HOCHDORF iNSIDE Issue 03 Summer/Autumn 2015

Issue 3 | Summer / Autumn 2015

hochdorf.com

Dairy Ingredients

Baby Care

Cereals & Ingredients

Nutrition

Milk proteins

Infant and young children’s formula

Marbacher Ölmühle

proteinS

Producing oil the Milk – a complex Iron deficiency in traditional way, product, with a range young children of possibilities affects industrialised from crop cultivation to oil nations too Page 2 to 3

Page 4 to 5

Fundamental building blocks of human life

Page 6 to 7

Page 8

Exclusively at HOCHDORF online

HUNGRY FOR TRAVEL

Felice Fauxpas in Peru Page 8

Vegetable oils keep the heart and body healthy

Visit us at FiE Paris: Stand No 6F46 / HALL 6 1 – 3 December 2015

keeping our eye on the ball Knowledge that goes far beyond product processing.

K

nowledge is a short-lived commodity.

And its half-life is becoming ever shorter.

As a company, we need to regularly review current knowledge and relate it to the latest discoveries.

With this in mind, we always keep an eye on the most recent research results and market developments.

This involves relating knowledge acquired about products, production and markets over decades to the most recent discoveries and grasping the opportunities that present themselves. It also means removing blinkers and adopting new strategies in specific situations: the relevant developments might not always occur in our own industry.

Varied know-how As a production company with proven market success, we know our raw materials and production processes very well. We are keenly aware of the technologies and the total value chain. As a dynamic

material suppliers are every bit as important. This applies to organic-quality seeds in particular.

In this edition we are starting a series of articles looking at milk as a raw material in our Dairy Ingredients section. New technologies and processes enable us to extract the many healthy elements of milk and use them individually in the food processing industry.

Our Baby Care article focuses on the importance of iron in the development of infants, young children and adolescents. company, and despite the vast expertise already at our disposal, we need to stay abreast of developments in all the areas that are relevant to us – and play an active role in promoting them. Standing still is not an option: we need to investigate every opportunity and capitalise on any that are expedient.

One such opportunity was the HOCHDORF purchase of Marbacher Ölmühle GmbH at the end of last year.

The know-how in this company is not restricted to the production process alone: contacts with the raw

HOCHDORF Group Newsletter

I hope you find it an enjoyable read. n

Dr. Thomas Eisenring CEO HOCHDORF Group thomas.eisenring@hochdorf.com

Dairy Ingredients

Milk proteins Milk – a complex product, with a range of possibilities

M

ilk is 87 percent water. But it is the other 13 percent of ingredients that interests food developers: milk sugar (lactose), milk fat, milk protein and minerals. Each of these ingredients includes several components in turn, producing a range of different “capabilities”. As new foods or production processes are developed, the technical properties of individual milk components can be used to fulfil specific requirements.

Let’s scratch the surface first before we look in more detail. As a milk processor focussing on “powder production” as our core area of expertise, we are more interested in the lactose, milk fat, milk protein and mineral components of milk than the 87 percent water (see diagram of milk and its components). Every ingredient has specific properties of interest to the food processing industry. These properties vary depending on how the components are extracted and (subsequently) dried. This results in almost innumerable ways to use the raw material of milk – even before we consider any further separation of the four component ingredients.

Step one: standardising the unpasteurised milk Complex technical procedures are required to separate the milk components. The oldest and best-known technique is separating the milk fat, which involves dividing the milk into milk fat (cream) and skimmed milk. This step is still carried out by all milk processors today to standardise the specific fat content of unpasteurised milk. After concentration, this standardised milk can be dried and sold as milk powder. For whole milk powder, milk fat is added back to the skimmed milk to the

The components of milk Milk – nature's very own pick-me-up – is an exceptionally healthy food. Yet, most consumers have no idea what milk contains. This series of articles about milk constituents in HOCHDORF Inside takes a closer look at what is in our milk.

desired fat value. This standardised whole milk is then concentrated and dried. For the chocolate industry, whole milk concentrate is then roller dried (see the article “HOCHDORF – making chocolate history” on our website for more information on this process).

Step two: filtering the protein components The next step in the milk cracking process that splits milk into its components is the fractionation of the proteins. Milk contains two main protein groups: ­caseins and whey proteins. The caseins make up around 80 per cent (approx. 27 grams) of the average 34 grams of protein in every kilogram of milk. Caseins are retained in milk for cheese production. The second protein group is contained in the whey and known as whey proteins.

Issue 3 | Summer / Autumn 2015

Whey and buttermilk proteins are often used in ice cream production, with whey proteins recognised for their emulsifying and hydrophilic properties. Buttermilk proteins can be used as an alternative to egg yolk.

The HOCHDORF Group uses membrane technology (ultrafiltration, microfiltration) for protein fractionation.

This technology retains the milk proteins (retentate) using membranes while the lactose and minerals pass through the filter (permeate). By varying the raw materials and types of membranes, we produce

ing on the customer requirements and application, we can use further processing steps (such as heating) to optimise specific features. In addition, the trend is towards a further separation of the two main types of milk protein.

Complex technical procedures are required to separate the milk components.

a wide portfolio of specialist protein concentrates: milk protein concentrate with 85% protein (MPC85), concentrate with an increased proportion of casein (micellar casein), whey protein concentrates (WPC60, WPC80) and buttermilk protein concentrate (BM60).

The protein concentrates are mostly sold in powder form; liquid protein concentrate needs to be cooled.

However, splitting milk protein into casein and whey protein is by no means the end of the story. Depend-

Technical properties Why invest so much effort in milk cracking? The answer is simple: depending on the fractionation and processing, milk proteins have interesting technical properties (see Figure “Technical properties of milk proteins). In terms of food law, they are classed as ingredients rather than additives, so milk proteins do not appear as E-numbers on product declarations.

Ready availability also makes them popular in the food industry.

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Milk proteins

The drivers – and future – of milk cracking

Milk proteins in the food industry The diverse technical properties of milk proteins mean they can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Cheese dairies enrich their milk with milk proteins or micellar casein, for example, to increase the cheese yield. Whey proteins have an extremely high nutritional value; the amino acid composition is perfect, so they are an important ingredient in infant formula.

The emulsifying and hydrophilic properties of whey proteins make them highly suited to the production of convenience foods, ice cream or drinks. Whey pro-

concentrated in the buttermilk protein concentrate, giving the product extremely good emulsifying properties. Buttermilk protein can be used as an alternative to egg yolk in products such as ice cream.

Intensive collaboration with customers The market – and more specifically customer wishes – determine the product requirements and the further development of milk fractionation today. In the beginning, however, it was the other way round: technicians

Milk proteins have interesting technical properties that vary according to their fractionation and processing.

The most important and first step was the use of the newly developed ultrafiltration system for whey in the 1970s. Once established, this technology continued to be developed further. The drivers included the discovery of the potential of whey protein in food products, the desire to create infant formula as close to breast milk as possible and aspects related to customs issues. The improved sales potential for the by-product (permeate) also had an impact.

Today, processes are being developed for further, even smaller fractionation of proteins. The requirements for producing even better infant formula are an important catalyst in this regard. In practice, this means that whey protein concentrates are being enriched with additional alpha-lactalbumin.

At the same time, the features of beta-lactoglobulin need to be retained – no small feat in itself. The manufacturing process for micellar casein is also being developed further.

Technical properties of milk proteins

tein concentrates with no fat are used in fine sorbets, cakes and cookies, recognised for their foam-forming properties. Buttermilk, a by-product of butter production, also contains a high proportion of phospholipids (fat) in addition to protein. Proteins and fats are both

were interested in how milk could be split into individual components. In terms of protein fractionation, the impact of advances in technology in the early stages should not be underestimated. It suddenly became possible to concentrate whey proteins – but there was no market for them. So this (application) research was also driven forward at the beginning. Advising customers on technical aspects is still important for protein sales today. Our developers work with customers intensively on each individual project to pinpoint the right protein concentrate for the desired formulation.

We will be happy to help you with any questions.

Water repellency and water binding

Dissolving properties

Fat binding

Coming up In the next HOCHDORF Inside, we take a closer look at how lactose and whey proteins are processed for infant formula. n

Gelling and viscoelasticity properties

Technical properties of milk proteins

Boundary surface properties

Foam-forming properties and foam stability

Dr. Marc Vissers Head of Development and Applications Dairy Ingredients HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd marc.vissers@hochdorf.com

Emulsification properties

Milk and its components 6% minerals (0.6% in milk) 24% milk protein (3.4% in milk)

87% water

26% milk fat (4% in milk)

Casein 80% (2.7% in milk)

44% lactose (5% in milk) 13% dry milk solids

Whey protein 20% (0.6% in milk)

Marc Vissers at the HOCHDORF nanofiltration unit in the Sulgen plant.

HOCHDORF Group Newsletter

2 | 3

Baby Care

Iron deficiency in young children A global issue

T

he issue of iron deficiency in children ­a ffects industrialised nations too. It is often due to a lack of variety in the diet, which undermines the healthy development of our young children. Children who drink ironfortified infant and young children’s formula with iron supplements from six months of age are less affected than those with high cow milk consumption.

Tired, poor concentration and no interest in playing?

Every child has days like this and they quickly pass.

However, we need to be careful if the occasional day turns into several weeks or months: chronic fatigue, concentration difficulties and sleep disorders are frequently linked to iron deficiency in children. Irrespective of whether we are young or old, our bodies need energy. It is supplied by the blood: if we have too little blood, our body receives too little oxygen. Our physical and mental performance is impaired. We feel listless and our concentration is poor. And we need iron to form blood.

Iron is essential for children For healthy development in the growth phase, a child needs as much as 50 per cent more iron than a grown man.(1) And yet between 5 and 20 per cent of all children under the age of five in industrialised countries have iron deficiencies. In the emerging nations as many as 50 per cent of children are affected while the figure can be as high as 70 per cent (2, 3) in the developing world. In industrialised countries, iron deficiency is mainly due to changed eating habits that often lack variety. Our body cannot generate iron or store it for long periods so there has to be a regular intake of iron in the form of food. A balanced and varied diet is therefore essential to meet our iron needs.

Meat and cereal products are

Iron deficiency in brief Our body needs iron to form red blood cells.

The red blood cells, or haemoglobin, act like the wagons of a goods train to transport oxygen to the organs via the blood stream.

If there is an iron deficiency, the body does not create enough blood cells; the goods train is shortened and delivers less oxygen to the organs. Our body then lacks an important source of energy.

Iron is essential to the human body. By essential we mean that our body is incapable of producing iron by itself so it has to come through food.

The human body can store around four grams of iron: in the liver, in the spleen and in the bone marrow. If the supply is exhausted, we speak of iron deficiency, otherwise known as iron deficiency anaemia.

Issue 3 | Summer / Autumn 2015

The best form of prevention against iron deficiency is a varied diet that includes iron-rich foods.

excellent sources of iron, for example. But rather than taking in healthy iron, our young children frequently consume too much fat and sugar in the form of fast food, snacks and soft drinks. If a child gains too little iron in the development and growth phase it can lead to health problems, such as memory and attention

However, this supply is depleted after 4 to 6 months unless it is supplemented by weaning foods. Between the age of 6 to 36 months, the child’s body is in its first critical phase with regard to levels of iron. The iron content in breast milk falls by half in the first 6 months

Between the age of 6 to 36 months, the child’s body is in its first critical phase with regard to levels of iron. The iron content in breast milk falls by half in the first 6 months after birth. ­ eficiency as well as depression.(4) And the body d suffers too. Growth may be impaired. Targeted iron therapy (5) can partially offset the physical and mental deficits. It is therefore important that iron deficiency is identified and treated at an early stage. Avoiding the deficiency in the first place would be even better.

Growing children need lots of iron Most children are well supplied with iron in the womb and are born with sufficient levels in their systems.

after birth. However, depending on growth levels, the amount of blood in a child’s body increases significantly from 6 months of age. The child now needs a lot of iron to form haemoglobin.(6) At this point it is essential to include an iron-rich supplement in a child’s diet.

Breastfeeding is no longer enough on its own and there is little gain in attempting to compensate for the lack of iron in breast milk by turning to cow’s milk and milk products. Normal cow’s milk contains very little iron. If we take a small child who needs 7 milligrams

4

Infant and young children’s formula

Possible long-term harm to children with iron deficiency (10, 11)

of iron per day then it would need to consume 14 litres of cow’s milk in order to reach the recommended daily amount of iron.(7) The child can easily meet its daily requirements by drinking infant or young children’s formula that has been enriched with iron (between 7 and 12 milligrams per litre, for instance).

Infant and young children’s formula can combat iron deficiency In general, children do not need iron-rich young children’s formula if they are nourished in line with the country-specific guidelines provided by health authorities. Meat, egg yolk and fish are all good sources of iron, as are pulses and whole grain products (see table), although iron from animal sources (heme iron) is far more readily absorbed by the body than plant (non-heme) iron.

Unfortunately, there remains a huge difference between theory and practice. As adults, we often lack the time or the opportunity to prepare fresh meals for our children several times a day. Far too often we give our children snacks of white bread and highsugar biscuits and chocolate bars, instead of offering them fruit and a sandwich on wholemeal bread with vegetables, cheese or meat fillings. They might have a glass of healthy milk but we know cow’s milk only contains a little iron. For lunch or for the evening meal it might be frozen pizza, a plate of instant noodles or a ready-made meal cooked in the microwave. Readymade meals are practical but they are not very rich

Sources: 1) Swissironsystem.ch, eisenzentrum.org 2) Data.Worldbank, Prevalence of anemia among children under 5 3) WHO Global Database on Anaemia 4) Nutrition Reviews® Vol 69 (Suppl). S43 – S48 5) Lozoff B et al: Behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron deficiency anemia in healthy full-term infants. Pediatrics: 2003;112:846-854 6) Recommendations by the German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ) 7) Nutrition Reviews® Vol 69 (Suppl). S37 – S42 8) Smith NJ, Hunter RE. Iron requirements during growth. In: Hallberg L et al. Iron Deficiency. New York: Academic Press; 1970:199-211

– Long-term damage to neural connections – Impairment to cerebral functions – Delayed growth and arrested development – Reduced mental performance – Poor concentration – Social and emotional problems – Depressive moods and anxiety – Poor verbal expression

in vitamins. If we do use them, it makes sense to give our children an iron-rich infant or young children’s formula. Most studies show that children who drink infant and young children’s formula have higher levels of iron than those who only drink cow’s milk.(8, 9) Yet there can be pitfalls even when a child’s diet is basically healthy. Cow’s milk and some vegetablebased foods contain substances known as inhibitors that decrease the absorption of iron. These mainly include magnesium, calcium, polyphenols and phosphates. If a child eats ham or an egg, for example, this has little effect in raising iron levels if the child drinks cow’s milk or soya milk with the food. It would be better for the child to drink a glass of young children’s formula or fruit juice, as vitamin C helps to release iron from the food.

Recommended daily iron intake(11) Men (mg/Day)

Age

Women (mg/Day)

0.27

0–6 month

0.27

11

7–12 month

11

7

1–3 years

7

10

4–8 years

10

8

9–13 years

8

11

14–18 years

15

8

19–30 years

18

8

31–50 years

18

8

51–70 years

8

8

over 70 years

8

Pregnant women

27

Breast-feeding mothers

9–10

There are many ways to increase the iron content in a meal. Instead of using cow’s milk, you can add infant or children’s formula to children’s porridge or pureed vegetables for instance. It often helps to reduce our intake of milk products or other iron-inhibiting foods or to pep up ready-made meals with fresh ingredients.

We owe it to our little ones. n

Janny Vedder Nutrition Marketing Manager Baby Care HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd janny.vedder@hochdorf.com

9) Woodruff CW et al. The role of fresh cow’s milk in iron deficiency.

Am J Dis Child. 1972;124:26-30 10) Brunner S et al. Zentrum für Labormedizin, Kantonsspital Aarau, Schweiz (Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Cantonal Hospital Aarau, Switzerland), Eisenmangel, Gehirnentwicklung und kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit, ARS Medici Dossier 2013 11) Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium and zinc. Washington D.C. National Academy Press, 2001. www.nap.edu/book

Top 16 foods in terms of iron content per 100 g (Amounts in mg Fe/100g gross weight)

HOCHDORF Group Newsletter

20.0

18.0

16.0

14.5

14.0

12.5

2.4

4 | 5

Source: ETH Z. SwissFIR. Vol 2012. Zurich: ETH

Cocoa powder

29.4

Wholemeal bread (Valais rye bread)

Nuts and kernels (almonds)

(flour, full-fat) Soya

2.0

Whole-grain cereals

2.3

Brewer’s yeast, dried

2.3

Fresh thyme

Fish (brown trout)

3.0

Spices (paprika)

Veal escalope

5.5

Beef fillet

Calf’s kidney

11.5

Venison (entrecôte)

Pig’s liver

18.0

Egg yolk

Blood sausage

29.4

(wheat bran)

Plant (bioavailability of approx. 8%)

(tablets)

Animal (bioavailability of approx. 25%)

Cereals & Ingredients

Producing oil the traditional way A comprehensive approach, from crop cultivation to oil

O

il production has its own set of parame­ ters. The journey from the field to the ­bottle is a long and complex one. Marbacher Ölmühle has a different approach. The mill on the river Neckar has produced vege­ table oil since 1899 and is steeped in tradition.

It focuses on maintaining a short, d ­ irect valuecreation chain. The Marbach pro­du­cers keep their eye on the ball from the ­moment the seeds are first planted to the day the vege­t able oil is a finished, tangible product.

It’s the end of August. Marbacher Ölmühle has been a part of the HOCHDORF Group since the beginning of 2015 and its production rooms are hives of activity at this time of year. The hot summer of 2015 is drawing to a close and autumn is in the air. Autumn signals the start of harvesting for many types of oil seeds and the presses are now running at full speed. Sesame seeds are currently being processed into a cold-pressed, virgin organic cooking oil. “This year’s record summer with so many hours of sunshine was a little too hot and dry for some important oil plants. There has been a noticeable shortage of organic rapeseed, for instance, with prices for this year’s harvest rocketing,” says Ulrich Britze, managing director at Marbacher Ölmühle. But Britze is not fazed by the tense situation: “Our customers can rest assured that we have protected our seed supply despite difficult times ahead – partly as a result of long-term cultivation projects. The cultivation projects are a win-win situation for our cus­tomers, growers and Marbacher Ölmühle alike,” says the busy entrepreneur, whose experience extends far beyond the oil production industry. He believes the projects guarantee some planning security for all parties, as well as fair prices, with the company covering many aspects of the value-­ creation chain itself. This makes it possible to exclude specu­ lators in the process.

Marbacher Ölmühle in brief The oil mill was founded by Carl Geiger in 1899 and is located in idyllic Marbach on the river Neckar. The company is steeped in tradition and has produced and refined vegetable oils, largely to organic ­quality standards, for over 100 years. The company has been a part of the HOCHDORF Group since the start of 2015.

Marbacher Ölmühle sets great store by its gentle ­­ processing and the origin and quality of its raw ­materials, which can all be precisely traced. It is little surprise that three of the oils that are produced and refined in Marbach have won awards for their outstanding quality. The rapeseed, sesame and VIOGERM® wheat germ oils have all been recognised for their excellence.

In 2014 the Marbacher Ölmühle moved to its custombuilt production and storage facility, which has several pressing systems at its disposal. The company has a staff of 15.

Issue 3 | Summer / Autumn 2015

One of the three pressing systems at Marbacher Ölmühle: twenty screw presses for authentic cold-pressing of valuable seeds, such as the sesame oil that won the Taste Award.

Short production channels The production channels at Marbacher Ölmühle are short and direct. The company’s approach has a long history and has been tried and tested over a number of generations. The mill on the river Neckar has been producing vegetable oils since 1899; it can draw on a rich tradition and over 100 years of experience, handed down from generation to generation. This goes far beyond the art of pressing and even includes both

this year and used unreliable fertilisers or controversial herbicides such as glyphosate. Their organic status was withdrawn and the market now finds itself in a difficult situation, not just because of the dry summer.

“We at Marbacher Ölmühle support our growers from first sowing to harvesting in order to minimise the risk of a failed crop,” explains Britze proudly. “We know the effort that goes into our seeds.”

We support our growers from first sowing to harvest.

We know the effort that goes into our seeds.

upstream and downstream production steps. There is a close relationship with the growers and regular visits to farms; cultivation projects are selected on the basis of specific quality factors. This is particularly important for the Marbacher Ölmühle core business, the production of organic cooking oils. If a grower fails to adhere to the strict requirements of the organic label, for instance, the whole seed loses its intended value and has to be processed into conventional oil.

This reduces the quantity available to produce organic oils and products, such as organic chips or natural cosmetics. Organic rapeseed has suffered exactly this fate. Some producers failed to comply with the rules

While negotiations are taking place with growers and customers in the offices, a new oil seed is arriving in the storehouse. Next up on the production schedule is apricot kernel oil, which is very popular in skin care.

“Apricot kernel oil is an important ingredient in cosmetic products,” explains Britze, “whereas sunflower oil is typically used in the food industry.”

Pressing systems for large and small quantities The Marbacher Ölmühle has various pressing systems.

The enthusiastic managing director points to the large Krupp screw press: “That’s what you might call our work horse. We use it to produce large quantities of

6

Marbacher Ölmühle

All about oil

sunflower oil.” It takes a lot of expertise to operate this heavy press. The energy transfer to the cylinder has to be perfectly attuned to the particular oil seed, or there is a risk that the seeds will overheat and the goodness will be lost. Depending on the customer’s requirements and application, the oils produced by Marbacher Ölmühle on the large Krupp machine are dispatched for further processing and possibly refined, winterised, bleached or deodorised.

Rich oils for diverse application areas Oil is not just oil. In Marbach we only produce healthy, cold-pressed vegetable oils. These rich oils not only enhance cold and warm dishes, but also have an important role to play in our health. As a consequence, they have a variety of applications in the food, cosmetics or pharmaceutical industries. “We often make special products that have specific applications,

Oil is not just oil. In Marbach we only produce healthy, cold-pressed vegetable oils.

In addition to the large Krupp machine, the long-estab­ lished company uses other pressing systems. The expansive production hall is home to around twenty smaller screw presses for authentic cold pressing.

These might be described as the elegant race horses of the company. They produce high-quality oils such as the sesame oil commended with 2 stars by the “International Taste Award”. There are two special screw presses in another, slightly detached production room. These are equipped with variable strainers or sieves and ideally suited to new developments or specific customer requirements. An employee is just changing the oil filter layers; the next small production is due to commence. These special presses were recently used to produce peanut oils with different degrees of roasting and various qualities of chia oils.

such as in technology,” says the friendly vegetable oil producer, pointing out that no two oils are the same.

“That is why we take a lot of time to advise the customer. Each vegetable oil has its own unique characteristics with regard to specific application areas.”

The production halls at Marbacher Ölmühle are still as busy as ever. Yet another seed delivery is arriving.

What are they pressing next? It will be linseed oil. n

Oil seeds The oil seed is the seed or fruit of plants used to produce vegetable oils and fats, such as rapeseed, sunflowers, linseeds and walnuts.

Screw presses Screw pressing is a highly traditional procedure. ­Similar to a meat mincer, the material being pressed is pushed through a cylinder using a screw and squeezed out. The press works very gently and is ideally suited to complex seeds such as those from the sesame plant.

Cold pressing Cold pressed means that there is no external heating and the pressing procedure is purely mechanical. The cold-pressed oil can be further processed (refined, deodorised), but this is not essential. The gentle extraction means that the oil retains its unique taste, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and other desirable, secondary plant substances.

Virgin oils A virgin cooking oil is extracted exclusively using a mechanical procedure. Virgin oils cannot be subjected to external heat either before or during treatment. No further processing may take place after pressing. The resulting oil is high quality and wholly natural. The extracted oil retains the quintessential quality of the seed: its natural flavour and valuable ingredients.

Monique Inderbitzin Assistant Corporate Communication HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd monique.inderbitzin@hochdorf.com

Refined oils Refining removes supplementary material from raw vegetable oils (such as bitter substances and colou­ring). These oils are extracted, bleached, deodorised and deacidified after pressing. Critical materials such as pesticides are removed, leaving an oil with a neutral odour and taste.

Bleached oils Bleaching removes most of the colour as well as any remaining mucilage, soaps, trace metals and oxidation products. The oil is mixed with natural clay so that the now bonded, quality-reducing particles can be filtered.

Deodorised oils Deodorising uses steam to remove unwanted odour and flavouring, as well as pesticides, from the oil.

Winterised oils Winterising cools down the oils to filter out the crystallised wax. Winterising stops the oil flocculating at room temperature. The oil stays clear and does not turn cloudy in the fridge.

Press cake The solids that remain after a material has been pressed to extract the oil form the press cake, also known as pomace. The high protein content ­makes it suitable for further processing into valuable ­animal feed and it can be used in our own foods, depending on the raw materials used.

When selecting seeds, Marbacher Ölmühle places great value on close cooperation with the producers and supports them from first sowing to harvest.

HOCHDORF Group Newsletter

6 | 7

hungry for travel

proteinS Sushi rocks all over the world

T

his June I was on business in Lima, the capital of Peru. The drive from the airport to the hotel was an experience in itself.

There are swarms of taxis in Lima so it was chaos at the airport. Half the residents of Lima seemed to want to take me to my hotel – and Lima has a population of 7 million! I felt like a rock star. And my taxi driver was buzzing too as he set off with me in the back.

He skilfully navigated his way around cars, potholes and pedestrians even though the road kept narrowing from six to three lanes every few seconds – and then widening again to six. I held on to my seat with both hands, sweating blood, as my driver performed a carefree slalom with just one hand on the wheel. His other hand honked the horn nonstop.

After such a hectic start, I was looking forward to a relaxed Sunday afternoon with my two business colleagues. We arranged to meet for drinks at a pleasant beach bar. My two friends recommended a Pisco Sour cocktail, Peru’s national drink. It consists of grape brandy, lime juice, sugar and egg white. I have to admit that the cocktail hit me like a train. I felt a little light-headed after just one. “You’d better not have another,” advised my laughing colleagues and pointed up to one of the many restaurants carved into the steep cliffs of Lima’s coast like eagles’ nests. “Today is national ceviche day, so the meal is on us. But first we have to climb 400 steps.” I was astonished, to put it mildly. The two women were sporting elegant high

Fundamental building blocks of life

heels, as do most of the women in Lima. And I’m not talking about any old high heels! In Lima, they have to be at least 12 centimetres high to earn the name.

I reached the top last, despite my flat shoes. High heels seem to be the Peruvian equivalent of Swiss climbing boots! “So who was this Ceviche?” I asked once I’d got my breath back. They fell about laughing.

They told me that ceviche was their national dish, the Peruvian version of sushi. It consists of wafer-thin cuts of raw fish, which is marinated in lime juice, raw onion, coriander, chilli and salt. You can buy it on every street corner in Peru and there are countless different takes on the dish. Unlike sushi, the lime juice denaturates the fish, so it is cooked in the acid. I was astonished once again. I had always thought of raw fish as Japan’s national dish.

My ceviche tasted like heaven and was garnished with fresh coriander and cherry tomatoes − my favourites. I immediately tucked in. My colleagues were awestruck.

But it was too late. The cherry tomato set my mouth on fire! “That’s Peruvian rocoto chilli, otherwise known as the gringo killer,” said my apologetic hosts. “Unlike the usual chillies, they are round instead of long!” So I was glad to be able to quell the fire on my tongue with another couple of Pisco Sour cocktails. Never mind the 400-step descent! n Yours,

Proteins are one of the three main nutrients that our body needs, along with carbohydrates and fats. They are fundamental building blocks of human life.

We make a distinction between globular and fibrillar proteins. The former are mostly spherical and fulfil a wide variety of functions whereas the fibrillar proteins give structure to cells and the body. Hair and nails, as well as connective tissue and muscles, are all formed from fibrillar proteins.

The globular proteins are found in the blood and are components of our enzymes and hormones.

As well as controlling biochemical reactions and the most varied metabolic processes, they convey important substances to our organs.

Proteins are formed from amino acids. The human body requires twenty different amino acids, of which eight are “essential” to us in that we need to consume them through foods.

High-value sources of protein Not every food supplies proteins with a high biological value. The biological value is a measure of the efficiency with which our organism can convert a protein into its own system. Whole egg provides a reference value of 100 per cent. Highvalue proteins include low fat milk and lean meat.

Alternatives to animal protein include potatoes, pulses and wheat germ. These are among the most valuable sources of vegetable protein.

For this reason, HOCHDORF has launched a product with particularly large protein content: VIOGERM® High Protein Crisps. Depending on the variety, they are each enriched with wheat or rice proteins, providing our products with a protein content of up to 70 per cent. VIOGERM® High Protein Crisps are ideally suited for the production of protein-rich foods and increase the value of these products.

A study conducted by Mintel in 2015 showed the increasing importance of protein-rich foods.

Around 10,000 new products claiming to be “high protein” entered the global market between 2010 and 2015: good news for our bodies. n

Michel Burla Managing Director Cereals & Ingredients HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition Ltd michel.burla@hochdorf.com

Imprint Issue no. 3 – October 2015 Volume 2 Circulation: 1100 (German) 300 (English)

Editorial Michel Burla, Dr. Thomas Eisenring, Dr. Christoph Hug, Monique Inderbitzin, Janny Vedder, Dr. Marc Vissers COPY-EDITING LAYOUT/PRINTING SWS Medien AG Print, Sursee

PHOTOGRAPHS HOCHDORF Group, stock images DESIGN/CONCEPT W4 Marketing AG, Zurich Illustrations: Marian Schönfeld

Chief Editor Dr. Christoph Hug, Head of Corporate Communications Siedereistrasse 9, Postfach 691 6281 Hochdorf Switzerland Tel. +41 41 914 65 62 Fax +41 41 914 66 66 christoph.hug@hochdorf.com

©HOCHDORF Holding Ltd Any extracts or copies are only permitted with the agreement of the Chief Editor.

Hochdorf Holding Ltd Siedereistrasse 9 Postfach 691 6281 Hochdorf Switzerland Tel. +41 41 914 65 65 Fax +41 41 914 66 66