News
APR 16
Milling
GRAPAS Award 2016: Industry innovators receive recognition
T
his year’s presentation of the prestigious GRAPAS Award for Innovation in the cereal milling industry took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The judging panel were set the unenviable task of choosing this year’s GRAPAS Award winner from an interesting selection of products and processes. The panel based their assessments on the criteria identified in the entry categories for equipment used in relation to the storage, handling and milling of cereal grains this year focusing on novelty, practical value and benefits to the user in terms of efficiency, safety and cost effectiveness.
And the winner is…
After careful consideration, the judgeing panel decided that this year’s GRAPAS award winner was Denmark-based company i-Grain Aps for their iGrain and crop-protector. Crop-Protector by i-Grain Aps specialises in developing and manufacturing technology for the post-harvest sector. The award winning entry from the Danes proposed the use of a process called ‘ozonation’ - applying ozone (O3) - for the “control of insect infestation and unwanted biological activity in stored cereals and other grains.”
The runner up
This year’s winner of the Runner-up GRAPAS Award was Agentis Innovations for their M007 Real-Time In-Line Feed Reformulation. Agentis Innovations are a Cypriot company who specialise in “process optimisation.” By working alongside industrial and commercial businesses, they help to reduce operating costs, improve operating processes and capture the data necessary for “today’s advanced reporting requirements and real time information.” Watch out for our May edition of Milling and Grain for our full report on all of the events that unfolded in Bangkok. 6 | April 2016 - Milling and Grain
Oh, to be in England, now that spring is here. The cherry blossoms are like thick clouds on the trees, their subtle scent carried on the evening breeze. In the morning, on my way to the office, I hear the chirruping of sparrows nesting in the bushes. After work, instead of a gloomy walk home in the rainy night, I can enjoy a drink and soak up the sun outside the local café. Why can’t it be like this all year round? This month we bring you a refreshingly eclectic roundup of news and features: They say April used to be considered only the second month of the year - and the start of a year always brings changes. In this edition’s News section you can read about two institutions - the Institute of Food Technologists and the J M Smucker Company - who have had something of a changing of the guard. In his regular column, Canadian Food futurist Christophe Pelletier argues that there are some very real benefits to customer complaints - when dealt with wisely - while Pig Personality 2015 Chris Jackson discusses the rather surprising rise in pig farming in India. The 2016 Alltech Young Scientist finalists have been announced; you can see the details and learn about the final stage of the competition on page 16. As all our readers will know, millers are by and large a fun and generous lot. The Milling and Grain editorial team recently attended a highly enjoyable soirée hosted by the London and South East Milling Society. There they learned how G R Wright and Sons – a passionate and innovative family company only recently featured in this magazine – have joined forces once again on a charitable project with the ladies of the local tennis club. You can read all about it on pages 38 and 39. The Vitamin D Council gives some important and somewhat unexpected advice regarding food fortification on page 56, while on page 60 Neil Auchterline writes in favour of returning to the use of fishmeal in agri-feeds. Dust is a very real threat in mills and bakeries, both in terms of its explosive properties and also its potential to cause asthma. On pages 64 to 66 you can read about a variety of practical techniques to reduce dust levels in your plant, followed by a piece on an award-nominated new line of low-dust flours. Want to improve the quality of your frozen dough? Caroline van Benschop will tell you all about DSM’s latest contribution in this area on page 68. Also in this issue: the complexities of monitoring bin levels, ADM’s Brazilian port expansion, reviews of GEAPS and Ildex, an interview with Jaarbeurs’ Ton Otten, and much more. Finally, anyone looking for a job in the industry, don’t forget to check out our new ‘Career hub’ on page 109!
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