Food & Beverage Industry News - Oct 2017

OCT/NOV 2017

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OCT/NOV 2017

Enticing hues Food colouring goes natural

PLUS: Horticultural export push | Water management | Blockchain & the supply chain

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Red lollies, water management & blockchain technology

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he red lollies are the best. The yellow, pink and orange ones are fine. But the green ones are the worst and must always be left to last.

This timeless piece of childhood wisdom is proof positive that the sense of sight (and therefore colour) play important roles in what we eat.

As featured on the cover, in this issue we look at food colouring – that ingredient category that ensures processed food is not all grey, white or beige.

In particular, we examine the move away from artificial to natural food colouring. We hear from Chr. Hansen and BASF Australia about what products they offer and how food and beverage makers should approach the task of changing from artificial colouring to natural colouring.

Hort Innovation has embarked upon the biggest ever trade push in Australian horticulture’s history with a plan to significantly grow exports by 2025. We report on this ambitious program which includes investment of more than $10.5m in trade-related research and development activities over the next year.

Also in this issue we focus on water security, one of the major environmental

challenges facing the food and agricultural industries.

Agriculture is by far the biggest user of water in Australia. As such, if our food makers are to take full advantage of the rising demand for our “clean, green” products in Asia, we will have to manage water wisely.

We profile Xylem Water Solutions, a company dedicated to water management solutions in all industries including agriculture and manufacturing.

Then we examine blockchain, the technology behind the Bitcoin currency. Because it allows users in a network to share information without it first passing through a server, blockchain has the potential for use in the food supply chain.

As Mark Staples from CSIRO’s Data61 tells us, the technology may prove valuable as a means to fight food fraud and to strengthen food provenance.

On top of that, we have all our usual sections – Market Watch, Trade & Exports, F&B Regulations, New Products and more.

Matthew McDonald, Editor

INSIDE 40

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32

Average Net Distribution Period ending Sept ’15

5,316

Printed by: Manark Printing 28 Dingley Ave Dandenong VIC 3175

6 MARKET WATCH

13 WATER MANAGEMENT

42 FOOD WASTE

8 TRADE & EXPORTS

18 EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

44 NEW PRODUCTS

10 F&B REGULATIONS

36 FOOD COLOURING TRENDS

46 DATA MONITORING

40 SUPPLY CHAIN

Ph: (03) 9794 8337

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 5

MARKET WATCH

Corporate F&B activity remains high D

eal making momentum from the second quarter of the year was carried forward into the third quarter. A total of eight acquisitions were announced in the third quarter, with the pipeline for the remainder of the year looking strong.

Acquisitions announced Date

Target Name

Acquirer

Sector

Deal Value

Light Warrior, the investment fund set up by former Swisse Wellness CEO, Radek Sali, has made an equity investment in Hydralyte as part of a capital raise.

The proceeds from capital raise will be applied to fund Hydralyte’s US expansion.

Bindaree Beef sold 51 per cent of the company to the Hui family and Archstone Investment Co in return for a significant investment in Bindaree Beef. The Hong Kong based Hui family acquired the shareholding in Bindaree Beef after Shangdong Delisi walked away from a deal to acquire 45 per cent of Bindaree Beef in 2016.

The Kin Group, back by Raphael Geminder, acquired the Cobs Popcorn business from founders John and Ravit Walys. Recent investments made by the Kin Group includes Green’s Foods and The Cake Syndicate.

July 17

Sunfresh Salads

Blue Sky Private Equity

6 Jul 17

Australian Vegie Gourmet (merger)

Yumi’s Quality Foods

13 July 17

Barossa Bottling Services

San Miguel Corp

Bottling

Undisclosed

Listings on the ASX

9 Aug 17

Weis Ice Cream

Unilever Australia

Ice cream

Undisclosed

10 Aug 17

Western Meat Packers Group

Russell family

Beef

Undisclosed

23 Aug 17

Hydralyte (equity investment)

Light Warrior

Sports nutrition

Undisclosed

1 Sept 17

Bindaree Beef Group (51 per cent)

Hui family & Archstone Investment

Beef

Undisclosed

There have been no listings of food and beverage businesses on the ASX in the months of July and August 2017.

The number of new listings, especially smaller IPOs of food and beverage business, have reduced significantly in 2017 mainly due to a lack of institutional funds interested in smaller IPOs. Deal activity notably remained high in the third quarter of 2017 and we expect this high level of activity to continue for the remainder of 2017.

5 Sept 17

Cobs Popcorn

Kin Group

Healthy snacking

Undisclosed

Prepared meals

Undisclosed

Packaged foods

Undisclosed

Brisbane based Blue Sky private equity acquired a majority stake in Adelaide based Sunfresh Salads. Sunfresh Salads is a major supplier of ready to eat meals, fresh salads and frozen products to retail and foodservice in South Australia and Victoria.

Unilever Australia announced the acquisition of Toowoomba based Weis ice cream. The Weis ice cream range will complement Unilever’s existing brand portfolio which includes Ben & Jerry’s, Grom, Talenti and Streets.

Ben van der Westhuizen (left) and David Baveystock are directors of Comet Line Consulting, an advisory business that specialises in acquisitions and divestments within the Australian food and beverage industry.

For more information visit www.cometlineconsulting.com.au.

Commodity Outlook WHEAT – Wheat price to increase but remain low, reflecting a fall in high-quality wheat supply.

SHEEP MEAT – Firm export demand and restocker demand to support lamb prices.

COARSE GRAINS – World barley prices to increase but remain low due to abundant supplies.

DAIRY – Milk prices to rise, reflecting firmer global demand and competition for milk supply.

OILSEEDS – World canola prices to remain unchanged due to tight canola supplies and falling soybean prices.

SUGAR – World sugar prices to fall as a result of increased world supply.

BEEF AND VEAL – Saleyard prices to fall due to weaker export returns and increased beef production.

6 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

Source: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (ABARES), Agricultural commodities September quarter, 2017.

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TRADE & EXPORTS

Australian horticulture makes biggest ever export push Hort Innovation has launched the biggest ever trade push in Australian horticulture’s history with an ambitious plan to significantly grow exports by 2025.

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rower-owned research and development and marketing company Hort Innovation has embarked on a $10.5 million-plus investment program which will take place over the next 12 months.

Announced by assistant minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston, a key component of the initiative is the new ‘Taste Australia’ in-market export activity, which will help promote premium Australian produce in current and future markets. The plan will also see more research and development to grow market access, and increased support for current and aspiring exporters.

“We’re an exporting nation. We’re never going to get anywhere selling to ourselves so it’s incredibly important

that we actually start looking for export markets to make sure that the opportunities that horticulture can deliver for Australia are actually able to be delivered,” said Ruston.

Hort Innovation chair Selwyn Snell said the potential for growth is significant given Australia’s solid reputation for producing high-quality produce, wide untapped opportunities, and the industry’s appetite for trade.

“Australia is known for delivering high-end produce that has undergone the most rigorous food safety inspections along all stages of the supply chain,” he said. “We want to build upon that. The first way we are doing this is through Taste Australia, which tells the unique story of Australian horticulture products,” he said.

Developed in consultation with growers, State and Federal Government agencies and other trade stakeholders, Taste Australia had its first outing with more than 200 industry representatives at Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong in early September. That event kicked off a six-month tour of trade show events in Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Snell said that this year the organisation will invest 40 per cent more on trade show efforts than last year and growers and industry representative participation in overseas promotional activities will rise by 30 per cent.

Back home in Australia, Hort Innovation is investing more than $10.5 million in trade-related research and development activities

(Left to right) Toby Smith from Olam Almonds; Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Anne Ruston; Meg Mason from Fresh Produce Group; Selwyn Snell, Chair of Hort Innovation; Brett Jackson from Sevenfields; and Ed Fagan from Mulyan Farms.

8 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

over the next year and is set to boost its investment across areas such as biosecurity, pre-export produce treatments, and supply chain efficiencies.

Ed Fagan from Mulyan Farms, a grower who utilises research and development to support his export activities, was at the launch.

“We’ve been calling for market access for a long time into the Asian and European markets and finally the pieces are coming together,” he said.

According to Fagan, things like free trade agreements and infrastructure investment are good news. “We’re finally getting numerous bits and pieces coming together so it means a company like ours is able to export in a much easier fashion than we have before,” he said.

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F&B REGULATIONS

Lupin added to mandatory allergen labelling list Lupin, a pulse originally used in Australia as animal feed but increasingly used for human consumption, has been added to the list of allergens that food makers must declare on labelling.

The addition of lupin to the list of allergens that food makers must declare on labelling brings the total to 10.

A

ustralia’s various state ministers responsible for food regulation and their New Zealand counterpart have added lupin to the list of allergens that must be declared on food labels.

Food businesses have until 25 May 2018 to comply with this requirement.

Two varieties of lupin are gown in Australia, the Australian Sweet Lupin (ASL) and the Albus lupin.

These pulses are high in protein and fibre and, as the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council notes, they are increasingly being used in salads and stir fries. In addition, flour or lupin bran/fibre is now being used more widely and food additives made from lupin can be found in processed foods, ranging from pasta to yoghurts.

The decision to add lupin to the labelling list was made in response

"Those who are allergic to lupin may experience symptoms like facial swelling, vomiting, and difficulty breathing after consuming it." to advice from Food Standards Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ).

“Australia and New Zealand have among the highest prevalence of allergic disorders in the developed world so it’s critical that food businesses get their allergen labelling right,” said FSANZ CEO Mark Booth.

According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, symptoms of an allergy to lupin can vary greatly between individuals and some people with peanut allergy may cross-react to lupin (with which it is closely related). Possible symptoms include facial swelling, vomiting, difficulty breathing and more.

10 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

The addition of lupin to the list allergens that food makers must declare on labelling brings the total to 10.

These ingredients are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish and shellfish, soy, wheat and now lupin. Regulations stipulate that these ingredients must be declared on the food label whenever they are present as ingredients or as components of food additives or processing aids. As such, food manufacturers need to be aware of all items on the list.

Booth said if the food is not in a package or is not required to have a label (for example, food prepared at and sold from a takeaway shop),

allergen information must either be displayed in connection with the food or provided to the purchaser if requested.

“If you run a food business you are responsible for understanding and meeting mandatory allergen labelling requirements,” he said.

“In addition to protecting public health and safety, awareness can save time and money for food businesses by avoiding food recalls of their products. Many food recalls occur because the food business hasn’t declared an allergen that must be on the label.”

He pointed out that undeclared allergens were responsible for 33 recalls in 2016. “Food businesses can easily avoid the costly and lengthy process of a recall by staying on top of their responsibilities regarding allergen labelling requirements,” he said.

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WATER MANAGEMENT

Using water wisely If Australia is to continue its agricultural tradition and also take advantage of future food opportunities, we can’t afford to waste our natural resources. As Matthew McDonald reports, Xylem Water Solutions can help make sure we don’t.

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Agriculture is Australia's biggest water user.

ccording to the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, Australia produces three times the amount of food we need to sustain our population. Quite a feat for the driest continent on Earth, in large part this can be attributed to how we use that most important natural resource, water.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics state that in 2014-15 agriculture was far and away the biggest consumer of water in Australia. The sector accounted for 10,410 gigalitres or 59.9 per cent of all water consumed. Next on the list was water supply, sewerage and drainage services at 2,163 gigalitres (12.4 per cent).

For the same period, Australian households consumed 1,852 gigalitres (10.7 per cent) of all water, while manufacturing accounted for 595 gigalitres (3.4 per cent) of water consumed.

Things are looking up for Australian food. The rise of the Asian middle class, combined with recentlysigned free trade agreements and our “clean, green” image overseas mean that demand for our food is growing.

However, at the same time, our own population growth and the uncertainties of climate change mean that it won’t be all smooth sailing for farmers and food makers. If we are to fully capitalise on future opportunities, we are going to have to use water wisely.

Xylem Water Solutions Jim Athanas, managing director Oceania Xylem Water Solutions, knows something about wise water usage. “That’s our ultimate purpose and goes to our tag line which is ‘Let’s solve water’,” he told Food & Beverage Industry News.

US-headquartered Xylem was created five and a half years ago as a spinoff of ITT, a manufacturer of highly engineered, critical components and customised

technology solutions for the energy, transportation and industrial markets.

The company is made up of about 30 brands, some of which have been around for 50-plus years, which share a focus on water management solutions across a range of industries.

“The end game of what we do is to build a sustainable world.

Our commitment is that we care more,” said Athanas. “We care more for our people; we care more

"From the farm all the way back to your home, to get that breakfast cereal on the table takes a lot of water." for our customers; we care about doing things sustainably through commercial excellence. We look at being innovative and creative and we also want to enrich our environment by creating sustainable communities.”

Focusing on food and beverages,

he explained that the company provides water management solutions for all stages of the production process.

“From the farm to the fork you need to irrigate plants and livestock to provide food. Whether you’re a

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 13

WATER MANAGEMENT

farmer growing wheat or you’ve got cattle, water is essential,” he said.

“Then all the way through the processing plant, whether you’re using it for heating, cooling, utility needs water, or as a raw material. We transport water to where it’s needed.

We treat it so it’s suitable for use and also monitor and control it to make sure it’s of the right purity, the right quality and the right quantity.”

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Products and applications Some Xylem brands used by the agricultural industry and food manufacturers include Flygt submersible pumps and mixers, Lowara centrifugal pumps, Wedeco UV and ozone disinfection systems, Sanitaire aeration and wastewater treatment products, WTW online water quality monitoring equipment and Jabsco hygienic rotary lobe and flexible impeller pumps.

“We manufacture equipment to treat water to a potable standard, treat wastewater for reuse or to a standard safe enough to return to the

SOME XYLEM BRANDS Flygt - Provides customers with a range of products and solutions for moving water and wastewater. Products offered include dry and submersible pumps and mixers, and advanced monitoring and control equipment for use in agriculture, and wastewater applications (for example in abattoirs).

Lowara - Xylem's Lowara brand is leading in providing solutions for pumping and circulating clean or contaminated water for residential and commercial building services, Public utilities, Agriculture, Aquaculture, Food & Beverage, mining and general Industry Goulds Water Technology - Established in the US in 1848, the brand is a leader of residential, commercial and agricultural products globally. These products are widely used for irrigation systems.

Leopold - Supplying both filtration and clarification systems, Leopold has long been a leader in the water and wastewater treatment industry.

Sanitaire - Xylem's Sanitaire brand provides complete biological wastewater treatment solutions for public utility and industrial applications. The Sanitaire comprehensive offering includes diffused aeration, sequencing batch reactors, oxidation ditches and state-of-the-art controls that drive efficient operations.

WTW - Founded in 1945, the brand develops and manufactures measurement technology for water analysis. By monitoring the quality of outgoing wastewater, food makers can meet regulatory requirements such as water discharge limits.

Jabsco - Offers industrial pumps for hygienic applications, such as those found in the food and beverage sector. Products are particularly suitable for use with thick and sheer sensitive liquids, such as cheeses, mayonnaise, and sauces.

Wedeco - Manufactures reliable, chemical-free, and environmentally friendly water and wastewater treatment technologies, including ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and ozone oxidation systems. The UV systems are typically used for sterilisation of processed waters, for example in breweries, and by bottled water processors. Examples of applications for the ozone systems include bottle washing and cap rinsing.

14 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

WATER MANAGEMENT

environment, transport water and other liquids to where it is needed and monitor water usage and water quality,” George Anastasiadis, national business development manager of Xylem Water Solutions Australia told Food & Beverage Industry News.

The food and agricultural industries rely on the company’s solutions to not only supply water, but also to treat and analyse wastewater, sometimes under challenging conditions. For example, irrigators use borehole pumps to transport water from dams, rivers or lakes. This water needs to be transported by piped or multistage, end-suction pumps to the crops or livestock that need it.

Elsewhere, manure handling is a significant challenge when dealing with livestock such as poultry. Flygt provides liquid manure technology as well as submersible chopper pumps to handle this.

As Anastasiadis pointed out, dairy processors typically experience high organic loads in their effluent

streams that need to be treated prior to discharge into municipal sewage systems or receiving bodies of water.

“A combination of anaerobic systems followed by Xylem’s aerobic biological treatment systems will reduce COD/BOD effectively while minimising footprint and reducing maintenance through advanced process controls,” he said.

He pointed out that fruit washing applications benefit from water reuse through Xylem’s tertiary treatment technologies. “For example, our UV and ozone disinfection technologies are applied to chlorineresistant microorganisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia without concern for disinfection by-products,” he said.

Wastewater discharge limits pose a challenge for meat processing plants due to the high organics, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the wastewater stream.

“Xylem’s aerobic biological treatment technologies can be utilised to bring

COD and BOD into compliance while improving on-site economics,” said Anastasiadis.

UV disinfection systems With so many brands under the Xylem banner, new product releases are frequent. Anastasiadis was pleased to highlight one new range, Wedeco Spektron Industrial UV Disinfection Systems, which have been designed specifically for food and beverage manufacturers.

Process water disinfection, he explained, is important to the industry because it helps ensure products are fit for consumption.

The use of UV for disinfection has the added benefit of providing high levels of effectiveness without adding unwanted taste or odour.

The systems deliver efficient and environmentally sustainable disinfection via closed-vessel UV reactors. Their features include a smooth electro-polished inner surface finish <0.8 µm Ra, hygienic flanges (DIN 11864-2 or tri clamp),

a compact stainless-steel control cabinet, and FDA compliant seals.

Towards a sustainable future Athanas said that Australia is at a crossroads. Pointing to the MurrayDarling scheme, which has not only failed to secure the water supply of the eastern states but also opened up claims of non-compliance and rorting, he said that Australia needs a stronger national water framework.

“Whether you’re a cotton farmer, a dairy farmer, or you run a processing plant in an urban environment, there’s competing priorities for that precious resource,” he said. “It’s the availability of the right quality and quantity that puts pressure on the entire food chain.

From the farm all the way back to your home to get that breakfast cereal on the table takes a lot of water.”

Xylem Water Solutions, he said, has an important role to play in ensuring this precious resource is used wisely.

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Radar level measurement and food manufacturing Whether their product is chocolate, yoghurt, beer or milk, food and beverage manufacturers need to be able to measure levels in their tanks and vessels. Vega Australia is well-versed at performing this task.

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hen it comes to liquid level measurement, one of the most popular measurement and quality control technologies for food and beverage companies is radar technology.

One reason for this popularity is that it is solid state and has no mechanical parts that can drift or wear.

Another is its immunity to pressure, vapours, temperature, viscosity and density change.

Then there is the benefit of lower costs. Just as computer hardware prices dipped low enough to allow everybody to own a PC or laptop, it is now possible to put the latest 80 GHz radar in virtually any vessel and every plant.

But perhaps the most popular benefit of radar technologies is that the measuring device never comes in contact with the product being measured. This is an important consideration in the highly-regulated food making industry.

Food and beverage manufacturers who process and mix in vessels need to be able to measure tank levels.

Therefore, they need devices that are simple to use, versatile, intuitive, easy to clean, safe and reliable.

This means there is a direct relationship between radar level measuring devices and better worker efficiency since level readings can now be done remotely (up to 50m away), without workers being physically present.

Food safety and radar level measurement As it works on non-contact principles, radar level measurement provides a safe, fast and reliable solution for food makers, even under extreme process conditions such as high pressure and temperature. Because radar sensors are unaffected by temperature, pressure, vapour or dust, they are useful in a range of hygienic applications where non-contact level measurement is a

legal requirement.

The use of radar level transmitters means that workers are not physically involved in the act of measuring. This is a plus for both worker safety and the maintenance of hygiene.

Reliability and repeatability are further benefits. Radar is an ideal replacement technology for pressure transmitters which constantly require zero-point recalibration. By using electromagnetic microwaves, radar instruments can provide accuracy up to ±2mm.

In addition, the instruments don’t need to be recalibrated after initial configuration and will not experience zero point drift or fluctuations due to change in specific gravity, temperature, or pressure. This means less time is spent on setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Most radar sensors can connect directly to HART, Profibus or Foundation Fieldbus outputs as well as the standard analog 4-20 mA DC output, meaning data is recorded and available across a range of HMI, mobile and Internet-connected devices.

Microwave radar technology Vega Australia provides innovative non-contact microwave radar technology as a primary level measurement technique for food and beverage makers.

The reason microwave radar technology is useful is that microwaves can pass through any non-metallic material with a low dielectric, such as plastics, ceramics and certain grades of glasses.

Furthermore, it is designed to be reliable regardless of the weather. It is suitable for measuring virtually any liquid or solid, whether in storage or in process; and is unaffected by temperature, pressure, density, conductivity, vapours or dust.

The radar beam of the Vegapuls 64 has an improved focus. This means it

18 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

Vegapuls 64 can operate in high temperatures and in pressure measurement ranges of 20bar.

is more reliable, even under the most difficult conditions such as cases where there are internal structures, low reflectivity, build up, surface foam and condensation.

Radar level transmitters have largely replaced equipment such as float-based systems or ultrasound devices in many applications, while their areas of use have gradually expanded.

The Vegapuls 64 is suitable for continuous level measurement of liquids that can be used with small tanks. The sensor’s small process fittings offer space-saving advantages for use in small spaces.

It also has good radar signal focusing. This enables its use in vessels that use a range of mechanical installations such as stirrers and heating spirals. It is the first radar

level sensor for liquids that measures at a frequency of 80GHz. This enables better focusing of the radar beam.

With this new instrument, measuring is much easier and more reliable, even under difficult conditions, such as in tanks fitted with heating coils, baffles or agitators.

Immunity to condensate and high viscosity While they have a wide range of uses in the food and beverage industry, radar level sensors can be negatively affected by interference, especially when used with viscous liquids and/or where there is a build-up of condensate.

The Vegapuls 64, though, is immune to even the heaviest condensation build up and can also be used reliably and continuously with

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

products like honey, chocolate sauces, jams, mustards, syrups and a range of other food intermediates and finished products that have traditionally caused problems for radar level sensors.

Until now, a radar sensor with a transmission frequency of 26GHz and an 80mm-diameter antenna had a beam angle of approximately 10°. With the same size antenna, the Vegapuls 64 has a beam angle of only 3°.

This means it can be used even in vessels with internal installations or heavy build up on the walls, as its focused microwave beam can simply avoid these obstacles. The larger the dynamic range of a radar sensor, the higher its measurement certainty and the wider is its range of possible applications.

Vegapuls 64 has very good signal focusing, which enables its use in vessels with many installations such as stirrers and heating spirals. It allows exact measuring results independent of process conditions and has high plant availability, because it is wear and maintenance-free.

Wide temperature and product range Vegapuls 64 can operate in temperatures of up to 200°C and in

pressure measurement ranges of 20bar.

Its smallest antenna is no bigger than a dollar coin, which means that is ideal for use with small containers.

It has an accuracy of +/-2mm and a measuring range of 30m and, because of its hygienic materials and design, is ideal for use in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.

The sensor can operate through glass walls. Also, it can handle this task regardless of wall thickness or the presence of condensate.

Similarly, even if liquid level drops to 5mm, it will continue to operate without difficulty.

In addition to applications in mainstream manufacturing and processing industries, the sensors open application possibilities for use in pilot plants and laboratories, which, for space reasons, had to do without radar level measurement technology until now.

Prior to the release of the Vegapuls 64, no radar sensors for liquid applications were capable of covering a range as wide as this.

This means that media with poor reflective properties, such as a low dielectric constant, can be measured more effectively than with previous radar sensors.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS OF RADAR SENSORS While radar transmitters have been on the market for some time, their potential uses keep growing and the food and beverage manufacturing applications where radar sensors can be applied are as diverse as the industry itself.

Chocolate storage Radar level measurement can be used to control the production process in both the chocolate mixing tank and the downstream filler hoppers. It negates the need for physical intervention in the measuring process.

Raw milk storage As well as measuring the liquid level in vessels, radar level detection ensures milk is protected against contamination; and prevents raw milk tanks overflowing.

Fruit yoghurt making Radar level detection during yoghurt production enables optimal filling of vessels, allowing the most profit to be extracted from each batch.

Beer brewing Due to the nature of brewing, hygienic process fittings such as those found with radar level measurement keep each beer batch ready for bottling.

Juice thickening Radar level sensors are used to monitor and control the thickening process, thereby reducing the possibility of rejected batches.

Flour and sugar storage Pneumatically-driven filling and emptying processes are controlled by reliable level measurement.

SPECIALIST MAGNETS FOR THE FOOD & DAIRY INDUSTRY

ELIMINATE FOREIGN MATTER, PURIFY YOUR PRODUCT, PROTECT YOUR BRAND TARGETING: • Ferrous items & particles • Work-hardened 300 series stainless steel fines • 400 series stainless steel fines • Contamination from rotary valves, sifter screens, blowers & fans, ingredients, pumps & agitators etc • Contamination that evades metal detection • Applications for product blown, vacuumed, pumped, bulk fed, dosed, tipped, choke fed and more

Call Us NZ 0800 55 77 33 / AU 1800 318 019 | sales@aurora-nz.com | www.aurora-nz.com www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 19

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

Food-grade range providing recipe for success While all manufacturers need to use silicones, greases, lubricants, sealants and so forth, those in the food and beverage sector have special requirements for these products. CRC Industries offers a full range which meets these high standards.

Understanding that food safety is a primary concern across the entire supply chain, CRC ensures compliance standards are not only met, but exceeded.

A

s a manufacturers of chemical maintenance products for nearly 60 years, CRC Industries has made a commitment to providing the best solutions for customers in the food and beverage industries.

The company recognises the issues facing today’s food processors and manufacturers as they relate to the use of maintenance chemicals, which is why many of Australia’s well-known brand manufacturers use CRC Food Grade.

In manufacturing its range of solutions for the food and beverage sector, CRC has successfully anticipated and adapted to changing regulations to ensure compliance standards are not only met, but exceeded.

CRC understands that food safety is a primary concern across the entire supply chain. Food processors and packaging manufacturers have an obligation to keep their plants running efficiently, while preventing contamination of their goods.

To help minimise the risk of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) chemicals across all food processing and non-production areas, CRC developed the HACCP Certified Greenlight Food Safety Program – a visual identification labelling program that ensures maintenance employees use and store MRO chemicals in the proper locations and in accordance with audit requirements.

The CRC GreenLight Food Safety Program involves the use

20 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

of separate cabinets to store only food specific products, posters to show where these products can be used and folders of SDS, allergen certification and other useful information to assist with internal and external compliance.

In conjunction with the GreenLight Program, CRC offers a wide range of maintenance chemicals that are registered by standard developer NSF International, HACCP Certified and approved for use in food processing.

The company also works closely with maintenance departments across the food and beverage sector, offering food safety training courses, industry-leading food safety solutions as well as third-party certification of products enabling

plants to reduce the number of chemicals in use.

CRC Industries Australia managing director, Shona Fitzgerald said the company brought a strong and diverse product offering, tailor made for applications in the food and beverage industry.

“CRC can help meet the challenges of today’s highly regulated environment by offering a full line of specialty chemical products custom-matched to meet every application need,’’ said Fitzgerald.

“CRC always has the right solution for our customers’ MRO and audit challenges based on our commitment to innovation and industry compliance, strong process understanding, vast product

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

CRC's food grade gear lubricant is formulated with USP grade white oils.

range, distribution networks and training programs.”

“Through these measures, we take great pride in providing food and beverage customers with competitive advantages in productivity, labour management, equipment maintenance and above all safety,’’ she said.

Starting with one product, the multi-purpose lubricant CRC Corrosion Inhibitor, CRC Industries began in a Pennsylvania garage in 1958 as Corrosion Reaction Consultants.

Today, CRC has evolved into a global supplier of speciality chemical solutions, manufacturing in excess of 1,300 products to meet the unique needs of the industrial and electrical, automotive, marine, food and beverage, mining and manufacturing sectors.

CRC Industries services a vast international client base with the manufacture and distribution of its specialty products throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. The company operates 26 facilities around the world, producing more than 80

million aerosol products each year and is a leader in product quality, performance and regulatory compliance.

The company places strict controls on its product development and manufacturing processes, starting with the finest raw materials and continuing with consistent, high quality manufacturing techniques and rigorous testing.

CRC Industry’s speciality products for the food and beverage industry include food grade silicones and greases, chain lubes and belt dressings, anti-seize compounds, sealants, machinery oils, gear oils penetrants, lubricants and more in a range of sizes and delivery systems to suit individual needs.

With an uncompromising commitment to safety, innovation, service and customer satisfaction underlying everything that it does, the company understands the knowledge, expertise and processes needed to succeed the food industry.

The company is pleased to be playing its part in helping food and beverage operators succeed through the delivery of safe, reliable and proven technologies and services.

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 21

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

Upgrading facilities to minimise contamination risk Maintaining hygienic conditions when introducing new equipment plants can be a challenge for food makers. However, as the case of a chicken processing plant which introduced new equipment from SEW-Eurodrive shows, it can be successfully achieved.

F

ood processing companies set high standards for cleanliness in their production facilities. While they can control their own production environment by implementing strict processes, the installation of externally sourced equipment that keeps the production lines rolling is a different matter.

HACCP compliance To guarantee that these standards are met, the food processing industry and its suppliers typically adopt the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) risk management methodology. The methodology can be applied at any stage of the food manufacturing process.

Many retail food sellers insist on their suppliers being certified by an independent organisation such as HACCP Australia or its international equivalents. It is not only the ingredients and food processing plants that require evaluation and risk analysis. If the equipment within the plants is certified as fit for purpose, this gives suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike extra assurance that the food that reaches our tables has been processed in a suitably hygienic manner.

According to John Gattellari, national industry specialist – food and beverage at SEW-Eurodrive, this certification is critical for the motors

and gear units driving the equipment in food processing plants.

“SEW-Eurodrive realised this early on, and is endorsed by HACCP Australia in the manufacturing equipment category. Certification demonstrates that the mechatronic drive system Movigear type B variant for wet areas that we supply for these projects can be successfully cleaned by the high-pressure hoses and chemicals without any difficulty or detriment to the units,” he said.

Frequent audits In the wet areas and tightly-controlled clean areas of food-processing facilities, these standards are upheld rigorously.

Food manufacturers conduct their own audits and also bring in external auditors to ensure that their facilities meet their own standards and those required by the organisations they supply.

The auditors typically inspect the whole plant, paying attention to all systems and manufacturing processes, including those that govern use of the conveyors, motors and gear units.

According to Gattellari, the food industry now prefers drive systems that are HACCP certified.

This is in addition to being easy to clean, reliable, and being able to meet the necessary technical and performance requirements.

Behind the scenes, SEW-Eurodrive's engineers had been working for many years to perfect the design of the Movigear for use in wet areas and hygienic environments.

22 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

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VEGAPULSÂ 69 is designed specifically for level measurement of bulk solids.

Even in dusty conditions, it always provides precise readings. Dust in the silo or buildup on the antenna have no effect.

This radar sensor also features unrivalled focusing at a frequency of 80Â GHz. Simply world-class! www.vega.com/radar

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

Applying the knowledge One site where this approach has been put into practice is the Golden Farms chicken processing plant at Geelong, in Victoria. Joe Cammaroto, maintenance supervisor at Golden Farms, now uses the Movigear type B drive system throughout the large facility, which employs around 400 people and processes up to 100,000 chickens a day.

He agrees that the cleaning step is critical, and says that the whole plant is cleaned every night after production ceases. The consequences of hygiene issues arising in the

clean areas of a food production plant are substantial. At the very least, they could mean delays in production, with associated financial losses. Even more importantly, if contaminated food were sold to the public, public health could be put at risk.

Cammaroto says that a number of previously-installed drives remain in the plant. These must be covered up prior to high-pressure cleaning and uncovered again afterwards. Without the covers, the chemicals used in the cleaning process eat the paint away, so each unit must be cleaned separately from the rest of the plant.

Suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike need extra assurance that the food that reaches our tables has been processed in a suitably hygienic manner.

24 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

This extra handling of equipment every day is time consuming and inconvenient.

These older drive systems – which are traditionally in two pieces rather than a single sealed unit – also have the potential to cause contamination.

Removing the peeled-off paint and rust from the older drive systems is time consuming and costly.

The process has to be thorough to overcome the risk of contaminating the food product.

Frequent independent audits assist Cammaroto and his colleagues to check that this risk is minimal.

A comprehensive system provides for different audits at three and six-monthly intervals, in addition to annual checks. Auditors verify that processes are being adhered to, and look at the preventative measures that are in place.

To further alleviate the risk, Golden Farms is systematically replacing all the older drive systems as they age and wear out.

“We were looking for an alternative motor and have been introducing the Movigear type B to power our conveyors because it is designed and certified for use in hygienic environments,” said Cammaroto. “With its special coatings, it is washable and the food product can’t stick onto it.”

As well as using them to replace the older style motors, Golden Farms now installs them whenever a new conveyor line is added. Cammaroto says that there are now more than 19 of the HACCP-certified units installed.

Installation has proven to be a simple process and has been carried out by the technicians at Golden Farms. The drive motors are horizontally mounted on the left or right side so they can be placed wherever needed within the conveyor system.

“The long-term upgrade project has been straight forward. Several of the motors have been operating for about three years already, and I’ve been impressed by how long they have lasted. They’ve been excellent. The units we used prior to the upgrade would have lost paint and begun to rust in that time,” said Cammaroto.

No more fiddling in the roof Hygiene is not the only benefit of the plant’s refurbishment. The controller of the Movigear drive system is attached in a sealed housing and the speed of each drive can be adjusted in situ.

At Golden Farms, the conveyors move a mix of fresh product and boxed product, so the speeds of the conveyors vary according to where they sit in the manufacturing process. The convenience of being able to adjust the speeds of the drives directly at the conveyor was another reason for upgrading.

“We can adjust the speeds of the conveyors and match them up so you can go from slower to faster. It’s more convenient than having a speed controller up in the roof space where you’ve got to get up and change it,” said Cammaroto. “With the Movigear, we just undo a bolt at the back of the unit, adjust the speed and replace the bolt. It’s a lot easier – very simple.”

Designed for the job Behind the scenes, SEW-Eurodrve’s engineers had been working for many years to perfect the design of the Movigear for use in wet areas and hygienic environments. Gattellari says that the result of this endeavour was the mechatronic drive system Movigear type B, a compact and totally enclosed system, comprising the gear-unit motor and electronics.

The Movigear drive system complies with the international energy standard, IE4 (Super Premium Efficiency), the finless and fanless design eliminates air swirls usually associated with fan cooled motors. There is no distribution of germs and bacteria – a vital requirement in a hygienic environment.

With no fan, there is an added benefit of reduced noise in the production environment. The drive system complies with air cleanliness class 2 according to the international standard ISO 14644-1 and consumes about 50 per cent less energy than conventional drive solutions.

A major issue for gear units and motors in wet areas and hygienic environments is the choice of materials and coatings. While

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

stainless steel components and fixtures are the preferred choice for foodmanufacturing facilities, traditional motors and gear units are often supplied with housings made from aluminium or steel. This is due to cost pressures, weight restrictions and component availability.

Traditionally, motors and gear units are coated with a paint system that is prone to premature failure when exposed to the harsh and abrasive cleaning regimes.

Exposure to the caustic cleaning agents can also cause corrosion within the drive systems. An alternative approach is to employ surface finishes such as Nickel or Teflon, or use of anodising for Aluminium substrates. This gives the motors and gear units superior corrosion-inhibiting properties and abrasion resistance.

The smooth housing of the Movigear type B is finished with an “HP200” treatment which is burned into the surface during application. Highly resistant to the cleaning chemicals and high-pressure wash-down the surface finish eliminates the possibility of flaking paint.

These inherent anti-stick properties contribute to a reduction of debris build-up, resulting in faster cleaning times and less system downtime. The standard inclusion of stainless steel shafts, fasteners and auxiliary fittings further enhances the Movigear type B anti-corrosive properties.

At facilities like Golden Farms, this means that standard cleaning routines can be continued, without the need to cover the drive units before the wash down and uncover them again afterwards.

It was this approach to design that has made the Movigear type B eminently suitable for the Golden Farms upgrade project. By introducing a program to replace the older drive systems with HACCP-certified units, the facility has improved efficiencies and minimised risk – a move that satisfies the twin goals of reducing costs and ensuring the health and wellbeing of its customers.

SMOOTH MOVE

Use quiet pneumatic drive technology from Vibration Systems to move your product smoothly, quietly and efficiently.

Resonance drive system can drive conveyors up to 20 meters long with one simple drive unit, giving transport speeds to 40m/min with low energy use.

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Movigear Type B variant for wet areas.

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www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 25

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

Helping build the factory of the future Industry 4.0 is revolutionising manufacturing through the utilisation of cyber connected systems, which monitor factory processes to maximise efficiency and reduce downtime. Insignia’s Domino Cloud and Ax-Series are part of this global change.

I

ndustry 4.0 is a global reality that is affecting nearly every industry worldwide, and is transforming how businesses operate. It introduces a ‘smart factory’, where cyber-physical systems monitor production processes and are capable of making decentralised decisions – for example, monitoring consumable levels in a printer and alerting users that a consumable changeover is required.

In an Industry 4.0 ready factory, every machine and computing device is integrated and connected to the internet, enabling them to send and receive data – this process is what’s commonly known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The interconnectivity of these smart devices is empowering a step change in productivity, efficiency and customer-centric innovation for manufacturers.

Domino Cloud The release of Domino’s i-Techx platform and the Domino Cloud service tool are shaping Industry 4.0 in the areas of coding and marking. Both are built into Domino’s latest continuous inkjet technology, the Ax-Series.

Designed from the ground up to be industry 4.0 ready, the series easily integrates into existing production lines and supports a variety of standard factory automation communication protocols such as PACK-ML and OPC-UA. Additionally, an array of integrated sensors automate system monitoring, allowing for proactive and predictive diagnostics and remote service support through the IoT and connection to the Domino Cloud.

The Domino Cloud provides powerful remote diagnostics, remote monitoring and customer reporting capabilities. For example, Domino’s i-Techx platform collects a vast array of data on printer operation – from running performance to ink and makeup levels, to wear and tear on

The Ax350i inkjet printer.

components. This data is can be accessed through the Domino Cloud dashboard where it can be viewed by the customer at any time, regardless of the location. This enables the customer to be alerted to any issues and forecast ink and consumable orders.

Additionally, this data incorporates Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculations and printer usage changes to provide insights for line improvement and lead manufacturing initiatives.

How does Domino Cloud help manufacturers?

Domino’s i-Techx platform and the Domino Cloud service tool provides manufacturers with error-free coding and system integration, as well as remote access and monitoring. This results in a smart and interconnected network of machines and processes

26 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

that centralises and simplifies coding processes.

The consumption of ink and make-up can be monitored in realtime, utilising the Domino Cloud dashboard. Additionally, complications can be diagnosed from a distance by the helpdesk team and either fixed remotely or through an Insignia service technician who can find the problem on-site.

Moreover, through automation, streams of information for OEE calculations and cost structures can be closely monitored to maximise efficiency, resulting in reduced downtime and increased production at the lowest possible cost.

Decentralised systems can increase profitability for manufacturers by streamlining and speeding up decisions, resulting in increased revenue, market share and profits for

many businesses.

For coding and marking processes, Industry 4.0 means that inaccurate codes and unplanned downtime caused by equipment will no longer be a problem faced by manufacturers.

Coding and marking machines will become part of a single intelligent factory operation, capable of monitoring performance and assisting team members with making informed decisions.

Domino Cloud is already shaping factories of the future and empowering a step change in productivity and efficiency for manufacturers.

“We highly recommend Domino Cloud as a user friendly remote tool that gives us useful management information insight into all our connected production lines,” affirmed Dorin Cimpu, manager strategic projects, Continental Tyres.

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EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

High volume, high speed stretch wrappers Food manufacturers looking for pallet wrappers that deliver speed, reliability, economy and safety need look no further than the Octopus Ring Pallet Wrapper from Signode.

T

he last step of many food manufacturing processes, pallet wrapping helps ensure products are not only secure and ready for shipping but also that they arrive at their final destination in good condition.

Businesses which use pallet wrappers want the process to be completed with a minimum of fuss and without putting staff in physical danger. In summary, they are looking for machines that are reliable, accurate, fast and safe.

Haloila, a member of the Signode Industrial Group, has been manufacturing the Octopus automatic rotary ring stretch wrapper for over 30 years. With over 6,000 units installed world-wide, these high speed systems are capable of wrapping up to 135 pallets an hour.

“Businesses which use the Octopus want to achieve a higher level of reliability, whether to cope with their current demand, or due to increased production necessitating a faster solution,” Andre de Wet from

The Octopus T series

28 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

"Octoface allows our customers to monitor their machines wherever they may be located."

Signode (the exclusive suppliers of the Octopus range in Australia and New Zealand) told Food & Beverage Industry News.

Fully automatic, the machines employ the “Octopus ring method”, whereby the wrapping film reel is suspended from a ring and it revolves around the pallet. The ring is raised and lowered according to the wrapping program.

Because the pallet remains stationary throughout the process, the system can easily handle unstable or lightweight products. There are no centrifugal forces to cause stress or strain on the load or equipment.

As the ring can be accurately positioned in the vertical direction, wrapping can be started and finished at any height required. In addition,

the Octopus provides optimal load containment while optimising film usage.

“We have a range of different Octopus machines, in various sizes to cover different sizes of operation,” said de Wet. “We can spec a machine to particular needs, by modifying the ring diameter to match the ring size and different rotation speeds and/ or dual film application to match required production output.”

Reliability De Wet warns against businesses opting for cheap pallet wrappers. “If people are driven purely by price they will get what they pay for,” he said. “Very often we go into a facility and see that the company has invested in a machine that is not delivering – at some point in time someone has convinced them that the cheaper alternative will do the job when actually it doesn’t.”

Reliable pallet wrapping is important because it sits at the end of the production line. “If it fails, if this area stops, or is slow, everything behind it is limited. Because if you can’t get it out, there’s no point in producing it,” he said Features of the Octopus Ring Pallet Wrapper include a load stabiliser to ensure unstable loads remain intact throughout the wrapping operation and an integrated top sheet dispenser which provides automatic weather-proofing without taking up floor space.

Optional add-ons include the “Logowrap System” which automatically inserts printed stretch film to a pallet load during the normal wrapping cycle and the “Octomax” performance monitoring system which is designed to reduce

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

film costs, eliminate downtime and simplify maintenance.

Safety and service “Safety is a big thing in Australia.

When I came here I was truly impressed by the attitude to it,” said de Wet. “Octopus includes multiple features, such as the RCS automatic reel change system, that keep the operator away from the machine during operation without hampering production. We also have locking mechanisms that ensure safety during maintenance and easy access to motors by driving the ring down to a comfortable working height.”

As part of the installation process, Signode provides training for operators and in-house maintenance

staff. This includes direction in the safe use and proper care for the equipment.

De Wet pointed out that service is an important part of the equation.

“The fact that we have a local presence across Australia and New Zealand also assures that we fully understand the customer’s requirements when setting up the machine’s specifications,” he said.

Another recent development in this is “Octoface”, a solution that allows the company’s experts to interact with an Octopus machine anywhere in the world over a secure Ethernet connection.

“The way the world deals with data and interacts with equipment has changed significantly in recent

years,” said de Wet. “Octoface allows our customers to monitor their machines wherever they may be located, allowing access to useful information about the wrapper’s efficiencies and production rates.”

Accuracy Increasingly, food and beverage products are being delivered to retailers in “shelf ready” packaging.

Spices, sauces, potato chips and so forth are packed by the manufacturer in branded cartons which are opened by supermarket staff, then placed directly on shelves for display.

“We just completed an install for a company in the food industry where the problem was damage to cartons,” said de Wet. “The problem was that when the stretch wrapper was applying the film to the pallet, it was applying it too tightly and was corrupting the edges of the carton. They couldn’t find a happy medium between relaxing the film pressure, and still maintaining a safe product/ secure pallet.”

Octopus machines were able to solve the problem by changing both prestretch of the film and lay on force. By getting both variables right, they were able to keep a stable pallet without damaging the cartons.

“What’s special about our machine is we can control that lay on force within a load, so we can start high and reduce and increase within one single pallet wrap. Our prestretch is very accurate,” said de Wet.

OCTOPUS MONTH

Fully automatic, the machines employ the "Octopus ring method", whereby the wrapping film reel is suspended from a ring and it revolves around the pallet.

Load containment manufacturer Signode is renaming October "Octopus Month" for a campaign showcasing the Octopus brand and machinery. Signode will promote the stretch wrapper range, celebrating the wrappers' design features and benefits. Haloila, a member of the Signode Industrial Group produces Octopus machines in Finland, which are exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Signode. www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 29

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

Think global, act local Food makers looking to improve the operational performance, reliability, and safety of their plants are right to seek out the latest innovations from around the world. But sometimes there is no substitute for local assistance.

T

he Rosemount range of measurement and analytical technologies had an illustrious beginning in the 1950s.

“Emerson’s Rosemount sensors were selected by NASA for the Mercury capsule and [later] installed on-board the Columbia space shuttle.”

Justin Ellis, business manager, Rosemount at Emerson told Food & Beverage Industry News.

“In 1969, the 1151 pressure transmitter revolutionised industrial pressure measurement and since that time Emerson’s Rosemount technologies have continued to innovate and redefine industrial automation and measurement.”

According to Ellis, some of the most critical of these innovations have not only improved the reliability and quality of the products, but also helped improve the overall safety and efficiency of automation solutions.

In other words, the Rosemount range has an impressive pedigree.

Representing the cutting edge of process automation, devices from the range find use today in the oil and gas, metals and mining, sugar, power, food and beverage, and water industries.

Rosemount 3051S Series scalable pressure, flow, and level solutions.

Local capabilities However, as Ellis said, sometimes the latest internationally-proven technology is not all businesses are looking for.

“Something we’ve come to learn over the last 10 or so years is that organisations are really challenged these days,” he said. Western companies, in particular, are feeling the effects of globalisation and competition from low-cost offshore manufacturers.

Ellis explianded that he often hears organisations say things like, “We need companies like Emerson and brands like Rosemount to be more than just products. We need greater support and we need you to help us overcome these challenges.”

Emerson has responded to this feedback by providing clients with support and local capabilities. Firstly, the company has a large service

technician and service specialist network across Australia and New Zealand with technicians in almost every capital city as well as key industry areas such as Newcastle and Gladstone.

On top of that, in 2014, the company invested $1 million in building the Quick Ship and Repair centre, a manufacturing and service centre that is a small scale replication of the Rosemount global manufacturing facilities.

Located in Melbourne, the centre can manufacture brand new pressure, temperature and DP level remote seal solutions specifically for Australia and New Zealand industrial operations and deliver them in very short timeframes. This includes specific

30 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

"We need companies like Emerson and brands like Rosemount to be more than just products. We need greater support and we need you to help us overcome these challenges." solutions for local sugar, dairy and beverage producers.

Not only can the facility manufacture new automation equipment but it can also repair, overhaul and return to original performance and specifications existing Rosemount instrumentation assets and save significant replacement costs for operations.

“A big part of building the manufacturing facility was that it meant we could help customers repair

their devices,” said Ellis. “Three or four years ago, if a product was broken most companies would just rip it out, throw it away and put a new device in. Now we can, in some cases, repair instruments and automation solutions for only 30 per cent of the cost of a new unit.”

Education Ellis pointed out that the automation field has an aging workforce.

The prevalence of the so-called

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

THE PRODUCTS Emerson's Rosemount range of measurement and analytical technologies are used in industries ranging from mining to water. Food and beverage manufacturers across Australia and New Zealand use many products from the range including: • • • • • • •

Pressure transmitters and manifolds DP Level transmitters and remote seals Radar level sensors Vibrating fork level sensors Liquid analysers and sensors Gas analysers Temperature solutions

Rosemount has several hygienic specific solutions, including: • • • •

3051HT hygienic pressure transmitters Hygienic temperature transmitters and sensors Hygienic DP level remote seals & FDA approved fill fluids Hygienic pH, conductivity & dissolved oxygen sensors

“greybeards” of instrumentation combined with a reduction in government accredited instrumentation courses means that businesses often struggle to attract and retain workers with the right skills sets to suit their plant assets.

In response to this problem, Emerson collaborated with the International Association for Continuous Education and Training (IACET) to develop a range of educational programs. Professionally designed and developed to conform to the ANSI/IACET Standard for Continuing Education and Training, the programs deliver real outcomes for both students and employers.

They are intended to help businesses better operate, manage and support their industrial facilities.

“Each course combines theory and hands-on practical exercises to ensure that the learning process is consolidated through experiential learning. In addition, each student must pass an assessment phase to ensure that they meet the competency requirements of the course,” said Ellis.

“All instructors have been certified by IACET and have undergone rigorous training not just on the technical aspects of the educational program but also on the soft skills side to ensure that they can competently train and empower students to successfully develop new skills and outcomes.”

Expertise and experience As mentioned, Emerson has an illustrious history. As a designer and manufacturer of automation equipment, the company holds significant intellectual capital.

“Our organisation has a huge amount of experience and expertise around not only the types of automation equipment available in the market place but also how these automation assets can be used to benefit operations from a reliability, operational and safety perspective,” said Ellis.

“Recently, we have started partnering with progressive companies to help map out programs that help them reduce the amount of inventory that they hold, reduce the amount of wasted emissions and energy usage or improve the safety of their facilities.”

Working at a local level with clients, Emerson representatives can conduct focus groups, or simply sit with engineers to better understand their needs and help develop outcome based solutions combining automation equipment and process expertise.

Called Operational Certainty, the program delivers industry expertise and consulting services at a local level. Combined with Emerson’s automation technologies portfolio and new Industrial IoT solutions, it can help businesses achieve top quartile performance in the areas of safety, reliability, production and energy management. www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 31

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

The latest in spray technology for food processors When it comes to spray technology, food processors are spoilt for choice. Food & Beverage Industry News talks to Spraying Systems Co’s Kerry McPhail about what types of spray solutions work best for various applications and what is new on the market.

S

pray technology is an essential part of food and beverage manufacturing operations. It is used for everything from cleaning tanks to glazing cakes, and from sanitising bottles to portioning vitamins.

As Kerry McPhail, senior sales engineer at Spraying Systems Co told Food & Beverage Industry News, spray technology is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

“We actually make in excess of 100,000 spray nozzles for use in a wide range of industries including food and beverage,” he explained. “We’re continuously working with clients in designing new nozzles, because as clients improve and expand their processes they often require variations or improvements to their spray solutions.”

McPhail explained that bakeries are big users of spray technology. These operations use air knives to clean baking trays, air atomising electric guns to apply oil to trays as a release agent, and fast electric guns to apply glazes to cakes, doughnuts, buns and and other bakery products.

Within the meat processing industry, spray technology applications include carcass washing, screen cleaning, boot cleaning, spray chilling, and sanitising evisceration tables, while dairy processors use spray technology

An AutoJet PulsaJet, shown here spraying peanut butter, ensures wastage is minimised.

for applications like apportioning preservatives to cheeses. Beverage processors use spray technology to sanitise bottles, clean tanks with caustic solutions and so forth.

Each application is unique, so each is best performed by a specialised

product. As McPhail pointed out, there are a number of factors to consider when using spray technology.

Repeatability and accuracy are two of these. For example, food processors often use spray nozzles to apply vitamins to their products. “These have to be sprayed in the required dosage,” said McPhail.

Using spray technology ensures even and accurate coverage of the target or product.

When attempting to clean a tank, you need force and power to remove food build-up. A mist with a very small drop size would not work for this task.

Precision Spray Control

Many systems come with the Pulsajet manifold controller.

32 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

Asked if there are any new technologies making a difference in the market, McPhail spoke about Precision Spray Control (PSC) which is often used in conjunction with Spraying

Systems Co’s PulsaJet spray nozzles.

“I’ve been in the company for over twenty years. I’ve seen a lot of things come into the industry but this sort of technology has always been missing,” he said.

Similar to fuel injectors in motor vehicles, PSC is a technique for controlling a device by turning it on and off – or “pulsing” it – very quickly.

It allows users to significantly change flow rate automatically without varying the drop size or changing spray angle and coverage.

“It was very hard in the past to change the flow rate through a tip and still get the same result on the product,” McPhail said. “We used to do it in what I would now call very agricultural ways. If you wanted to change the flow rate, the best nozzle was an air atomising nozzle.”

This wasn’t an adequate solution

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

because it produced unwanted additional mist.

In contrast to this old technique, PSC makes it possible to control the duty cycle of the spray gun nozzle via a control panel. (It can be turned on and off as often as 30,000 times

a minute with the latest technology).

While to the naked eye there may appear to be a continuous spray, the spray gun nozzle may actually only be operating five percent of the time.

The absence of misting, along with the fact that spray nozzles do

Bakeries are big users of spray technology an AutoJet PulsaJet scoring dough.

not operate continuously, mean that wastage is minimised. On top of that, the lack of misting means overspray onto surrounding machinery is also minimised. This reduces the need for cleaning and the associated costs and downtime.

As McPhail pointed out, oil mist can even affect the electrical operation of surrounding machinery. Guarding against this is another clear benefit of using spray technology.

Applications PulsaJet spray nozzles work best with fast, complex, variable or constantly changing applications using less viscous liquids. For example, they are recommended for spraying natural antimicrobial agents onto meat to ensure safety; applying surface colouring with protein, egg or caramel; spraying oil to improve mould release; and moistening bread rolls with water to add sesame seeds or other toppings.

Although PSC has been used in spray technology for about ten years, according to McPhail it is just now coming into its own. “We are now fully trained and equipped to use this technology in manufacturing. And as we understand we’re able to pass that understanding to our customers,” he said.

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 33

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

The journey starts early When it comes to building and design, food businesses can minimise the possibility of problems and defects by working with builders through the planning process. Total Construction is well-equipped to take them on this journey.

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lant building and design – just like lean manufacturing, automation, and food safety – are critically important for food and beverage makers. Having a well-designed, well-functioning manufacturing plant is crucial to their success.

So when these businesses are looking to either construct a new facility or upgrade an existing one, they need to find a good builder.

On top of that, according to Rob Blythman, business development

manager – food & beverage at Total Construction, it is important they find someone who is willing and able to work closely with them.

“The client is key in deriving the ideal design and process flow. We involve all stakeholders (including chefs) from the client side to develop the design and layout that fits perfectly with their operational needs,” he told Food & Beverage Industry News.

“Total Construction likes to become part of the client’s project

Value add is a big part of Total Construction's offerings.

34 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

team as early as possible, and not be just a ‘supplier’ of services.”

The company prides itself on the “value add” it can provide to clients.

It doesn’t just do the building but provides full design and process engineering services. According to Blythman, medium-sized businesses in particular are attracted to this model.

Total Construction Total Construction was established in 1995 by current directors Steve Taylor and Bill Franks. From this

time, when it operated out of an 8m² office in Sydney’s Wetherill Park, the company has grown to the point that it now has three state offices, employs 120 staff, and has an annual turnover of $150 million.

The food and beverage sector accounts for about 20 per cent of the company’s work. Apart from this, it also operates in the aged care, hospital, industrial, renewable energy, and education sectors.

Within the food and beverage sector, most of its clients are medium-sized

EFFICIENCY & DOWNTIME

business with an annual turnover of $10 - $30 million.

“Having process engineers on staff and our experience in live food and beverage projects puts us ahead of run-of-the-mill builders,” said Blythman.

On top of that, where necessary, Total Construction works with other businesses on construction projects.

To date, these partners have included Beca Engineering, Northrop Engineering, MCHP Architects and more.

The company has extensive expertise in delivering food and beverage projects throughout Australia. Its capabilities in the industry include cost planning, design, construction, and fit-out. On top of that, there are plans to soon add “asset management/equipment supply” and “install” to this list.

To date, Total Construction has completed projects in the beverage, bakery, dairy, and meat sectors.

One of its major clients has been Alpha Flight Services, an in-flight catering provider owned by Emirates Airways.

Projects for Alpha have included design and construction of extensions and the construction of a

Total Construction has extensive expertise in delivering food and beverage projects throughout Australia. new catering facility at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne; construction of a new flight catering facility at

VALUE ADD Total Construction's professional proficiency covers a broad range of specialist services including: • Optimisation of plant and equipment layouts • Streamlining production and process flowsDesigning to HACCP, SQF, WQA and BRC standards as required • Developing scope for, and co-ordinating architectural and engineering design services • Developing and managing design schedule, and identifying critical path milestones • Planning and co-ordinating design activities • Analysis of design and process flows • Providing budgetary/cost planning • Implementing and following quality assurance procedures • Liaising with authorities and regulatory bodies for planning and building permits • Hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies - planning and managing procurement for long lead items or trades • Assessing design buildability and methodology to reduce construction time and cost • Ensuring that the design will meet with budgetary, time and quality requirements, through early involvement in the design of the project

Sydney Airport; roof replacement and refrigeration of the production area at Alpha’s facility at Brisbane Airport; design and construction management of a new purpose designed in-flight catering facility at Adelaide Airport; construction management of new extensions at Perth and Brisbane Airports; and construction of a new flight catering facility at Cairns Airport.

Total Construction’s clients in the bakery sector have included the likes of Goodman Fielder. One notable project for this client, “Project de Vinci”, involved upgrading works and management of plant and equipment installations at an existing facility in NSW. Also in the bakery sector, Total completed the design and construction of a new Tip Top bakery facility for George Western Foods in NSW.

The total package Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to building projects, Total Construction tailors services to clients and offers a range of project delivery models. Experienced at working in

“live environments” (i.e. operating factories), the company knows how to take the necessary precautions to eliminate safety risks as well as minimise noise, dust and vibration.

With every project, the company looks for innovations to improve “buildability” and offers value engineering solutions, where possible, to ensure the best possible outcome for clients. It values safety in design as a top priority and takes the responsibility to raise safety issues throughout the course of construction and suggests methodologies to reduce them.

In other words, as the name suggests, Total Construction delivers the total package. “Our key positioning is we are not just a builder, but a solutions provider for the food and beverage industry,” said Blythman.

The company’s client retention rate of 80 per cent suggests this approach of value add, communication with clients and starting the building journey early is just what the food and beverage industry is looking for.

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 35

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE FOOD COLOURING

The way of the future More than just a trend, the move to natural food colouring is here to stay. Now is the time for food and beverage manufacturers that still use artificial colouring to make the switch to natural. BASF can help them do this successfully.

A

ccording to a report by Zion Research, the global natural food colouring market accounted for $1.66b in 2015 and is expected to reach $2.25b by 2021, growing at a rate of around 5.2 per cent.

In addition, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest natural food colouring market, due to an increase in consumption of processed food in this region.

As Harry Haikalis, BASF’s business and sales manager, nutrition and health Australia & New Zealand explained, these colouring products fall into two categories – natural colourants and nature-identical colourants.

“Natural colourants are what you source from nature, colourants that come from plants, minerals, and so forth,” he told Food & Beverage Industry News. “With nature identical colourants you’re replicating a naturally occurring molecular structure. You’re taking a natural pigment or colourant and you’re basically synthesising it.”

can help our customers.”

Natural colourings are, as you would expect, naturally derived. They come from plants, animals or minerals and are sourced from various locations around the world. Manufacturers who use them need to have a reliable supply, independent of seasonal or annual changes. And they need suppliers who can help them include those natural colours into their formulations.

“This is where BASF has a lot of expertise. We offer a wide range of

"We've got a wide range of colours and various grades for different applications, anything from powders to oils depending on what our customers want to formulate with." colours and various grades for different applications, anything from powders to oils depending on what our customers want to formulate with,” said Haikalis.

Ease of use is another important consideration. Food manufacturers should be seeking products which are

Making the change Given the move toward natural colourings, food and beverage manufacturers still using artificial colourings in their products would be well advised to consider making the change to natural.

Haikalis explained that there are challenges associated with choosing and then using a natural additive.

“The major challenges centre around light stability, oxygen stability, shelf life and colour matching,” he said.

“It takes significant expertise to be able to recommend an appropriate natural product or a nature-identical formulation. It’s both a science and an art form. We’ve invested a lot of time and energy to try and make sure we

The Hutt Lagoon site in Western Australia where BASF harvests natural beta carotene.

36 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

not only easy to add, but also deliver consistency of colour.

“They need to be able to access colour matching,” said Haikalis.

“We can provide this through several applications labs across the globe.” Only by covering all these

"We offer proven solutions through many decades of experience and know-how." bases can manufacturers supply the reliable, stable, consistent colours consumers demand.

BASF

Harry Haikalis, BASF's business & sales manager, nutrition & health Australia & New Zealand.

Oxygen Analysers, Relative Humidity Sensors and Meters, Dewpoint Measurement

BASF produces a broad range of natural colourings, from yellows through to deep reds.

“The applications are very broad.

They can be used on anything from sparkling or still beverages to confectionery, gummies and hard lollies, ice cream, cake mixes, breads, pasta and noodles, cheeses, yoghurts, spreads, margarines, butters and cheeses,” said Haikalis.

He explained that BASF was an early convert to natural colouring, having produced beta-carotene, which is from algae (Dunaliella salina), that’s

U.V Absorption Conductivity pH / ORP Colour

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration Pty Ltd Analytical Process Division

naturally occurring in Australia, for over 25 years.

“This product uses natural algae, sunlight and carbon dioxide. We grow it, we mechanically harvest it so there’s minimal processing, then we concentrate it,” he said.

The company also offers Xangold, a natural colouring derived from the Marigold flower (Targetes erecta) and sourced from Ecuador; and Lycopene which is typically derived from tomatoes.

“We offer proven solutions through many decades of experience and knowhow,” said Haikalis. “We welcome the conversion from artificial to natural and nature identical and recognise it for what it certainly is - the way of the future.

Head Office: Unit 20, 51 Kalman Drv Boronia VIC 3155 Ph: 03 9017 8225 Fax: 03 9729 9604 NSW Ph: 02 8197 2825 WA Ph: 08 6364 0205 QLD Ph: 07 3333 2825 SA Ph: 03 9017 8225 www.ams-ic.com.au sales@ams-ic.com.au

Oxygen Analysers, Thermal Conductivity Analysers, NDIR Analysers, Multigas Analysers, OEM Analysers

Industrial Water Analysers and Liquid Analytical Products (pH, Conductivity, ORP, Dissolved Oxygen, etc) www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 37

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE FOOD COLOURING

Food colouring goes natural Chr. Hansen has the natural products, along with the expertise, and experience to help food and beverage manufacturers deliver consumers visually enticing products.

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ood and beverage manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to ensure their products meet consumers’ aesthetic expectations. After all, if it weren’t for food colouring, hot dogs would be grey, margarine would be white, and red gummies wouldn’t exist.

But why do they bother? After all, isn’t food all about taste?

No, says Lisa Flower, marketing manager for Australia and New Zealand at Chr. Hansen. “People eat with their eyes – and the visual appeal of a food is strongly linked to its colour,” she told Food & Beverage Industry News.

“Colour has an important role to play in the first impressions that are made. Colour also plays a role in the expectations of the consumer of the food. In fact, it can even be the reason a consumer chooses one product over another.”

While historically most food colouring has been artificial, things have changed. Natural food colouring is one of the major trends in the industry.

“The release of the 2007 Southhampton study on the impact of certain artificial colours on children’s behaviour really fast-tracked this conversion,” said Flower.

Though contentious, the study suggested a link between artificial colours and hyperactivity in children; and prompted the European Union to require some colours to carry the statement: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” on labelling.

Although there is no such labelling requirement in Australia and New Zealand, the move away from artificial colouring has also taken hold here.

Aldi, Woolworths and Coles responded to the demand by ensuring all of their private label products did not contain artificial colours. And most manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand have also converted their products to natural colours.

According to Flower, there is now

While historically most food colouring has been artificial, things have changed.

another option for brands who want even cleaner labels.

“This is known as colouring foodstuffs. While natural colours are typically extracts from a natural source and may attract an E-number (a European code used to list permitted food additives on labelling), colouring foodstuffs are concentrates of the juice of a fruit or vegetable and can simply be labelled as this, for example red beet concentrate or sweet potato concentrate,” she said.

Chr Hansen Chr. Hansen offers a spectrum of natural colours (including curcumin, paprika, cochineal, annatto and betacarotene) and colouring foodstuffs (including red beet, sweet potato, black carrot and spirulina).

All are either extracts or concentrates of the colour from a natural source. These could be from fruits, vegetables and even fungi,

38 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

algae, seeds or insects.

These products are suitable for everything from beverages and confectionery to cheese, desserts and ice cream.

While acknowledging that it is sometimes difficult to replace an artificial colour with a natural one, Flower maintains it doesn’t have to be.

“There are some formulations and interactions between ingredients that make conversion tricky or more expensive to implement. But with the right conversion partner, you can find the natural colour or colouring foodstuff alternative that makes sense for your brand and product and gives your consumers what they are looking for,” she said.

Chr. Hansen considers itself well placed to be such a partner.

“Natural colours lend themselves to most applications, although it is very important to consider the different factors such as processing conditions,

temperature, light exposure, pH, acidity and the other ingredients to ensure the right colour is selected for the product,” said Flower.

“Chr. Hansen has a highly experienced sales and technical team based in Australia along with global application centres that offer full technical support to customers to assist conversion and application questions.”

The first step in this process involves establishing if the client is looking to avoid E numbers completely, or is simply looking to avoid artificial colours.

Further questions revolve around what colour and shade the client is looking to achieve, the desired shelf life of the products, the type of packaging to be used and storage conditions; as well as processing conditions like high temperature, time, pH and other ingredients, fortifications or flavours used in the formulation.

Colour grown in Nature Derived from fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and seeds, FruitmaxÂŽ is the next generation of natural colours for food and beverage application enabling additive-free labelling.

With over 140 years experience we can help you find the perfect natural colour solution.

Chr. Hansen Pty Ltd 49 Barry St Bayswater VIC 3153 Phone +61 3 9762 9600 www.chr-hansen.com

SUPPLY CHAIN

Blockchain technology and the supply chain Though food supply chains are sometimes complex, if we are to keep on top of issues like fraud and food safety, it is important that we know where our food comes from. Matthew McDonald looks at some technology that can help us do this.

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n 2008, one or more programmers operating under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoin, an international currency that operates without any need for an intermediary or regulation.

The technology behind the currency, called blockchain, allows users in a network to share information without it first passing through a server.

In other words, even though there is no master copy, updates made on one node are independently updated on all other nodes within the network.

In turns out that Bitcoin is not the only application for blockchain technology. It may prove useful in a number of other areas such as financial services, personalised health and food provenance.

Food & Beverage Industry News caught up with Mark Staples, group leader software and systems at the data innovation group, CSIRO’s Data61 to learn about blockchain technology and the food supply chain.

“Blockchain technology can help because it provides integrity for shared data across different organisations,” said Staples. “The food industry is highly fragmented, and needs data integrity for fraud prevention, food safety, and financial transactions.”

The latest statistics emphasise Staples’ point. According to the CSIRO, food fraud costs the global economy an estimated $40 billion a year. Along with financial security and safety, it is now a major area of concern for the industry.

Staples explained that blockchain technology could provide evidence for the history of the production and handling of food, from the farm to the consumer. “Each of the events in a supply chain could be recorded in a logically-centralised blockchain ledger,” he said.

In cases of food poisoning outbreaks, blockchain would make it easier to track and identify the origins of, say, contaminated vegetables or

"Blockchain technology could provide evidence for the history of the production and handling of food, from the farm to the consumer" meats. Similarly, in a food fraud context, it would make it harder to pass off a cheap red wine as a wellknown product.

Financial services in the food supply chain also stand to benefit from the new technology.

“Evidence about supply chain performance can support greater access to trade finance, and to better price insurance premiums. Blockchain smart contracts might also enable new kinds of payment mechanisms, for example automated escrow payments tied to independent quality assessments,” said Staples.

Food supply chains can be complex.

Will this make it difficult to implement blockchain technology in this context?

“Yes, but the complex and dynamic nature of business in food supply

chains can be naturally mirrored by the kind of ad-hoc participation in transactions supported by blockchains,” said Staples.

He conceded that when implementing blockchain, it will be a challenge to directly support commercial confidentiality; and that the technology has some performance limitations.

“These issues need to be overcome by combining blockchains with other technologies such as encryption and traditional web services, and by making sure that blockchain solutions are used to address appropriate problems,” he said.

In June this year, CSIRO’s Data61 delivered a comprehensive review of how blockchain technology could be adopted across government and

The food industry is highly fragmented, and needs data integrity for fraud prevention, food safety, and financial transactions.

40 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

SUPPLY CHAIN

industries, including the food sector, to deliver productivity benefits and drive local innovation.

The group has engaged extensively with industry and government to deliver two reports on the regulatory, technical and societal implications of using blockchain-based systems across various industries. It says that Australia is in a good position to be at the forefront of the technology.

“Australia has active blockchain ecosystems, with activity across research bodies, startups, large enterprise, government, and standardisation,” said Staples.

Examples include the work of the Australian Securities Exchange in collaboration with Digital Asset Holdings, to examine the use of the technology in its clearing and settlement system for the Australian equity market.

Agridigital Then there is Agridigital, an Australian software provider which has been experimenting with blockchain and distributed ledger technologies across agri-supply chains.

“Primarily we have been using our agri-blockchains in pilots and

proof of concepts targeting either the transactional or provenance space,” Bridie Ohlsson, Agridigital’s external relations manager told Food & Beverage Industry News.

In December 2016, the company ran a pilot in which it successfully executed the world’s first settlement of a physical commodity on a blockchain. Using a private ethereum blockchain and a pilot customer, they settled the delivery of a load of wheat on the blockchain, simultaneously reserving any levies and royalties applicable and paying the grower.

“While the pilot simulated payment to the grower’s digital wallet in real time on the blockchain, for the purpose of the pilot the grower was paid using traditional banking methods in a parallel transaction,” said Ohlsson.

According to Ohlsson, the company’s vision is to continuously work on developing agri-blockchains as part of its goal to digitise agricultural supply chains.

“This year we are conducting a number of blockchain pilots with some of Australia’s most significant participants in the grains industry,” she said. “We are expanding on our pilot work from last year, as well as directly

working with blockchain technologies to provide end to end supply chain provenance in the grains industry.”

MEGATRANS2018 Given its supply chain potential, blockchain technology will feature prominently at MEGATRANS2018, an exciting new international trade event that will bridge the gaps between supply chain industries that have previously been operating in isolation.

The show makes its debut 10 to 12 May, 2018 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, based in the heart of the one of Australia’s major logistics hubs and one of the world’s most liveable cities – Melbourne.

Connecting the Australian and international supply chain, the threeday expo, delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, will bring together those who plan, implement and control the efficient and effective forward flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and point of consumption.

A number of main sections comprise the show’s 30,000 square metres of space – Logistics &

Materials Handling / Warehousing & Storage; Road Transport, Air, Sea & Rail; and Infrastructure; with a strong emphasis on technology right throughout.

Other features of MEGATRANS2018 include the Global Shippers Forum, the Logistics & Materials Handling Mercury Awards, a Ministerial Breakfast delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government and Transport Certification Australia’s (TCA) Technology Hub. The Port of Melbourne is a Supporting Sponsor of the show, with Enirgi Group and Linde Material Handling backing the event as Sponsors and DB Schenker as Logistics Partner.

MEGATRANS2018 is also supported by a range of Association Partners, including: the Australian Logistics Council (ALC); Victorian Transport Association (VTA); the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) and the Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA); the National Transport Commission (NTC); the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ISHCA); and TCA.

DECEMBER 2017

Safety & Recalls

OCT/NOV 2017

Enticing hues Food colouring goes natural

Do you have a product or service that can help Food and Beverage makers improve their factory practices? Let us know, and be featured in the next edition of this magazine.

Food recalls are among the worst things that can happen to a food manufacturer. In addition to the costs of recalling a product, some brands which are the subject of recalls might never recover from the associated damage to their reputation. The good news that is that there are ways to minimise the risk of this happening to your business.

PLUS: Horticultural export push | Water management | Blockchain & the supply chain

To book in Food & Beverage Contact Sonia Bonner now SONIA.BONNER@PRIMECREATIVE.COM.AU | 0432 574 669

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 41

FOOD WASTE

Repackaging the impact of food waste As consumer awareness of the magnitude of food waste grows, Sealed Air’s Ron Cotterman says the time for retailers to implement more effective preventive measures is now.

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cross the globe, one-third of the food we produce is wasted each year. That equates to some 1.3 billion tonnes of food, causing both economic losses and significant damage to the environment, according to the United Nations.

Where and how that food is wasted differs from country to country. In developing nations, most of the food waste occurs during the production phase (due to lack of sufficient refrigeration and poor infrastructure), with very little waste on the consumer

side. More developed countries are very efficient at moving food to the point of processing and retailing, but large amounts of waste is occurring at the consumer side.

To highlight this growing issue of food waste, and to explore the opportunities that using innovative packaging can bring to retailers and consumers, leading packaging company Sealed Air recently released a report, Taking Action to Tackle Food Waste Challenges, as part of its commitment to reducing food waste.

Darfresh on Tray by Sealed Air

42 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

The report highlighted the current impact of food waste in Australia and New Zealand, which currently stands at 8.3 million tonnes annually, at a retail value of $9.5 billion. In the average Australian and New Zealand household, consumers are essentially throwing $1000 worth of food in the bin each year.

The leading cause of consumer and retail food waste, according to Sealed Air’s vice president of sustainability Ron Cotterman, is the increasing amount of fresh foods demanded by consumers and their inherently perishable nature. “When you look at fresh food there is more wastage because a portion of the food will typically spoil or expire before it can be consumed,” he said. “So when it comes to opportunities to reduce food waste, [one solution] is actually to protect food so that it stays fresh for longer.

“In other words, increase the shelf life or the freshness of that food that otherwise might spoil. If you could make that last a week, two weeks or even longer, and maintain that freshness, you have a greater chance of reducing the amount of food that gets wasted across the supply chain. That is either in retail or food service but also increasing the amount of food that gets consumed in our households.”

According to Sealed Air’s study, 83 per cent of retailers in Australia and 90 per cent of retailers in New Zealand believe shelf life is critical to reducing shrink. When it comes to an increase in profits by controlling shrink, Australian retailers forecast this to be four per cent, while retailers in New Zealand forecast six per cent.

Sealed Air is taking action to address this is by offering food processors and retailers packaging solutions that extend shelf life, improve food safety and consequently lower costs. One example of this is Cryovac Darfresh; a vacuum packaging that provides a unique combination of longer shelf life and more dramatic

product presentation. In this innovative package, the food product itself enables the finished package to have a smooth, skin-tight appearance that appeals to consumers while also giving them more time to enjoy the fresh product.

But packaging is just one solution to the food waste problem. Today, most retailers respond to the crisis when products are close to expiration and need to be consumed or donated in some way. However, Cotterman said alternative action can be taken.

“We are seeing a number of retailers participating with organisations to donate food so that it doesn’t end up going to a landfill or disposed of in another way, but there is another action that retailers can take,” he said.

“That action is to look at the food they are wasting and prevent that waste in the first place. In other words, better analytics, better inventory management to know what food categories are spoiling and why, and to then work to extend shelf life so that food ultimately does not need to be donated,” he said.

“The ability to be ahead is key to extending shelf life, labelling food properly and then informing the consumer about the best ways to store and use that food.”

Traditionally, Sealed Air has focused on its state-of-the-art methods of extending the shelf life of foods through packaging solutions. But more recently, it has been trying to understand how data from the supply chain can be utilised and what kind of data and measurements it can make within its customers’ facilities.

Ultimately this will flow through to retail, and hopefully in the future to consumers to ensure transparency in the entire supply chain.

“We talk a lot about the Internet of Things (IoT) and data, but let’s apply that very specifically to the amount of food that is being wasted,” said Cotterman. “Let’s use the techniques that are available in other market sectors and apply them to

FOOD WASTE

IoT has a role to play in reducing food waste.

the food industry to manage one of our most valuable resources: fresh, nutritious food.”

“The retail supply chain will have a key role in reducing food waste; predominantly that’s through data management. So, understanding the sources of food waste across the supply chain and the interventions that can occur across those points is going to be absolutely key.”

When it comes to the role of consumers in reducing food waste, education is pivotal in helping them recognise the problem and to consequently drive behaviour that will result in less waste. As part of this effort, Sealed Air is investigating how it can address consumer misconceptions around packaging and its effect on the environment.

The company conducted a Harris Poll that revealed nine out of 10 consumers view packaging to be worse for the environment than food waste.

In reality, said Cotterman, the opposite is true.

“If you do a very analytical study and look at the environmental impact of food waste, and compare that to the environmental impact of packaging, you can show that food waste is significantly worse, almost

an order of magnitude greater than the environmental impact of the packaging used to protect it. So we have been looking how we can use information on the packaging that informs the consumer why certain products are packaged the way they are.”

“We think that by educating the consumer on the value of increasing the shelf life and providing extra time and convenience in the use of that food,

will ultimately give them the ability to reduce the amount of food that they waste,” he said.

Confusion over labelling is also a big contributor to food waste. Terms such as ‘use by’, ‘sell by’ and ‘best by’ are used interchangeably by processers, and create a lot of confusion, causing consumers to throw food away before it is actually spoiling.

One solution being addressed today

by governments and industry experts is standardising and clarifying food date labelling. As a result the two standards occurring globally now are ‘best if used by’ and ‘expires on’. The first is used for food that reaches a maximum freshness by a certain time period but is still safe to consume for some period after that date. The second tells the consumer that after that date, the food may no longer be safe to eat and consequently should be discarded.

The driving message around food waste, concludes Cotterman, is that no single company or country is capable of tackling the issue alone. Governments, businesses and organisations need to collaborate to ensure a more sustainable future.

“We are seeing large groups forming and coming together to try and determine where and why food is being wasted across the supply chain.

[They are looking at] what sort of interventions, what sort innovations and what sort of technologies can be applied to the food waste they are identifying, how this can be prevented and how more food can flow through that system to the consumer,” he said.

“Innovation, education and collaboration. By aligning efforts to prevent food waste, we can work together across the supply chain to come up with methods to reduce the amount of waste and its impacts. This is good news for consumers, for the environment and for business.”

Sealed Air recently released a report investigating ways to tackle food waste challenges. www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 43

NEW PRODUCTS

In-line speed controllers SMC has unveiled two new in-line speed controllers, one with an indicator and the other without, which complement the existing Elbow and Universal types.

The AS and the AS-FS controllers are designed to give operators greater control, flexibility and cost savings. The AS speed controller has a push-lock type knob which allows operators to set the flow rate by hand and lock it into position without the need to give it a wrench. It features a larger sized knob, which is easy to turn for fine adjustments.

With a variety of single and manifold mounting options, the product allows operators to build systems that operate with different pressures and flows.

The in-line type speed controller with indicator provides precise flow rate adjustment, through the addition of a numerical display window and 90 degree markers in the push-lock handle rotation. In addition, the use of holes makes it an ideal speed controller for manifold configurations.

An identification label can be attached to the index plate to allow flow direction to be easily identified.

According to the company, these products show that the simplest design improvements can make a huge difference to performance accuracy and operating efficiencies, and save time and labour.

Ultra-high-speed case packer TNA has launched the tna ropac 5, an ultra-high-speed case packer for flexible bags that is capable of industry-leading speeds of up to 300 bags per minute.

Part of the company's performance 5.0 packaging system, the case packer is the first and only side-load case packer in the world that uses the company's unique, patented semi-rotary bag stacking technology to quickly and efficiently pack small to medium, pillow-style snack bags into secondary containers.

With its innovative, highly compact design, the case packer doubles the industry's average case packing speeds, offering snack food manufacturers high throughput, equipment reliability and one of the smallest machine footprints.

Unlike the majority of case packers that employ vacuum pick and drop technology, the tna ropac is based on the company's own semi-rotary bag stacking motion. Using continuously revolving horizontal platforms that can accommodate multiple rows of bags, the proprietary system is able to quickly and efficiently form, lower and side-load vertical stacks of bags into a secondary container such as a box.

As a result of this highly innovative, ultra-high-speed stacking technology, the case packer is capable of packaging up to 300bpm, making it the world's fastest case packer for flexible bags. The semirotary bag stacking system also avoids bags being gripped and dropped by vacuum heads, ensuring that each bag is handled with the utmost care, minimising the risk of product breakage and missed bags. tna Solutions 02 9714 2300 www.tnasolutions.com.au

The controllers feature different coloured release buttons for standard/stainless steel types and inch/metric tubing sizes. This makes handling easier, while minimising the risk of human error.

SMC Australia 1800 763 862 www.smcworld.com

Connection-ready distribution blocks ELECTRICAL engineering manufacturer, Phoenix Contact has released ready-to connect PTFIX distribution blocks with Push-in Connection Technology to provide technicians with greater convenience.

Users connect pre-treated or rigid conductors to the PTFIX distribution blocks by simply aligning and inserting the colourcoded wire to the block. Fast and simple, Phoenix Contact's Push-In Connection Technology helps technicians save valuable time as no tools are required to connect.

Further, conductors even as small as 0.25 mm2 can be reliably connected without using tools. To disconnect or to connect stranded conductors without ferrules, technicians can simply use the push button.

The ready to connect distribution blocks, which provide a flexible and cost-effective solution for loading and controlling current distribution, can be mounted rapidly and without manual bridging to further save on time.

Plus, the various installation options - DIN rail mounting, and direct or adhesive mounting - provide users with maximum flexibility when installing their application. In addition, transverse mounting on the DIN rail enables high wiring density and space savings of up to 50 per cent.

Available in different numbers of positions and 11 colours, the PTFIX distribution blocks can be expanded as required and arranged in series without losing pitch.

Phoenix Contact 1300 786 411 www.phoenixcontact.com.au

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 44

NEW PRODUCTS

Magnetic agitators

Easy to clean DSC grate magnet

THE range of Inoxpa magnetic agitators presents a highly hygienic solution for the applications of dispersion, dissolution, homogenisation and mixing of a wide range of media.

Suitable for use in the food and beverage sector and elsewhere, the agitators are especially useful in sterile processes because the absence of mechanical seals prevents any contact with the exterior environment.

When solids or liquids are added into the vortex created by the agitator, they are transferred straight to the rotor. The rotor transforms the axial movement of the medium into a radial acceleration from the centre of the rotor towards the wall of the vessel.

During this process, the added medium is well distributed ensuring a homogeneous mixing of all the volume.

The agitators deliver effective blending even when used with small volumes of material and, although their power consumption is low, they have a high blending capacity with low shear. In addition, because they use magnetic coupling, there is no risk of leakage.

They feature CIP/SIP design as well as bayonet coupling for easy assembly/disassembly of the drive unit; and an autoclavable agitating element (with previous disassembly of the drive unit).

The units are bottom mounted and are therefore excellent for suspensions.

This is practical in cases where there is not much space at the top of the tank.

ERIEZ has introduced the powerful DSC (dust-tight, sanitary, convertible) grate in housing magnet, for use in the food industry and elsewhere.

According to Eriez, dust-tight construction was the central focus when developing this magnet. It delivers a solution for customers who want easy cleaning features, but cannot have any spillage or leaking on their process floor.

The standard housing on the magnet is sanitary on the interior.

The company also provides customised options to meet customers' specific needs, including sanitary-welded tie bars.

According to the company, the product primarily meets the needs of two groups of customers: those who find they're cleaning their magnet more frequently than expected due to heavy contamination removal and those who simply are not cleaning their magnet enough and need to improve that frequency.

This separator's innovative design allows customers to purchase a manual clean unit that can later be easily upgraded to an automatic cleaning unit with simple hand tools and a bolt-on kit. This convertible design is something no one else offers.

The magnet combines a state-of-the-art design with the industry's most powerful Eriez Xtreme RE7 magnet circuit.

Inoxpa 03 5976 8881 www.inoxpa.com.au

Eriez Magnetics 03 8401 7400 www.eriez.com

Premium power supplies NHP has released a premium range of basic power supplies that offer a cost-effective solution without compromising reliability, efficiency and application flexibility - the 1606 XLB Series from Allen-Bradley.

Ideal for use in manufacturing applications such as food and beverage, packaging, materials handling, and water and wastewater the compact 1606 XLB Series from NHP offers the highest levels of reliability to reduce downtime and optimise savings.

Rated up to 1.37 million hours mean time between failure (MTBF) and with a minimum service life-time of 47,000 hours, the efficiency figures of these power supplies range from 90.7 per cent up to 95.2 per cent.

Offering increased choice when it comes to finding a solution that meets your application requirements, these convection cooled units can operate from -10°C (some units -25°C) up to 70°C ensuring performance in the most demanding applications.

Available in 5A (120 Watts) with an input range of 85-132V AC / 170-264V AC and 10A (240 Watts) with an input range of 170-264V AC, the outputs ranges on both models are 24-28V DC. The XLB Series are equipped with a DC-OK signal which allows the ability to monitor the output voltage, the unit also clicks smoothly onto any standard DIN rail and features large-sized terminals which makes wiring easier.

NHP Electrical Engineering 1300 NHP NHP www.nhp.com.au

www.foodmag.com.au | Oct/Nov 2017 | Food&Beverage Industry News 45

ADVERTORIAL

Dual function monitor Ideal for a wide range of gas flow applications where process safety is important, this device from AMS Instrumentation & Calibration performs double-duty in air or other gases to cut plant costs.

W

ith its flexible design, the dual function FS10i Flow Switch/Monitor from Fluid Components International (FCI) delivers two functions in a single instrument, providing process and plant engineers a flow monitor at the price of a flow switch.

The device is particularly useful in gas flow safety-related applications because it is designed to provide a dependable high or low-trip point alarm. It also includes an analogue 4-20 mA output signal at no additional cost. Configured in the field, the FS10i also eliminates the burden of additional calibration costs that are normally associated with other flow measurement applications.

The versatile device operates over a wide flow range in air/gas from .25

FPS to 400 SFPS [0,076 MPS to 122 MPS] and in water from 0.01 FPS to 0.5 FPS [0,003 MPS to 0,15 MPS].

Repeatability: ±0.5 per cent of reading.

The full range capability of the device can be employed in gas applications, including hazardous gases. With its optional Div 2/Zone 2 approvals, it is ideally suited for applications monitoring seal leaks, compressed air leaks, and assuring that purge air flow is verified. The device’s analogue span is established by simply simulating low flow and high flow conditions under the setup mode. The 4-20mA output, though non-linear, will now track the flow over that range.

The device’s analogue output is ideal for trending flows that can provide an early warning of clogged

The versatile device operates over a wide flow range in air or gas.

46 Food&Beverage Industry News | Oct/Nov 2017 | www.foodmag.com.au

filters, pipe fitting leaks, wearing seals, pump problems and other causes of flow disruptions before system shutdown. This instrument’s capabilities are a highly useful tool in avoiding damage to expensive pumps and compressors and other equipment that can require extensive maintenance or replacement.

The device is designed for simple insertion into 13mm or larger diameter pipes and square ducts. It is fast responding and highly repeatable to both increasing and decreasing changes in flow rate.

It also includes a 10-LED array that provides both a useful visual indication that the trip point has been exceeded (LED flashes on/off) and of relative flow rate (10 per cent increments) across the flow range.

The device provides best-inclass features for installation in rugged environments and for longlife in industrial plants, process and large buildings. Its flow sensor’s thermowells are constructed of corrosion resistant Hastelloy C-22. It operates in fluid temperatures up to 121°C, in pressures up to 2000 psi [138 bar] and also features IP protection rating to IP67 for its housing.

Designed for reliability and dependable measurement, the FS10i Flow/Switch Monitor is the only instrument of its type and in its price range to carry a SIL 2 compliance rating. It has no moving parts to clog or foul and requires no routine maintenance, which saves time and expense over any mechanicaltechnology based flow switch.

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