Food & Beverage Industry News July 2022

JULY 2022

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FoodTech is set to showcase industry’s newest innovations

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or the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, FoodTech has returned to the Australian market and is taking place on the Gold Coast this month from July 7 to 8.

After AUSPACK earlier this year, it’s great to be heading to another trade show, this time in Queensland. While AUSPACK was focused on packaging, which is a critical component of the food and beverage industry, FoodTech is all about innovation in the food space.

A string of key speakers and exhibitors promises to provide a great two-day expo and I personally am looking forward to getting to meet more of you face to face for the first time.

Expo’s like FoodTech provide an invaluable resource for the industry, educating key decision makers and stakeholders about the latest offerings in the space and what the future is shaping up to be.

As automation quickly becomes a key point of focus for the industry, expo’s like FoodTech become increasingly important. The look of the industry is sure to undergo some rapid change in the near future, more than before, and trade shows which showcase what will feature in that future provide companies with the insight they need to be successful.

Exhibitors will be featured from across many sectors in food and beverage, from ingredients to packaging solutions, food science, and agriculture technology.

FoodTech has it all covered.

The expo also gives stakeholders one of their first chances to assess technology which may address any possible issues they discovered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chain disruptions to labour retention.

The same rings true for me and my colleagues.

When we go to trade shows we are also given valuable insight into the industry we cover, along with great face to face interaction with those from inside the industry.

Doing this informs our stories going forward and allows us greater understanding of the topics we write about.

In this edition of Food & Beverage Industry News I also got to speak with the general manager at Vitasoy about the rapid growth of popularity in the alternative milks category and how it is being driven by consumer demands.

It is a microcosm of the industry as a whole, with a range of factors such as the pandemic effecting processes, but also the change in consumer demands.

Some companies have already taken steps to diversify their offerings to help capture new markets, expos like FoodTech are a great place for those companies to attend.

Whether it be companies looking to diversify, or companies looking to future proof their operations, FoodTech will provide the insight they need to make the big calls going forward.

The rest of 2022 will be peppered with more trade shows across the country, such as Fine Food Melbourne, set to run from September 5 to 8, and the International Food Conference in Sydney on August 30 and 31.

It’s great to see expos return after years of lockdowns and pandemic caused disruptions. Hopefully by the end of the year the trade show circuit will feel like it is back in full swing.

Until next month.

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CONTENTS

INSIDE

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08 NEWS 16 MEET THE MANUFACTURER Vitasoy has been riding the wave of the growing popularity of alternative milk.

22 FOODTECH Your guide to everything you need to know for the 2022 FoodTech expo.

30 TRACEABILITY GS1 details the importance of its Digital Link for 2DBarcodes.

32 TRACEABILITY Theta Technologies will showcase its software solutions at FoodTech 2022.

34 INDUSTRIAL GASES Supagas will have a presence at FoodTech 2022 to showcase its work with CO2 gas.

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36 FOOD SAFETY Vendart will bring its expertise in food safety to the FoodTech floor this year.

38 PACKAGING O F Packaging continues to innovate towards a circular plastic economy.

40 CONSTRUCTION Total Construction is encouraging the industry to act fast on new projects.

42 FLOW METERS Bürkert’s FLOWave sensor ensures precise, hygienic flow measurement 44 SPRAY DRYING Spraying Systems Australia’s drying process promises greater yield and better product life.

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46 PACKAGING Select Equip is the exclusive distributor of G.Mondini’s new tray sealer 48 FLOORING Allied Finishes demonstrates its expertise in solving drainage and flooring issues for a beverage manufacturer.

50 SENSORS The VEGABAR pressure transmitters ensure operations run smoothly for producers.

52 LOGISTICS Etihad details the latest issues facing the supply chain and logistics sector.

54 WEIGHING EQUIPMENT Tecweigh offers the industry food grade, stainless steel feeders that are highly accurate and hygienic.

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56 EFFICIENCY Gates has carved a legacy in Australian manufacturing through its work with material science.

58 WASTEWATER Aerofloat details how microbreweries implement low maintenance wastewater solutions.

60 ENGINEERING Plucks Engineering Ltd, specialists in flexible agricultural manufacturing and repair engineering, turned to Bonfiglioli for the right gearbox.

62 AIP 64 MARKETWATCH 66 NEW PRODUCTS

6 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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NEWS

New APCO Pledge drives recycled materials in packaging T

he Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) recently announced the launch of the Recycled Materials Pledge, a new initiative designed to drive greater uptake of recycled materials in packaging.

The innovative new initiative will challenge major brands to publicly commit the volumes of specific materials they will transition from virgin materials to recycled materials by 2025.

Increasing the use of recycled content is a core element of the 2025 National Packaging Targets and a critical factor in the establishment of a true circular economy for sustainable packaging in Australia.

The development of the Pledge will help to signal the level of demand for recycled packaging materials in

the Australian marketplace, and consequently help to drive increased investment in the necessary reprocessing capabilities.

“The Pledge will give fresh impetus to the uptake of recycled content,” APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly said. “Being able to demonstrate firm commitments from businesses will showcase the significant demand that exists in the market for recycled materials – and give broader industry the motivation to step up to meet this demand.

“An item of packaging is only truly recycled when it is used again, so the importance of this initiative cannot be overstated. Significantly reducing our reliance on virgin materials will decrease the pressure we put on the planet’s finite resources and ensure that valuable materials are not simply lost to landfill.”

APCO’s Recycled Materials Pledge aims to drive companies to use more recycled materials in their packaging.

8 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Modelled on similar programs in Europe, the Pledge will allow APCO Members to make detailed commitments to the recycled material market and pledge their dedication to achieving specific 2025 National Packaging recycled material targets.

APCO will analyse and aggregate all Pledges, before sharing these insights publicly to provide much needed clarity over market demand.

This comprehensive view of future demand in our packaging, recycling, and remanufacturing industries will allow APCO to bring together the needs of industry and governments to help facilitate the necessary reprocessing and manufacturing opportunities.

“For some businesses, the Pledge is the initial step in their sustainability journey while, for others, it will reinforce

current commitments to circularity,” Donnelly said. “Regardless, the Pledge will help businesses to play their role in the development of a circular economy and work together to move Australia towards a more sustainable future for packaging.”

Australia has already made significant progress towards the 2025 National Packaging Target for recycled content, with the latest figures (2019-20) showing a current average of 39 per cent recycled content included in packaging, against the Target of 50 per cent.

However, progress lags towards materialspecific targets, particularly for plastic packaging, which the Pledge initiative will aim to address.

For more information about the Pledge, visit www.apco.org.au/recycledcontent-label-program. F

NEWS

Nestlé Australia invests to give the planet a break N

estlé Australia has given chocolate lovers one more reason to enjoy their break, announcing KitKat will be Australia’s first chocolate bar with a wrapper using recycled plastic.

More than 40 million 45g KitKat bars will be packed in the 30 per cent recycled content wrapper in the next year, cutting virgin plastic use by around 250,000m2, enough to cover more than 200 50m swimming pools.

Nestlé Oceania General Manager Chris O’Donnell said the company was on a mission to cut its virgin plastics use by a third by 2025.

“Introducing recycled content in our packaging will make a significant impact against our 2025 ambition.

We’ve implemented a number of changes to reduce our use of virgin plastic but this switch, the first of its kind, will be a huge step change.

“We know consumers want our packaging to use more recycled content, so we’re delighted to deliver the KitKat

45g bar as Australia’s first food product to be wrapped in soft plastic made with recycled content.

“For KitKat fans, the news is all good. The 30 per cent recycled plastic wrapper will keep KitKat bars crisp, fresh and delicious, while we focus on giving the planet a break. When they’re finished, they can continue to recycle their wrappers through the REDcycle scheme.”

The wrapper is also Nestlé’s first soft plastic food wrapper globally to use recycled content.

“Soft plastic with recycled content that’s suitable for food packaging isn’t widely available anywhere in the world – we’ve been searching high and low to find as much of this material as we can from our suppliers. As more becomes available we’re hoping to increase the amount we can source for our packaging,” said Mr O’Donnell.

“We’re focussed on less packaging, better packaging and better systems.

This is a big step in the right direction

KitKat will be Australia’s first chocolate bar with a wrapper made from fully recycled plastic.

but we’re not at our end destination yet.

This is a journey of ongoing innovation.

“In the meantime, we’ve committed to invest CHF 2 billion globally to stimulate the market and lead the shift from virgin plastics to food grade recycled plastics.”

The 30 per cent food grade recycled plastic wrapper is supplied by Huhtamaki. The recycled content has been allocated using the mass balance approach and certified by ISCC. More information is available at www.kitkat. com.au/givetheplanetabreak. F

Key food associations address Australian food security I

A new alliance aims to address key food security issues.

n an unprecedented move, the newly formed Food Industry Alliance (FIA) will work with government to address key issues to ensure reliable and affordable access to food for all Australians, during this time of supply chain disruption.

Industry associations have expressed interest in supporting this alliance.

Comprised of food industry associations across the supply chain, the FIA includes Independent Food Distributors Australia (IFDA), The National Farmers Federation (NFF), Australian Meat Industry Council, (AMIC), Master Grocers Australia (MGA) and the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS).

The FIA represents or supplies food to over 156,000 businesses with a combined revenue of $220 billion and employing almost one million people.

“We need our food supply chains to be firing on all cylinders if we are to ensure food remains on the shelves and available in many of the nation’s food venues without disruption,” said IFDA CEO Richard Forbes.

“Food security is key in these uncertain times, so we need to work together, across all industry sectors, and with government, to overcome the many significant domestic and global challenges the food supply chain faces.”

The FIA’s aim is to also highlight the national contribution that family and private-owned independent food businesses make to the Australian economy.

The group says if these issues are not addressed as a matter of priority, then there is increased potential to see food price inflation and more disruptions in terms of availability. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 9

NEWS

Food South Australia releases industry export strategy

The strategy is a key driver behind increasing sales in South Australia.

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ood South Australia has released an industry-led export strategy for the food and beverage sector with the goal of growing export sales to just over $3 billion by 2027.

The South Australia Food and Beverage Five Year Export Strategy was released at the industry’s annual conference, the 2022 Food South Australia Summit.

Food South Australia CEO Catherine Sayer said the food and beverage industry in South Australia is a key driver for the

South Australian economy and increasing sales to high potential export markets is vital to driving both industry and state economic growth.

“This export strategy has been developed in close consultation with industry and recognises that growing export sales for our state’s food and beverage products from $2.6 billion in 2021 to $3 billion by 2027 can only be achieved by South Australian businesses working together, with the support of the state and Australian governments,”

said Sayer.

Minister for Trade and Investment, Nick Champion, congratulated the South Australian food and beverage industry for their work in developing such a comprehensive strategy.

“This is exactly the type of initiative that will help South Australian exporters as they rebound from a tough few years,” he said.

“I look forward to working with the industry as we continue to build exports in key markets and ensure South Australia export rebounds and our producers are stronger than ever.”

The Export Strategy, which covers all food and beverage products excepting wine, is being championed by an industryled Steering Group comprising some of the state’s most experienced food and beverage exporters.

Kate Birch, general manager of her family’s business – and South Australian export success story – Ferguson Australia Group, is chairing the Steering Group, which also includes Simon Linke (SAMEX), Kris Lloyd (Woodside Cheese Wrights) and Andrew Cooper (Coopers Brewery).

The Steering Group is working with Food South Australia and government

agencies to address the key export challenges facing the industry.

Birch said the strategy calls for a framework to support accelerated growth for existing exporters and enable new exporters to move forward with confidence.

“It’s essential to achieving growth that we recognise and leverage our competitive strengths and collaborate effectively with state, national and industry bodies to achieve export success and build resilience,” said Birch.

“There are challenges not only in fully understanding the priority markets and categories that offer the greatest potential in line with global consumer trends, but also in developing a competitive logistics infrastructure, growing industry skills and investing in innovative technologies, for example,” she said.

The Export Strategy has been developed under the South Australia Food and Beverage Export Hub program.

Food South Australia developed the Export Hub initiative to assist businesses to streamline their export development and receives funding support from the Australian government’s SME Export Hub grant and the Government of South Australia. F

Eco bottle targets wine industry’s carbon hotspot A

The wine bottle is made from 100 per cent recycled PET plastic.

wine bottle made entirely from Australian-sourced 100 per cent recycled PET plastic is helping to reshape the carbon footprint of wine by targeting the industry’s environmental hotspot – the glass bottle.

In a collaboration between sustainable packaging company, Packamama and winemakers, Accolade Wines and Taylors Wines, eco-bottles of Banrock Station wines and Taylors’ One Small Step range are for sale exclusively through select Liquorland and First Choice Liquor Market stores

nationally from this month.

The launch marks the Australian market debut of the eco bottles.

With a nod to tradition, Packamama’s innovative eco-bottle shares the classic high-shouldered silhouette of a traditional “Bordeaux” wine bottle.

But when turned to the side, it reveals a slimmer, flatter profile that allows twice as many bottles to fit in a standard wine case – which means it’s much more efficient to transport.

Using recycled PET also saves weight and with the bottles being 83

10 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

per cent lighter, emissions in transport are reduced as well as the energy in production and recycling to further tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

The freight-friendly bottle has the potential to significantly reduce the road transport burden and emissions for wine in Australia.

When customers are finished with their Banrock Station and One Small Step Wines, the empty bottle is fully recyclable.

While the shape of the eco-bottle is a departure from the traditional round wine bottle, Packamama’s

chief executive and founder, Santiago Navarro, is confident the time is right for Australian winemakers to respectfully challenge a couple of centuries of tradition. F

NEWS

Treasury Wine Estates to install largest winery solar system I conic Australian wines including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Wynns, Squealing Pig and Pepperjack will be produced using 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2024, as Treasury Wine Estates announces Australia’s largest winery solar installation across its Barossa and Karadoc wineries.

Around 9,500 solar panels will be installed by the end of 2022 at Barossa Winery and Production Centre in South Australia, and Karadoc Winery in Victoria. The installations, which include solar powered employee carparks, are expected to generate over 5,500 megawatt hours of electricity per year.

Treasury Wine Estates chief sustainability and external affairs officer, Kirsten Gray, said moving to 100 per cent renewable electricity was the most significant contribution the company could make on its journey to net zero direct emissions.

The initiative was developed in partnership with Shell Energy and is part of TWE’s broader plan to make wine sustainable.

“Electricity makes up about 70 per cent of our Scope One and Two emissions, so switching to renewables is the single biggest and quickest action we can take to reduce emissions. It paves the way to meet our target of net zero direct emissions by 2030 and forms the foundation for future innovation and resilience,” said Gray.

Shell Energy Australia CEO, Greg Joiner, said Treasury Wine Estates’ commitments in renewable electricity were an important step in becoming a sustainability leader in the global wine and beverages sector.

“With nearly 13,000 hectares of vineyards all over the world, Treasury Wine Estates has an opportunity to shape how the wine industry navigates the energy transition,” said Joiner. F

A range of Australian wines will 100 per cent renewable by 2024.

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NEWS

The Arnott’s Group advances its sustainability agenda

Arnott’s believes that creates a more sustainable future is critical.

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he Arnott’s Group’s second annual Sustainability Report highlights its achievements and continued momentum to achieve key sustainability obligations for the planet, its people and the community.

Over the past 12 months, the Arnott’s Group’s has created a more accountable and transparent supply chain, committed to renewable energy solutions, widely adopted the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), and provided a wider choice of food options and more guidance on nutrition to consumers.

Arnott’s Group CEO, George Zoghbi, said creating a more sustainable future is critical, despite challenges such as the world has seen in the past few years.

“We have a responsibility, across our entire supply chain, from how we source and make our products, to how we connect with the community,” Zoghbi said. “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do as a business, and it’s an imperative we continue to drive progress.”

Arnott’s Group chief transformation officer, Simon Lowden, said the business has approached its sustainability agenda with enthusiasm and a desire to continue to do more and do better.

“We have spent the past year taking stock of our processes, measuring our outputs, and working closely with the industry, our customers and our partners on emerging technologies, new materials and collective challenges,” he said. “We have listened to the repeated calls from consumers worldwide, demanding greater accountability from companies, and we have acted.”

The report comes 12 months after The Arnott’s Group set itself four ambitious targets, namely to: row and source 100 per cent of key •G ingredients – namely flour, sugar, oil, dairy and cocoa products – sustainably by 2035; •A chieve net zero emissions in operations (scope one and two) by 2040 and across the value chain (scope three) by 2050; •R educe, reuse, or repurpose Australian and New Zealand plastic packaging by 10 per cent by 2025 and meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets set by Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO); and • Increase choice, opportunity and wellbeing by promoting inclusion and belonging, supporting communities and providing diverse food options and guidance on nutrition.

12 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Some of the Arnott’s Group’s achievements highlighted in its Sustainability Report this year include:

Source – Sustainable ingredients • Securing the commitment of 90 per cent of suppliers of ingredients and packaging to responsible supply chain management in line with the Arnott’s Group Responsible Sourcing Supplier Code; • I mplementing an ethical standards framework for suppliers, with 96.3 per cent compliance by ingredient and packaging suppliers; and • S uccessfully developing a new soft wheat variety, created in partnership with Longreach wheat breeders and Allied Pinnacle, that has a better overall yield, greater drought tolerance and resilience against pests.

The new variety will be aptly named ‘Scotch’ as a nod to the longstanding partnership between the companies and the role that The Arnott’s Group plays in supporting the soft wheat industry as the largest individual purchaser.

Make – Net Zero emissions • Implementing plans to install solar power systems across the Arnott’s

Group’s bakery sites in Australia by the end of 2022; and •R efining waste management practices across manufacturing sites including reducing landfill waste, diversifying recycling options, and implementing better waste infrastructure.

Make – Circular packaging • Adopting the Australasian Recycling Label on 72 per cent of its product portfolio, with a goal to achieve 100 per cent by 2024, one year ahead of the national target; •T ransitioning all point-of-sale displays in Australia to 100 per cent recyclable alternatives; and •C ommitting to transition the entire Arnott’s soft plastic packaging portfolio in ANZ to mono material by the end of 2023, removing 9 tonnes of plastic from the environment each year and improving recyclability.

Thriving communities • Donating 794,600 products via Foodbank and 100,000 via EatUp to Australians in need; and •D onating $250,000 to Camp Quality and $100,000 to Fairy Sparkle, through the Arnott’s Foundation, to help kids with cancer. F

NEWS

New method to detect hazeforming proteins in white wine A

n efficient and rapid fluorescence-based method to detect haze-forming proteins in white wines has been developed at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), with the work recently published in the journal Food Chemistry.

The methods currently used for testing heat stability of white wine can be time-consuming, expensive and may not always accurately predict the amount of bentonite required to achieve protein stability.

This could lead to over-fining, which might strip out phenolics and aroma compounds, or underfining, which could increase the risk of protein instability. AWRI’s new fluorescence-based method presents an alternative.

The method uses a fluorescent compound that binds haze-forming proteins selectively. To validate it, a range of wines were analysed with results compared to an established

HPLC method.

A linear relationship was observed between the two methods over a range of relevant haze protein concentrations

and the new method showed a low detection limit of 2mg/L. The new technology can be deployed rapidly, without sample

preparation, presenting an opportunity for routine testing.

The full paper detailing this work is available from the AWRI library. F

AWRI’s new method can be deployed rapidly, without sample preparation.

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NEWS

Unilever “warms up” ice cream freezers to help tackle emissions Unilever will trial warmer ice cream freezer cabinets in efforts to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions.

U

nilever is launching two pilots to trial warmer ice cream freezer cabinets, aiming to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 20–30 per cent per freezer while ensuring the same ice cream quality and consumer experience.

The two pilots, which kicked off last month in Germany with a second pilot to follow in Indonesia next year, are the first step in exploring and understanding the product performance of ice cream and the energy consumption of freezers at warmer -12°C temperatures, in real life conditions.

With a current industry standard in many markets of -18°C, Unilever’s ambition is to move the temperature of its retail sales freezers to -12°C to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, hoping to drive industry-wide change.

Following the successful completion of the first two pilots, Unilever will work to “warm up” its last mile freezer cabinets in a phased approach. Unilever will start in markets where its last

mile freezer cabinet carbon footprint is highest, to achieve the maximum reductive impact on its own carbon emissions. It is hoped that other ice cream manufacturers will follow.

“These pilots will provide valuable information on how much energy we can save and how our ice cream products perform in warmer freezers to ensure we deliver the same great-tasting ice cream,” said Unilever president, Ice Cream, Matt Close.

“We’re actively seeking to collaborate with partners from across the ice cream and frozen food sectors to drive industry-wide change, so the collective positive impact is far greater.”

Emissions from retail ice cream freezers account for 10 per cent of Unilever’s value chain greenhouse gas

footprint. Unilever’s Climate Transition Action Plan sets out the company’s roadmap to reduce these emissions, including reducing cabinet energy consumption through innovating the main technical components (e.g., compressors), exploring programmes that will enable the freezers to be powered by renewable electricity, and working towards “warming up” the cold chain.

“Warming up” the cold chain is just one step that Unilever is taking to reach its ambitious climate targets which include zero emissions from its operations (scope one and two) by 2030, halving the full value chain emissions of its products (per consumer use) by 2030, and achieving net zero emissions across Unilever’s value chain by 2039. F

ARM Hub works with banana farmers to automate the industry A

RM Hub has partnered with North Queensland Banana Farmers and Hort Innovation to adopt more continuous improvement and automation technology, and deliver the Banana Industry Strategic Investment Plan.

The Australian Banana Growers Council (ABGC) has identified de-handing of bananas as a labourintensive process that could be transformed using Industry 4.0 technology.

“Australia is known for its array of fresh fruit, however the challenges the horticulture industry has faced over the last few years with natural disasters and working visa reduction, has hit hard,” ARM Hub CEO associate Professor Cori Stewart said.

“Together we need to take a proactive approach to address these challenges, to reduce crop loss, damage to land, as well as banana price hikes in supermarkets. We are pleased that ARM Hub is part of the solution.”

ARM Hub expert Dr Chris

Lehnert, along with designer Anthony Franze and robotics engineer Troy Cordie, have been working with North Queensland banana farmers to understand the production process and identify any potential opportunities for incorporating robotics and automation in de-handing.

“As we aim to address the National Manufacturing Priorities for Food and Beverages, we must ensure we are taking action at a grassroots level by addressing the challenges for our farmers,” Lehnert said.

“The banana industry and the Australian horticulture industry at large can significantly benefit from incorporating Industry 4.0 technology into their processes. And technology advances so quickly, it is timely to take a closer look both at current practices and the technological developments over recent years that could potentially make a difference.”

The ARM Hub expert team just returned from a three-day intensive

14 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

ARM Hub is helping to transform bananas’ de-handing process with Industry 4.0 technology. with farmers in Tully and Innisfail and will now prepare a report to Hort Innovation, growers and stakeholders

in North Queensland on potential technologies and recommended next steps. F

NEWS

Huge industry turnout for Naturally Good 2022 T

he Naturally Good Expo has wrapped up and been declared the most successful show since the start of the pandemic.

The annual two-day B2B expo held on 6-7 June at the International Convention Centre in Sydney – the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – showcased over 200 exhibitors from around the nation in food, beverages, beauty, health and homewares, as well as more than 30 influential business speakers.

Naturally Good product manager, Sinead Kavanaugh, said the expo’s seventh year had exceeded all expectations.

“Given the challenges of the last few years, it’s been amazing to see all the industry support for businesses in the natural health space. We had incredible retailers attend this year’s expo and the feedback and interest from them has been phenomenal,” she said.

“This year’s theme was The Natural Step Ahead: Your Platform for Organic Growth, and we feel the expo lived up to that by helping and inspiring many

Naturally Good 2022 showcased over 200 exhibitors. exhibitors on their business journey.

Exhibitors were constantly busy in meetings and made fantastic contacts.”

This year, some of the most unique Australian products in the food and beverage industry were front and centre including gut immunity boosting foods and functional beverages.

Platinum partners included Global

by Nature; Oborne Health Supplies;

and Unique health products; as well as industry partners such as FIAL, Australian Made, ANTA, Australian Organic Limited, and Complementary Medicines Australia.

As always, the annual Pitch Fest competition was fiercely competitive with innovative businesses including Good Edi; Pacific Harvest; San Elk; Compassion Cremery; and Teffkers – The Bakery Lab pitching to a range of experts and trade buyers. Compassion Cremery were crowned the winners for their unique Oat Crème Cheese product.

This year’s speaker sessions at both the expo and Business Summit on 3 June were packed with Australia’s most knowledgeable leaders providing expert insights. Popular topics included The Future of Healthy Food; Retailer Partnerships – Working Together For Success; The Future of Beauty; and Decoding Gen Z. Summit topics covered the areas of retail, consumer, sustainability and export strategy.

New this year was the first-ever

Naturally Good Awards recognising the products and brands moving and shaking the industry. Award winners included Beter Confectionary for Best Food Product, Angove Naturalis Organic for Best Beverage Product, and Ethique for Best Beauty & Cosmetics Product.

Also generating interest was Australian Organic Alley, a dedicated area on the show floor showcasing certified Australian Organic members, and the Australian Made Pavilion.

Kavanagh said the expo continues to grow each year with the number of trade visitors and sheer volume of brands exhibiting.

“There is currently such high market demand in the natural products space, with the market predicted to grow even further over the next five years. We are thrilled at the great feedback from exhibitors, visitors and partners all round.

We look forward to planning next year,” she said.

The Naturally Good Expo will return to Sydney next June at the ICC. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 15

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Vitasoy’s plant based milk products experience rapid growth Vitasoy Australia recently celebrated its 21st birthday having established itself in Albury Wodonga since 2001.

However the biggest growth spike in the local business has occurred in the last 7 years. Adam McCleery writes.

T

he rapid growth of the alternative milk sector over the last few years, despite its presence in Australia for decades, has in part been attributed to a range of factors.

The obvious driver behind the growth of the alternative milk sector, as it is across the food and beverage industry, is a change in consumer trends.

Vitasoy partners with Australian farmers to source ingredients for its range of alternative milks, which includes soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, and rice milk.

Vitasoy managing director, David

Tyack, said the successful growth of Vitasoy in Australia has come off the back of strong local manufacturing relationships with farmers and other ingredients suppliers.

“We started as a joint venture with National Foods Ltd and originally, we were importing from Hong Kong made products into Australia in the early 90s,” he said.

“Like any of the plant-based offerings today we were the new funky offering, but at the time only health food shops, and other fringe styled shops, would take us on board because of the penetration of dairy milk in the mainstream.

16 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

“The joint venture took off in sales in the early days and it made sense to have a localised plant in Australia.”

Tyack said that focus on Australian ingredients was a big part of what set Vitasoy apart from its competitors.

“We take Australian produce, the best of Australian soy, almonds, rice, and oats, convert it into our great tasting products at our facility in Wodonga and then we sell it to the marketplace,” he said.

“We aren’t bringing in overseas ingredients, we are trying to leverage brand Australia which around the world is recognised as clean and green and has that great attribute to it.

“For us, the difference is we back ‘Team Australia’ with our factory here, our long-term relationship with our farmers, and we think that is what makes us a great offering in a very fast and ever evolving plant milk market.”

Tyack said sourcing local ingredients presented a host of advantages, but the company also has to have contingencies in place for unforeseen circumstances.

“For example, a few years ago we had a drought in Australia and some crops were compromised so we had to go far and wide for a short period of time to deliver the product to the marketplace,” he said.

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Vitasoy’s Australian manufacturing factory is located in Wodonga.

Meanwhile, the impact of COVID19 is an example of the advantages to Vitasoy’s insistence on localised ingredients.

“The supply chain challenges for getting things into Australia during the pandemic created issues,” Tyack said.

“But in this case, we were fortunate that we have a strong and localised supply chain from farmers across New South Wales, Victoria, and southern Queensland, rather than having to rely on freight from Europe or North America.”

Keeping aligned with consumer trends has also been a significant part of Vitasoy’s approach, from providing

soy milk to the market when it was the leading alternative milk option, to meeting current trends.

“The consumer trends, acceptance, and their exploration of plant based alternatives has accelerated over the last three to five years,” said Tyack.

“The mainstay had been soy, which has been around in this marketplace for over three decades, and it is quite close to the nutrition provided by dairy milk, from a plant-based offering. It has the unique point of protein, calcium, comparable to dairy milk.

“Then about eight or nine years ago almonds really came from nowhere and became a major player in the

marketplace.”

That rise in popularity of Almond milk saw the product become the most popular alternative milk on the market and a similar emergence is occurring with other alternative milk offerings.

“The big trend over the last three years has been with oats,” said Tyack.

Prior to its rise in popularity, oat milk was in a similar segment to rice and coconut milk, a small percentage of the market was purchasing it.

“But its explosion of acceptance off the back of its characteristics being close to that of dairy milk,” said Tyack.

“The creaminess and neutral base are the perfect platform for people to

Vitasoy managing director, David Tyack, said the alternative milk sector continues to grow.

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 17

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Vitasoy’s Australian product offerings include oat, almond, and soy milk.

Vitasoy’s Let’s Grow a Better World’ campaign is a key company driver.

18 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

try plant-based milk and we have found oats are going gangbusters across all offerings. To the point you see oat milk specific jugs in café’s where it would usually have been soy, almond, and dairy milks.”

The growth of the alternative milk market has also seen it penetrate the café and barista sector off the back of improved formulations.

Tyack said alternative milks such as soy, almond, and oat, were becoming more prevalent in café’s which was also providing invaluable exposure for the product.

“Penetration into the barista market is very important because it’s a great touch point with consumers out of the home and in their day to day lives,” he said.

“To have the industry try and focus on that area and have that formulation in place for it to perform the same way as dairy milk is critically important.

“When plant-based consumers enjoy their coffee there is no compromise from a dairy option.”

Tyack said while alternative milks had some way to go to perfect formulations to the point that they all retain the same components as dairy milk, the signs so far were positive.

Vitasoy’s manufacturing facility was built in Wodonga, Victoria, because of its prime position close to the Hume Highway and between

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Penetrating the barista sector has been an important step for Vitasoy. both Sydney and Melbourne, two of Australia’s largest markets.

‘The site was also chosen because of the easy access to good clean water,” said Tyack.

“Plant-based milk is mostly made up of water so access to good clean water is important to its production.”

The Wodonga facility is Vitasoy’s only manufacturing site within Australia and New Zealand but because of its location the company can scale up its operations to match growing industry and market demands, both locally and now internationally.

“We are starting to see exports grow because of a growing demand for clean and green products from Australia,” said Tyack.

A 12 to 15 per cent growth in the grocery segment and further growth in the coffee market have also helped drive the need to scale up to meet demand.

Tyack said those two factors combined meant the company was always looking at expanding its capacity in Wodonga to address growing demand.

“We have gone from a relatively small facility, with about sub 10 million litres per year, to now up to 70 million litres a year,” he said.

“We are currently looking to invest in unlocking even greater capacity so

"The mainstay had been soy, which has been around in this marketplace for over two decades, and it is quite close to the nutrition provided by dairy milk, from a plantbased offering. It has the unique point of protein, calcium, comparable to dairy milk."

that we can have a facility greater than 100 million litres per year to meet the needs of that growing marketplace.

“It’s also fortunate that our founder chose a large greenfield site so even though we consume the real estate inside the building right now, we have lots of greenspace around to expand and put in more lines.”

The facility in Wodonga produces Vitasoy’s soy, almond, oat, coconut, and rice milks. All of which undergo a similar process with only a few key differences at the start point.

“For our soy milk we start with a whole soybean, we don’t use a soy flour or soy protein isolates or anything like that, which we then dehull and then grind up before adding stabiliser and some flavourings to it. From there it’s mixed with water, sterilised, and packed off,” said Tyack.

“Oats are a bit different because they are ground up. In relation to our almonds, we use one method which soaks the almonds before we grind

them, however we are also starting to recognise consumers like other almond milks which are made from almond paste, so we are currently exploring that avenue with our almond suppliers.”

Vitasoy has also put a renewed emphasis on helping create a more sustainable manufacturing sector.

“In recent years we brought our ‘Let’s Grow a Better World’ campaign to life, which is more than just a marketing campaign, it is about what drives our business,” said Tyack.

Being a plant-based manufacturer, Vitasoy aims to promote how plantbased is helping to drive sustainability.

“Prior to that most of the marketing communications in the plant-based market has been very functional. We try and use a purpose lead approach around our sustainability initiatives and what we are trying to achieve,” said Tyack.

“We are always looking at ways to develop more sustainable practices,

how we can improve nutrition, reduce sugar levels, reduce fats and use less energy and water. It drives the whole business.”

Tyack said the company wasn’t satisfied with doing only the bare minimum required when it comes to a more sustainable approach to manufacturing, and instead saw it as a competitive advantage to be a key leader.

“It’s very important for us to play that key lead role. To be leaner and greener and tread lighter on the environment, which is anchored to the whole strategy of the business,” he said.

“That means doing things like looking at the ways we make the products and how we bring them to life.

“Demonstrating how we’re growing a better world is paramount, which is why we’ve just launched a 5-year partnership with The Mulloon Institute, one of only five organisations globally recognised by the United Nations as a demonstrator of regenerative agriculture.

“Their goal, with support from Vitasoy, is to bring millions of hectares back to life for a more resilient Australian landscape.

“We are driving that agenda and see it as a competitive advantage because we know consumers are becoming more aware of where their products come from.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 19

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FOODTECH QLD 2022 | Show Preview

SHOW PREVIEW

22 FoodTech Qld 2022

foodtechqld.com.au

Welcome | FOODTECH QLD 2022

FOODTECH QLD 2022

Supporting business and economic growth 7-8 July 2022 Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

O

n behalf of Diversified Communications Australia, we are delighted to welcome all our

visitors, exhibitors, and industry partners to FoodTech Qld 2022, Queensland’s leading event dedicated to food and beverage manufacturing and sister event to foodpro.

As we move into a post-COVID era, the next phase of food in Australia is full of exciting possibilities, ones which we will explore at FoodTech Qld 2022.

The food and drink sector remains Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, accounting for around 32 per cent of Australia’s manufacturing turnover and is one of our country’s largest employers. Despite the recent challenges experienced by the industry, it is a resilient sector with many innovators driving it to a strong recovery.

FoodTech Qld has a new home in 2022, on the beautiful Gold Coast. This year’s event will be a destination for the industry to reunite after years of restricted travel and video meetings. FoodTech Qld is an amazing platform for businesses to come together, explore what’s new on the market and is a golden opportunity to network with old friends and peers.

Events like FoodTech Qld are essential to

technology from specialist suppliers across Australia. Over two days, work your way through our show floor zones, each dedicated to the various steps in the food manufacturing process: from packing, processing, ingredients and flavours to food science, technology, and plant equipment.

New to FoodTech Qld in 2022 is the Two-Day Conference Program. Held over the two days of the exhibition, you can discover the latest industry insights in an extensive program curated by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), in partnership with the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).

The FoodTech Conference 2022 features two concurrent streams covering issues such as cutting-edge technology, the agrifood industry of the future, the future of food and global emerging markets.

The winners of the 2022 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards, celebrating the innovators who are making a difference in the field of packaging design, will be announced at the show on Friday, 8th July. Finalists will be on display in a dedicated area on the floor show for you to browse and be inspired by.

Finally, we would like to give thanks to

support business and economic growth.

all the companies exhibiting at FoodTech

Face-to-face interaction is the foundation of

Qld. We understand the past few years

building strong relationships, and in-person

have been tough, but we truly value your

events create the necessary push for

commitment and involvement with the event.

business to happen.

The continued support from our exhibitors,

At this year’s FoodTech Qld, you can look forward to exploring the latest global advancements in food and beverage manufacturing and source cutting edge foodtechqld.com.au

manufacturing in the Asia Pacific Region.

We wish you all a successful and enjoyable time at FoodTech Qld 2022 and hope to see you on the show floor!

Siobhan Rocks

Commercial Director For information on the program and to

register to attend, scan the QR code below:

sponsors and industry partners kept FoodTech Qld and foodpro, running for over 50 years, making these two brands the most important and informative platforms for food FoodTech Qld 2022 23

FOODTECH QLD 2022 | Floorplan

Scan the QR Code to register:

24 FoodTech Qld 2022

foodtechqld.com.au

Floorplan | FOODTECH QLD 2022

foodtechqld.com.au

FoodTech Qld 2022 25

FOODTECH QLD 2022 | Conference Program

FOODTECH QLD 2022

Conference Program

Two-Day Conference Program

New in 2022, the FoodTech Qld Conference is held throughout the

the two days. Half-day, 1-Day and 2-Day passes are available

two-day exhibition, with content curated by the Australian Institute

and 2-Day pass holders receive complimentary tickets to the

of Food Science & Technology (AIFST), and in partnership with

Networking Events (as well as transportation). Conference Program

the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP). The 2022 Conference

is correct at time of printing. Head to foodtechqld.com.au for

is made up of two different concurrent streams running over

up-to-date details.

DAY 1 - THURSDAY 7 JULY 2022

Speakers:

The Australian Institute Of Food Science And Technology Limited

Stream 1: Technology Initiatives - The Agrifood Industry of the Future

Anneline Padayachee The Food Scientist Jacqueline Wilson-Smith

Located in Central Room B 10:30-12:30

Sustainable Innovation Company Grant Davidson

Trends for the Future - Global, Consumer, Nutrition & Food Safety

Predicting the future of the food and beverage industry isn’t an easy task, especially after a tumultuous two years that turned the industry upside down. However, there are some key insights to be noted that will continue to impact into 2022 and, likely, beyond.

Food companies will need to embrace a new normal or next normal to thrive and grow. What can we expect in this everchanging world? What are the new challenges in the food industry due to new consumer expectations? How do we create opportunities for food manufacturers to deliver choices for all consumers?

In this session our speakers will highlight the trends and issues they expect to see on the horizon and offer some tips for thriving in this landscape. The session will open with an overview of global trends impacting on the food industry into the future. Following speakers will cover trends in specific areas of the future consumer, nutrition trends for health and wellness and food safety. The presentations look at evolving trends and the challenges we face. The session will conclude with a final call to action – what do you need to do to thrive rather than merely survive?

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with speakers in a panel session Q & A following the presentations.

• 10:30 - 10:35: Welcome & introduction to session - Session Chair - Fiona Fleming, CEO AIFST • 10:35 - 11.05: Global trends impacting the food industry Keynote Speaker - Jacqueline Wilson-Smith • 11.05 – 12.05: Panel discussion What does the consumer of the future look like? - Grant Davidson, Davidson Branding Nutrition trends for consumer health & wellness - Dr Anneline Padayachee Food safety challenges - Robin Sherlock, Safe Food Queensland • 12.05 – 12.30: Panel Q & A - facilitated by Jacqueline Wilson-Smith 26 FoodTech Qld 2022

Fiona Fleming

Davidson Branding Rob Sherlock Safe Food Production Qld 1:30 - 15:30

Sustainability for the Future - Innovation & Transformation While there are many factors involved for a business to be sustainable on the inside and out everyone can start with some important small steps. Understanding what a Circular Economy means to your business, how you can implement strategies to lower environmental impacts across all areas of your business and follow the principles for designing out waste at the start are just some of these steps. Looking beyond the current ‘take, make and dispose’ extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts.

Establishing a Circular Economy enables a business to maintain the value of products materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible, alleviate security of supply risks, increases competitiveness, creates new business opportunities, and introduces innovative products and services.

Come and hear from some leading experts in this space including Circular Economy experts, Sustainable design experts and Product Stewardship Schemes that are making a difference in the region.

Everyone has a role to play in lowering environmental impacts.

Come and find out how.

• 1 .30 – 1.35: Welcome and introduction to session - Session Chair - Ralph Moyle FAIP, CPP, Education Coordinator, AIP • 1 .35 – 2.05: What does sustainability mean in 2022 and beyond Keynote Speaker - Nerida Kelton MAIP, Executive Director, AIP .05 – 3.05: Panel discussion • 2

Barry Cosier, Director - Sustainability, Australian Food & Grocery Council (AFGC) Dr Nicole Garafano AAIP, ACE HUB Team, PlanetArk

Ebony Johnson, Policy Manager, National Retail Association Alan Adams MAIP, Sustainability Director APAC, Sealed Air • 3.05 – 3.30: Panel Q & A

foodtechqld.com.au

Conference Program | FOODTECH QLD 2022

DAY 2 - FRIDAY 8 JULY 2022

Stream 1: Future Trends and Technology - The Future of Food Located in Central Room B Speakers:

Alan Adams

10:30-12:30

Sealed Air Barry Cosier

We are witnessing changing dietary patterns, with increasing numbers of flexitarians, due to concerns over the environment, animal welfare and personal health and nutrition. In this session, the opportunities and challenges in growing Australia’s protein industries will be discussed.

Australian Food & Grocery Council (AFCG) Ebony Johnson National Retail Association Nerida Kelton Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

Australia’s food industry is well placed to develop novel, differentiated protein products that meet the requirements and changing dietary patterns of the modern health- and welfareconscious consumer. As global demand for protein grows, our sources of animal protein must diversify to keep up. Australia is well-placed to become an international powerhouse for an emerging industry that could transform the way we produce meat: cellular agriculture. Cellular agriculture is dedicated to producing meat, eggs, and dairy directly from animals’ cells, not whole animals. It can reduce the impact of food production on our environment, health, and animal welfare, whilst meeting growing consumer demands for sustainable proteins.

Nicole Garafano PlanetArk Ralph Moyle Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

Stream 2: Solutions and Insights from our Exhibitors Located in Central Room C 10:30 - 11:15

Redefining the Future of Food - Foresight on Technology, Sustainability, and What Comes Next

Precision fermentation uses the same fundamental principles of fermentation that has long and safe history in supplementing and diversifying our foods. Precision fermentation offers alternatives to complement traditional agricultural production through new products produced with fewer resources. Precision fermentation involves using synthetic biology techniques to engineer singlecelled organisms to produce proteins that can be made into food products, in much the same way yeast has been used to produce beer and wine (Lv et al, 2021).

- How technology will drive safer more sustainable food.

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with speakers in a panel session Q & A following the presentations.

In his role as Wiley’s Chief Future Officer Brett works with industry bodies and commercial clients to understand and prepare for the future of their industries, markets, and supply chains. Brett’s session will focus on findings in recent projects for corporate clients and industry bodies looking at trends across the food sector out to 2040 touching on:

- How personalised food will change retail and food production.

- The opportunities for disruptive tech in the food sector.

• 1 0:30 - 10:35: Welcome and introduction to session Session Chair - Fiona Fleming, CEO AIFST • 10:35 - 11.05: Protein alternatives - Michelle Colgrave, CSIRO

- H ow Australia can benefit from the food disruption of the coming year

• 11.05 – 12.05: Panel discussion

- Where the industry needs professionals and vendors to capitalise on the next wave of innovation.

Speaker:

Precision fermentation - Rob Speight, QUT Fermentation - Andrew Forrest, DAF

Brett Wiskar

Plant-protein meat analogues: do they pass the taste test? Heather Smyth, UQ

Wiley 14:00 14:45

Increasing Resilience in Food Manufacturing with Digital Platforms The majority of Australia’s food manufacturing industry still struggles under the weight of paper-based processes in their operations. Whether it is quality checks, maintenance task management or work order execution, the lack of accurate, real time and verified production data results in inefficiencies that significantly impact the bottom line. Hear from several innovators such as Lifestyle Bakeries with real world case studies of how to digitalise your operations in days to weeks and get ready for a smart manufacturing operations future.

Speaker:

Protein Alternatives, Precision Fermentation, Cellular Agriculture

Michael Bucknell TilliT

foodtechqld.com.au

Cellular Agriculture - KC Hyland • 12.05 – 12.30: Panel Q & A Speakers:

Fiona Fleming

The Australian Institute Of Food Science And Technology Limited Michelle Colgrave CSIRO

Heather Smyth

The University of Queensland Andrew Forrest

Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries KC Carswell

KC Carswell - Consulting Robert Speight

Queensland University of Technology FoodTech Qld 2022 27

FOODTECH QLD 2022 | Conference Program

13:30 - 15:30

Save Food Packaging & Food Waste

1. Two or more people – this could be a team from the same organisation or across many organisations or sectors of the agrifood industry 2. W orking together – this encompasses processes, and should embrace innovative ways of thinking and working 3. S hared goals – the team working together for a shared outcome.

Collaboration requires trust to be built within the team for the shared goals and outcomes to be realised. In this session you will hear from companies who have collaborated to innovate – learn about what they did differently to create change and develop successful products. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with speakers in a panel session Q & A following the presentations.

With Australia producing 7.3 million tonnes of food waste across the supply and consumption chain and a Federal Government National Food Waste Strategy to halve food waste that goes to landfill by 2030 now is the time for packaging technologists to review pack designs that could minimise food waste and losses.

According to the National Food Waste Baseline that was launched earlier this year in 2016-17 (the base year), 2.5 million tonnes (34 per cent) was created in our homes, 2.3 million tonnes (31 per cent) in primary production and 1.8 million tonnes (25 per cent) in the manufacturing sector. Australians recycled 1.2 million tonnes of food waste, recovered 2.9 million tonnes through alternative uses for food waste and disposed of 3.2 million tonnes.

So, what role does packaging play in preventing and or minimising food waste? The primary purpose of packaging is to contain, protect, preserve, promote, and communicate, handle and transport and provide convenience for a product; all the while ensuring the safe delivery of food to the consumer.

Without adequate packaging design features and fit-for-purpose packaging food can potentially be wasted all the way through the supply chain to the consumer. By modifying packaging designs and ensuring that save food packaging guidelines are followed food waste and loss can be minimised.

• 10:30 - 11.05: Keynote Speaker Brian Ruddle, Managing Director, Impact Innovation Group • 11.05 - 12.05: Panel Discussion

Business meet Research: use Public Scientists to take your idea forward, Anna Daniel, Innovation Facilitator – Queensland, Entrepreneurs’ Programme Bernadette Eriksen, flavour creations • 12.05 - 12.30: Panel Q & A Speakers:

Innovation Connections

This session will bring together leading experts in Food Waste & Loss, Food Design and Food Packaging and will discuss the latest reports and statistics, the initiatives and programs making a difference and seeing what best practice examples look like for Save Food Packaging design.

• 1 .30 – 1.35: Welcome and introduction to session - Session Chair: Ralph Moyle FAIP, CPP, Education Coordinator, AIP

Bernadette Eriksen Flavour Creations Brian Ruddle Impact Innovation Group 13:30 - 15:30

– 2.05: Mark Barthel, Chief Operating Officer, Stop Food • 1.35 Waste Australia Mark Mitchell, Chairman, AFCCC

George Ganzenmuller FAIP, CPP, Innovation Manager, Opal Fibre Packaging Warwick Armstrong MAIP, General Manager Business Development and Marketing, Kuraray Nerida Kelton, Executive Director, AIP • 3.05 – 3.30: Panel Q & A Ralph Moyle Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) Mark Barthel Stop Food Waste Australia Mark Mitchell

• 1 .30 – 1.35: Session Chair: Joe Foster FAIP, Director, Close the Loop Group • 1.35 – 2.05: Joe Foster FAIP, Director, Close the Loop Group •2 .05 – 3.05: Panel discussion Anhely Millán, Innovation Manager Pact Packaging Sally Carter, Procurement Manager, Brookfarm Edward Whitehead, Managing Director, Cyclpac Lars Ljung, Sustainability Manager, Planet Protector Packaging • 3.05 – 3.30: Panel Q & A

AFCCC George Ganzenmuller Opal Fibre Packaging Warwick Armstrong Kuraray Nerida Kelton Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

Stream 2: Global Emerging Markets - Innovation & Design For The Future Located in Central Room c 10:30-12:30

Collaboration - the Future of Food Innovation

As one of Australia’s most important industries, food and agriculture faces significant challenges - from climate impacts to future workforce. Collaboration can be defined simply as ‘two or more people working together towards shared goals’. Breaking this down, there are three parts: 28 FoodTech Qld 2022

Innovative Packaging Design for Food & Beverage With 2025 National Packaging Targets and 2030 Food Waste Targets now is the time to rethink and redesign food and beverage packaging. This session will cover innovation and design thinking, how to embed circular design practices into your NPD processes and to better understand what innovations are standing out on shelf in the region. Design innovation not only helps you to stay ahead of your competitors and resonate with consumers; in many cases these innovative and intuitive packs are also more sustainable and offer a much lower environmental impact to previous designs. This session will also showcase award-winning packaging designs that have been recognised locally and globally for standing out. Many of these designs also offer significant shifts in materials, reductions in environmental impacts, are light weighted, include recycled content, are refillable and reusable and more. Come and see what the future of food and beverage packaging looks like.

•2 .05 – 3.05: Panel discussion

Speakers:

Anna Daniel

Speakers:

Joe Foster Close The Loop Group Anhely Millán Pact Packaging Sally Carter Brookfarm Edward Whitehead Cyclpac Lars Ljung Planet Protector Packaging

foodtechqld.com.au

Exhibitor Listing | FOODTECH QLD 2022

EXHIBITOR LIST

Gelita Australia Pty Ltd

Pro Ali Design Pty Ltd

AaSPR / Usaaus

Graintec Scientific Pty Ltd

Probiotics Australia

Agrifood Technology

Hastings Data Loggers Pty Limited

PROTECTION EXPERTS AUSTRALIA

Air Liquide Australia

HB-Technik

Pump Engineers Pty Ltd

Aldus-Tronics Pty Ltd

HMPS

RENTOKIL INITIAL PTY LTD

ANCA Motion

Humiscope

RG Scientific

Apex Epoxy Flooring

Hydro Innovations

Aquatiq

IFM EFECTOR PTY LTD

Rockwell Automation Australia and Endress+Hauser

Argon & Co

IMCD Australia Limited

Argus

Intratel Australia

A-Safe Australasia

Industry Update

AusPress Systems

Jarvis ANZ

Austbrokers Trade Credit Pty Limited

John Morris Group

Australasian Medical & Scientific Ltd

Johnson Screens

Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

KAVA Korporation

Australian Laboratory Services Pty. Ltd.

Key Diagnostics Pty Ltd

B & B Food Pak

Liquitek

BMA Belting Australia

LUMIX PROCUT

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems

Machine Knives Australia

Busch Australia Pty. Ltd.

Martor Australia

The Australian Institute Of Food Science And Technology Limited

Carmi Flavors and Fragrance Pty Ltd

Matthews Australasia

The Glove Company

CBS Foodtech Pty Ltd

MEFE-Mitchell Engineering Food Equipment

Hoctor Refrigeration

Centric Software Hong Kong Ltd Coldshield Contech Engineering CSB System Cuddon Freeze Dry Dolav Australia Edwards Group

Mettler Toledo MOFFAT PTY LIMITED MOSCA Motion Asia Pacific MPSC MTA Australasia Pty Ltd

ELISA Systems

NEOGEN

Eurofins

NOV Australia

Extreme Packaging Solutions

Nu-Mega Ingredients Pty Limited

Eye Lighting Australia Pty Ltd

NWI Group

FENWICK SOFTWARE PTY. LIMITED

OFI Weigh & Inspection Solutions

Finlease (Australia) Pty. Limited

Osborne Richardson Pty Ltd

Flexopack Pty Ltd

Pac Food

Flottweg Australia Pty Ltd

Pacific Controls

Flowtherm Australia

PBSA

FMCG Industry Solutions Pty. Ltd.

PerkinElmer

Food & Beverage Industry News

PRECISION STAINLESS SYSTEMS

foodtechqld.com.au

Roxset Australia Pty Limited Schenck Process Australia Pty Limited Schmalz Australia Sciex Select Equip Showa Group Sika Australia Open IIoT Supagas Pty Ltd Symbio Laboratories Tapflo

Orbit Cleaning Theta Technologies Thompson Meat Machinery Total Construction Pty. Limited Tri Tech Refrigeration Queensland Tro Pacific ULMA Packaging Australia Vemag Australia Vendart Diagnostics Pty Ltd VSS Wells Hygiene Westlab What’s New in Food…

WILEY & CO. PTY. LTD.

Exhibitor list correct at time of

printing. Head to foodtechqld.com.au for up to date details.

FoodTech Qld 2022 29

TRACEABILITY

How GS1 Digital Link strengthens 2DBarcode technology

GS1’s Digital Link is a critical component for sharing data from multiple sources.

GS1 is educating manufacturers and producers about the importance of GS1 Digital Link and 2DBarcodes, adding an extra element of protection to products. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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s the use of 2DBarcodes continues to grow across the Australian food and beverage industry, global barcode organisation GS1 continues to educate stakeholders about the importance of the technology.

The organisation knows that 2DBarcodes are here to stay, and will only become more prominent in the future, so educating the industry early is of critical importance.

One element of the 2DBarcode’s’ strength lies in their ability to retain large amounts of data that helps to protect against a range of

issues, including counterfeiting and provenance.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association in the USA estimates the counterfeiting of food could be costing the industry as much US$15 billion per year, globally.

As a result, the demand for a stronger system to reinforce things like traceability, authenticity, and provenance, is high. Coupled with this is growing consumer demand around greater transparency of how products were made and where they have come from.

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While the industry has been well educated on the purposes and benefits of 2DBarcodes, the role GS1 Digital Link plays has not yet been as highlighted.

“GS1 Digital Link is a standard that specifies how structured data can be embedded inside a data carrier like a 2DBarcode,” said Marcel Sieira, GS1 Australia chief customer officer.

The concept of a 2DBarcode having a URL inside it has been around for a long time but what GS1 Digital Link does is provide very specific specifications on how GS1 data

structures, or common bits of data used by everyone along the supply chain, can be embedded inside a URL which can then be embedded in a barcode.

The barcode then provides access to a wealth of data in a format business can readily identify and use to underpin their own processes, or to share product information with their customers. The format is standardised.

It’s a GS1 global standard This means that when a barcode scanner reads a traditional barcode it looks for certain values in the string

TRACEABILITY

of numbers and those values tell the scanner what the data is.

“For example, if the scanner was to read a specific sequence of numbers the scanner would know the data that follows is an expiry date,” said Sieira.

“It can process that expiry date appropriately in whichever system is doing the scanning.

“The scanner needs to know the structure of the data so it can deconstruct the individual components and use them appropriately in the destination systems and that’s exactly what GS1 Digital Link does. It gives data points on how to create structured data inside a URL.” In doing so, all the relevant data points stored on the 2DBarcode’s URL can be immediately identified by the scanning system, whether that be at the point of sale or during the supply chain journey.

“At the same time, what it also does is allows that URL to direct the user, a consumer for example, to a range of different digital assets that the brand owner for that product might have available and want to share with the consumer,” said Sieira.

“These digital assets don’t just have to be websites where you read about product information, obviously those are places you might want to take a shopper to, but Digital Link can also direct that inquiry to a digital service.”

An example of one of these digital services could be a direct link to the brand owner’s own systems to do something like recognise if the product has been part of a recall.

The customer can scan the 2DBarcode’s Digital Link and be directed to either a recall page or to the brand owner’s own website where the recalled products may be listed.

“It can also make an inquiry into other systems such as authentication,” said Sieira.

“If you have a serialised barcode number, then each product can be uniquely identified and so a brand owner’s service can also recognise that unique number and ascertain if the product is authentic or not.”

“If you can capture the geofencing information about the shopper doing the scan and realise that person happens to be in Japan, but you had shipped it to a different country, then that begins to raise questions about authenticity of the item, as an example,” said Sieira.

“It can also make traceability inquiries so you can discover the

provenance of the item or information about the quality of that item as it travels through the supply chain.”

The same concept applies to maintaining awareness of products that are nearing their used- by or best- before dates, this in turn can have a huge impact on the level of food waste generated by outdated food and beverages.

Woolworth’s work with 2DBarcodes is a perfect example.

Woolworths Australia knew they needed a way to make available more information and more granular data, about the products they sold, without causing confusion or wasting precious label space.

Putting product identification and product information into one on-pack symbol, the 2DBarcode has unlocked a new dimension of capabilities for Woolworths and enabled a variety of efficiencies for the retailer and their suppliers.

As a result, Woolworths recorded up to a 40 per cent decrease in the amount of product going out of date and ending up in landfill.

Also, by making expiry date management more efficient, Woolworths stores using 2DBarcodes have seen up to 21 per cent improvements in productivity.

GS1 Digital Link and 2DBarcodes are a powerful communication channel for retailers and brand owners.

“The scanner needs to know the structure of the data so it can deconstruct the individual components and use them appropriately in the destination systems and that’s exactly what GS1 Digital Link does.”

This is because the supermarket was able to quickly and easily identify if a product is approaching its expiry date and proactively mark it down, so that the product can be sold without having to be disposed.

“2DBarcodes have immense potential, and we’re excited to see how they will improve traceability and stock management,” said Richard Plunkett, general manager for business enablement, Woolworths.

“At Woolworths, we plan to build on the potential of 2DBarcodes to offer customers valuable information on provenance, quality and sustainability,” said Roberto Olivares, senior project manager, Woolworths.

“As we work towards a better tomorrow with our suppliers, 2DBarcodes can help us communicate a product’s verified sustainability

credentials to customers.”

As of early 2022, 2DBarcodes were already on 50 per cent of products in Woolworths’ meat range in over 1,000 stores—and that number is growing every month.

This authentication process also helps brands to track their own products once they have been shipped away, either nationally or internationally.

“Today there is an increasing number of codes on a single product that creates confusion on one hand, but also removes valuable on-pack real estate for brands, the single 2DBarcode can help that.

“That space is valuable for promoting the brand rather than having multiple codes.”

Sieira said the importance of traceability in the food and beverage

industry could not be understated and 2DBarcoding, along with GS1 Digital Link, creates a new channel to achieve better traceability results.

“Traceability across every subsector within the food and beverage industry is imperative for a raft of reasons,” he said.

“You want to be able to ascertain the provenance of your products.

So having a system which identifies information about ingredient suppliers, product manufacturing, and where the product comes from is important.”

As demonstrated by Woolworths, those who adopt 2DBarcodes will, in the future, be able to make available to consumers sustainability and certification information about their products.

This includes things like the crop and serial number, harvest information including a map of the farm, pack date; , nutritional information, serving size; , storage and recipe suggestions, packaging recycling instructions; , and more.

For more information, visit the GS1 Australia website at https://www.gs1au. org/digital-link, www.gs1au.org. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 31

TRACEABILITY

Theta Technologies will be showcasing its tablet-compatible app at FoodTech.

Bringing data to life for in-depth compliance monitoring Market interest in the growth of traceability technology is driving a string of changes across the industry and creating new benchmarks. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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ore than ever, full traceability in the food and beverage industry is becoming the benchmark standard. As global awareness around health and safety increases, so does market interest in conditions along the production chain. Consumers are seeking to become more informed, and stakeholders require comprehensive reporting on regulation compliance.

Based in Brisbane, Theta Technologies is a software development and implementation firm offering improved safety and traceability through

their flagship software platform, InformationLeader. Within the food industry, this tool has been used to track red meat, dairy, poultry, fresh produce, baked goods, ready-to-eat meals, grain, and seafood production.

Utilising an extensive history developing industry-based auditing and quality assurance infrastructure, Theta aims to overcome the inefficiency of paper-based systems such as those used to manage ISO, HACCP, and Workplace Health and Safety. In addition to the mitigation of excess paper usage and

32 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

waste, turning to digital solutions like InformationLeader ensures complete visibility and process control, leading to more accurate, efficient results.

“After the firm was established in 1996, they identified a need for a paperless record keeping system in the red meat export industry,” explains Abram Bobis, senior business analyst and implementation services manager.

“Some of these exporters had individuals filling in 90 to 110 sheets of paperwork every shift, multiple shifts a day.”

The InformationLeader platform facilitates a start to end solution for compliance in food and beverage processing, taking the data a step further by turning it into actionable KPI indicators and business improvement strategy.

“Take the HACCP plan, for example, which is just a pile of paper documents that you would have to dig through every time there was an audit or product recall situation. Instead of spending time trying to find the right file, the tailored analysis on risk assessment becomes available at

the click of a button,” said Bobis.

Accessible reporting suites and dashboarding assist in breaking down large amalgamations from data entry points, helping to identify trends of positive or negative impacts over time.

According to Bobis, this has significant benefits when catering to regulation authorities in different regions such as the Unites States, Europe, Japan and China.

“You can essentially feed the same collected data through different standards tracing systems, like HACCP or a hazard table, to produce up-to-date reports based on who is requesting it,” explains Bobis. “You only have to maintain one set of information, without having to manually duplicate it and create even more paperwork to keep track of.

“Operators can also grant external, read-only access to remote stakeholders, if necessary, with full control over what information is visible to them and for how long,” he added. “The system can

schedule access windows, and trace which documents have been looked at as well, which gives the user full understanding of what they are being audited on.”

As industrial operations make the shift to digitalisation, record-keeping is often undertaken with a hybrid approach – partially maintained with manual logging, while also integrating smarter software tools.

“The system is very flexible and can adapt to the level of automation required for each plant,” said Bobis. “Using a milk room for example, workers can manually log data into the InformationLeader system, which will store it and action the live reporting. Alternatively, on a more automated site, the sensors can monitor the exact time and volume of milk flow, and it will convert into the system’s ‘paperwork’ very rapidly, as if somebody was filling it out.”

The platform is also customisable to unique applications, and currently being employed internationally across a range of other sectors including healthcare and animal welfare compliance.

“Since its conception, the system has been incredibly scalable. It’s being used on everything from preoperational hygiene for national health providers, to tracking child protection services at a hospital facility,” said Bobis. “In food, we supply to a five-person operation, through to multi-plant manufacturers with hundreds of staff using this suite.”

The cost saving benefits of implementing InformationLeader are two-fold. Not only will it help to reduce the manual labour required to log processes and convert raw data into useful information, it also vastly increases batch traceability to avoid product recall.

“With the recent increase to the national minimum wage, there will be a strong focus on labour costs in the coming months. This, combined with ever-tightening food safety and nutrition regulations, will put even more pressure on businesses to go digital. The technology needs to be able to support the transition by facilitating manual and automated processes working in tandem.”

“We are thrilled to be showcasing InformationLeader at FoodTech, as well as our offline-capable app, InformationM8. It’s compatible with iOS or Android tablets and smartphones, and allows more flexible data capture to reduce administrative overhead and ensure more comprehensive compliance.” F

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www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 33

INDUSTRIAL GASES

The role of dry ice in the food and beverage industry is important Carbon dioxide (CO2) is versatile offering different forms including solid (i.e. dry ice), liquid and gas for different application purposes in the food and beverage industry. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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upagas, as a business has worked in the Australian gas industry since 1968 and continues to work with a range of food and beverage businesses offering specialty and industrial gases. A supplier of LPG, industrial, bulk, specialty, hospitality and helium gases, supplies CO2 specific products to the food and beverage industry for various uses.

George Elhlou, national specialty gases manager and David Petroff, national industrial bulk manager at

Supagas, confirmed the company is exhibiting at FoodTech 2022. The 2022 event is the first year Supagas will be exhibiting, as the show will bring together food and technology in the one place. In joining the two day conference on the Gold Coast, the team look forward to the range of suppliers and an opportunity to gain further insights into food science and technology.

The process of creating dry ice involves using liquid CO2 and

Dry ice can be used in the food and beverage industry for keeping pre-packed frozen meals cold.

34 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

compressing into solid CO2 known as dry ice, which can be extruded into pellets or moulded into blocks and slices. Dry ice is utilised throughout the food and beverage industry supply chain, from the use of specialised equipment to process food products to the suppliers and manufacturers handling and packaging food. Supagas began manufacturing dry ice in 2005, as the product has come far, but challenges are always present.

When Supagas first introduced

making dry ice, employees were unsure how dry ice would be used and how much in terms of quantity would be sold. For Supagas, entering the market was an emerging opportunity and a leap of faith, which today has been realised as the demand for dry ice continues to grow for Supagas. The supply of dry ice can be attributed to Supagas’ self-sustainability with a modern CO2 plant located in Bombaderry NSW, which was needed to help the business grow with the

INDUSTRIAL GASES

The supply of dry ice can be attributed to Supagas’ self-sustainability, with a modern CO2 plant located in Bombaderry.

rapidly increasing demand for dry ice.

Dry ice is truly a versatile product, as it provides suppliers and customers with a transportable refrigeration option in a clean no mess way, with minimal to no waste. The process involves, firstly sourcing the CO2 (i.e. it is manufactured), it is then transferred to the production plant, whereby the product is directed as required into dry ice machines to start the task of manufacturing the product.

The dry ice machines are designed, with the capability to extrude dry ice into pellets or form slices and blocks.

The product is ultimately extruded or moulded based on the dry ice type that is required for the customer.

An example is meat processors, whereby the meat cuts are prepared in the production facility, although between the time of producing the cuts and the product you see in the supermarket the meat needs to stay below an exact safe temperature Dry ice is used a lot in airline catering businesses.

during transport. The meat processors will generally place dry ice into storage bins with the meat once it has been processed into cuts. The type of dry ice used can be the dry ice pellets or snow made on site. For dry ice slices there is a whole industry which utilise this product form, which is the airline industry. Specifically, airline catering businesses, where you would be familiar in seeing the food and drink trolley carts which are kept cool with dry ice used during flights.

In addition, to pellets and slices, blocks are used in the transportation of perishables in the freight industry both domestically and overseas, as well as some pre-prepared frozen meals that arrive at your door step might use dry ice to stay cool. The temperature of dry ice is around -78°C, and as CO2 sublimates into

“Dry ice is truly a versatile product, as it provides suppliers and customers with a transportable refrigeration option in a clean no mess way, with minimal to no waste.” a heavy gas (i.e. turning from a solid into a gas) it transfers the coldness into the surrounding foodstuffs.

In the agricultural sector, producers and businesses all over Australia grow fruit such as apples and oranges, grow and catch seafood like fish, prawns and lobsters for domestic and international distribution. The products are placed in temperature controlled facilities and warehouses, so the product can be packaged, preserved and distributed throughout Australia and overseas. However, businesses may not have access to refrigerated facilities, thereby, dry ice is a product they can reply on for mobile transportation to keep their products fresh.

It might be kept in a foam box to keep the dry ice cold for use, thereby, the storage conditions of dry ice are important to consider.

In understanding, the life cycle of perishable goods, without appropriate refrigeration can spoil. Therefore, dry ice is a highly versatile product and option that can assist as a temporary method for keeping food items cold and fresh.

Supagas’ state-of-the-art facilities allows for the offering of multiple gas types and gas products, as well

as manage a specialised NATA accredited laboratory to blend and test specialty gas mixtures that are used in food preservation.

The gas professionals at Supagas are committed to complying with Australian Standards. For Supagas the production and storage of liquid CO2 for the use with food ingredients complies with HACCP. The benefits of dry ice include keeping items cold, with no waste left behind as it dissipates back into a gas.

Supagas customer’s use dry ice because they see the benefits of the cooling power, quality and durability. Dry ice has twice the refrigeration capability compared to gel packs, whereby the gel packs remain as waste after use.

Furthermore, dry ice is a phenomenal product with great flexibility and capabilities. For customers dry ice is a realistic option for the food and processing industry to aid food manufacture, freeze meals, preserving beverages and transporting perishable products. The demand and market for dry ice will continue to grow, as there is a bright future for this product.

To find out more about Specialty and Industrial Bulk Products and Gases, contact Supagas on 13 78 72 or visit supagas.com.au. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 35

FOOD SAFETY

Vendart Diagnostics puts spotlight on instant bacteria testing solution at Food Tech Food and Beverage Industry News talks with Vendart Diagnostics technical product manager, Abi Dickinson, about her enthusiasm to discuss food safety testing solutions at Food Tech and present CytoQuant – the first mobile flow cytometer the world has ever seen – at the event.

Vendart Diagnostics will be showcasing its new solution for monitoring bacteria and residue levels on surfaces and in real time.

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onvening at this year’s Food Tech is an exciting prospect for Abi Dickinson – it’s a chance to connect and share information on the important advances being made in testing solutions.

“Shows like Food Tech are an important way for people in the industry to meet face to face and chat about how we can help each other,”

36 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

explains Dickinson. “Advances in technology are allowing us to take leaps forward in improving cleaning verification procedures and maintaining high food safety standards.

We are looking forward to seeing our customers, old and new, to show how Vendart can help with their testing needs.”

In particular, Vendart Diagnostics will be showcasing a brand-new solution for monitoring the levels of bacteria and residue on surfaces in real time.

This is CytoQuant; the world’s first hand-held, mobile impedance flow cytometer.

“Using a simple swab test, CytoQuant can detect and measure all bacteria and residue on surfaces in 30 seconds, allowing the proper verification of both cleaning and disinfection procedures, immediately and on-site,” said Dickinson.

“The measurements are not influenced

by temperature, pH or disinfectants and the test is so easy to perform that anyone can use it.”

Dickinson believes CytoQuant is a game-changer for food processing businesses as it’s the only solution on the market that can provide real-time microbiological monitoring.

“CytoQuant is the first mobile flow cytometer the world has ever seen – there is nothing else like it available on the market,” she said.

“It will deem old cleaning and disinfection verification methods as obsolete.”

As food safety depends upon the cleaning practices of food manufacturers, ensuring the efficacy of these processes is essential.

Conventional testing methods such as ATP swabs provide a useful indicator of cleaning efficacy but will not determine if surfaces have been properly disinfected.

Likewise, traditional plate count methods are also limited – they can

FOOD SAFETY CytoQuant is the first mobile flow cytometer the world has ever seen.

take days to provide a result and only one per cent of bacteria is culturable.

“CytoQuant enables the detection of all bacteria with an intact cell wall, and the results are available instantly,” says Dickinson. “And even though the implementation procedure is not essentially that different from current methods, we will work closely with food processors to implement their new monitoring program with a three-step plan. Importantly, CytoQuant is a very easy to use hand-held device and requires no installation or special training.”

While Vendart will be putting the spotlight on the new CytoQuant solution at Food Tech, it is one tool in a whole arsenal of testing solutions the company has to offer. Dickinson is genuinely passionate about the difference her company’s solutions can make to food processers in Australia.

“We supply all kinds of testing equipment – such as test strips, kits and instrumentation – which ensure food safety and quality procedures are working as they should be,” she says. “This might be checking that you’re using the correct concentration of sanitiser on surfaces or fruit and vegetable wash; detecting nitrate or vitamin C concentrations in food products; validation of pasteurisation in milk and routine pH testing, to name just a few examples.”

The team at Vendart are close-knit and equally impassioned to make a difference – a great fit for Dickinson who has a degree in marine biology and a master’s in wildlife conservation.

“Historically, Vendart has been heavily involved in environmental water monitoring which is where I began, but over the years we have evolved and grown and are now present in many other industries including food and beverage,” she shares. “We are a small team of technical and scientific-minded people, each invested in helping Australian businesses

“Using a simple swab test, CytoQuant can detect and measure all bacteria and residue on surfaces in 30 seconds, allowing the proper verification of both cleaning and disinfection procedures, immediately and on-site.”

maintain high levels of safety through monitoring and testing.”

A self-labelled “jack of all trades”, Dickinson works in every facet of the business – and loves it.

“I’ve been with Vendart for over a decade. My current focus is product management for CytoQuant so I work closely and liaise with everyone including the manufacturer, sales team, very knowledgeable inhouse chemist, logistics and marketing – I absolutely love it!” she said. “But my official role at the moment is project management which I can do on a part time basis while I raise my children.”

After a few years of pandemic disruption, Dickinson is excited about this year’s Food Tech. It’s also an opportunity to showcase what Vendart Diagnostics can do for food processors and manufacturers in Australia.

“We are brand new to Food Tech and are really excited to get amongst it this year with some innovative new products to present – we offer a wide range of testing solutions for all food processing facilities, so please come and chat to us at Food Tech and find out how we can help your business.”

FoodTech 2022 is set to take place on the Gold Coast, at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 7 to 8. F www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 37

PACKAGING

Creating a circular economy of packaging is critical for the future O F Packaging and Close the Loop Group continue to be an invaluable sustainable and recyclable packaging organisation for the food and beverage industry. Adam McCleery writes.

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n its continuing journey toward the ‘Holy Grail’ of recycling packaging back into food packaging, O F Packaging continues to innovate and create sustainable solutions for the industry.

O F Packaging offers both conventional and sustainable packaging options to the food and beverage industry, while innovating new solutions in response to the industry’s needs.

The organisation continues to formulate and test new packaging options to create a greater circular economy around packaging. The Holy Grail the organisation speaks of, is in reference to creating a ‘packaging to packaging’ circular economy around recyclables.

“Having 100 per cent recycled content in a flexible bag is the Holy Grail for us. It is a challenge, unlike with rigid containers such as bottles and

cans,” said O F Packaging marketing manager, Jessica Ansell.

“Getting high percentages of recycled content is difficult because of the contamination levels and migration risk through thin films, especially when using post-consumer recycled content.

The main challenge to overcome is the food safety element and something everyone is working towards, and it will be the greatest achievement of the industry to meet.”

Getting product back from those soft plastic sources in a food-safe way is almost impossible.

“The only real way to do it at this stage is through a process called pyrolysis, which is where they put materials into a reactor and break the plastic back down into base elements such as oil and char and then refine the oil and remake plastic again,” said Ansell.

O F Packaging and Close the Loop Group continue to innovate new sustainable packaging.

38 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The organisation will continue to put an emphasis on both recyclability and recycled content for the foreseeable future.

“Recycled content is a big focus area that we are working on, even doing shelflife testing on pouches with varying levels of recycled content,” said Ansell.

“We are also trying to find where that sweet spot is for a variety of products and how the barrier compares to other materials.”

O F Packaging has twice been a finalist at the PIDA Awards, from the Australian Institute of Packaging, for its sustainable innovations and is again a finalist for the 2022 awards.

But packaging creation isn’t the only innovative area the business deals with, as the greater Close the Loop Group already has an asphalt improvement product called TonerPlas.

“It’s a great option for recycling and recovery of plastics that isn’t reliant on waiting for more accessible recycled content packaging innovations,” said Ansell.

“We do hope to get packaging to packaging and achieve that full circular economy in the packaging space, because it is over 50 per cent of our plastic use worldwide every year. But for now, having an option and solution that gives a great outcome for recycled content is a good thing.”

The TonerPlas product takes hard to recycle materials like toner and soft plastics and provides an end-market product that improves the longevity of asphalt on roads.

The journey towards the goal of a packaging-to-packaging circular economy has given rise to some innovative new packaging, and recycling, solutions for the food and beverage industry.

“In the food industry, for a lot of our clients at least, there is that challenge of recycled content and the food safety aspect and how we can get recycled content back into packaging,” said Ansell.

“The gauge of the films you’re

using are so much thinner than rigid containers which brings challenges when trying to create stability and food safety in the food contact layer on the inside, which has to pass industry standards.”

Currently, most of the recycled content which goes back into food packaging is not post-consumer.

“A lot comes from cleaner waste streams, whether it be medical or industrial facilities, places that manufacture other plastic products with cut off sections of waste from the manufacturing process,” said Ansell.

“That is all collected, ground down, and then put back on the market as recycled product but its new and clean.”

Being able to offer flexibility is another critical part of the organisation’s approach because of the variations across the industry.

“From our standpoint there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to sustainability. Different products and different markets require different solutions,” said Ansell.

“A big part of our innovation is reaching a breadth of products that we can offer for various applications, and services we can provide our clients.

This includes reusable packaging and eliminating the need for continued production.”

For example, an O F Packaging client was seeking a pouch they could sanitise, refill, and then send back out to client’s multiple times.

“That was something that hadn’t been done before and that was a successful project for us, as they were basically aiming to have a zeropackaging waste company,” said Ansell.

“They also take responsibility for end of life when the pouch expires, as they will recycle those with us through the Close the Loop Group recovery branch.

“Taking responsibility of their own waste is definitely something brands have started to focus on more.”

The current areas of focus for O F Packaging, ahead of it exhibiting at the Fine Food expo in Melbourne from September 5 to 8, are recyclable and

Recyclable pouches have proven to be a great O F Packaging innovation.

recycled content, and to a lesser extent, compostable.

“While compostable isn’t a major focus, recyclable is king, as we like to say, we still offer certified compostable solutions for key applications,” said Ansell.

“And for clients who want to go through the Australian Bioplastics Association (ABA) certification process, we can provide all the support they need. The Australian standards are one of the strictest in the world for home composting which is challenging for clients.

Ansell said another major reason it is an exciting time for the packaging industry is the endless possibilities for innovation and improvement.

“We start off by making flexible packaging simpler and easier to recycle,” she said.

“Now that we’ve done that, we are figuring out how to get soft plastics through existing kerbside recycling of co-mingled products without any issues to machinery and that is an amazing innovation.

“Things like this open new avenues because we eliminate the issues with multi-laminates, and we have more opportunity to use that packaging

material for more things at end of life.”

One of the main sustainable packaging options on offer from O F Packaging are a range of flexible and semi-rigid pouches made from 100 per cent High Barrier Polyethylene, which has helped the organisation learn what challenges need to be overcome to change traditional packaging.

“It’s always a challenge because you have to protect the product and also all of the machinery has been built for complex laminates,” said Ansell.

“This is because complex laminates themselves were made to perform at the highest peak of packaging and now that you are changing the specifications of the materials, you have a whole industry of machinery that has to compensate.”

What this means is current packaging machinery would need to undergo updates, or even change outs, to achieve a switch over of packaging.

“There’s a whole backend of things in the industry that now need to change because of changing the specification of the film,” said Ansell.

“It’s not just about the packaging but about how it’s made, filled, sealed, and transported. And shelf life because retailers still ask for one to two years of shelf life.” F

For All Your SupaMap And Dry Ice Needs For Food Packaging

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www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 39

CONSTRUCTION

Act now or risk falling behind the competition Food & Beverage Industry News speaks with Total Construction’s Rob Blythman about the post pandemic landscape around manufacturing construction projects.

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ob Blythman, Total Construction’s general manager, engineering construction group, is seeing first-hand the flow on impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns as food and beverage producers look to restart stalled projects.

Blythman compared the current construction landscape in the industry as a ‘gold rush’, but with it have come some other issues.

“When you’ve got a gold rush everything triples in price and that’s what’s going on,” he said.

“What we are seeing in the market is a lot of people asking for cost plans.

Their projects are going from conceptual to the next step, across the market. And of course, you have a material and labour cost increase.

“A lot of operators are missing the boat because costs of construction are going up constantly and it’s becoming unattainable for a 2020 business model and companies

are having to rethink their projects completely.”

The skyrocketing cost of labour and materials is a major factor in the need to re-evaluate pre-COVID business plans.

“In the past it was considered cheaper, or around the same cost, to build new (greenfield) rather than finding an old or non-complying facility and retrofitting it to be a food facility (brownfield). As retrofitting can result in substantial building upgrade works having to be carried out to bring the building up to code.” said Blythman.

“Now because of the cost of building materials, especially hard-shell materials like concrete and steel, you’ll find that getting an old facility and retrofitting it is more cost effective than building from the ground up. Even with the risk of building upgrade requirements” Changing consumer habits have also forced some manufacturers and producers to reassess their approach to production,

A rise in material costs and changes in consumer trends are having a big impact on the construction sector.

40 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

with the ready meals market being a good example.

“I think the Australian public have changed their food purchasing mentality and they’ve gone from stocking a pantry full of food to buying things just in time prior to a meal,” said Blythman.

“That falls to ready meals, pre-packaged salads, products which are designed to be one meal instead of bulk buying for multiple meals.

“You see it as you walk down the supermarket isle; many products now are individually packaged in single or double serves and buying in bulk seems to be on the back burner in the consumer’s minds.”

Another driver that appears to be behind changing consumer trends, Blythman said, centres around changes to people’s work schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People aren’t going to the office five days a week anymore and it’s becoming easier to duck down to the shops to pick

up their food for the day, this is one of the reasons you’re seeing smaller corner store type supermarkets popping up,” he said.

“We are doing a project for a client now, that resembles a local corner shop more than a supermarket.”

The evolution of packaging has also played a critical role in growing popularity of ready meals and single portion products.

“Packaging has come a long way which has helped create a stronger ready meals space. You wouldn’t dream of individually packaging a steak 10 years ago, but it has become cost effective,” said Blythman.

The constant changes in consumer trends creates a sort of ‘crystal ball’ effect when it comes to producers anticipating what they will require for the future success of their output, Blythman said.

“What they are very weary of is changes in the market, it’s almost crystal ball stuff for a lot of these companies.

They need to make their facilities more flexible, from a fit-out perspective, then they have in the past,” he said.

“The marketplace is moving much quicker than the old staples of food that people used to eat and people aren’t thinking a week ahead when it comes to what they eat, this wasn’t the case in the past.

“What will be hot this month and what is hot next month is hard to forecast.”

Blythman said Total Construction also anticipates stagnation to grow in the food and beverage construction sector over the coming 12 months because of the growing costs and are urging companies to get their projects underway sooner rather than later.

“We anticipate stagnation over the next 13 months on projects due to cost increases, and for those who hesitate to launch their projects now, could be in a lot of trouble down the track,” he said.

“What we are seeing is people getting cost plan after cost plan and every time they ask for a new cost plan the price is going up 20 per cent. It is almost a chasing inflation scenario.” F

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FLOW METERS

Dosing food oil smoothly: Faster process while maintaining consistency When it comes to dosing food oil, Bürkert’s FLOWave sensor ensures precise, hygienic flow measurement for producers, using an innovative SAW technology. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

R

eliability is the key ingredient in the industrial production of food. High-quality ingredients and uniform recipes ensure a consistent product result. This is important because this product result is also a taste sensation. Whether it’s baby food in a glass or remoulade in a tube, businesses and customers expect each new batch of your product to taste exactly like the previous one. A flowmeter helps you ensure this by controlling the precise dosing of food oil.

It is all about the quantity per batch

A food producer doses food oil from the storage tank to the impeller type mixer.

The challenge in this batch process is to ensure that neither too little nor too much oil flows because the recipe also changes the taste of the final product.

Whether you are processing mayonnaise, olive oil or baby food, your plant needs to measure and control the volume flow of food oil through the pipeline precisely.

Conventional solutions have their limitations for oil batching

Electromagnetic flowmeters (EMF)

are not usually suitable, because the conductivity of many oils is too low.

Mechanical flowmeters also have limitations, such as paddle wheels or oval gear meters which do not meet the hygiene requirements of the food industry. Conventional Coriolis measuring devices are used widely, however are less energy efficient due to the “tapering” of the pipeline. This is because the pump has to work harder to deliver the same quantity of medium through the thinner pipeline.

So is there a better solution?

Hygienic flow measurement with SAW technology

For food producers, hygiene is the top priority along with consistency for their brand. Thanks to Bürkert’s innovative SAW technology, the FLOWave sensor measures the volume flow not only under completely hygienic conditions, but also independently of the conductivity of the oil. The flowmeter is made entirely of stainless steel and does not require any sensor elements in the measuring tube.

For you, this means no pressure loss, no maintenance expenditure and a simple cleaning process.

FLOWave – Simply one tube

The complete FLOWave weighs only slightly more than three kilograms – a single person can install the handy flowmeter quickly and easily. It measures the volume flow hygienically and extremely precisely without the use of sensors that come into contact with the medium and independently of the conductivity. This saves you time and makes your plant more efficient.

Bürkert’s FLOWave offers maximum precision as it measures the volume flow independently of the conductivity of the medium with an accuracy of 0.4 per cent of the measured value, the accuracy for the temperature is ≤1°C. Bürkert’s unique flow measurement technology uses Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW) which occur in nature during seismic activities. This patented technology for in-line flow rate measurement of liquids means consistent processes and product quality as the “Acoustic Transmission Factor” function detects bubbles, particles or solids in the liquid. This allows the user to intervene quickly as soon as defined process variables are exceeded or undercut.

The compact and lightweight flowmeter fits into every system and is easy to install. At two inches in size, a FLOWave device weighs just 3.4kg – compared to the 70kg heavy, two-inch Coriolis system.

FLOWave devices utilise the Bürkert device platform EDIP. EDIP stands for “Efficient Device Integration Platform.” It considerably simplifies the handling of the devices and helps to integrate them quickly into an existing fieldbus system. In short, EDIP is part of our contribution to Industry 4.0.

Finally, improve your bottom line with less loss with more productivity thanks to the “density factor” function, FLOWave detects fluid changeovers very quickly and simplifies the separation of production steps.

This reduces waste and costs while increasing productivity.

The high-resolution 2.4-inch display offers flexible operation with intuitive, graphic user guidance. Freely definable measured value designations and the optional display of one to four measured values, a trend curve and the parameterisation interface enable an individually coordinated display.

Systematic measurement

Bürkert’s FLOWave SAW flowmeter.

42 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

To ensure that the correct quantity flows, the sensor, dosing valve and controller must work in harmony.

This is why Bürkert supplies you with a preconfigured system solution that you can simply integrate into your plant. No matter whether you install the system horizontally, vertically or at an angle – we will provide you with precise measurement results.

For more information about the Bürkert FLOWave sensor, visit www. burkert.com.au/en/products/sensorstransmitters-and-controllers/flow/ flowave-saw. F

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SPRAY DRYING

Low temperature spray drying and its biggest benefits The benefits of using a low temperature spray dryer over more traditional heat drying technology brings with it a host of benefits, not least of which is extended shelf life. Adam McCleery writes.

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nly a decade ago the technology which now creates the foundation for Spraying Systems’ Fluid Air spray drying machinery was still in its infancy, but in that short time the results have proven positive for all that have taken it on board.

Head of global research at Fluid Air, Dr Bogan Zisu, spoke to Food & Beverage Industry News about how its spray drying technology is all about creating greater quality, over quantity.

“It’s essentially a spray drying technology, but it doesn’t compete with a traditional spray dryer because a traditional spray dryer works at very high temperatures,” he said.

“These high temperatures mean that the traditional dryers can produce a lot of throughputs with high quantities of powder, we aren’t working on high

quantity, instead we are working on quality. That high temperature is detrimental to functionality.”

When Zisu mentions functionality, he is referring to biological functionality.

“Things that are killed off or denatured by heat, proteins and living cells for example, will die off in a traditional spraying heat dryer,” he said.

“We work at much lower temperatures, half the drying temperatures in terms of degrees Celsius.

“Those lower temperatures pretty much allow us to dry a quality product without killing off living cells or destroying biological activity in high value products, like lactoferrin in dairy, for example.”

In relation to the dairy example, being able to retain a particular biological element of Lactoferrin, is a major benefit for high quality and high value

44 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

dairy products.

“Lactoferrin is highly sought after for its health promoting properties and is used widely in infant formulations, for example, which is a significant contributor for Australian dairy and exports,” said Zisu.

“With the industry moving as a whole towards a more health-conscious aspect, that’s where it’s important to maintain that biological element of the proteins, rather than just adding a protein to a product. This is where it is critical to preserve its health promoting functions.

“Lactoferrin is an ingredient that is blended into infant formulation and it’s critical to have that as a functional protein.”

Baby formula produced in Australia is, for the most part, exported to foreign shores which means the longer its shelf life, the better.

“The technology can be used for drying infant formulation in the final product and again because of lower temperatures it has those benefits in the formula itself, preserving biological activities and other benefits which are associated with low temperature,” said Zisu.

“The high heat also generates further reactions in storage, usually browning, which ultimately creates a shorter shelf life.

“Because we are working with a much lower temperature, these browning reactions that limit shelf life are reduced significantly. Again, this is about quality products and extended shelf life.”

Because products which are exported experience a variety of external factors, such as extreme temperatures, the longer the product can withstand these conditions the better it is in the long run

SPRAY DRYING

Spraying Systems Australia and Fluid Air’s low temperature spray drying ensures better product yield.

for the producer.

“Product is put on a container ship and sits in storage for a long time and during this time there are temperatures abuses which accelerate the deterioration and quality breakdown and ultimately the shelf life of the powder suffers,” said Zisu.

“But with our lower temperature treatment there are fewer of these reactions and it’s not as critical, we have a longer window of opportunity to transport and store that product before it meets the end of its shelf life.”

Another factor which helps to create

The low temperature spray drying is particularly relevant for high value dairy products.

an extended shelf life for products is through the use of nitrogen to create an oxygen free environment during the drying process.

“We spoke about heat and the preservation effect because of lower temperatures but there is also oxidative breakdown, which accelerates product loss through oxidation reactions,” said Zisu.

“Our drying technology also works in a nitrogen environment, and nitrogen displaces oxygen, limiting the oxidative breakdown.”

At the same time, the technology uses an electrical current during the drying process to further combat the presence of oxidation.

“The electrical current drives some of the surface fat, which is responsible for oxidative breakdown, to the core of the particle and together with the oxygen free environment you have a longer shelf life when it comes to oxidative stability,” said Zisu.

An oxygen free environment means we have fewer oxidative breakdown reactions and oxidative stability is significantly improved.

“We also have all the relevant data to back up our technology in terms of all of these benefits.”

The development of the spray drying technology has been more than a decade in the making but since hitting the market it has been making inroads.

“Going back about ten years when

this was a concept in the US. At that time these low temperature electrostatic spray dryers didn’t exist, what did exist was the electrostatic spray nozzle,” said Zisu.

“The way this began was working in partnership with a US company and this company provided IP and support for product development and guide our team in developing the dryer around the electrostatic nozzle and how it should work, what it should do, and so on.

“The design and concept became reality after consultation, and it wasn’t an overnight thing. It took some years to manufacture the dryer around industry needs.”

In the years since low temperature spray drying was brought to the market, it has found success with the companies that have made the decision to test it out.

“There are companies who have bought more dryers after seeing what the technology can do for them, and their business and an Australian customer has plans for expansion with at least another one or two larger units,” said Zisu.

Spraying Systems Australia and Fluid Air also offer a flexible approach for customers looking to employ their technology for the first time.

“We have a range of dryers from the very small benchtop feasibility unit to the largest commercial dryer that we have, which has the capacity to remove 200kg of water per hour, but we can also scale up to meet demand,” said Zisu. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 45

PACKAGING

A first of its kind tray sealer has arrived G.Mondini is helping to fill gaps in the market with the launch of the CIGNO fully automatic tray sealing system for small to medium productions. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

I

t’s no secret that when it comes to tray sealing that G.Mondini helps lead the way. A world leader in tray sealing technology, Mondini’s commitment to quality and innovation has meant that the Australian market and its manufacturers are getting the best of the best in food packaging solutions and their brand-new release is no exception.

The Cigno is the only sealer of its kind that requires no tools for changeover, has a small footprint, easy wash down and comes at a very competitive price point.

The Cigno is the new generation compact Tray Sealer specifically created for small meat, ready meal retailers and supermarket (back of store) and has just been released here in Australia.

Mondini have launched a tray sealer that is a straightforward solution that delivers efficiency and advanced MAP tray-sealing technology.

Bringing this technology to the Australian market is Select Equip, the exclusive distributor of G.Mondini.

“The Cigno is a game changer for those that have space restrictions, or limited technical support in the manufacturing process,” said Select Equips sales and marketing director James White.

“It’s an automatic tray sealer at the cost of a semi-automatic sealer. It’s the only tray sealer in its class that can be feed from a conveyor.”

With its small compact design, stainless steel frame for wash down and easy accessibility and reduced footprint which is well below the industry standard of 2.4mt at just 1.6mt, it looks like a no-brainer for retailers.

There is no compromise on quality and product shelf-life achieved, ensuring required product shelf-life for application where O2>1 per cent as Vacuum/gas process.

The Cigno will adapt to all food industry market requirements in term

The Cignow requires no tools for changeover.

The Cigno is the only sealer of its kind that requires no tools for changeover, has a small footprint, easy wash down and comes at a very competitve price point. of flexibility, but really focused on the meat and ready meal market.

“You don’t need compressed air, water or vacuum pump, you can place this machine easily in multiple locations and the advanced MAP traysealing technology has the efficiency

46 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

across many food industry segments,” said White.

“If you need tray sealing technology and you’re a small manufacturer or retailer, you cannot miss out on this.

“It is the first step to the grow of your business to which Select Equip

will work with retailers every stage of their growth from the Cigno right up to a full production line went the time comes.”

This is a brand new release here in Australia, so if you’re in need for a tray sealer with a small footprint, the latest technology that’s easy to use, requires minimal training and has a really competitive price point, the G.Mondini Cigno from Select Equip might have been what you’ve been waiting for. F

DEFINING THE NEXT G E N E R AT I O N O F S P R AY D R Y I N G A N D C O AT I N G TECHNOLOGY

Fluid Air is defining the next generation of spray drying technology by creating scalable powder manufacturing solutions.

Our innovative PolarDry® technology utilises milder temperatures to produce powders, leading to large efficiency gains for your business.

Electrostatic spray drying is a low-temperature drying technique that combines dual-fluid atomisation and electrostatic charge in a single-step process for conversion of liquid feed into powder. Fluid Air has the range to suit the size and needs of your business with machines tailored for R&D, feasibility studies, as well as small, medium, and large-scale commercial manufacturing.

For enquiries, contact us at sales@spray.com.au

Phone 1300 079 998 Spraying Systems Co. 8 Moorinna Way, Truganina Victoria Australia 3029

spray.com.au

FLOORING

Efficiency from the ground up When a leading beverage manufacturer experienced drainage and flooring issues, Allied Finishes was called on to provide a solution that ensured better stability for the manufacturer. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

“I

f it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,” is a statement that Allied Finishes upholds across its business, through its safety and hygienic offerings for the food and beverage industry. Through a strong customercentric focus, Allied Finishes doesn’t take shortcuts on the road to achieving the best outcomes for its clients.

An ongoing client, a leading beverage manufacturing company, reached out to an Allied Finishes consultant to assist with the Essence Room within its Western Sydney facility in Huntingwood. This room contains large drums storing the essence for the beverages, and as a

Allied Finishes recommended its SteriFloor Stärke solution.

A core test was performed to determine the strength of the pre-existing concrete.

A leading beverage company contacted Allied Finishes to redesign the flooring. result, often has chemical spills on the floor, which must be washed down to eliminate slips and falls. This room also has constant forklift traffic, so the flooring had to be designed to withstand the heavy traffic.

Within this particular room, there were ongoing issues with the capacity of the drainage system, as well as concerns around the concrete substrate stability.

On visiting the site, Allied Finishes consultant Joshua Gillies analysed the issue. Upon closer inspection, Joshua also became concerned about the stability of the concrete and arranged for a core test to be carried out to inspect the strength of the concrete, and ensure there were no issues with it. However, despite the concerns, the results came back reporting no issues.

One of the main challenges in this room was insufficient drainage.

The outlet size of the plumbing was too small to handle the Essence Room’s needs, as there were a lot of chemical, sugar and water-based liquids frequently passing through.

To address this, Joshua provided a specification on the drainage system to ensure it exceeded its current requirements.

Additionally, the existing flooring in this area of the facility was failing, becoming slippery in many areas, and needed to be upgraded. Falls also needed to be corrected to eliminate pooling of water in various areas in the room. On reviewing the beverage

48 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The manufacturer was experiencing ongoing issues with drainage in a heavy traffic area. company’s needs, Allied Finishes specified its SteriFloor Stärke solution to be installed with a light to medium non-slip finish, to ensure the area was easy to clean and maintain.

SteriFloor Stärke is the ideal flooring solution for many food and beverage manufacturing floors with medium to heavy foot and forklift traffic. It is the hardest wearing food grade flooring solution available for food and beverage manufacturing facilities, with strong antimicrobial properties to ensure high hygiene standards are maintained.

This flooring solution was ideal for this area, as it had to withstand heavy forklift traffic, have good chemical resistance, and stand for years to come.

In one shutdown period, Allied Finishes carried out both the drainage upgrade and flooring upgrade in not

only the Essence Room, but other areas in the facility. Allied Finishes project manager, Troy Wolffe, arranged each team to carry out its work in a timely manner, removing the need for the facilities manager to arrange a whole suite of trades. This was hugely beneficial to the client, who was managing multiple projects over the one shutdown period, and relieved him of coordinating trades.

The Allied Finishes client, utilities coordinator Kevin Khoo, was very happy with the finished result of the flooring and drainage: “It was great working with Allied Finishes and Troy Wolffe on this project. They did such a great job and were quick, efficient and adaptable to changes in our production environment, despite a tight timeframe.” F

SENSORS

Optimal operation for chocolate storage tanks

The largest chocolate factory in the world uses VEGABAR pressure transmitters to monitor the supply to the production line.

The VEGABAR pressure transmitters installed in Barry Callebaut’s Belgian chocolate factory ensure that operations run smoothly for its chocolate storage tanks.

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t is said, “All Belgians are loyal to their chocolate.” This is especially true in Wieze, located about an hour’s drive from Brussels, as it is home to the largest chocolate factory in the world that is run by Barry Callebaut.

This site produces around 350,000 tonnes of fine cocoa products per year, serving as raw material for the food industry and used in an estimated 25 per cent of the chocolate consumers worldwide. In working with customers like Nestlé, Unilever and Mondelez, Barry Callebaut provides the best chocolate recipes for their products.

A look behind the scenes at the Belgian factory gives a good insight into its innovative prowess, founded on tradition and history.

Superfood

With over 20,000 bioactive ingredients,

cocoa products are considered by many to be a superfood. Like that of wine, the production process for chocolate depends on specialists’ high level of expertise.

As the market differentiates between consumer cocoa and premium cocoa according to origin, location and harvest year, Barry Callebaut designs individual solutions to suit each customer’s requirements.

To be able to provide the required chocolate varieties in the right quantities at any time, they are filled into tanks and stored at a temperature of about 40°C. Each of these double-bottomed tanks holds a volume enough to produce one million chocolates. They are heated with water, while rotating agitators keep the liquid masses in the desired state.

Two VEGABAR pressure transmitters are installed at the upper and lower ends of the tank to form a differential pressure measuring system. They reliably monitor the supply to the production line by providing two level values that are factored together. They transmit the resulting measurement data to the plant’s process control system. Tanks whose levels fall below a certain limit are refilled within a defined time window.

Measuring cell in a yummy environment

VEGA recommended the VEGABAR pressure transmitters with extremely resistant ceramic measuring cells.

50 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

For the chocolate tanks, VEGA recommended the VEGABAR pressure transmitters with extremely resistant ceramic measuring cells. Sensors with front-flush metallic diaphragms are usually the first choice for hygienic applications. But in this case, the ceramic CERTEC measuring cell had more to offer – a modular connection concept with a hygienic, front-flush design.

VEGABAR pressure transmitters are certified according to 3A and EHEDG and able to withstand extreme conditions, thanks to their high chemical and temperature resistance. They operate drift-free and without oil.

And they are so robust that even solid, abrasive particles in liquids cannot harm

SENSORS

them. Perfect for chocolate, as it is also extremely viscous, sticky and erosive.

Thanks to the robust ceramic measuring cell, measurement in the storage tanks remains stable even if solid ingredients are in the mixture. Nuts or cocoa bean shells are therefore not a problem, but rather a kind of “favourite variety.”

Drift-free operation

The installed generation of VEGABAR pressure transmitters has withstood the extreme challenges at Callebaut reliably and virtually drift-free since 1990.

“Sensors with metallic measuring cells are clearly inferior here,” VEGA product manager for pressure instrumentation Natalie Waldecker said, who is responsible for this long-term stable measuring principle.

Drift is a phenomenon that slowly creeps into pressure measuring systems.

This has to be taken into account when using transducers with metallic measuring cells. The so-called “longterm drift” is one of the “normal” signs of fatigue as a measuring cell ages. The more often a thin metal diaphragm is subjected to a load, the less precisely it will return to the specified zero point. For the operator, this means additional work in compensating for drift by recalibrating the instrument.

But ceramic CERTEC measuring cells operate practically drift-free.

The hardness and limited but precise flexibility and range of motion of the ceramic material means that they exhibit virtually no material fatigue or drift.

Self-calibrating ceramic cells therefore significantly extend the time between necessary recalibrations.

Chocolate trends

The Wieze chocolate maker sees itself more as a laboratory of the future than a factory, because nothing is as fastmoving as trends in the food industry.

Just three to four decades ago, children grew up having to choose between two types of chocolate – light or dark. Today, countless varieties fill entire rows of shelves in supermarkets. There is little that doesn’t already exist, or will not exist tomorrow, with trends ranging from low-sugar to dairy-free.

That’s why the creative minds at Barry Callebaut are now tinkering with oat milk, coconut blossom sugar and microbiotic muesli flakes, among other things.

Advantages

Over the years, the brown storage tanks have held many diverse mixtures, states of aggregation and textures. The

deployed electronic pressure measurement technology contributes to reliable management as well as precise and efficient control and regulation of the production processes.

In principle, all VEGABAR pressure transmitters are suitable for this measuring principle, as they can be combined with a second sensor to form an electronic differential pressure system.

Compared to a conventional measuring solution, installation is much simpler, as it doesn’t require thermal insulation. At the same time, the combined measuring system is much more accurate.

Driving force for innovation

No matter what the quality of the end product, the Barry Callebaut philosophy requires the same uncompromising care for all production lines – from the raw materials used to the measurement technology.

With the help of VEGABAR differential pressure measurement, Barry Callebaut can run automated processes and ensure constant filling of the containers. This ensures uninterrupted production and reliably avoids costly process interruptions, allowing the chocolate experts to focus more on product innovation for its customers.

For them, it’s about creating new taste

Using VEGABAR differential pressure measurement, Barry Callebaut can ensure constant filling of the containers. experiences using new ingredients – like a vegan, low-sugar Magnum variety using Barry Callebaut chocolate.

To discover more about the VEGABAR pressure transmitters, visit www.vega.com/en-au/products/ product-catalog/pressure. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 51

LOGISTICS

Etihad delivering traceability and freshness With consumers demanding greater traceability, flexibility, and freshness in food and beverage transportation, we talk to Etihad Cargo’s Fabrice Panzo on its world-class perishables transportation services.

“T

oday’s food and beverage supply chain is more complex than ever,” said Fabrice Panza, Manager Global Cool Chain Solutions at Etihad. “As consumers demand increasing traceability and transparency relating to where their food is grown and how it is manufactured and transported, food growers and manufacturers are still recovering from the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting volatile business environment and supply chain disruptions.”

Traceability is critical for the food and beverage industry because tracking a product’s journey – from production through to processing and distribution – is critical to maintaining food safety and operational efficiency.

“Robust traceability and tracking enable Etihad Cargo to deliver perishables in the best possible condition,” Panza said. “We work with our clients to help them be competitive through embracing digital traceability and validating the authenticity of product safety, provenance and health or sustainability claims. Etihad Cargo’s processes and technologies are integral parts of helping clients meet these challenges.”

Panza noted that the pandemic brought with it considerable changes in consumer behaviour, with greater uptake of e-commerce and a concomitant shift to smaller perishables shipments requiring smaller express services levels.

Fabrice Panza, manager Global Cool Chain Solutions at Etihad. destination to moving the perishables from the aircraft to the cool room or sending it directly out for delivery to the consignee – to the minute.”

Etihad Cargo constantly monitors lead times and utilises specialised thermal covers to reduce temperature variability resulting from environmental conditions both outside the cool room and inside the aircraft hold. All Etihad Cargo’s employees also receive extensive training, as highly trained staff are essential to maintaining the quality of perishables throughout their journey.

Etihad Cargo FreshForward

Enter Etihad

Etihad Cargo ships a wide and diverse range of perishable products, including fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, flowers, meat, chocolate, seed, plants, egg and dairy – such as cheese – with its FreshForward service.

There are a number of critical factors to consider when it comes to transporting fresh food successfully and with full traceability, Panza said – chiefly variable environmental temperatures, distance, and time.

“When handling perishables, the clock starts ticking the moment food is harvested and produced, so Etihad Cargo manages each step – including acceptance of the product and moving it to the cool room, then moving the product from the cool room to the aircraft, and upon arrival at the

Features of FreshForward include: • Expedited ramp handling at all points; • Late priority despatch from storage facilities to the aircraft; • A dedicated perishables centres in Abu Dhabi; • Temperature-controlled storage facilities; • Shipments transported from aircraft to storage facilities done on a priority basis; • Specific temperatures set for ULD containers; and

52 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

• Stringent food safety management protocols with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) methodology.

“Every member of Etihad Cargo’s team follows strict protocols to control the temperature of perishables shipments,” noted Panzi. “Additionally, all of Etihad Cargo’s cool rooms are equipped with alarmed temperaturemonitoring systems and are calibrated every 12 months.

Every critical point throughout the perishables journey is temperature checked, and the results are recorded in Abu Dhabi, offering our clients full transparency and traceability of shipments.”

Reopening after COVID

As markets around the world are re-opening, Etihad Cargo’s customers are looking for more capacity and more opportunities to access those markets as quickly and efficiently as possible, so they can gain market share against their worldwide competitors who are already supplying those markets, according to Panzi.

“Etihad Cargo is exploring ways of providing more capacity with our existing fleet and the new aircraft that will be joining our fleet this year,” he said. “Etihad Cargo has worked to ensure key trade lanes have remained active, recovering over 90 per cent of

our pre-COVID network and rotations, and we currently service 72 network destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Our active fleet of 65 aircraft operates 430 weekly rotations and hundreds of annual charter flights that service demand across non-network destinations.

“We will also open a new cool chain centre located right next to our current warehouse in the next few months.

This state-of-the-art facility will double Etihad Cargo’s cool chain capacity and capabilities.

While manufacturing is not currently one of Etihad Cargo’s activities, warehousing, monitoring and cross-docking with specific cool chain equipment most certainly are.

“Etihad Cargo’s new cool chain facility will enhance our FreshForward product offering and will benefit the perishables community with increased capacity, as well as providing a smoother transfer to Etihad Cargo’s FreshForward trucks when the products need to be delivered in the UAE or handed over to the consignee at Abu Dhabi Airport.”

Certifiably Fresh

Etihad Cargo’s commitment to providing world-class perishables transportation services is why it sought out and achieved International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Fresh certification.

In 2019, Etihad Cargo became the first Middle East airline to hold both IATA CEIV Fresh and Pharma certifications and one of only two carriers globally to have achieved this dual honour in the same year.

“Being IATA CEIV Freshcertified demonstrates Etihad Cargo’s compliance with Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR), ensuring food safety, reducing waste, reinforcing trust and enabling us, in partnership with our customers, to implement best practices across all required cold chain solutions.” F

WEIGHING EQUIPMENT

Weighing up the Australian food industry Tecweigh provides food grade, stainless steel feeders for the industry that are highly accurate, dependable and hygienic, and are suitable for a range of applications. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

L

ocated in Carrum Downs in Victoria, an Australian dynamic weighing specialist has put more than 20 years of manufacturing expertise behind the design of bespoke in-motion weighing and metering products that are suitable for the food industry.

Supplying to Australia and around the world, Tecweigh’s food-grade, stainless steel weigh belt feeders and volumetric auger feeders are manufactured using locally sourced components.

The weigh belt feeders offer top performance and easy calibration

to ensure accuracy, dependability and food-grade hygiene, while the volumetric auger feeders’ internal agitation system encourages product flow.

Weigh belt feeder

Tecweigh’s business development manager, Barry Gamble, explains how the weigh belt feeder works for the food industry.

Barry Gamble, business development manager for Tecweigh, explains that the weigh belt feeder distributes the product on a belt to a weighing section, then removes the product from the belt.

The weigh belt feeder minimises the amount of material build-up.

54 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

“It’s about mixing the raw product, recipe mixing, or batching. It works on many products and ensures each product is given the correct ingredients in the right proportions,” he said.

There are certain elements that can be custom made to cater to the clients’ needs, such as the belt width, belt speed and the height and depth of the material bed.

“We custom engineer the product using the customer’s parameters of product bed depth, belt width, and belt speed to optimise and meet the flow required in either kilograms or tonnes per hour,” Gamble said. “It

could have an Ethernet IP output to go into a PLC that can monitor the scale parameters in real time.”

High accuracy The accuracy of the weigh belt feeder is +-0.5 per cent for a single idler weighing system, or +-0.25 per cent for a dual idler. Another factor Tecweigh has considered in their designs is how to contain the material on the belt for different applications.

“Another important factor is containment of material on the belt which can be by a wave edge belt, or if they want a larger bed depth,

WEIGHING EQUIPMENT

they can use stainless steel side rails,” Gamble said.

“We are talking to a customer who produce salads and because it is a much a lighter product than say potato, the product bed depth bed needs to be higher to achieve the same throughput.

We use parameters around depth, belt width, and speed to achieve the optimum throughput.”

Maximum accessibility, minimal build-up Another feature of the Tecweigh weigh belt feeder is it minimises the amount of material build-up. On its continuous loop belt in the production line, once divested of its material the belt travels underneath where an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) belt scraper cleans it as it moves.

“The inlet and outlet chutes can be custom-made to fit the needs of the end user’s process,” Gamble said.

“Sometimes a tank or hopper is installed above, the head of product sits there and as the belt moves along and drags the product out at the speed that’s

The volumetric auger feeder features a poly flex hopper with massaging paddles, to prevent bridging. required. After weighing, the product is dispensed off the end of the belt through a flanged discharge chute.”

The weigh belt feeders also include built-in calibration weights.

“Firstly, you zero a clean belt– any small deviations in the weight of the belt are absorbed in the zero tracking function of the WP20 Weight Processor,” he said. “A calibration cycle is initiated and the WP20 process guides you through adding the weights and advises you when to take them off. Then the process is complete.”

Volumetric Auger Feeder

While the weigh belt feeder can be used for any product, the volumetric auger feeder from Tecweigh is intended for more precise dosing of flowable or granular products, in smaller additions.

Gamble says the augers are available in sizes from 12mm to 152mm in diameter, and there are various feeder sizes capable of dispensing between one and 20,000 litres per hour.

“It’s a screw auger, where its speed and diameter will determine how many litres per hour it can move, as opposed to kilograms per hour,” he said. “It’s all about how dense the product is. It’s suited for a more accurate dosing of powders and granular products into food; the biggest application

“The flowability of the product is key. The options are single drive, where one motor will drive the auger and the massaging paddles together or independently.” is salt, spices, and seasonings in the snack food industry.”

Toolless disassembly The volumetric auger and feedtube assembly are easy to remove, using a single lever operation. If an operator tries to remove the auger and feedtube during operation, a safety sensor fitted to the mounting shuts down the drive motor.

Prevents bridging Many feeders on the market have solid metal sides with the auger turning around at the bottom. This can lead to the product caking up and becoming stuck, which is known as bridging.

“In response to this, we have a poly flex hopper with massaging paddles, and they help the flex hopper stop bridging,” Gamble said. “The flowability of the product is key. The options are single drive, where one motor will drive the auger and the massaging paddles together.”

For difficult products, a dual drive option with two motors is available, in this case the auger and the massaging paddles are driven independently, Gamble said.

“For more accurate control, you would mount the feeder onto four load cells, so you can measure kilograms per hour instead of litres per hour,” he said.

“Then using the feedback from the load cells to a PLC, you can adjust the speed of the paddles and auger independently to achieve the optimum dosing – this is called loss in weight.”

This means that the food producer can determine how much product is being dispensed and if the speed of the paddle or auger needs to be altered.

Level sensors can also be installed in the inlet hopper to identify when a refill is needed.

“When refilling the inlet hopper, the weight signal from the load cells is ignored by the PLC and the last remembered speeds of the auger and paddles are maintained during the refilling process,” Gamble said. “A second level sensor can be incorporated near the lid of the hopper to restart the feeding process when the hopper is full.”

For more information about Tecweigh’s range of food-grade feeders, visit www.tecweigh.com.au. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 55

EFFICIENCY

Gates POSICLEAN belts are saving water in food processing plants Gates has carved a legacy in Australian manufacturing by offering application-specific belt solutions and pushing the boundaries of material science. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

O

ptimising belt designs for a range of intense durability requirements takes meticulous attention to surface texture, degree of stretch, coating, and application methods.

As a diamond supply partner with Motion Australia, Gates is introducing the latest approaches across a broad spectrum of industrial fittings including automotive, hydraulic, belt, coupling and sprocket products. Wherever OEM projects are desiring of upgrades or improved design components, Gates is aiming to deliver long-term and reliable answers.

Where belts are used in the food processing sector, Gates offers major design benefits for frequent wash down and chemical cleaning procedures.

Water usage is a primary concern in the industry, as downtime spent on disassembling and soaking parts to meet hygiene protocols. The repeated hosing pressure also often leads to accelerated corrosion and shortening of belt lifespan.

The POSICLEAN thermoplastic polyurethane belt offers immediate reduction in operating costs, by considering numerous factors of efficiency. Leon Stefanec, Victorian state sales manager at Motion Australia, explains that the implementation of this belting solution will ultimately lead to cost saving, also having have a direct impact on the environmental footprint of each processing plant.

“We at Motion Australia would like to introduce this exciting new product to Australia’s poultry, pork and seafood industries,” he said.

“Typically, this product would replace plastic modular belting, commonly seen in these areas. This has the potential to provide huge water consumption benefits, translating to important environmental and dollar cost savings.”

Gates has already seen meat processing customers save thousands of dollars in operating costs, as a direct result of switching to the POLYCLEAN PC20. In a recent case study, they found

that the frequent disassembly and reassembly of plastic belting segments contributed to damage and more frequent replacement. This poses an ongoing health and safety risk as well, because damaged plastic can break off and contaminate the meat – sometimes without detection. This sort of risk can lead to costly product recall, and requires tiresome manual monitoring of part durability.

“We do a lot of work with chicken processing plants, and bear witness to many of the day-to-day challenges on the ground level,” said Stefanec.

“Because of the tough wash down procedures that need to happen regularly, generic belts used on conveyors do not often reach full life expectancy.

“I believe these TPU belts from Gates could be a real problem solver for our customers here in Australia.”

The POSICLEAN line is much simpler to keep sanitary, incorporating sealed tension members as well as drive teeth across the full belt width. The most attractive feature of this product is that it is ‘clean in place,’ (CIP) minimising the time spent removing apparatus to conduct daily washdown.

They are also considerably more resistant to stretch, which is a common issue with rubber belts in long length applications.

Created as a ‘like for like’ replacement solution, the POSICLEAN is compatible with most pre-existing one- and two-inch conveyor systems. Its smooth surface prevents micro pockets for bacteria to grow and needs only a simple wipe-over technique for thorough sanitation.

The sealed edges successfully prevent ingress of microbes, and optional side walls or flights are available.

When observed in a meat processing plant during the Gates case study, the POSICLEAN PC20 led to a reduced water consumption by 172,000 gallons per year, which was nearly 50 per cent of their prior usage. This lower water rate

56 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Gates has introduced the new approaches for industrial fittings. directly correlated to an annual plant cost saving of $20,000, and a consequent return on investment in less than two days.

The site’s daily cleaning time was also reduced by 30 minutes, inflating production value by $4.5 million per year. Additional reported benefits included quieter run volume, significantly lighter weight than traditional plastic modular belting, and durability under high load application. Their perforated dewatering configuration also facilitates rapid water drainage – ideal for preventing residue from bottling and cleaning.

“The results being seen here are remarkable,” said Stefanec.

“Water management is a large part of the manufacturing industry’s movement towards more sustainable operations. If we can implement these changes here in Australia, it would mean significant benefits for the environmental impacts of food processing.

“Not only are these belts high-grade and long wearing,” he continues, “but they incorporate unique and innovative design that makes the day-to-day tasks of plant management easier. It means less downtime, more product output and much stronger risk mitigation in terms of safety.”

All Gates food grade conveyor belts are FDA approved, EU complaint and USDA accepted, ensuring their safe and efficient utilisation across various food handling settings. Illnesses that are

Why Fred loves Gates POSICLEAN Belts

• 30 per cent lighter • 35 per cent less water • consumption • 43 per cent less surface area • No crevices to harbour contaminants • No risk of contamination from broken pins or hinges carried in perishable goods pose a threat to consumers, so opting for prevention methods such as hygienic belting products demonstrates responsible business practice.

Alongside the POSICLEAN, Gates offers a FLATCLEAN alternative without drive tooth. There are also selftracking options (CENTRECLEAN) and dewatering belt options available.

Additionally, customers can opt in for small amounts of metal detectable additive, for further risk management concerning accidental contamination.

POSICLEAN is currently available through Motion Australia as a custom order solution, and Leon predicts a positive response as the range continues rolling out in Australian sectors.

“Lead time for the supply of these TPU belts would be similar to locally assembled or imported plastic modular belts. Motion Australia are excited to offer this exciting new product from Gates as a project-integrated solution,” said Stefanec. F

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WASTEWATER

Microbreweries achieve wastewater compliance Aerofloat’s Michael Anderson tells Food & Beverage Industry News how Australian microbreweries are implementing low maintenance wastewater solutions to secure council compliance.

Aerofloat provides low maintenance wastewater solutions for the food and beverage industry.

M

icrobreweries often require a wastewater treatment system that provides solids removal and pH correction. Aerofloat is well known in the industry for providing low maintenance solutions that use minimal footprint.

Aerofloat is a family-run company of wastewater specialists based in NSW, which designs, manufactures, installs and commissions wastewater treatment systems for the Australian food and beverage market. Michael Anderson, general manager of Engineering and Operations, is passionate about developing innovative products and designs in response to some of the most difficult problems in the wastewater industry.

“We start a dialogue to determine what it is they specifically need for that area, because every council and water utility has a different set of requirements, depending on what state you’re in,” Anderson said. “So, we do our due diligence on where they are, who they are, the timing of their project, and then we have some pretty standard recommendations.”

Some of the things Aerofloat considers when taking on a project surround the space available and the system itself – is it old or new? Is it an existing large tank in the ground, or is there enough space above ground to install a new one?

“The two problems you’re trying to solve are separating the larger solids out and then PH correcting, all while measuring the flow to the sewer,” Anderson said.

Flexible compliance

Stockade Brewing in Marrickville, in Sydney, had an existing grease trap that could remove the solids found in the wastewater from washing up beer brewing equipment.

“We converted the existing grease trap that was collecting all the wastewater into a small pump station,” 58 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Anderson said. “We put it through our AeroClear clarifier, to separate out the solids and the clarified supernatant overflows out of the clarifier to a pH correction tank. The pH corrected wastewater then overflows to the sewer where a flow meter is installed to capture the flow.”

Mountain Goat was another prime example.

“Mountain Goat didn’t have much space, so first we separated the solids underground in some larger pre-cast tanks,” Anderson said. “Then we had a small chamber like a pump pit and did the pH correction in-line on the way to the sewer. So, it was an inline pH correction system instead of using a tank. In that instance, we used belowground tanks to save on space, situated below some car spaces.”

Other breweries Aerofloat worked with include Merino Brewing, Shark Island Brewing, Urban Alley, Thunder Road and Atomic Brewing.

“For Atomic Brewing in Redfern, we did the solids dropout in a pit underground,” Anderson said. “Then we pumped up above ground and had a pH correction tank in the mixer in the brewing space. Very simple.”

Through simple, reliable, automated systems, these microbreweries achieved the compliance needed. By removing the need to manually adjust and optimise the system, Aerofloat ensures a streamlined process for its customers.

It even has service contracts that supply chemicals and maintenance to customers, so that they don’t need to interact with the system at all – just set and forget!

Key takeaways

Speaking at AUSPACK 2022 in May, Anderson presented the top tips for managing trade wastewater compliance and the simple actions food and beverage companies can take to reduce bills and make compliance easier.

WASTEWATER “The two problems you’re trying to solve are separating the larger solids out and then PH correcting, all while measuring the flow to the sewer.”

“The key messages that I spoke about were around defining the wastewater problem in the early stage, really focusing heavily on doing a lot of due diligence on the different wastewater streams and the amounts that you have, then what the future looks like for that site,” he said.

According to Anderson, people underestimate wastewater consumption, especially when it comes to greenfield. This was the case with 4 Pines Brewery, which needed to expand its operations for larger distribution while still committing to social and environmental responsibility. Aerofloat installed AeroDAF to treat 4 Pines’ wastewater and allow for future growth in the craft beer market.

“People also underestimate the potential of their business on that site. Suddenly, they’re seeing four times the original design flow and now the wastewater treatment plant needs an upgrade or it’s at capacity,” he said.

“This doesn’t really happen with us because we focus so heavily on it. But in our experience, we’ve had to fix up other people’s plants that are too small.”

The Aerofloat session also explored the ways to define the potential load of a company’s wastewater.

“It’s not just how much water is used but it’s also about the concentration of the solids and debris or contaminant in the water,” Anderson said. “Making sure that when you get wastewater samples, even if it’s an existing site and you want to upgrade your wastewater infrastructure apparatus for compliance, do a flow-based composite sample first.”

This ensures a true representation of the customer’s needs, so that the right equipment can be selected for the problem.

For more information about how Aerofloat can assist your business – whether it be a microbrewery or a food processing site – visit www.aerofloat. com.au. F

In working with multiple microbreweries, Aerofloat was able to help them achieve wastewater compliance.

TECWEIGH WEIGH-BELT FEEDERS AND VOLUMETRIC FEEDERS

sales@tecweigh.com.au P: +61 3 9775 0266

Australian Made - Tecweigh’s Food Grade 316 Stainless Steel Feeders are Designed and Manufactured in Australia to meet individual customers specifications

Tecweigh Weigh Belt Feeders • Food Grade continuous Belt • Built in Calibration weights • Wave edge Belt or Stainless-Steel Side rails for product containment • Single Idler +-0.5% or Dual Idler +-0.25% weighing accuracy • IP 66 Strain Gauge Load Cells

Tecweigh Volumetric Feeders • Augers from 12mm to 152 mm Diameter • Throughput 1 to 20,000 Litres/Hour • Polyurethane Flex Hopper with massaging paddles to prevent product bridging • Can be mounted on Load Cells for loss in weight operation • Safety Sensors

Tecweigh Pty Ltd Factory 3, Silkwood Business Park 7, Lakewood Boulevard Carrum Downs Victoria Australia 3201 www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 59

ENGINEERING

Bonfiglioli supplies a 24/7, zero-downtime solution for Plucks Engineering Plucks Engineering’s search for a model gearbox supplier began a few years ago to assist with a gearbox for a brand-new application: an effluent pond stirrer. With Bonfiglioli, it found what it was looking for.

E

stablished in 1966, Plucks Engineering Ltd (Plucks) is a second-generation family business that differentiates itself as a flexible, customer-centric agricultural manufacturing and repair engineering company.

Ideally located in Rakaia between Christchurch and Ashburton in New Zealand, Plucks is perfectly poised to deliver overnight – if not same day – and their workshop designs and develops fast, flexible farm and heavy machinery.

As Neil Pluck, managing director for Plucks explained: “We are firmly rooted in agriculture and specialise in the manufacture and repair of a vast range of agricultural machinery – ranging from cultivation, drilling, heavy water

ballast land rollers, square bale feeders and general repairs of most agricultural machinery.

“We produce a large range of dairy effluent products, ranging from concrete enviro saucers, pumps and rafts, effluent main lines, travelling effluent irrigators, pond stirrers and dairy effluent screening equipment. Around 60 – 70 per cent of what we do is focused on effluent.”

Plucks’ solutions are sold throughout New Zealand and are exported to Australia, Brazil, Chile, UK, and the UAE. In search of the right supplier for the job

Pluck said the company looks for expertise, knowledge and skill when searching for the ideal supplier. “We rely

Plucks’ effluent pond stirrer in action.

60 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

heavily on our suppliers to complete our product offering.”

Pluck underscored the importance of suppliers’ finances and stock availability.

“In the past we had suppliers who had to close or couldn’t supply what we needed on time. This had a knock-on effect and was problematic for all parties involved.”

Plucks’ journey for a model gearbox supplier began a few years ago. The company was in search of a new supplier to assist with a gearbox for a brand-new application: an effluent pond stirrer.

“We initially started working with dairy farms in the 1980s to provide a range of irrigators, pumps and mainlines, but as the farms got bigger so did the effluent ponds.”

He said that their team found that the effluent ponds started to crust up as seeds began to settle and grow. “These were hard to deal with, but we found that by stirring the pond slowly, the stagnant water would come back to life.”

Plucks developed a solution to the problem. “We connected with a company that made stirrers – although not particularly for effluent. We adapted their blades and systems to suit the dairy industry and over time, we decided that it was time to develop our own products.

“We weren’t happy with a gearbox and electric motor combination that we had at the time and were spending a lot of time following up with the supplier. In the end, they couldn’t give us the answers that we needed.”

ENGINEERING

Bonfiglioli’s 300M Series gearbox.

Based on their track record and international footprint, Plucks turned to Bonfiglioli. “Based on my previous experience with planetary gearboxes I wanted to stick to these,” said Pluck. “I knew that Bonfiglioli produced them, and it was almost by chance that my path crossed with Paul Savage – Bonfiglioli’s New Zealand sales manager.”

According to Pluck, Savage and his team persisted and continued to challenge Plucks’ theories – insisting that they could help to solve the problem. “In the end, we decided to give them a go!”

We want a gearbox - we don't want to hear about ....

Speaking to the gearbox in question, Savage explained that the 300M series is

ideal for heavy-duty applications.

“It’s modular and can be customised to match an array of applications.

Best of all, it operates in demanding environments with no downtime.”

A big plus for Plucks was that the 300M series could be mounted vertically on a torque arm set up close to the motor. “The output shaft type was to our exact specifications and required no modifications.”

Today, this electrically driven effluent-stirrer is mounted on a flotation raft – complete with three pontoons and a support frame. “Available from 1.1kW to 3.0kW, this low maintenance solution offers a high flow rate at a low power consumption.”

Bonfiglioli’s 300M Series gearbox.

“It’s modular and can be customised to match an array of applications. Best of all, it operates in demanding environments with no downtime.”

Highlighting the challenges involved, Pluck said that the gearbox had to stand on its end and run 24/7 for years with no breaks. “We have multiple stirrers in big ponds that work throughout the year with no downtime,” he noted. “In fact, some of these have been running for as long as 10 years with minimal maintenance.”

“The long service life synthetic oil found in the 300M means that there is no need for a frequent oil change,” Savage added.

He said the longevity of the application can be attributed to the mechanical outlook shared by both parties. “We ‘over spec’ the product to make sure it isn’t working too close to its limit. This is especially important in these harsh environments and where the gearbox is hard to reach. The 300M series were intentionally over specified to compensate for the harsh environment and unforgiving application, because 24/7 really means 24/7 in this case!”

Despite a mechanical rating requirement of 0.75kW to 5KW, the unit selected has a 11kW capacity to circumvent any possible future issues,” Savage said. “This ensures the gearbox doesn’t fail. It costs a little more at the outset but in the long run, the

maintenance free uptime far outweighs the costs.”

According to Neil the drive system and connection of the stirrers are designed to suit the Bonfiglioli setup.

“The very big range of output shaft and flange options made it easy for us to produce a robust shaft to gearbox connection,” Pluck said.

“This ensures that it is no trouble for these units to work in the terrible effluent liquid environment it is required for, 24/7/365 for years on end. Of the hundreds and hundreds, we have sold into this environment we have only had two minor problems and they have been very minor at that.”

True to its customers and confident in its product, Plucks offers a two-year warranty on its effluent products which Pluck said is “unheard of in the industry.”

As the relationship continues and strengthens, Pluck said that Plucks feels well supported by Bonfiglioli. “The team offers in-depth engineering and technical expertise and we have a great working relationship.”

Visit Bonfiglioli at the Australian Bulk Handling Expo - BULK 2022 from 24 to 26 August at the Melbourne Convention Centre. F

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 61

2022 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards

Finalists for the 2022 round of the annual Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards have been announced with an unprecedented number of outstanding innovations being recognised across 12 categories.

C

oordinated by the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) the PIDA awards are designed to recognise companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field across Australia and New Zealand.

The Packaging Innovation & Design of the Year company awards recognise organisations that have designed innovative packaging within six categories: 1. Food Packaging Design of the Year 2. B everage Packaging Design of the Year 3. Health, Beauty & Wellness Packaging Design of the Year 4. Domestic & Household Packaging Design of the Year 5. L abelling & Decoration Design of the Year utside of the Box Design of the Year 6. O There are six special awards also available: 1. Marketing Design of the Year 2. Accessible and Inclusive Packaging Design of the Year 3. Save Food Packaging Design of the Year 4. S ustainable Packaging Design of the Year 5. Industry Packaging Professional of the Year 6. ABA Scholarships The PIDA Awards are also the exclusive feeder program for Australia and New Zealand for the prestigious WorldStar Packaging Awards run by the World Packaging Organisation.

All 2022 PIDA winners will be automatically eligible for entry into the 2023 WorldStar Packaging Awards competition.

2022 Food Packaging Design of the Year

Finalists are Mai Tardi Stackable Paper Lid (Zipform Packaging), ThermoShield Temperature Monitoring System - Food (Caps & Closures), Maggi Recipe Base/

Mono-PP Sachet (Huhtamaki Australia), 5-Litre Ice Cream Scoop Tray (Bonson Savpac), Frutmac Zippmatic 100 per cent Paperboard Foodtainer (Auspouch), Amcor Flowtite NS (Amcor Flexibles Australia), Nestlé Easter egg range (Nestlé Australia) and Cadbury Roses limited edition Mother’s Day chocolates (Opal).

The PIDA Awards recognise innovation in packaging.

2022 Beverage Packaging Design of the Year

Finalists are ThermoShield Temperature Monitoring System - Beverage (Caps & Closures), Synlait Swappa Bottle (Synlait Milk Limited), Australia’s Most Sustainable Milk Cartons (Brownes Dairy), Goodman Fielder Meadow Fresh Milk 30 per cent rHDPE Bottle (Pact Group), Coles Home Compostable Coffee Capsules (Coles) and Norco 100 per cent rPET Milk Bottles (Pact Group).

System (Caps & Closures) and Inghams Waitoa Free Range Butterflied Chicken (Sealed Air NZ).

2022 Labelling & Decoration Design of the Year

2022 Sustainable Packaging Design of the Year

Finalists are ID-Shield Anti-Counterfeit System (Caps & Closures), Hungry Jack’s Uno Promotion (Result Group), Billson’s Christmas Gin (Billson’s), Hypro Kerbside Recyclable Petfood Bags (Close the Loop Group) and Shelf Ready Packaging for Cadbury Favourites Chocolates (Opal).

Finalists are KITKAT prototype recycled content wrapper (Nestlé Australia), Nespresso Curby Coffee Capsule Collection Program, Australia’s Most Sustainable Milk Cartons (Brownes Dairy), FSC Rectangle Paper Containers (BioPak), Ivory Coat - High Barrier Recyclable Range (Close the Loop Group), Opal & JBS Dunnage Solution (Opal); Amcor Ecotite R (Amcor Flexibles Australia), SMARTIES Range Paperisation (Nestlé Australia), Royal Australian Mint Coin Packaging (MaCher Aust), Detpak RecycleMe Noodle Cup (Detmold Group), Maggi Recipe Base/Mono-PP sachet (Huhtamaki Australia), etch&ethos (EGO Pharmaceuticals), BUBBLE WRAP 50 per cent recycled content air pillows (Sealed Air), Goodman Fielder Praise 100 per cent rPET Bottles (Goodman Fielder), Sugarcane Pulp Hot & Cold Cup Lids (BioPak), Koh Kerbside Recyclable Spout Pouch Refill Pack (Close the Loop Group), POLLAST!C

2022 Marketing Design of the Year Award

Finalists are etch&ethos (EGO Pharmaceuticals), McCain Lil’ Pizzas

by BrandOpus (BrandOpus Australia), Australia’s Most Sustainable Milk Cartons (Brownes Dairy), Billson’s Heritage Gin Range (Billson’s), Hungry Jack’s Uno Promotion (Result Group), Billson’s Premix Range (Billson’s) and Chicken Burger Packaging Collectors Box (ATA).

2022 Save Food Packaging Design of the Year Award

Finalists are 2DBarcodes by GS1 (GS1 Australia & Woolworths), ThermoShield Temperature Monitoring

62 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The awards span six categories with two specific to the food and beverage industry.

(Better Packaging Co.), FSC Paper Spoon Straws (BioPak), Norco 100 per cent rPET Milk Bottles (Pact Group), Earthwise Eco Laundry Scoop Innovation (Earthwise Group), Bruce rHDPE tube (Impact International), VetOne Fold, Roll & Recycle Packaging

by Hypro Petfood (Close the Loop Group) and Goodman Fielder Meadow Fresh Milk 30 per cent rHDPE Bottle (Pact Group).

Winners will be announced on the 8th of July at an awards ceremony that will be held alongside of FoodTech QLD which will be held at the Gold Coast, Queensland. F

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MARKETWATCH

Deal activity maintains momentum Corporate activity in the food and beverage industry continued to be strong in the months of April and May 2022. Nine transactions were announced over the two-month period to May 2022.

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ioneer Capital acquired a 75 per cent stake in Raglan Food Co. Raglan Food is a plant-based food manufacturer based in Raglan (NZ) that was established in 2014.

Around 90 per cent of Raglan Food’s revenue is generated from sales to the New Zealand grocery channel. Under the guidance of Pioneer Capital, the company will target exports to the USA as a foundation for future growth.

Liverpool Partners acquired specialty coffee roaster and wholesaler, Padre Coffee. Padre Coffee will join forces with Seven Miles Coffee Roasters which was acquired by Liverpool Partners in September 2021.

The two businesses will operate as separate brands within the Liverpool Partners coffee portfolio.

Real Petfood Company acquired pet supplement start-up, People for Pets, and invested alongside Gabriel Perera, the founder of the business. People for

Date

Target Name

Acquirer

Sector

29 March 2022

Raglan Foods (75%)

Pioneer Capital

Plant-based foods

8 April 2022

Padre Coffee

Seven Miles Coffee Roasters

Coffee

11 April 2022

People for Pets

Real Pet Food Company

Pet food

12 April 2022

MD Provodores

In2Food

Fruit and veg distribution

13 April 2022

Bayview Seafoods

Bidfood

Food processing

20 April 2022

Slim Secrets

Winners Sports Nutrition

Healthy snacks

26 April 2022

Nutrano’s banana assets

LaManna Premium Group

Fruit and vegetables

19 May 2022

Coffee Supreme

Pioneer Capital

Coffee

27 May 2022

Chalmers Organics

Life Health Foods

Plant-based foods

Pets is the owner of the plant-based “medicinal” water treat brand, Nectar of the Dogs.

In2Food acquired Sydney-based fruit and vegetable distributor, MD Provodores. MD Provodores was started in 2004 and supplies more than

550 venues across Sydney with fresh, pre-cut fruit and vegetables.

Bidfood Australia acquired Bayview Seafoods from the external administrator.

Snack food business, Slim Secrets, was sold to Winners Sports Nutrition.

The Slim Secrets business was founded by Sharon Turin in 2005 and distributes a range of healthy snacking products including protein bars.

LaManna Premier Group acquired Nutrano Produce Group’s banana assets in New South Wales and Victoria. The sale included Nutrano’s Sydney and Melbourne banana operations including the banana ripening facility and stands at the Sydney Markets and a Melbourne warehouse.

Pioneer Capital followed up the Raglan Food acquisition with the acquisition of Coffee Supreme. Coffee Supreme is a leading specialist roast and ground coffee brand with operations in New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Chalmers Organics, a plant-based food manufacturer based in Auckland, was acquired by the Sanitarium-owned Life Health Foods. F

Ben van der Westhuizen and David Baveystock are directors of Comet Line Consulting, an advisory business that specialises in acquisitions and divestments

Liverpool Partners have acquired coffee roaster wholesaler, Padre Coffee.

64 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

within the Australian food & beverage industry. For more information visit www.cometlineconsulting.com.au.

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Precision compressed air thermal flow meter improves processes The compact FS10i Flow Meter Series is a dependable, economical and easy to install solution to measure the flow rate of compressed air, air and natural gas. They are accurate to ± 1.5 per cent of reading, ±0.5 per cent of full scale, with repeatability of ± 0.5 per cent of reading and have a response time of 4 seconds (1 time constant). Their go anywhere small size, plug-in wiring and inline or insertion style threaded connection into plant piping ensures quick and effective installation.

The FS10i Flow Meters are available in both in-line and insertion style configurations to support installation in line sizes from DN25 to DN500. They operate over a wide, 100:1 turndown from 1,6 to 122 NCMH depending on the fluid media and line size. Their 316L stainless steel construction ensures superior corrosion resistance in the pipe. An aluminium housing, and protective, rubber boot surrounding the display area make the FS10i suitable for IP64 installations. The FS10i also carries global approvals: FM, FMc, ATEX, IECEx, and EAC/TR CU (Div 2) and Zone 2/Zone 2 installations.

For line sizes of DN25 or DN50, the FS10i is built as an in-line solution with a stainless steel, female NPT pipe tee to ensure the instrument’s accuracy and repeatability in the installation.

For line sizes 63,5 mm or larger, users can select the insertionstyle configuration in either a 152 or 305 mm length.

AMS Instrumentation and Calibration (02) 8197 2825 www.ams-ic.com.au

New Fluke 730G Series Pneumatic/Hydraulic Portable Test Pumps solutions for process industries Fluke Australia adds new pneumatic/hydraulic test pumps to its Fluke 730G series for pressure testing and calibration solutions. The new Fluke 730G series consist of a digital calibrator in a gauge form and a range of portable test pumps feature fast pressure generation and stable pressure and are easy-to-use.

The pumps come in four models with unique design that enables them to solve the common problems associated with pressure pumps, such as blocking, leakage, and labourious operation. The test pumps unique rod structure design feature saves time and labour in the pressure making process, making them an essential right-hand assistants in manual pressure calibration.

Features: • Maintain devices pressure for optimum performance • Compact and accurate pressure test solutions for the bench and the field • Stable and reliable pressure during calibration Fluke Australia (02) 8850 3333 www.fluke.com

66 Food&Beverage Industry News | July 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

NEW PRODUCTS

Backplane Systems Technology presents iBase’s INA7600 performance 2U network appliance with dual 3rd Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors and up to 66 GbE ports Backplane Systems Technology is proud to present iBase’s INA7600 network appliance, which is based on two 3rd Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors (codenamed Ice Lake). The IBASE INA7600 utilises Intel server-class Xeon-SP CPUs to provide unparalleled computing power, which is most suitable for carrier or enterprise-level network security applications, such as next-generation firewalls, IPS, DDoS, and DPI. In addition, Intel’s QuickAssist Technology on the Intel Xeon-based platform greatly enhances crypto and compression/decompression calculations through hardware acceleration.

The system has a modular design that allows customers to flexibly configure network ports to suit requirements. It supports up to eight network modules to accommodate up to 64 GbE ports (with or without bypass) in copper or optical fibre cable. The INA7600 is equipped with redundant power supplies and 4 hot-swappable fans. An optional IPMI 2.0 module provides direct access to server management functions and remote monitoring capabilities.

The INA7600 is available in two variants: INA7600-NIC and INA7600SHQ, supporting a maximum of 66GbE ports and 34 GbE ports respectively. Measuring 438(W) x 660(D) x 88(H) mm, it has 16 DDR4 RDIMM slots that can take up to 512GB. Standard I/O connectivity and expansion slots include a PCIe x16 slot, an M.2 (M-key) socket for SATA 3.0 or PCIe, an RJ45 serial console, two USB 2.0, and two MGMT ports.

Key Features: • Dual 3rd Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors (ICL-SP) • 16x DDR4 RDIMM, max. 512GB • 8x or 4x NIC modules, Max. 64 GbE Ports • 1x PCI-E x16 expansion slot • 1200-Watt redundant power supply Backplane Systems Technology (02) 9457 6400 www.backplane.com.au

iBase’s INA7600 network appliance is most suited for carrier or enterprise-level network security applications.

ICP Electronics Australia presents ICP DAS’s RPS-4m/w2 4-slot industrial redundant power supply ICP Electronics Australia is proud to introduce ICP DAS’s RPS-4M/W2 4-slot industrial redundant power supply, including Two RPS-100 modules.

The RPS-4M/W2 has built-in ethernet and RS-485 communication interfaces, which can not only monitor the operation status of the power modules in real-time but also instantly return various real-time information of the power modules, including load current, temperature, the existence of the power module in the slots, malfunction of the power module, etc.

Through the intensive information received users can easily implement predictive alarm and fault alarm functions for the system.

In addition, the RPS-4M/W2 can also record the using time of each power module, which can be used as a basis for maintenance and replacement and estimate MTBF (mean time between failures).

When the power module has reached the recommended service life, the user can replace it early to make the power system more reliable and stable.

Lastly, the RPS-4M/W2 adopts a slot-type design, and it supplies hotswapping function, so when the user replaces the power module, there is no need to turn off the power system. In comparison to the traditional power supply, the RPS-4M/W2 saves the trouble of wiring, and it is simpler and safer.

Thus, the RPS-4M/W2 is ideal for the power supply of remote IO equipment and control systems.

KEY FEATURES: • Max 400W output power, each slot can insert a 100W power module • N+1 redundant, maximum N=3 • Power module supports hot swapping • Detect current load of module • Detect temperature of module • Easy installation • Support Modbus RTU/TCP protocol ICP Electronnics Australia (02) 9457 6011 www.icp-australia.com.au.

www.foodmag.com.au | July 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 67

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These disinfection products complete our extensive portfolio of pumps, mixers and instrumentation for your food and beverage needs.

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