< Previous20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netENJOY TEKNOMEXCELLENCEhygienic furniture & equipmentFor more information get in touch todayW: teknomek.co.uk T: +44 (0) 1603 788 833QualityServiceValueShoe racks also availableEasy clean designChoose from mobile, static or wall mountedLightweight & space savingFormoreinformationgetintoucEaLigspRounded prongs and corners don’t collect dirtAdjective: to save you time and money by designing and making intelligent, outstanding hygienic furniture and equipment.www.elecosoft.com | +44 (0) 23 8022 4111 | shiresystem@elecosoft.comFree up your time, reduce costs & meet compliance- Gain control of your assets- Maintain visibility across your business- Powerful & easy-to-use- Scaleable, modular solutionTry it for free todayLeading Maintenance & Facilities Management software18-21.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:06 Page 3Food & Drink International 21www.fdiforum.netCLEANING AND MAINTENANCEDelivering successful bespoke hygiene cleaning operation Axis Cleaning and Support Services has held the Hygiene Support contract at Guenther Bakeries in Heywood since 2013, and at its Banbury site since 2017. Sector Director Mark Ferguson explains what’s involved in the successful delivery of the bespoke hygiene cleaning operation. Over the two sites, the contract includes full food production plant cleaning, all hygiene related services, silo cleaning, office cleaning and laundry services, with our overall objective to add value, improve standards and rationalise costs and service delivery across the two sites. Over the years we have introduced several key innovations to improve and increase our productivity levels. A dry ice cleaning process, for example, uses a compressed air system to ensure efficient and safe cleaning of key electrical parts, and is also extremely effective on non-electrical areas – reducing the number of processes required. We effectively utilised this system on cleaning the dust covers and link chains on the final proofer systems, meaning dough can be removed from the link chains easily, efficiently, and without the need for each link to be cleaned by hand. Enhancing safety and efficiency, we have reduced the use of mobile electronic work platforms (MEWPs) by investing in a ‘SkyVac system’ that enables the cleaning of high and awkward areas from ground level. The product was chosen as it is Atex Rated to Zone 22, mitigating any risk involved with flour creating a combustible environment. We work in partnership with Guenther, utilising our experience of the stringent cleaning and hygiene requirements of food manufacture to ensure best practice. For more information, visit www.axis-css.co.uk, email site-enquiries@axis-css.co.uk, or call +44(0) 7520 2100. means operatives will need to outfitted with appropriate personal protective equipment (or PPE) including industrial cleaning gloves – which are usually made from either latex, PVC or rubber depending on the requirement – goggles and overalls. Depending on the cleaning process itself, operatives may also need breathing apparatus. Cleaning is only one part of the wider maintenance of machinery and equipment that manufacturers must be cognizant of. Because of the influx of new machines coming to market faster and with greater frequency, manufacturers are left facing unique challenges around equipment maintenance. So while companies are adding new machinery or modifying existing equipment for new product lines, they are also trying to maintain a seamless production capacity simultaneously. Of course keeping up with production advancements requires significant expenditure and its no surprise that food and drink manufacturers invest more in equipment than almost any other industry. Historically, food manufacturers operated schedule-based preventative maintenance practices, but this can often be highly inefficient, resulting in wasted time as maintenance is carried out regardless of whether or not it is needed. This also results in financial inefficiencies, with many manufacturers too focussed on only one area of maintenance. This can lead to hoarding spares of parts they may never actually need to use, wasting hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. Instead, manufacturers are advised to take a more holistic attitude and instead include a variety of different approaches such as total productive maintenance and computerised maintenance management systems. Switching to condition-based monitoring, for example, can reduce predictive maintenance tasks by as much as thirty per cent – quite the saving. Key to the food and drink products enjoyed by consumers is a supply chain that adheres to stringent hygiene levels. Despite being governed by regulations and legislation, cleaning practices can result in extended downtime and financial inefficiencies. Exploring a maintenance programme and identifying these inefficiencies can yield savings in time and money.© Shutterstock/ ALPA PROD18-21.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:06 Page 422 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTING© Shutterstock/ Surasak_PhotoCutting edge 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:09 Page 1Food & Drink International 23www.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGAs demand on the food industry grows, alongside the strong desire in today’s convenience culture for more pre-cut products from chicken to pineapple, it is vital that slicing, dicing and cutting operations are optimised as far as possible. Food producers need to speed up these processes to remain competitive while, of course, continuing to maximise yield, maintaining consistent cuts required to ensure a high-quality product is produced, and keeping up with sanitation, safety and maintenance requirements. Well performing slicing, dicing and cutting machinery that offers good cut quality and capacity is of course essential. Good cut quality means high yield and, subsequently, higher revenues, alongside more satisfied customers, while an offering of high capacity means less machinery is required and cost savings can be made. Manufacturers are also in need of more flexible equipment to allow for quicker changes between different product types and to make sure that they can adapt to fast altering consumer trends. Food processors are therefore continuing to invest millions in new slicing, dicing and cutting machinery to stay ahead of competitors. Equipment manufacturers like Grote Company are taking the industry’s requirements into account, designing for instance slicers that improve production, consistency, increase yield, reduce waste, achieve a higher return on investment and, rather usefully, have easily removable parts allowing for quick and thorough cleaning to reduce downtime. Automation and robotics are a key trend that continues to shape how slicing, dicing and cutting equipment If food producers are to keep up with demand, slicing, dicing and cutting equipment must be optimised and automized to ensure quality and consistency is maintained.24 Á© Shutterstock/ genkur22-25.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:09 Page 224 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGWe have built a reputation for high quality machine knives, with over 30 years of experience, which we supply to industries throughout the world. CAMB Knives International really does have an international reach with a network of exporters and carriersUnit 6, Alpha Centre, Bristol BS7 5NG • Tel: 01454 322178 • Fax: 01454 321172 Email: sales@camb-knives.co.uk www.camb-knives.co.ukevolves - reflecting the food industry’s wider automation trend and embrace of Industry 4.0 in response to increasing demand for processed foods and a larger volume of products. Key for boosting operational efficiency, automated processes have reduced the need for human contact and as a result the chance of human error, ultimately creating more consistent products and cuts, allowing for better quality control and higher slicing, dicing and cutting accuracy. With less human contact also comes the advantage of minimising the chance of product contamination/food borne illnesses, which continues to be particularly important as hygiene and safety requirements become ever more stringent. Of course robots can only improve food safety and hygiene if they do not themselves cause contamination; thus thorough cleaning is essential. Fortunately robotics manufacturers are making smoother robot casings without loose wires, that have solid ingress protection ratings, and can therefore be rigorously washed down. Robots, due to their flexibility and repeatability have long been used by food manufacturers across the production line. A rising trend in the industry, the global food robotics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.7 per cent from this year to 2025, to reach $3,107.4 million. Robotic slicing machines using ultrasonic blades are one now commonplace example, particularly in bakeries, and are used successfully to enhance cut quality and consistency of foods. Using high frequency vibratory knives, ultrasonic cutting has many benefits. The low friction cutting surface created by the blades slices products cleanly and can cut through foods with fruits, nuts and vegetables without deforming them. This also decreases the chance of product sticking to cutting tools, meaning less down time for cleaning, consistent cuts, as well as ensuring sticky products like caramel are sliced in one go. The technology has traditionally, though, been harder to implement in scenarios where sizes, weights, textures and shapes of raw foods vary widely. However thanks to advancements in gripping, sensing and vision technology, robots can today quickly and effectively handle more raw foods. These advancements, alongside the use of artificial intelligence software, have meant that automated arms are able to undertake complex jobs like extracting fillets from chickens or cutting of fish fillets into identical sizes while detecting and removing defects. Tasks like cutting meat off carcasses were once in particular difficult to 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:10 Page 3Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netSLICING, DICING AND CUTTINGTeknomek’s new knife steriliser saves 30 minutes production time each week Teknomek has released new knife sterilisers, available for six or 12 knife capacity, that improve operational efficiency, saving up to 30 minutes production time every week. Sue Springett, Commercial Manager at Teknomek, says: “There are two issues that come up time and again in relation to knife sterilisers: the first is maintaining temperature control above 82°C and the second is repairs and downtime – a problem when staff forget to top up the water.” The design of the knife sterilisers minimises the risk of the water boiling dry. The overflow ensures they retain the correct amount of water and as much internal space as possible has been freed up for water within the units. The element and thermostat are housed externally, which also makes it easier and quicker to rest or change them if necessary. The products also feature an external low water cut-out, which reduces the margin for human error. For more information, visit www.teknomek.co.uk. automate, since all animal carcasses are different, but now this process can be automated. Sensors can calculate dimensions of carcasses to help with precision and automated arms are able to clamp on to the carcass while other arms use knives to cut them. Meanwhile, another robot can then sort the cuts and move them to conveyor belts, to be weighed and packed by further robots down the line, all requiring minimal human supervision. Lambs and chickens can already be cut intelligently by robotic systems, close to the bone, maximising yield. Removing humans from this role of cutting meat from carcasses can make meat processing much more efficient and increase food hygiene as robots are much more sanitised. Human error is also eliminated, reducing the amount of meat wasted and decreasing chance of worker injury in a food manufacturing sector known to be dangerous - where a one-second distraction could result in a major injury. Though the technology is not yet prepared for all animals and meats, such as beef, due to the large size of the carcasses requiring more heavy-duty machinery, it is certainly an advancement worth watching that will improve the meat processing sector’s efficiency. A key consideration when implementing robots for this work however is the requirement of maintenance and repair which in some cases can be more expensive than the use of human employees. Generally, however, with the decreasing price of automation technologies, robots are becoming much more accessible and preferable next to a tight labour market, especially as they can work at high speeds, tirelessly, for tens of thousands of hours without needing time for breaks or maintenance, allowing for larger throughput.© Shutterstock/ Dean Drobot22-25.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:10 Page 426 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTSFunctional ingredients can be separated into two different camps. The first comprises additives that contribute towards a products’ texture, shelf life or stability such as a thickening or raising agent. The second subset includes those with a nutritional benefit, be it an added protein boost or a recipe fortified with vitamins. There’s a social and political motivation in pursuing these kinds of added benefits, with the obesity epidemic and its related illness skyrocketing in the US, UK and Europe. Even emerging economies such as Latin America and Africa are experiencing expanding waistlines due to the prevalence and low cost of fatty foods. Sugar is at the epicentre of this issue. It is a clear and obvious avatar of the food industry in one corner, and provides an easy target for politicians and health groups to point the finger at. A sugar levy on soft drinks was introduced in the UK last year, following the lead of countries like Mexico where a sugar tax was reported to have cut sugar consumption by six per cent in its first year. Considering that Mexicans consume more carbonated drinks per person than any other nation, this was no small feat. For many this was evidence that a sugar tax worked, and should thusly be deployed in other countries. Others claimed that it reduced consumption by such a marginal amount, it seemed hardly worth it. Whatever your own opinions on effectiveness of sugar taxes, one thing is certain, moving away from sugar is priority for consumers, industry and governments alike. This is where functional ingredients come in. Discovering an alternative to sugar that delivers on taste with fewer calories and less risk to health is akin to finding the golden goose. Natural sweeteners made from the stevia plant are at the forefront of the quest for a healthier alternative, but are a long way off usurping sugar in terms of taste and functionality. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose may come with fewer calories than sugar, but there’s uncertainty around its impact on health and its long-term effects on the body. Researchers at the Federal University of Sao Paulo conducted a study and discovered a link between artificial sweeteners and low fertility rates – evidence, if it were needed, to move toward more natural alternatives. The miracle berry (or Synsepalum dulcificum, to give its Latin name) has the remarkable ability to make sour foods taste sweet. It contains Miraculin, a protein which suppresses sourness to draw out a sweet flavour and is renowned for making Guinness taste like chocolate milkshake and vinegar taste like sweet sherry. While this phenomenon is certainly entertaining, the berry has numerous uses that extend well beyond its novelty factor. It could, for example, give healthier foods a more appealing Food producers have a responsibility and a key role to play in curbing the obesity crisis and its associated illnesses. Functional ingredients might just be the answer.function 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:13 Page 1Food & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTSEurostar Commodities launch gluten-free flour Eurostar Commodities has launched its first Gluten Free Flour, a premium all-rounder developed for versatility in producing a variety of different high-quality baker products as well as pizza dough. Gluten-free, coeliac friendly, higher in fibre and vegan, the product has been developed to handle like a traditional flour and offers significant quality in the category. Created by Eurostar Commodities’ technical development team the flour is milled in Italy using a traditional Italian technique. This new high-end premium top-quality gluten-free flour has been developed for excellent, consistent performance for bakery, cakes and desserts as well as all styles of gluten-free pizza bases including Neapolitan, plus speciality breads like focaccia and ciabatta. Philip Bull, Managing Director of Eurostar Commodities, said: “We wanted to create a product that has excellent extensibility that is consistently reliable and ultimately tastes incredible – certainly as good as, if not better than similar products which contain gluten.” For more information, visit www.eurostarfoods.co.uk. New proficiency tests introduced for baby food and cereal products Two new proficiency tests have been launched to support the food industry in ensuring the safety of baby food and cereal products. The ergot alkaloids in baby food proficiency tests and the tropane alkaloids in cereal proficiency tests have been developed by Fapas – the proficiency testing arm of Fera. They are designed to help food testing laboratories evaluate their ability to identify and quantify ergot alkaloids in multigrain baby food products and tropane alkaloids in cereals. These proficiency tests will help testing laboratories, working with baby food producers, to analyse their results when testing for ergot alkaloids and tropane alkaloids, identify trends and demonstrate their competency to their customers, accreditation bodies and managers. Fapas is an ISO 17043 accredited proficiency test provider. It has been a trusted global leader in proficiency testing in the food and beverage sector for more than 30 years. For more information, visit www.fapas.com. flavour profile, whilst lowering sugar in others and all without the need for sweeteners, artificial or otherwise. Fortified foods provide a nutritional boost to food and beverage products, whether it’s a protein packed bread, a botanical loaded soft drink or a vitamin enriched breakfast cereal. Many such products purport to be a key part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, so the logical next step is to develop foods which can actively assist or medicate the body. Nutraceuticals refers to a product or ingredient that is derived from food sources that comes with extra health benefits on top of whatever basic nutritional level is already found in said foods. Harnessing these benefits and developing products that can cater to specific illnesses is leading to the burgeoning pharma foods market. Gluten-free foods can enable sufferers from celiac 28 Á© Shutterstock / prapat112026-29.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:13 Page 228 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTSThe Clean Label Emulsifier Applying the right emulsifier in the right way can be challenging for food manufacturers. One question is what emulsification system to use for clean label or non-GMO application. Lecithin is the answer for food manufacturing processes as it can be used for both functional and nutritional properties and enjoys a positive consumer acceptance. The lecithin & phospholipid expert LECICO specialises in the production and marketing of high-quality lecithins from soy, sunflower, rape seeds and milk. LECICO provides high-quality organic lecithins which are non-GMO and produced from soybeans or sunflower seeds for the production of 100% organic products. The liquid soy lecithin LECICO F 600 ORGANIC and the liquid sunflower lecithin LECICO SUN 400 ORGANIC offer very good functional properties. The powder products LECICO P 900 Organic and LECICO SUN P 400 ORGANIC are highly-functional lecithins with unique surface-active properties, suitable for many applications. For more information, visit www.lecico.de.disease to enjoy foods they would otherwise be unable to, while speciality sweets allow people with diabetes to enjoy a treat without causing a spike in their blood sugar levels. Imagine then, a food product can help to treat and maintain a disease like diabetes. Big food companies are already investing millions in research and development in this very field, making a fringe idea very much a reality. Already, there is a convergence between big pharma and food, with many of the top food brands actively engaging in the sciences. Brands like Nestlé have scientific divisions on top of their R&D departments. The reality is that the future of food is intrinsically tied to health and lifestyle, and rather than contributing towards illnesses, our food choices can help to cure and maintain it. As well as coming with a range of benefits for consumers, functional ingredients are also a means of responding to some of the biggest threats to the food supply chain. One of the greatest challenges we face is meeting the rising demand for meat products. The growing consumption of animal protein means more landmass will be dedicated to rearing livestock, more resources will be spent in growing feedstock, and there will be an even greater level of carbon emissions. It doesn’t take a government funded study to realise that our hunger for meat is simply not sustainable. There are a variety of solutions to enjoy the best of both words, from shopping locally to cut down on the miles food has travelled, to smaller portions of better quality meat and less often. While cutting down on the amount of © Shutterstock / marilyn barbone26-29.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:13 Page 3Food & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netFUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTSRotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd Crompton Fields, Crompton Way, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9EE Tel: +44(0) 1293 571000 Web: www.rotronic.co.uk Email: instruments@rotronic.co.uk Company profile Rotronic manufactures water activity analysers to measure the ‘free’ moisture within food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products of all types. This is a qualitative indicator of product stability and shelf life. Controlling this moisture improves product quality. Rotronic analysers provide accurate measurements within five minutes. Product profile The Rotronic range includes the AwTherm analyser with full sample temperature control; the HygroLab C1 laboratory analyser for up to four probes; handhelds for making spot-checks offline and a PC-based solution which is perfect when visiting suppliers’ sites. The sensors can be calibrated to confirm performance. Full technical specifications are on the Rotronic website. An analyser demonstration can be arranged on-site. Rotronic is a global company designing, manufacturing and developing instruments for the reliable measurement of temperature, humidity, water activity, CO2, pressure and airflow. We have UKAS / ISO 17025 accreditation for temperature, humidity and dew point laboratory calibration. Humidity & temperature measurement meat we’re eating is admirable, many fear it’s not enough given the global population is tipped to reach nine billion by 2050. There’s a pressing need to turn towards a sustainable, scalable and less carbon intensive protein, and the frontrunner just so happens to be one of the most exciting functional ingredients of our time. Instects. We’ve broached the controversial topic of insect protein numerous times in previous issues, and it will likely rear its head again in future instalments. The reason being is that insects represent one of the biggest disruptive forces in the food industry in decades. Perhaps the main advantage of insect protein is its versatility; it can be served whole or ground up into flour for a nutrition added ingredient to other products such as bread and baked goods. The edible insect market is flourishing and is reported to grow at a CAGR of forty per cent to 2023. Aside from the regulations needed to implement and scale up the nascent industry, the biggest hurdle facing the market is psychological. Consumers have already expressed disgust at the thought of eating insects in any form, so overcoming these hurdles is hugely important to bringing the market into the mainstream. Turning towards the latest trends in the food industry gives some indication to what we’ll be eating in the future. Functional ingredients are prescient, and the current exploration of natural sweeteners, insect protein and ingredients packing an added benefit will come to define our plates in the decades to come. © Shutterstock / nicemyphoto26-29.qxp_Layout 1 29/04/2019 10:13 Page 4Next >