Building Singapore 169206 Tel: 65 6379 2888 Fax: 65 6379 2805 E-mail: apfood@epl.com.sg

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(Refer to Advertising Index for Advertisers’ enquiry numbers)

Type of products we need to purchase IN the next 6 months ❑ Processing Equipment & Solutions ❑ Packaging Tools & Machinery ❑ Ingredients & Additives ❑ Software & Applications

Reader Information ✔ Tick one box only ❑

MAIN COMPANY'S ACTIVITY

❑ 84 Food/Beverage Manufacturer ❑ 81 Ingredients & Additives Supply ❑ 72 Manufacturer/Distributor of Process- ❑ 85 Storage Handling & Distribution ing Machinery and Equipment ❑ 80 Raw Material Supply ❑ 30 Manufacturer/Distributor of ❑ 88 Distributors and Retailers of

Packaging Machinery and Materials

Food Products

❑ 86 Design/Consultancy Services ❑ 75 Research institutions, Trade Associations, Government Bodies, Statutory Boards, etc ❑ 77 Embassies and Trade Commissions ❑ 78 OTHERS (please specify) ________________________________________________

✔ Tick one box only ❑ MAIN INDUSTRY SECTOR

❑ 5 Confectionery, Snacks & Tibits ❑ 4 Fish, Crustaceans Molluscs, Seafood, and Preparations Thereof ❑ 11 Beverages - Non Alcoholic and Alcoholic ❑ 3 Vegetables & Fruits ❑ 6 Edible Oils and Fats

❑ 10 Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Spices and Manufactures Thereof ❑ 1 Dairy & Milk Products ❑ 2 Meat & Meat Preparations ❑ 7 Additives/Flavours/Seasoning ❑ 8 Condiments & Sauces, Sugar, Sugar Preparations & Honey

❑ 13 Cereals & Cereal Preparation ❑ 14 Multiple Edible Products

& Preparations

❑ 9 Flour/Vermicelli ❑ 12 Lubricants & Chemicals ❑ 15 OTHERS (please specify) ________________________________________________

✔ Tick one box only ❑ MY JOB FUNCTION IS

❑ 34 Senior Management ❑ 32 Purchasing/Procurement/Sourcing ❑ 28 Packaging Engineering ❑ 35 General Management ❑ 36 Maintenance Engineering ❑ 29 Process Engineering ❑ 22 Production Engineering ❑ 36 Academic ❑ 6 Consultancy/R&D ❑ 31 QA/AC ❑ 14 Marketintg/Sales ❑ 27 OTHERS (please specify) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT OUR COMPANY/FACTORY IS 1 ❑ 1-9

2 ❑ 10-49

3 ❑ 50-99

4 ❑ 100-299

5 ❑ 300-499

6 ❑ 500 or more

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January/February ’12

Enquiry Number

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