< Previous20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCAPS AND CLOSURESCaps and closures exist at theintersection of function and aesthetics,acting as a means of protecting andsecuring a product as well as offeringdifferentiation among similar products.They perform a critical function in bothregards, with the tops of bottled drinkstypically displaying best before dates.So it’s no coincidence that so manydrinks companies take the design ofthese closures seriously, and why manyare often utilised in marketingcampaigns. The most common being aprinted code on the bottle cap that theconsumer can use to enter intogiveaways and competitions.The continuing thirst for conveniencehas precipitated a huge spike in sales ofbottled beverage products and on-the-go solutions such as pouches. Sales ofsoda and other similarly sweetenedbeverages are on the decline, withbetter health awareness andgovernment initiatives such as sugartaxes (explore in-depth in our BeverageTostopperandsecureThe rising demand for bottled beverages meansthat manufacturers must do more to boost therecyclability of their products as well as tapemerging new markets. 20-22.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:01 Page 1Food & Drink International 21www.fdiforum.netCAPS AND CLOSURESfeature – page 30) have had a dramaticimpact. In 2017, sales of bottled wateroutpaced soda for the first time in UShistory. By the end of 2024, the USbottled water market is expected toreach $22.226 billion. Of course, withthis huge upsurge in the sale of bottledbeverages comes the need for greatercaps and closures. The bottled water industry has longbeen the driving force for innovation inthe caps and closures segment. Thesports cap is inseparable from theimage of a bottle of water, and is adesign that is continually being builtupon and improved. The shape ofsports caps and other closures canpose a struggle to some, especiallyolder consumers. As a rapidlyexpanding market segment, it’sincreasingly important thatmanufacturers target this demographic.For caps and closures this meansutilising a more ergonomic design, suchas ease of opening and morecomfortable grips. Coupled with this growing demandare rising concerns regarding productquality and, crucially, safety. Theconversation surrounding bottled waterand other beverages has beendominated of late by the presence ofBisphenol A (or BPA, for short), whichis used in the production of someplastic resins. The controversy stemsfrom findings that the presence of BPAcan disrupt hormones in children andbe passed from pregnant mother tochild. Now more than ever, consumersare questioning the food and beverageproducts they buy, and that includesthe packaging they’re contained in. Manufacturers are now turning toother options and using ‘BPA-free’ as aselling point. Yet the other bug-bearfaced by bottle caps is the issue ofrecyclability. If safety is the topmostconcern of consumers then surelyenvironmental comes next. The issue ofthe recyclability of plastic bottle topshas been a contentious topic for years.There was no clear answer on whetherbottle caps should be left on or off tobe recycled, or if indeed they couldeven be recycled in the first place. Therules from place to place can differwildly too, with local councils andgovernments having a different set ofrules depending on where you are. The main issue here is that bottlecaps are typically made frompolypropylene, which has differentproperties and recyclability than that ofthe polyethylene terephthalate (or PET)of the bottles themselves. Along withtheir diminutive size, the differentplastics make sorting bottle tops adifficult task. The long and short of it isthat, yes, bottle caps can be recycledand remade. But there isn’t a clear,concise and singular approach. Effortsare being made to remedy this as theneed to recycle more materials© Shutterstock/Richard Peterson22 Á20-22.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:01 Page 222 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCAPS AND CLOSURESMeasom Freer proves its environmental credentialsMeasom Freer, the well-established plastic packaging manufacturer, is proud to announceit has achieved the BSI ISO 14001:2015 Certificate in Environmental Management. The company believes it has a moral duty to protect the natural environment and it iscommitted to minimising its global impact as a business by improving resource efficiency,reducing waste and reducing costs. Measom Freer ensure its stock products are sustainable by sourcing materials such aspolythene that can be readily recycled, PPR (post production regrind) is also used in all itsstock products. It believes that its customers should also be offered the choice of using eco materials, likeBio-based Copolyester and rHDPE (a PCR Post-Consumer Recycled HDPE) and it offersthese on a made to order basis for their products.So, if you are looking for a company who is committed to controlling its effect on the environment and produces quality products,visit www.measomfreer.co.uk.becomes ever important. No doubt bio-plastics and other such options willcome to the fray in order to makebottle caps a more sustainable option. For the foreseeable future, though,plastic remains the material of choicefor caps and closures and it’s easy tosee why. Plastic closures are much moreconvenient because, unlike metal ones,they do not usually require the use of asecondary implement such as a bottle-or tin-opener to operate. This means, ofcourse, that they are easier to use onthe move. Moreover, many can berepeatedly re-sealed. But the bigadvantage for manufacturers is thatwidely-used plastics and polymers suchas polypropylene and high-densitypolyethylene (HDPE) are moremalleable than metals and can thereforebe put a greater variety of purposes.They are also more lightweight andeasier to recycle, so manufacturers canup their green credentials also. The future of the caps and closuresmarket will be driven by demand andsustainability. Where these twinconcerns meet in the middle will resultin the next-generation of innovative,attractive and functional closures whichwill boost shelf appeal and the overallenvironmental impact of amanufacturer. © Shutterstock/Pressmaster20-22.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:01 Page 3Food & Drink International 23www.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL FOODSIn the recent past, “functional” foods that offer aparticular health benefit were a niche concern – thepreserve of a small number of dedicated consumers.Nowadays these products are relativelycommonplace. As consumers pursue increasinglyhealthy lifestyles, manufacturers can benefit bykeeping abreast of the latest trends in functionalfoods, especially if they are based in countries wherethe industry has been slow to catch on.This feature looks at the new breed of ingredientsand products on offer that provide specific healthbenefits and examines the opportunities theseproducts could present to manufacturers.In 2008, following years of growth, the health,organic and whole-food industries fell into sharpdecline. In the wake of the global economicdownturn, thrift became a major concern forconsumers, and sales of “functional” heath foodsHealthmattersIn an increasingly health-consciousindustry, functional ingredients are oneway for manufacturers to stay ahead ofcompetitors. 24 Á© Shutterstock/CHC353723-25.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:04 Page 124 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL FOODS(which tend to be more expensive toproduce and thus more expensive tobuy) faltered. The market has beenunpredictable ever since, but one thingis certain: there is just enough demandfor functional foods to encouragesustained investment, and as aconsequence, new products are beingdeveloped every day.A functional food is defined as aproduct that provides health benefitsbeyond its basic nutritional value, suchas foods that actively reduce cholesterol,aid digestive transit, or help an individualto detox. The most common functionalproducts on the market includeprobiotic yogurts and drinks whichemploy bacteria to assist digestion,fortified breakfast cereals that providesupplementary vitamins, and spreadscontaining heart-healthy plant sterols.These products are familiar to mostconsumers. However, manufacturers whowant to push ahead of the competitioncan now access a wealth of innovativenew functional ingredients that havehighly specific health benefits.Functional foods comprise a little ofthe health and weight loss benefits, butdo so not by reducing calories, but morethrough the addition of functionalingredients such as probiotics, prebioticsor stanols and sterols. These are most commonly used infood and drink products designedspecifically for the health market, forinstance probiotic drinks that aconsumer takes once to twice a day,while the more common healthingredients could be taken as often asdesired. Popular examples of these kindof ingredients in use consist of Benecol,Yakult, and the other one-a-daybreakfast drinks, or cholesterol-loweringspreads. Typically these contain stanols andsterols, plant extracts which occurnaturally in the world and that arethought to have a cholesterol loweringeffect. Probiotics on the other hand,refers to the bacteria which can confer ahealth benefit when taken in sufficientquantities. Whereas prebiotics promotethe growth of bacteria in the largeintestine that are beneficial to intestinalhealth. There has been a recent movehowever towards what is known as23-25.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:04 Page 2Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL FOODSclean-label health ingredients, mostoften considered botanicals and bio-actives with natural extracts. This is astep away from the more chemical andpharmaceutical-based ingredientswhich can achieve similar effects, andshould be kept in mind for the future. When it comes to functionalingredients it’s worth looking at whatmarkets are performing well for them,and which have already beenestablished for some time. In terms ofCAGR (Compound Annual GrowthRate), the US and Europe is expectedto only increase between 1-2% in thecoming year, which makes it a steadymarket, but not one attractive to newentrants.There are however, five marketswhich have been predicted over 10%CAGR in the coming years, includingTurkey, Vietnam and India. The Middle-East is also a growing market whichcould be attractive to many in theindustry. As a whole the ingredients industryremains as strong as it has ever been,though the emphasis has shiftedslightly towards food products whichoffer more than just taste orsatisfaction. This is not only reflected inconsumer trends, but also in world-High qualitynatural lecithinsfrom LECICOWith its strong global network, LECICO hasan optimal focus on various fluid or powderlecithin and multi-functional phospholipidsmade of soy, sunflower, rapeseed or milk rawmaterials.In addition to the liquid hydrolysed soylecithin LECICO F 580 IP, the lecithin expertsalso offer LECICO P 580 IP, a hydrolysed soylecithin powder. Both types are powerful o/wemulsifiers due to their hydrophilic characterand high lysophospholipids content. Theyhave excellent emulsifying, moisturising andsolubilising properties and help to optimisevarious food systems, pet feed and cosmeticapplications in a natural way.LECICO also provides high quality organiclecithin produced from soybeans orsunflower seeds for the production of 100% organic products. Both origins are available influid and powder form. The powder products LECICO P 900 Organic and LECICO Sun P400 Organic are highly-functional lecithins with unique surface-active properties forapplications like baby food or other organic products.For more information, visit www.lecico.de.© Shutterstock/showcakewide politics, as the US FDA havedetermined that all trans fats must beremoved from US food products by theyear 2018. Long having been considered acontributor towards heart disease andother coronary problems, there hasbeen constant legislation limiting theamounts that can be put in US food,but the decision to force their removalentirely came as a surprise to many. Intheir statement the FDA said: “TheFDA’s action on this major source ofartificial trans-fat demonstrates theagency’s commitment to the hearthealth of all Americans. This action isexpected to reduce coronary heartdisease and prevent thousands of fatalheart attacks every year.” This was a step following thedecisions of numerous EU countries toban, or limit, trans-fats in food productsin previous years, and shows theimportance of staying a step ahead ofthe curve when it comes to healthy andnatural ingredients, and the necessity ofusing them. At the end of the day, itcan either be an advantage to beleveraged by a company, or anopportunity missed – and somethingbusinesses are forced to comply withanyway, further down the line.23-25.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:04 Page 3SLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGConsumers have come to expectuniformity in the food and beverageproducts they buy. A productpurchased from a store should beidentical to one bought in a differentbranch on the other side of the country.This is as true for the finished productsand their packages, as the ingredientsand goods inside. For this reason, the slicing, dining andcutting industry needs to be consistentat all times, never deviating from itsstrict processing homogeny. So muchdepends upon slicing and cuttingmachines and equipment performingtheir duty within strict parameters. Ifthere are varying sizes of meat orvegetables within a product mix, or if ablade isn’t adequately cutting, itrisks contradicting the weightprinted on its packaging. Thiscan result in costly recalls, thefallout from whichmanufacturers can sufferfrom for years. Consistency of cuts andportion size is largelydependent on the sharpnessof a cutting tool. Regular userenders any blade dull over time, and soit’s paramount that manufacturersregularly change, sharpen and replacetheir cutting tools. It’s as much to dowith hygiene, with a dull blade morelikely to harbour matter and riskcontaminating other products. Dullblades can also damage products,crushing, denting or bruising them. Inany case, a manufacturer can be leftwith entire batches compromisedand/or an expensive clean-up bill. Betterto regularly replace and servicecutting tools than risk extendedperiods of downtime. Hygiene is critical right acrossthe supply chain, but is ofparticular concern in theproduction line where productsare directly exposed toconveyor belts, weighers and, ofcourse, cutting tools. As we’vealready explored, the toolsthemselves must meet stringenthygiene levels, but so too doesthe surface on which the foodsare placed and the cuts aremade. Take, for example, thelatest poly top boards fromTeknomek, the designer,manufacturer and supplier ofhygienic furniture for the food,pharmaceutical and medicalsectors. “Cutting and slicing can bephysically demanding, both forthe person doing it and alsoCutting ahead Increasing consumer demand and stringent hygiene regulations is pushing the slicing,dicing and cutting industry towards ever greater levels of automation. © Shutterstock/Sergey Ryzhov26 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.net26-29.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:05 Page 1Food & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGTwo robots are better than oneWestern Mechanical Handling (WMH) has added a new product to its rangeof flexible robotic cutters. The top-of-the-range twin-robot in-line systemincorporates two robots, fitted with ultrasonic cutting blades with WMHconveying and controls technology to provide an accurate and compactsolution for cutting and slicing of foods products. WMH’s inline cutting cell has been designed to handle platens of product,which ensures accurate location of the products. Each platen is designed sothe system can identify the orientation of the product and adjust the cutter tosuit. Working in tandem the two robots provide a production rate of up to 12pieces per minute.The inline cutter will be programmed to cut rectangular slabs into pieces orround cakes into slices. “We are very pleased with the way our new product looks and are looking forward to seeing it in full production l within the next fewmonths,” the company said. For more information, visit www.wmh-uk-ltd.com.for the blade itself. A blunt knife, literallyand figuratively, won’t cut it. Regularstoppages to sharpen blades will have aserious impact on the bottom line overthe course of weeks and months,” saysSue Springett, Commercial Manager atTeknomek. It’s imperative to use cutting boardsthat are non-blunting as well ashygienic, and this is where polyethylenecomes in. This material is non-absorbentand the advantages here are two-fold.First, its abrasion resistance preventsthe dulling of blades and secondly itdoesn’t absorb liquids and odours,which means it won’t harbour bacteria. Poly top boards are highly costefficient and their life span depends onthe use case and the thickness of theboard chosen. They can be used onboth sides and the surfaces of thickerboards can be shaved off multiple timesbefore needing replacement. The challenge for food makers is inensuring hygienic, efficient and uniformslicing, dicing and cutting whilst alsomeeting ever increasing demand.Though efficiency isn’t synonymouswith doing the same process butquicker, meeting operational efficienciesdoes mean a larger throughput whilstensuring the same levels of quality andintegrity. So manufacturers often haveto complete each cut or slice withinseconds. A manufacturer can only pushits staff and equipment so far until ithas reached optimal efficiency, meaninga producer is only able to becomeefficient and time effective to a certainpoint. This has led many to embracenew technologies, further automatingtheir production lines and do away witha human workforce. Ultrasonic slicing might be widelyused across the industry for use with28 Á© Shutterstock/gosphotodesign26-29.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:05 Page 228 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGTraditional values & modern productionproves key for Robertson’s Scottish pork products producer, Robertson’s Fine Foods, is demonstrating how a combinationof traditional values with the latest in processing technology is proving a recipe for success.Company Chairman Iain Robertson recognises the importance of combining the finest pigswith the best in processing technology. Interfood Technology has worked closely with Robertson’s over several years, supplying a widerange of equipment including a Schröder injector, Henneken brine mixer and tumbler, K&GWetter mixer/mincer and bowl cutter, and a Maurer Atmos smoker and oven. Mr Robertson said: “Interfood’s extensive product range, coupled with their high levels ofcustomer support and broad knowledge base, go a long way to catering for all our needs.”The successful relationship between Robertson’s and Interfood has seen the Ayrshire businessagain select Interfood for the supply of the latest additions to its processing facility. For more information, visit www.interfoodtechnology.com.foods of a sticky, delicate or softstructure, but extension across morefood types is combatting yield loss, andboosting profit. Many food equipmentmanufacturers and retailers areadopting ultrasonic slicers and cutters,and the uptake among producers isrising. The advantages over traditionalblades extend beyond the obvious boonto hygiene, with greater precision,functionality and reliability. Robots have become commonplaceon the factory floor and production line,providing untold benefits to industryand consumer alike. Some of thebenefits include reducing operatingcosts, improving quality andconsistency, and reducing materialwaste, as well as increasing yield. In aslicing, dicing and cutting context,robotic advancement has come in leapsand bounds, replacing human workerson the production line altogether. Theycome with numerous advantages, noleast in offering a more time-savingsolution, in that they have none of the© Teknomek© Shutterstock/olga korotova26-29.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:06 Page 3Food & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGIndustrial Slicer VSI THygienic fully automatic slicer with integrated target weight control for flexibility and efficiency in industrial processes.Designed for industrial production the fully automatic VSI T smoothly integrates in your production lines. It is impressive in terms of its high slicing performance at minimal power consumption due to Emotion® technology. With an integrated tendency control, the target weight is reached even when slicing naturally grown products. You avoid overfilling of same weight packages and increase your efficiency. For modern and safe operation, the VSI T is fitted with an intuitively operable touch screen.For more information on Bizerba products visit our websitewww.bizerba.comrequirements of their human counterparts. Of course,robots will have to be washed and serviced like anyother piece of processing equipment. As with almost all other parts of the food industry,automation is king and there is a growing demand forautomated industrial food slicers. The benefits of thisoption are legion, from eliminating downtime andspeed limitations associated with a human workforce,to improving the overall presentation and integrity ofproducts through faster cutting. This is likewise beingwitnessed for both dicing and cutting machines, withautomation not only ushering in greater precision butalso time savings that would be impossible relying onhuman workers or even just semi-automation alone. The growing hunger for pre-cut packaged foodsand convenience meals containing sliced and dicedfoods have significantly increased the demand forcutting machines. In order to meet this demand,manufacturers have to turn to automation and otherinnovative options to maintain product integritywhilst also scaling up output. As a swellingpopulation and less leisure time mean convenienceand pre-prepared foods continue to gain inpopularity, the slicing, dicing and cutting industry willlikewise continue to flourish.© Teknomek26-29.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/2018 10:06 Page 4Next >