featured in this issue - NZIFST - The New Zealand Institute of Food ...

February/March 2009
NZ’s Authority on Food Technology, Research and Manufacturing
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE:
Scientific Paper: Hurdles Technology - a review
Traveller’s Tales: - Buttermaking in Bhutan
- Food Micro 2008 in Aberdeen
- First International ISEKI Food Conference
The official Journal of The New zealand institute of food science and technology inc.

Food New Zealand

Contacts
Rosemary Hancock, Executive Manager
PO Box 8031, Palmerston North, 4446
New Zealand
Phone: 06 356 1686 or 021 217 8298
Fax: 06 356 1687
Email: rosemary@nzifst.org.nz
Website: www.nzifst.org.nz
NZ’s Authority on Food Technology, Research and Manufacturing
February/March 2009| Volume 9, No.1 ISSN 1175 – 4621
Meat Industry Association of New Zealand
Tim Ritchie, Chief Executive
PO Box 345, Wellington
Phone: 04 473 6465
Fax: 04 473 1731
New Zealand Pork Industry Board
Sam McIvor
Chief Executive Officer
New Zealand Pork Industry Board
DDI: 64 4 917 4754
Fax: 64 4 385 8522
Mob: 029 438 8222
Next editorial and advertising
deadline: 13 March, 2009
Features for April/May 2009
Overview: Laboratory supplies and
equipment
Dairy: World Dairy Summit update
Fonterra Edendale development
Inaugural Riddet Conference
Cover photo: Cured meats preserved by
hurdles technology. Photo from Nosh in
Auckland
Subscribe to Food New Zealand
One year, 7 issues, NZ: $70.00 +GST
One year, 7 issues, rest of world $155.00
Email subs@peppermintpress.co.nz or
subscribe on line at www.peppermintpress.co.nz/subs/subs.php
4 Editorials
5 In-Brief
10 One + one = three - Plant & Food Research
12 Traveller’s Tale: Yak butter, a holiday yarn
Dave Pooch FNZIFST
15 Scientific Paper: Something old, something new: Hurdle technology
- a marriage of preservation techniques
Lynn McIntyre FNZIFST and John Hudson
21 Oils & Fats News
Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST
24 Nutrigenomics
Julian Heyes
26 NZIFST News and Reports
34 NZIFST Careers
36 MIA news
Ali Spencer, MIA
42 Traveller’s Tale - In search of whisky, wine and better weather...
Lynn McIntyre FNZIFST
45 Book Review
Gerard Hall, FNZIFST
46 Events & Conference Diary
David Everett, FNZIFST
Peppermint Press
5 Rupi Court, Mt Wellington
P O Box 11 530, Ellerslie, Auckland 1542
New Zealand
Phone/Fax 64 9 527 8449
www.peppermintpress.co.nz
Food NZ ABC Audited Circulation 2461 January 2009
Copyright © 2008 Peppermint Press
No part of this publication may be reproduced or
copied in any form by any means (graphic, electronic,
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping information retrieval systems, or otherwise)
without the written permission of Peppermint Press.
The views expressed in this journal are those of the
writers and do not necessarily represent the view of
the Publisher, the Scientific Review Board, NZIFST,
MIA or NZ Pork Industry Board.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Anne Scott, Peppermint Press Limited
anne@peppermintpress.co.nz
Director and Writer
Dave Pooch, Peppermint Press Limited
dave@peppermintpress.co.nz
Advertising
Mike and Sally Dimond
sales@peppermintpress.co.nz, 09 444 1836
Layout
Pix Design, foodnz@pixdesign.co.nz
Regular Contributors
Laurence Eyres, Alison Spencer, Laurie Melton,
Owen McCarthy, David Munro, Dave Pooch,
David Everett, Jenny Dee
Chairman Scientific Review Board
Dr Owen McCarthy
O.McCarthy@massey.ac.nz
Published by Peppermint Press Limited
Printed by MH Print
Notice to Contributors
When submitting editorial for Food New
Zealand please observe the following,
Editorial to be submitted as plain text files,
NO FORMATTING please. Images should be
sent as high resolution .jpg or .tiff files. Do
not embed images in word documents, send
separate files. Any images smaller than 500
kb may not be printed as the clarity of the print
may be compromised.
Advertisers
Material specification sheet and rate card on
website, www.peppermintpress.co.nz.
February/March 2009
Endorsed by the Meat Industry Association of New Zealand & The Pork Industry Board

EDITORIALS
From the Editor
In light of the time of the year (you know - sun, relaxation, getting away from it all.....)
it seems appropriate to publish two fairly light-hearted traveller’s tales. Both travellers found
much of interest on their respective trips. Dave Pooch travelled, as he most often does, to
an out of the way place (Who can pinpoint Bhutan on the world map) while Lynn McIntyre
combined serious conference activities with a ‘wee bitty’ of family and fun.
Lynn also is exhibiting her serious, scientific side with an excellent review of current
hurdles technology literature in this issue.
It is an odd time in history, while the media is full of the sorry tale of world economics
and prophesying varying degrees of economic downturn, recession or depression, there are
Anne Scott
still many positive stories of successful food businesses, continuing to grow and develop.
While residential construction and sales are clearly slowing, industrial development and
building, particularly in the food sector, shows few signs of recession, although there have been job losses in some areas.
The long predicted drop in the value of our currency overseas (thanks in part to the drop in the Reserve Bank cash rate)
is positively affecting our exporters and thus the health of our food businesses, even though commodity prices have come
back. No-one needs to be reminded that reduced interest rates are welcome. The theory of the price/demand curve still holds
good and as a producer of quality food, New Zealand, one hopes, will ride out this storm better than most. Time will tell.
Stop Press: The FoodNZ 2008 Circulation Audit has just been completed and I am proud to announce that we have
increased our circulation by 15%. Thanks to all who have made this possible: our contributors and production team, who
continue to work hard to produce a quality publication. Thanks also to our advertisers for their support. Peppermint Press
has ‘increase circulation’ as a goal in its annual plan. We are delighted to have achieved this in 2008.
Anne Scott, MNZIFST, Publisher and Editor, Food New Zealand
From the President
Although many are predicting that 2009 will be a tough year for the food industry, it’s
encouraging to see some positive signs such as the predicted improvement in beef and
lamb prices. They say that recessions end when people are tired of them, and I’m certainly
tired of hearing ‘doom and gloom’ stories. The food industry will be a key driver of New
Zealand’s economic recovery, and the contribution to quality, productivity and innovation
from food science and technology will be vital.
As food scientists and technologists, it is essential that we continue to sharpen our skills
and keep up to date. NZIFST has therefore planned a full series of Professional Development
courses and seminars for 2009, (see page 28). I urge you to take advantage of these
opportunities and incorporate them into your training plan.
Speaking of planning, please make sure you plan to attend our 2009 NZIFST Conference
to be held in Christchurch from 23 to 25 June. The programme will include a number
David Munro
of top level international speakers on key food industry issues. Remember that you need
to implement only one innovation that has been sparked by the conference to justify the cost of your attendance many times
over!
David Munro FZNZIFST, President, NZIFST
Food New Zealand

In-Brief
In-Brief
New Years Honours
Professor Janis Swan
Janis began her academic career at Massey University in
1965. “ I was interested in the practical application of science
and technology and was in the first group to take the biotechnology
option.”
After completing her masters in biotechnology, she worked
in the food industry for a number of years then returned to
Massey to lecture.
“Then I went to Canada to for my PhD, working on fermentation
technology in a chemical engineering department.” After
completing her PhD she returned to New Zealand and ended
up in Hamilton. “I came here originally for three years, and it’s
been 30 years now, the longest I’ve lived anywhere.”
During her time at Waikato, Janis became a Professor, was
instrumental in introducing the Bachelor of Engineering degree
at Waikato and in overseeing the building of a large-scale laboratory
for engineering research. Janis is now associate dean of
Engineering, being the first woman in New Zealand to hold this
position.
Janis joined NZIFST in 1969 and her professional activities
include: being on the NZIFST accreditation panel; presenting at
NZIFST conferences and encouraging her research students to
present; being a Fellow of IPENZ; the author/co-author of over
200 journal and conference papers.
Last year, after turning 60, Janis seriously considered retiring
but changed her mind, mainly because of her interest in new
generations of students. These days she does her research, she
says, via her students.
She continues to lecture on biochemical engineering and
believes in the next decade and beyond, biochemical engineers’
work will be vital in creating new medicines, food, novel material
and bioenergy.
“We don’t have enough engineers in this country.”
She would also like to see more women graduating. “I think
Janis Swan, Member of the New Zealand order of Merit
(MNZM) in the New Years Honours’ for services to
engineering.
it’s a great career for women, women can multi-task and have
an appreciation of the personal perspective.”
Dr Jeanette Crossley
Long-time member of NZIFST, Dr Jeanette Crossley, was created
Member of the New Zealand order of Merit for services to
science, in particular Addison’s Disease. Congratulations and
best wishes go to Jeanette.
February/March 2009

In-Brief
Recently appointed Adjunct Professor at the Riddet
Institute, Warren McNabb
Appointment at Riddet Centre
Dr Warren McNabb, a research scientist at AgResearch,
has been appointed an Adjunct Professor at the
Riddet Institute. The honorary position will strengthen
links between the Riddet Institute, AgResearch and Massey
University, which hosts the Institute, and will allow
Dr McNabb to supervise PhD scholars and postdoctoral
fellows.
Dr McNabb gained his PhD from Massey University
in 1990 and has more than 260 publications. His long
standing research interests are in amino acid and protein
metabolism and he currently leads a particularly innovative
research programme in digestive physiology and gut
microbe genomics. He was a key member of the science
team that established New Zealand’s first nutrigenomics
research capability and is currently on the science management
team of Nutrigenomics New Zealand. His position
at AgResearch is Section Manager, Food, Metabolism
& Microbiology, Food & Textiles Group.
New Centre for Reproduction and
Genomics
Opened in December by the Chairman of AgResearch, Sam
Robinson, the purpose-built facility, which will be known as the
Christie Building (named after AgResearch’s former chairman,
Rick Christie) will house scientific teams from both AgResearch
and The University of Otago. AgResearch CEO, Dr Andrew
West, says bringing together the complementary capabilities of
both AgResearch and the University in genomics and reproduction
will enable the two organisations to make significant
progress in this type of research. “Scientific endeavour in the
fields of reproduction and genomics will help many issues facing
the world today, such as sustainability and food supply,” he
says. The CRG is poised to contribute to that movement.”
The new building features an innovative design aimed at
fostering collaboration. Key features of the Christie building are
large, open-plan laboratories, easily adapted to different types
of work and large open-plan general staff areas. The design is
modern and answers to the latest accepted wisdom in comfort
and environmental consideration.
Major collaboration in food and
biological research
Two of New Zealand’s leading research organisations, The
University of Auckland and AgResearch, have announced a major
new collaboration to improve human health through diet.
They will work closely together on research in growth and
development at the scientific interface between human and
animal biology. In particular they want to develop new animalbased
foods to keep people well and strong.
Their collaboration will be centred on the University’s Liggins
Institute under the directorship of Professor Peter Gluckman
FRS.
AgResearch will second some staff to the Liggins
Institute and the two parties will jointly invest in and commercialise
new research for New Zealand’s benefit. The CEO of
AgResearch will join the Advisory Board of the Liggins Institute.
Professor Gluckman will take on a role of assisting AgResearch
in defining strategies to capture the best benefit from its research
in growth and development.
The collaboration aims to leverage the underutilised synergies
of the two organisations with the potential to create transformational
change in the pastoral livestock, food and health
sectors.”
The collaboration will build on major developments in
biomedical research such as the recent understanding of
metabolic processes that lead to obesity in humans and increased
carcass fatness in farm animals, says Professor Gluckman.
“This new knowledge now allows us to manage and
improve the health of infants and young animals through
better nutrition. This new initiative is the first step in what
we hope will be a new vision for best using New Zealand’s
skills in biomedical and biological research for maximum
advantage.”
IMCD changes premises
IMCD New Zealand have experienced positive changes
throughout 2008 and these look to continue in 2009.
After many years based in Mt Roskill, IMCD are now located
at 459 Great South Road, Penrose. New contact numbers;
Phone: 09 582 0250 Fax: 09 525 0030.
Recent portfolio changes have seen a move back to products
marketed in previous years, namely Potato Starch from
KMC Denmark, Tapioca and Rice Starches from Thailand.
We now also have the privilege of working with Thermphos
Phosphates from Europe and China, EDME Malted Flours,
Flakes and Kibbles from UK, Tastetech natural and encapsulated
flavours and food acids. Sasol Fatty Acid Esters - mono,
tri, di glycerides for use as emulsifiers, wetting agents, binders,
lubricants
We continue to focus on our quality existing suppliers;
• Bio Springer Yeast Extracts to replace/ reduce MSG, HVP
and salt and have now launched the use of yeasts to
enhance sweet flavours and improve quality perception in
cakes, desserts, confectionary.
• JRS functional fibres to increase yield, add fibre and we are
now working with cellulose based gels and fat replacers
for the meat/ smallgoods sector.
• Sensus Inulin and FOS continues to grow and are now
actively marketing liquid FOS for easy dosing in liquid
applications for fibre enrichment and sugar replacement.
Julie or Lara look forward to assisting you.
Food New Zealand

Trade waste biosensor research at
Lincoln
$1.3 million capital has been raised to commercialise a biosensor
developed at Lincoln University subsidiary Lincoln Ventures
Ltd.
SciTOX Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Wattinger, said “the
bio-sensor, which uses micro-organisms to measure the toxicity
of trade-waste, will enable waste-water treatment plants to
charge fees for the treatment of effluent according to the nature
and level of pollutants.
“A key feature of the instrument is that it will enable municipalities
to more accurately measure the pollutants in trade waste
produced by manufacturers and others,” Mr Wattinger said.
“SciTOX is also reliable and simple to control via a touch
screen and produces results in 15 minutes which is much faster
than alternative toxicity-testing devices,” he said. “Instead of
oxygen, which the bacteria ‘breathe’, SciTOX uses a synthetic
chemical which can be made to generate an electrical signal.
The more bacteria die, the lower the signal. In this way, the
instrument measures the effect of a toxic chemical on bacteria,”
Mr Robertson said.
“While the instrument will be marketed to waste-water treatment
plants initially, the technology also has the potential to be
applied in the dairy, medical, chemical, pharmaceutical, food
and drinking-water industries,” he said.
In-Brief
Frutoria Flavours travel the world
A new manufacturer of flavours has landed in New
Zealand. Frutoria Flavours is a well established and independent
flavour manufacturer from the Netherlands
which established Frutoria New Zealand earlier this year.
“It has always been my aim to spread the spirit of
Frutoria to other countries”, says managing director and
owner of the Frutoria Group, Berry Honing.
Frutoria has been active in the Netherlands for over
30 years. It survived by staying small. By working on a
low cost level, it could maintain a reasonable price level,
while working on expanding its database of flavour recipes.
‘We now have about 3,500 different flavour recipes,
in which a lot of knowledge has been gathered’, Honing
says. Clients include industrial bakeries, candy manufacturers,
coffee and tea processors, soft drink manufacturers,
distilleries, meat canners and the snack industry. With
most of the customers, Frutoria has a long established
relationship, working with short communication lines,
short lead times and assistance on new developments.
Frutoria has its production facility in Huizen, 25 kilometres
from Amsterdam with a BRC-certified A-Level
quality assurance programme.
When looking for internationalisation options, the
first possibility Honing found was New Zealand. A friend
of the family, Robert Hehewerth, is a Franklin resident
and has been appointed General Manager. In the short
term, development will continue in The Netherlands,
but samples can be on the desk of prospective customers
within days. The same applies to the flavours: these
will be produced in Huizen and flown to New Zealand.
Frutoria aims to establish production somewhere in the
Auckland area.
Frutoria wants to share the taste of success with New
Zealand manufacturers.
February/March 2009

In-Brief
Ingredient Solutions Taranaki
Taranaki dairy farmers are being offered contracts
to supply milk to New Zealand’s first fully integrated
membrane fractionation plant which will produce ‘un-denatured’
proteins for use in premium foods such as sport drinks.
Acting Ingredient Solutions chief executive, Dr Neil Domigan,
said “The outlook for the processing plant is positive due
to strong global demand for proteins such as micellar casein in
their natural state, especially contrasted to the downwards trend
in commodity prices.
“There is a global trend towards premium products and a
letter of intent has been signed by a North Asian corporate to
buy all available product produced at the facility for the first
three years,” Dr Domigan said.
“New Zealand, North Asian, and European corporate investors
have expressed an interest in buying shares in Ingredient
Solutions,” he said. The share offer is conditional on Ingredient
Solutions receiving applications for at least 17.5 million Ingredient
Solutions ordinary shares. The offer comprises 27.5 million
Ingredient Solutions ordinary shares with a face value of $1 per
share. The Directors reserve the right to accept applications for
up to 30 million new shares if the share offer is oversubscribed.
The minimum investment is 500,000 shares.
Eurotec reinforces direction with new look
Eurotec has dropped the word Instruments from the
company name. This reflects what the company has become
over the past 23 years.” states MD, Victor Yukich. “Today our
offering not only includes the supply of high quality European
branded instruments for the heating, ventilation and airconditioning
(HVAC) and refrigeration sectors but has grown
to include the electrical, food process and industrial markets
as well a full range of post installation/purchase care and
calibration services.”
Sales & Marketing Director, Chris Farmer, who has been
with the company since Jan 1990 adds, “ We needed to communicate
our positioning and the products and services we
offer more clearly. The new look Eurotec logo and positioning
- People . Technology . Solutions - fits us more closely.
This reflects our key assets - our people (sales) who all come
from appropriate technical backgrounds, the technology of
our suppliers worldwide, and the solutions that this combination
lets us provide to our customers. We now have 28 staff,
of which 21 are in technical sales, who can advise clients of
the best fit solutions to future proof their organisations”.
The company’s head office is still located in Penrose,
Auckland with branches in Wellington and Christchurch. The
new look website - www.eurotec.co.nz - lists the full range
of products and services the company has to offer.
Food New Zealand

Innovative bioplastic packaging at
AUSPACK 2009
The Bioplastics Pavilion is new at AUSPACK 2009 and will
allow visitors to see demonstrations of bio-based materials and
products.
Exhibitors in the pavilion will include Biograde, BioPak, Innovia
Films, NatureWorks, Plantic Technologies and Plastral
BioPak to exhibit Bioplast
BioPak will be exhibiting their range of Bioplast potato
starch based biopolymers, extruded sheet, compostable copolyester
resin, PLA packaging films, compostable self adhesive
tapes, composite biodegradable non woven absorbent materials
along with examples of commercial applications
of these materials.
NatureWorks to exhibit Ingeo
Lifestyle products
Ingeo represents natural-based
biopolymer which uses 65% percent
less fossil fuel resources than traditional
polymers such as PET,
and reduces greenhouse gas
emissions by up to 80-90%.
Thermoformable sheet
grades from Plantic
Plantic will be exhibiting
their two thermoformable
sheet grades (Plantic
R1 and Plantic HP1) which
are significant in terms of
the environmental and functional
solutions they provide
to brand owners, converters
and retailers.
AUSPACK will be held at
the Sydney Showgrounds,
Sydney Olympic Park, from
Tuesday the 16th through to
Friday the 19th of June 2009
and is owned and presented
by the Australian Packaging
Machinery Association
(APMA), Australia’s only
national packaging and
processing machinery
organisation.
Analysis of Melamine and Cyanuric
Acid
The current tainted milk scandal in China has once again
raised the need for analytical methods to assay melamine primarily
in milk products. However other nitrogen rich triazine
compounds and analogues like cyanuric acid, ammelide, ammeline,
ureidomelamine, and N-ethylmelamine are also likely
to be of interest for healthcare and authorities while monitoring
food safety. Some of these triazines have poor solubility as does
the compound melamine-cyanurate.
For immediate testing of milk or milk powder it is clear that
straightforward but non-specific quick tests may be applicable,
as long as the content of melamine is high. However, for accurate
and sensitive determinations, liquid chromatography and
preferably mass spectrometry is required. Considering the polar
and hydrophilic character of these compounds, only separation
techniques taking this into consideration are useful. Hydrophilic
interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) proves to be particularly
suitable since the analytes can be directly separated and
detected by common detectors.
The Merck SeQuant ZIC-HILIC column does robust, accurate,
and sensitive determination of not only melamine but also
of cyanuric acid claims the company. Melamine and cyanuric
acid can be separated within 10 minutes (Cycle time 14 minutes)
and in combination with a triple mass spectrometer regulatory
levels can be monitored. The FDA has released a number
of laboratory bulletins for melamine and cyanuric acid analysis.
These methods are based on using Merck’s SeQuant ZIC-HILIC
column to achieve accurate and reliable results.
IMCD New Zealand distribute the following
specialty food ingredients:
Rice syrup
Phosphates
Emulsifiers
Food Gums / Stabilisers
Fat and Sugar Replacers
Pharmaceutical Excipients
Dairy Concentrate Flavours
Fatty Acid Esters - Glycerides
Caramel and Natural Colours
Rice and Tapioca Starch / Flour
Fruit and Vegetable Derivatives
Malted Flours / Flakes / Kibbles
Encapsulated Acids and Flavours
Inulin / Liquid FOS / Soluble Fibres
Yeast Extracts / Flavour Enhancers
Enzymes - Bakery / Beverage / Dairy
Functional Fibres - Vegetable and Fruit
New Zealand Limited
Ground floor, 459 Great South Rd, Penrose
P O Box 27056, Mt Roskill, Auckland
Telephone:09 582 0250 Facsimile:09 525 0030
Email:
jthomas@imcd.co.nz
larderne@imcd.co.nz
In-Brief
February/March 2009

Plant & Food
Plant & Food Research CEO Peter Landon-Lane at the Mt Albert facility
One plus one = three
The year ahead promises to be a busy one for New Zealand’s
newest Crown Research Institute (CRI), Plant & Food Research.
Formed in December 2008 through the merger of HortResearch
and Crop & Food Research, the new CRI now faces the task
of bringing together science and business teams to deliver the
“One plus one equals three” potential the merger promises.
Plant & Food Research is now New Zealand’s third largest
CRI (after Agresearch and NIWA) and the numbers behind the
merger give some hint at the impact it could have in New Zealand’s
science system - over 900 staff, revenues of around $120
million and 14 sites throughout New Zealand.
When the merger first took effect CEO Peter Landon-Lane
(formerly GM of Fonterra Europe) made it clear where he felt
the organisation’s strategic strength lay, telling media the new
company would generate knowledge and intellectual property
that promotes the sustainable and efficient use of primary plant
and seafood-based resources to create value for New Zealand.
“We’ll be focusing our science on areas such as new, elite
cultivar development for the fruit, vegetable and arable sectors,
environmentally and economically sustainable production
systems for food crops, as well as the application of primarysector
derived ingredients in new and novel functional foods
- particularly those foods that offer benefits to human health
and wellbeing.”
Chief Operating Officer Dr Bruce Campbell said science
outcomes would closely reflect Mr Landon-Lane’s earlier commitment
to sustainability and adding value to primary food
products.
“We will certainly have a major focus on the environmental
credentials of New Zealand food products and on improving
the efficiency and sustainability of production and the distribution
chain. Naturally the plant breeding expertise of both legacy
organisations will remain as key science and I expect it will
become even more closely linked to our efforts in functional
foods. That means using our in-depth knowledge of plant biology
to enhance our science in the design and development
of new foods that positively impact human health and wellbeing.”
Plant & Food Research certainly inherits significant food science
capability from its legacy organisations. Both HortResearch
and Crop & Food Research had significant programmes examining
the potential for fruit, vegetable, seafood and plant-based
ingredients in functional food products. They were partners
in the Wellness Foods and Nutrigenomics New Zealand programmes
and each had commercial success in various foodrelated
projects.
These include Crop & Food Research’s successful development
work on the Alpha One rice bran spread with Old
Fashioned Foods and more recently the sale of equity in its
Gracelinc subsidiary to Danisco, as well as HortResearch’s ongoing
partnership with United States flavour company Blue Pacific
to commercialise ‘nature identical’ fruit flavourings.
“A lot of the science is very complementary, so essentially
what we now have is a wider platform that certainly covers a
broader range of raw materials,” says Dr Campbell.
“Food producers are well aware that New Zealand has access
to high quality raw ingredients from plants and seafood.
We see our role as helping unlock a better understanding of
the potential of those ingredients and therefore increasing their
value.”
10
Food New Zealand

Keep noise
down
ACC 1741
Use quieter equipment, or soundproof it.
Noise destroys hearing.
For more information visit www.acc.co.nz/nihl
February/March 2009
11

TRAVELLER’S TALE
Yak butter: a holiday yarn
or... Nomadic dairying in the Himalaya
Dave Pooch, FNZIFST
Introduction
One day in late November the
phone rang at home. It was Barba Tulku
Rinpoche, a monk and friend from Bhutan,
a small kingdom in the Himalaya
where I had previously worked.
“Are you free” he asked lightly.
“Oh yes” I answered as lightly as
possible but wondering what this was
about.
“It is a good time to come to Bhutan
because of the coronation and all, but,
are you free”
That was the second time he had used
the word ‘free’ but he was thinking about
time and I was thinking about money.
“But how about the visa and air tickets”
“Oh” he said “those people are all our friends and you say
you are free so I will try”. Click.
A few days later my wife Judy told me he had called again;
the visa had been approved (normally it takes weeks or months),
and I was booked on the Bangkok to Bhutan flight but I would
have to leave Auckland the next day. So I did.
A different world
Soon I was wandering through
the weekend market in the trafficlight-free
capital of Thimphu. There,
I was intrigued to see butter for sale
wrapped up in leaves. It was yak butter
and had been made by nomads.
Thinking this could make an interesting
article on dairying I asked my
monk friend to help me find some
of these people. He agreed and early
the next morning we set off for the
highest driveable pass in the kingdom;
the 3988m Chele la. Just over
the pass we saw a lone yak standing
well above the road. We stopped the
car and Rinpoche let forth with a high pitched whoop. Someone
from even further up the mountain immediately whooped
back. Clearly this was some kind of nomad call sign. Then a
dog barked from below. Rinpoche gestured with his chin and
remarked “the man with the yaks is up there, but the dog will
be at the camp. It is easier to go down”.
We walked towards the barking and found their winter camp
just above the tree line (and at 3,500m altitude
higher than Mt Cook) The tent was
made of plastic sheeting draped over a
semi permanent rough-hewn wooden
frame. After securing the dogs (large shaggy
haired animals) the nomads invited us into
the tent, blew life into the fire and started
making tea. I began asking questions about
their life and their dairy technology.
One surprise; miles away from electricity
and civilisation, while we were sitting in
the tent, a mobile phone rang. The youngest
nomad, a teenager of perhaps 18, pulled
out a phone from the folds of his clothing
and read a text message. Wonderful technology
and potentially life saving too but I
wondered if the nomads’ wives started their
calls by asking that question, especially difficult
for a nomad “Where are you”
A typical Bhutanese yak. A little stockier
than a dairy cow, they produce milk with
7.9% fat
Selling yak butter in the Thimphu weekend market. Oxidative rancidity is a
problem. In the background is Barba Tulku Rinpoche (wearing burgundy
and gold) who was my guide
Nomadic life
The nomads stay at their winter camp
for the coldest months but in March, as the
snow melts, they load their tent, pots, ropes
and sundry other equipment onto the dry
and male yaks and, far from roads, move
progressively higher, following the new
season’s grazing. Typically they stay in one
camp for two weeks: it takes that long to
eat out feed in the area. They will camp at
12
Food New Zealand

their favourite sites on the way, selected for proximity to firewood
and water.
‘Home’ is their coarsely woven yak hair tent, which “lasts
25 years”. Smoke readily diffuses out through the weave, which
is also fine enough to keep out light rain. They use the plastic
sheeting as a windproof wall: cold winds blow on the high
plateau. Summer camps are 4,000 to 5,000 metres altitude and
close to the border in Tibet. There, they have to walk quite far
for firewood. Unlike yak herders in central Asia, they do not use
yak dung for fuel.
In autumn they will retrace their route, arriving at their winter
site again in November.
All their milk is processed apart from that needed to make
tea. Interestingly, the brew I had was not the salty traditional
butter tea but an unsweetened milk tea.
The ‘dairy’ herd
They had a herd of some 100 yaks, each animal familiar
but not all were named. Some of their names, like ‘Black and
White Face’, will be not unknown at school Calf Days in rural
New Zealand.
In November, the northern winter when I visited, they were
milking just 14 yaks but in the peak milk flow months of March
and April they will milk 40 to 50 yaks. There is no off-season as
such. They milk the full twelve months.
A yak has her first year of milking at 3-4 years and will continue
milking until 14-15.
Economics
Perhaps naively, I asked Rinpoche about the economics of
keeping animals that did not produce milk. “Here, it is not like
your country” was the reply. “We think about ‘Gross National
Happiness’ as well as ‘Gross National Product’. For example,
your baby needs milk and his mother cannot give. So you take
milk from this yak; now your baby is sharing milk with her calf.
Now, the calf is like a brother to your baby. The yak is like a
mother to your baby. You can sell these animals for money; but
you will never smile.”
The concept of Gross National Happiness was conceived in
Bhutan and has gained some international credibility in recent
years.
The process
Milking
For milking, the yaks are individually roped down in lines
pegged to the ground. After being allowed to suckle for a while,
the calves are chased away. The yaks are then hand milked
into a six litre wooden bucket. Batch pasteurising is done by
heating the milk in a big aluminium pot to boiling point on a
campfire then allowing it to cool. The nomads explained that if
the milk is not pasteurised (they said boil) the yield of butter is
lower and in the worst case they will get no butter at all. NB at
4,000m, water boils at 87.3 degrees centigrade.
Butter
Churning technology used there is as old as butter itself. The
churn is the untanned complete hide of a cow. The ventral cut
is closed with stitching and each of the four leg holes is sealed
by stitching and a hand-carved wooden bung.
To operate, the churn
bag is laid on the ground,
belly side up to prevent
leakage. All the milk, not
just the top milk, is poured
in through the neck hole,
which is then tied off with
string made from yak-hair.
Salt is not added. Next,
the operator sits on the
ground next to the churn
and grips a rope handle
fastened to the hide
by stitched-in wooden
cleats. He rocks the churn
backwards and forwards,
slowly agitating the milk
(a bit like a grandmother
rocking a baby to sleep).
Butter forms after one and
a half to two hours. The
neck hole is untied and
the buttermilk poured into
a pot. The butter is tipped
out then formed into approximately
1kg pats.
These are kept inside the
tent in another wooden
bucket filled with cold
water to keep the butter
hard. Detergents and sanitisers
are not available in
the high country.
Packaging is simple;
the butter is either tied in
One of the nomads
demonstrates the buttermaking
equipment. He is sitting behind
an empty cow-hide churn and
holding its rope handle. The
bucket in the foreground is
used for collecting the fresh
yak milk
a plain white cloth or wrapped in large leaves then tied with
a vine.
TRAVELLER’S TALE
Cut your mixing time by up to 90%
Silverson high shear Batch mixers offer unrivalled speed and versatility and
can cut mixing times by up to 90%.
Easily interchangeable rotor/stator workheads allow each machine to mix,
homogenise, dissolve, disperse, disintegrate or emulsify a wide variety of products.
ADVANCED PACKAGING SYSTEMS LIMITED
Ph: 09 966 3360 Fax: 09 966 3361 Email: sales@advancedpackaging.co.nz www.silverson.co.nz
AdvancedPackaging Silverson.indd 1
2/11/06 1:37:34 PM
February/March 2009
13

TRAVELLER’S TALE
Barba Tulku Rinpoche holds a string of burgo yak
cheese and block of yak butter
At peak production the nomads churn once a day and produce
4-5kg butter per batch. In winter they churn just once a
week.
I asked about the manually operated plunger type of churn
that was used in pioneering New Zealand and seemed to be
more mechanically efficient. Their reply was instructive. The
plunger type of churn required the operator to stand and they
preferred to sit down. A likely explanation for this There is usually
an open fire burning in the tent - air near the roof can be
very smoky and it is easier to breathe sitting down.
Cheese
The butter milk, fresh from the churn, is boiled again causing
curd to form naturally without any specially added starter.
After cooling, the curds and whey are poured through a cloth
to trap the curd. No salt is added. Inside the cloth about 4kg
of curd is hand shaped then a large stone is placed on top
to press it. After one
week both stone and
wrapping cloth are
removed. The cheese
is matured in the tent
for another week or
so then sold. It has a
shelf life of some three
months. The cheese
tasted like very immature
cheddar with very
The burgo yak cheese seen here
in the market is pressed with a
big stone for a week to expel the
whey
little developed taste
and much harder.
This Burgo cheese
is easy to sell as it is
needed to make a traditional
delicacy for annual
house rituals in Bhutanese villages. To make it, the cheese
is soaked overnight to soften, cut into small thin pieces, fried
in butter and then boiled in a sweet buttery sauce. Later, I was
offered some in a village; the family had brought out their ‘best
cups’ for the occasion. Mine was a small turned wooden bowl
with a decorative band of chased silver.
Burgo cheese is presented in an alternative way. They cut
pressed curd into pieces about 5cm x 5cm x 1cm. These are
pierced with a needle then gathered into a rosary-string of 12
pieces. This is hung up inside the tent to smoke-dry for a week.
This cheese is so hard and dry that even flies do not settle on
it in the market.
Yak butter and yak cheese are also traditional gifts for monks
and it is common to see both items placed on a temple shrine.
Yak butter used to be used for making butter lamps but nowa-
days Indian hydrogenated vegetable fat is used.
Whey
The herders drink some whey both hot and cold but most
goes to feed guard dogs. Guard dogs I asked about the risk of
attack from wild animals on the high plateau but they had never
seen the now critically endangered snow leopard.
Marketing
The Nomads sell very little of their dairy products for cash
and instead rely on a barter system with farmers they know.
They mostly barter for rice, wheat and tsampa - the traditional
highland staple of ground and roasted barley. This is mixed
into a dough, paste or soup depending on how much hot tea
is added to it. When they do sell, they wholesale (NZ dollars) a
rosary of 12 pieces of brown coloured Burgo cheese on a string
for $8 and butter for $7/kg
In the Thimphu market, retail prices are
Yak butter $11/kg
Cow butter $8/kg
Burgo cheese $11/kg
Family
The nomads live with their yaks but their wives and children
live in a village in the steep sided Haa valley that lays
below. They grow barley, wheat and turnips - it is too high
for rice. (Bhutan has the highest altitude paddy fields on Earth
and snow-covered paddy fields are the norm in February). In
summer the nomads are separated from their families for four
months.
While the older nomads were pleased their children were
going to school, they were concerned that their educated sons
may not want to follow their example and become yak herders
too.
Composition of yak milk
Cow
Yak
Fat % 3.4 7.9
Protein 3.3 5.3
Lactose 4.9 5.2
Ash 0.7 0.9
Total solids 12.9 19.3
About Bhutan
Area 47,000 sq km (the North Island is 114,000 sq km)
Population 900,000
Height above sea level Maximum 7561m (Mt Kulakangri)
lowest 97m)
People Himalayan tribes; Drukpa, Haap, Parops, Bumtaks,
Sharchop
GNP USD871 per capita (NZ GNP is USD26,000 per
capita)
Religion Buddhist
Currency Ngultrum (equal value to the Indian Rupee)
Major exports Hydro electricity, forestry products,
oranges, potatoes
Tourist info www.tourism.gov.bt/
Gross National Happiness en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Gross_National_Happiness
Map of Bhutan
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/agpc/doc/Counprof/
Bhutan/bhutanmap.gif
14
Food New Zealand

Something old,
something new:
Hurdle technology - a marriage of
preservation techniques
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
L. McIntyre, FNZIFST, and J. A. Hudson
Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Ltd.,
Christchurch Science Centre
In 2007, we published a review in Food New Zealand on existing and
novel strategies for the biocontrol of foodborne bacteria [22]. In that
article we discussed the utility of various biological approaches such
as bacteriophages and protective cultures to increase the safety and
extend the shelf life of foods. In most cases, these do not in themselves
offer a complete food safety solution; hence their application in
combination with other preservation options (the hurdle technology
concept) holds greater potential. What follows here is a review of this
food preservation area and an update on some of the more recent
findings published in the literature.
Introduction
The term hurdle technology was first coined by Leistner in
1978 to describe “the deliberate combination of existing and
novel preservation techniques in order to establish
a series of preservative factors (hurdles) that
any microorganism present should not
be able to overcome” [19]. Originally
depicted as a hurdles race where
microbes leapt energetically (or
otherwise) over variously
sized individual hurdles
representing each factor,
the concept is
now considered
more accurately
as a wall
composed of
‘hurdle bricks’
(Figure 1).
The height
of the wall (i.e.
the food’s ability
to inhibit microbial
growth)
is related to both the number
of combined hurdles and
Figure 1: A more recent
and realistic depiction
of the hurdles faced by
a microorganism in a
food environment
February/March 2009
15

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
Table 1: Examples of food-related hurdles (adapted from [19])
Hurdles
Physical
Examples
Thermal (high, low temperature)
Non-thermal (e.g. irradiation, ultrahigh pressure,
pulsed electric and magnetic fields,
mano-thermo- sonication, etc.)
Packaging (films, edible coatings, modified
atmospheres, aseptic packaging)
Physicochemical
Microbial
Addition/alteration of: water activity (aw), pH, redox
potential (Eh), salt, nitrites, nitrates, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, ozone, smoke, ethanol, acids, spices,
herbs, essential oils, lysozyme, Maillard browning
compounds, etc.
Background microflora, protective cultures, bacteriophages,
bacteriocins
their applied magnitude. Theoretically, applying more hurdles
will produce a greater additive effect, but only if these hurdles
have different modes of action capable of affecting, for example,
microbial DNA, cell membranes and their ability to respond
and adapt to environmental changes (termed homeostasis) [18].
Taking aim at multiple targets also improves the food’s capacity
to control a more diverse range of different microbes.
For a microbe to scale such a wall requires various physiological
responses and modifications
to occur which
expend cellular energy [16].
Ideally therefore, a multiplehurdle-preserved
food will
deplete this energy to cause
‘metabolic exhaustion’. Even
under conditions where no
growth can occur, the greater
the energy needed for
the cell to survive, the faster
the rate of death among
the pathogen population. If
initial microbial numbers are
low, or sub-lethal injury has
occurred as a result of a previous
exposure or treatment,
scaling this wall will be particularly
difficult. If, on the
other hand, high contamination
levels are present, getting
over the wall may be a
slightly easier proposition.
Whether genuinely synergistic
relationships occur (as suggested by Leistner) to boost the
additive effects of each hurdle is debatable.
The growing list of potential hurdles that can be employed
to preserve foods is summarised in Table 1. These are generally
considered in three main groups - physical, physicochemical
and microbial. Many, including heating, drying, salt and sugar
addition, acidification, smoking, etc. have been used in food
preservation for centuries but have typically been the major
hurdle.
It should of course be pointed out that producing a microbiologically
stable food (i.e. where microbes are unable to proliferate)
does not necessarily equate to a safe food. This will
only occur when high quality (ideally pathogen-free) raw materials
are used, or alternatively when any contamination present
is below the threshold for
disease to occur which in
practice may be difficult to
reliably achieve. Hurdles
such as thermal and nonthermal
processes capable of
inactivating pathogens therefore
play an important role
in maintaining the safety of
foods, particularly those of
animal origin, and extending
their shelf life.
When applied in combination
with other factors,
often only sub-optimal levels
of a hurdle may be necessary
to create the desired
effect. This offers a number
of advantages, particularly
in terms of the development
of ‘consumer-friendly’ foods
low in, for example, chemical
preservatives, without
radical changes in sensory
characteristics. Additionally, eliminating the need for refrigeration
or frozen storage and reducing the severity of thermal processes,
potentially offer the additional bonus of cost savings as a
result of lower energy requirements [18]. This has been exploited
in particular by developing countries in Asia to manufacture
shelf-stable yet safe traditional meat products [3, 13].
16
Food New Zealand

Table 2: Examples of the diversity of foods preserved by hurdle
technology
Food
Grated fresh coconut
Shelf-stable seaweed
Hurdles employed
Refrigeration, sodium chloride, citric acid,
sodium citrate, butylated hydroxyanisole
Pasteurisation, water activity, pH, potassium
sorbate
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
Steamed bread (dumpling-like)
Tortellini
Fruit
Shelf-stable guacamole
Gnocchi
Shelf-stable military bread
Canned peas
Fish
Pickled vegetables
Water activity (glycerol), mild heat treatment,
packaging
Water activity, mild heating, modified
atmosphere packaging
Mild heat treatment, pH, water activity, sorbate,
sulphite
Acids, antimicrobials, antibrowning agents,
vacuum packaging, high pressure, mild heat
processing
Sorbate, lactic/citric acids, temperature
Water activity and pH
Heat treatment, pH and nisin
Superchilling (core -1.5°C), natural additives,
modified atmosphere packaging, refrigeration
Acetic acid, salt, heat treatment
While foods of animal origin have been the main focus of
hurdle technology (and will likewise be in this review), a large
variety of different food products has been developed based on
this multifactorial preservation approach (Table 2).
A couple of recent publications have made significant contributions
to advancing the understanding of the mathematics
behind hurdle technology. The gamma hypothesis suggests that
the effects of different antimicrobial factors are independent
and do not act in a synergistic fashion, and the authors analysis
of the data tends to support this [1]. While some publications
report significant statistical interactions, this paper cautions that
statistical interactions may not be representative of biological
interactions. Further experimental work is required to investigate
this further. In the second paper evidence is presented
to support the assertion that most of the inactivation occurring
under growth-preventing conditions is determined by the
temperature of incubation, as opposed to other factors such as
pH and salt concentration [27]. These considerations are of importance
to food safety as they indicate that the primary drivers
behind pathogen reductions in foods that rely on hurdles for
their safety are time and temperature. It is suggested that other
factors, such as pH, may be manipulated to prevent growth but
they have little effect on the rate of inactivation.
Meat Products
Shelf-stable salami-style sausages are probably the best recognised
example of hurdle technology applied to the preservation
of meats. Multiple hurdles are created during processing
and ripening including the use of preservatives (salt, nitrites
and nitrates), the addition of a competitive microflora (in the
form of lactic acid bacteria cultures) which also lowers the pH
(through the production of lactic acid) and the redox potential,
and reduced water activity due to drying. Smoking may also be
used in semi-dry sausage production, adding another hurdle.
A fermented meat product manufactured in this way will be
microbiologically stable when it has achieved both a pH value
in the range of 4.6 - 5.3 and a water activity of

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
in a futile attempt to maintain its pH.
Leistner’s research group was influential in the development
of a range of German sausages termed “shelf stable products
(SSP) storable without refrigeration” [17]. Four different approaches
were developed, all of which focused on differing
combinations of F (heat), a w
, pH, E h
and packaging (Table 3).
Since then, developments in preservation technologies such
Table 3: Combinations of hurdles used to produce shelf-stable sausage
products
Product Hurdles employed Shelf life
F-SSP e.g. liver, blood,
At least 6 weeks
Bologna-type sausages
a w -SSP e.g. Italian
Mortadella, German
Brühdauerwurst
pH-SSP e.g. brawns
(jelly sausages)
Combi-SSP e.g.
Brühwurst
Heat treatment (F value
>0.4) a w

al flora used to produce red smear cheese [6] where the activity
may also be mediated, at least in part, by bacteriocin production.
A novel addition to the hurdle controls available for cheese
production is the use of bacteriophages [9, 22], and papers have
now described the control of Salmonella [23], Staphylococcus
[7] and L. monocytogenes [2].
A nice study of hurdle technology in cheese [32] looked at
the manipulation of conditions needed to ensure that C. botulinum
was unable to grow in cheese spread. They used data from
304 treatment combinations (lots) and varied the salt concentration,
pH, a w
and disodium phosphate concentration. Storage
of the cheese was at 30°C for 28 days. At water activity values

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
needs is, however, not without its challenges and care must be
taken to ensure that the hurdles being applied are both appropriate
and of sufficient vigour to ensure their safety, particularly
for those stored at ambient temperatures. Validation of these
hurdles is therefore a crucially important aspect of the product
development process. Understanding the science behind the interaction
of hurdles is gaining in momentum but more research
is required to elucidate and quantify effects to further improve
the usefulness of predictive models.
References
1. Bidlas, E., and R. J. W. Lambert. 2008. Quantification of
hurdles: Predicting the combination of effects-Interaction vs.
non-interaction. International Journal of Food Microbiology
128:78-88.
2. Carlton, R. M., W. H. Noordman, B. Biswas, E. D. de Meester,
and M. J. Loessner. 2005. Bacteriophage P100 for control
of Listeria monocytogenes in foods: Genome sequence,
bioinformatic analysis, oral toxicity study, and application.
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 43:301-312.
3. Chawla, S.P., and Chandler, R. 2004. Microbiological safety
of shelf-stable meat products prepared by employing hurdle
technology. Food Control 15: 559-563.
4. Cornu, M., A. Beaufort, S. Rudelle, L. Laloux, H. Bergis,
N. Miconnet, T. Serot, and M. L. Delignette-Muller. 2006.
Effect of temperature, water-phase salt concentration and
phenolic contents on Listeria monocytogenes growth rates on
cold-smoked salmon and evaluation of secondary models.
International Journal of Food Microbiology 106:159-168.
5. D’Amico, D. J., M. J. Druart, and C. W. Donnelly. 2008. 60-day
aging requirement does not ensure safety of surface-moldripened
cheeses manufactured from raw or pasteurized milk
when Listeria monocytogenes is introduced as a postprocessing
contaminant. Journal of Food Protection 71:1562-1571.
6. Eppert, I., N. Valdéz-Stauber, H. Götz, M. Busse, and S.
Scherer. 1997. Growth reduction of Listeria spp. caused
by unidentified industrial red smear cheese cultures and
bacteriocins-producing Brevibacterium linens as evaluated in
situ on soft cheese. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
63:4812-4817.
7. García, P., C. Madera, B. Martínez, and A. Rodríguez. 2007.
Biocontrol of Staphylococcus aureus in curd manufacturing
processes using bacteriophages. International Dairy Journal
17:1232-1239.
8. Hudson, J.A., Hasell, S., Whyte, R., and Monson, S. 2001.
Preliminary microbiological investigation of the preparation
of two traditional Maori foods (Kina and Tiroi). Journal of
Applied Microbiology 91:814-821.
9. Hudson, J.A, Billington, C., Carey-Smith, G., and Greening, G.
2005. Bacteriophages as biocontrol agents in food. Journal of
Food Protection 68: 426-437.
10. ICMSF. (1998) Micro-organisms in food. 6 Microbial ecology
of food commodities. 1 Meat and meat products. VI Raw
and comminuted meats. International Commission on
Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). Blackie
Academic and Professional, London, UK. pp39-42.
11. Jofré, A, Aymerich, T., and Garriga, M. 2009. Improvement of
the food safety of low acid fermented sausages by enterocins
A and B and high pressure. Food Control 20:179-184.
12. Kannat, S.R., Chawla, S.P., Chander, R., and Bongirwar, D.R.
2002. Shelf-stable and safe intermediate moisture (IM) meat
products using hurdle technology. Journal of Food Protection
65:1628-1631.
13. Karthikeyan, J., Kumar, S., Anjaneyulu, A.S.R., and Rao, K.H.
2000. Application of hurdle technology for the development of
Caprine keema and its stability at ambient temperatures. Meat
Science 54:9-15.
14. Kim, J., K. A. Schmidt, R. K. Phebus, and I. J. Jeon. 1998.
Time and temperature of stretching as critical control points
for Listeria monocytogenes during production of Mozzarella
cheese. Journal of Food Protection 61:116-118.
15. Koutsoumanis, K., K. Lambropoulou, and G.-J. E. Nychas.
1999. A predictive model for the non-thermal inactivation of
Salmonella enteritidis in a food model system supplemented
with a natural antimicrobial. International Journal of Food
Microbiology 49:63-74.
16. Lee, S-Y. 2004. Microbial Safety of Pickled Fruits and
Vegetables and Hurdle Technology. Internet Journal of Food
Safety 4:21-32.
17. Leistner, L. 1992. Food preservation by combined methods.
Food Research International 25:151-158.
18. Leistner, L. 2002. Hurdle Technology. In: Control of Foodborne
Microorganisms. V.K. Juneja and J.N. Sofos (eds). Marcel
Dekker, Inc., New York NY, 10016. pp493-508.
19. Leistner, L., and Gorris, L.G.M. 1995. Food preservation by
hurdle technology. Trends in Food Science and Technology
6:41-46.
20. Marcos, B., Aymerich, T., Dolors Guardia, M., and Garriga,
M. 2007. Assessment of high hydrostatic pressure and starter
culture on the quality properties of low-acid fermented
sausages. Meat Science 76:46-53.
21. Marcos, B., Jofré, A, Aymerich, T., Monfort, J.M., and Garriga,
M. 2008. Combined effect of natural antimicrobials and high
pressure processing to prevent Listeria monocytogenes growth
after a cold chain break during storage of cooked ham. Food
Control 19:76-81.
22. McIntyre, L., Hudson, J.A., Billington, C., and Withers, H. 2007.
Biocontrol of foodborne bacteria: Past, present and future
strategies. Food New Zealand 7:25-32.
23. Modi, R., Y. Hirvi, A. Hill, and M. W. Griffiths. 2001. Effect
of phage on survival of Salmonella Enteritidis during
manufacture and storage of cheddar cheese made from raw
and pasteurised milk. Journal of Food Protection 64:927-933.
24. Papageorgiou, D. K., and E. H. Marth. 1989. Fate of Listeria
monocytogenes during the manufacture and ripening of blue
cheese. Journal of Food Protection 52:459-465.
25. Rodríguez, E., J. Calzada, J. L. Arqués, J. M. Rodríguez,
M. Nuñez, and M. Medina. 2005. Antimicrobial activity
of pediocin-producing Lactococcus lactis on Listeria
monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli
O157:H7 in cheese. International Dairy Journal 15:51-57.
26. Ross, T., and Shadbolt, C.T. 2001. Predicting E. coli inactivation
in uncooked comminuted fermented meat products. Prepared
for Meat and Livestock Australia by the Centre for Food Safety
and Quality, School of Agricultural Science, University of
Tasmania. North Sydney: Meat and Livestock Australia.
27. Ross, T., D. Zhang, and O. J. McQuestin. 2008. Temperature
governs the inactivation of vegetative bacteria under
growth-preventing conditions. International Journal of Food
Microbiology 128:129-135.
28. Ryser, E. T., and E. H. Marth. 1987. Behavior of Listeria
monocytogenes during the manufacture and ripening of
cheddar cheese. Journal of Food Protection 50:7-13.
29. Ryser, E. T., E. H. Marth, and M. P. Doyle. 1985. Survival of
Listeria monocytogenes during manufacture and storage of
cottage cheese. Journal of Food Protection 48:746-750.
30. Schlesser, J. E., S. J. Schmidt, and R. Speckman. 1992.
Characterization of chemical and physical changes in
Camembert cheese during ripening. Journal of Dairy Science
75:1753-1760.
31. Sulzer, G., and M. Busse. 1993. Behaviour of Listeria spp.
during production of Camembert cheese under various
conditions of inoculation and ripening. Milchwissenschaft
48:196-200.
32. Tanaka, N., Traisman, E., Plantinga, P., Finn, L., Flom, W.,
Meske, L., and Guggisberg, J. 1986. Evaluation of Factors
Involved in Antibotulinal Properties of Pasteurized Process
Cheese Spreads. Journal of Food Protection 49:526-531.
33. Tienungoon, S., D. A. Ratkowsky, T. A. McMeekin, and T.
Ross. 2000. Growth limits of Listeria monocytogenes as a
function of temperature, pH, NaCl and lactic acid. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 66:4979-4987.
34. Whyte, R., J. A. Hudson, S. Hasell, M. Gray, and R. O’Reilly.
2001. Traditional Maori food preparation methods and food
safety. International Journal of Food Microbiology 69:183-190.
20
Food New Zealand

Oils and Fats News
OILS & FATS
Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST
Olive oil in NZ reviewed by
Consumer magazine
You can pay top dollar for extra-virgin olive oil. But the best
indicator of a good oil is freshness - the top oils in Consumer’s
tasting were pressed this year.
Extra-virgin olive oil is produced without heat or chemicals.
The International Olive Council (IOC) says that extra-virgin oil
must meet certain analytical criteria and be free of defects when
the oil is tasted by a sensory panel trained to IOC standards.
‘Consumer’ was looking for well-balanced
oils that had good aroma and flavour
and no defects. Colour has nothing
to do with the quality of olive oil. Oils
are tasted in blue glasses so the colour is
masked.
They were disappointed in the overall
results. Too many oils (mainly imported)
fell into the “unacceptable” category when
tasted. Retailers and importers need to do
a better job of packaging and displaying
extra-virgin olive oil, ‘Consumer’
recommended.
Extra-virgin olive oil is an expensive
semi-luxury product. It should
be looked-after better so that consumers
receive the quality product
they’re paying for.
Packing it in clear bottles and
exposing it to artificial light for long
periods will only result in the oil deteriorating.
Kiwi oils came out top
All the oils passed ‘Consumer’s’
chemical analysis, but there was a
wide range in their sensory quality.
Fresh is best! The three top oils
in the tasting were pressed in May
or June 2008.
The Peta Mathias, Olivo and The
Village Press Frantoio oils all had the
qualities the judges were looking
for - good aromas with lots of olive
fruity flavours. They were also well
balanced.
These three oils were also in dark
bottles, which are better protected
from the light. Clear bottles are a
problem, especially in supermarkets
where the oils sit under fluorescent
lights. Some supermarkets are open for 24 hours and this increases
the light-exposure.
The Borges, Pam’s and Paul Holmes Leccino oils were also
very good. But the Borges and Pam’s had no date marking. A
fresh batch of these may have been assessed but there’s no way
of knowing and other Borges and Pam’s on shop shelves may
be older.
Tired oils
The most common complaint about the unacceptable oils
was that they were tired. Tired oils taste “old” and not fresh - it’s
a sign an oil is starting to go rancid. But many oils don’t give
you enough information on the labels to judge.
Most oils state a best-before date, although
that’s no guarantee of quality. Many of the
unacceptable oils were well within their bestbefore
date. Colonna, La Espanola and Mas
Portell Arbequina were judged unacceptable
even though they had best-before dates in
2010 - that’s over a year away.
The problem with best-before dates is you
don’t know how old the oil is. Six oils stated
their pressed-on date. This is more helpful because
you know exactly how old the oil is.
We’d like to see pressed-on dates for all
extra-virgin olive oil.
Some oils didn’t do as well as they did
in our 2006 tasting. Kapiti was one of our
top oils in 2006 but this time our panel rated
it poorly. The producers are concerned
that their oil isn’t being stored properly in
shops and is following up this issue with
retailers.
Ravida also got a lower rating. The importer
told ‘Consumer’ the size of Ravida
shipments has been reduced to ensure a
fresher product in New Zealand.
Consumer recommends
Three Kiwi olive oils were the best in
the tasting. They also came in dark bottles
and had pressed-on as well as best-before
dates:
The Village Press Frantoio, Olivo, Peta
Mathias.
Buying advice
• Buy the freshest oil possible. Look
for a “pressed-on” date, as bestbefore
dates aren’t a good indicator of
quality. ‘Consumer’ would like to see
“pressed-on” dates for all extra-virgin
olive oil.
• Heat and light will affect oil quality.
February/March 2009
21

OILS & FATS
Don’t buy clear-bottled oils, especially any that have been
displayed in a shop window or under fluorescent light.
• Store in a cool dark place, tightly stoppered. Once bottles
are open they are best stored in the fridge. The oil may
become cloudy or solid. This won’t affect the taste and it
will clear when brought to room temperature.
• Oils don’t improve with age - use them as quickly as you
can.
Country of origin
Buying extra-virgin olive oil from Italy You need to check
the labels carefully - chances are it’s not made from Italian olives
at all.
Spain is the biggest producer of olives and olive oil. Italy is
the second-biggest producer. But, because the Italians are the
biggest consumers of olive oil, Italy doesn’t produce enough
olives to meet local demand. A lot of the Spanish crop is exported
to Italy, where it’s repackaged for sale as Italian olive oil.
Other countries such as Greece and Turkey also export olives
to Italy.
Lupi says it’s “imported from Italy”. This gives the impression
that the olives were grown in Italy but it probably only
means the oil was bottled there. Rizzoli is a bit more upfront
- the label says it’s “bottled in Italy”.
If you’re looking for olive oil made with Italian olives look for
the label “Product of Italy” or “Produced and bottled in Italy”.
Extracted from a Consumer Magazine article by Belinda Allen,
December 2008
Whey protein promises nanoencapsulation
of omega-3
Whey protein beta-lactoglobulin may spontaneously bind
the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and offer
nano-encapsulation potential for formulators.
Israeli researchers report that whey protein may be a nanovehicle
for DHA. Nano-complexes with pectin produced transparent
dispersion with extended shelf-life for the ingredient.
They report their results in an upcoming issue of Food Hydrocolloids.
“The new technology presented herein may serve to enhance
the health promoting properties of beverages and foods
while maintaining transparency and providing substantial protection
to the encapsulant against deterioration during product
shelf life,” wrote Patricia Zimet and Yoav Livney from the Israel
Institute of Technology in Haifa.
Zimet and Livney also note that this is the first time that
the spontaneous binding of an omega-3 fatty acid to beta-lactoglobulin
has been reported.
Study details
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the success stories in health
and wellness circles. However, their use in foods is limited by
their low solubility in water and their sensitivity to spoilage by
oxygen. Encapsulation is one method of protecting the oils.
For the new study, the Haifa-based researchers investigated
the potential of beta-lactoglobulin to spontaneously bind to
DHA and to act as a carrier for the fatty acid.
In combination with low-methoxy pectin, colloidally stable
nanocomplexes of DHA-and beta-lactoglobulin were produced.
An excess of pectin led to the formation of particles containing
166 times more DHA than the surrounding solution, added
Zimet and Livney.
Moreover, the particles were transparent and their average
size was about 100 nanometres.
Further experiments studied the stability and shelf-life of the
resulting nano-complexes. An accelerated stress test (100 hours
at 40 degrees Celsius) showed that only 5-10% of the DHA was
degraded when bound with the whey protein. On the other
hand, about 80% DHA degradation is observed for alternative
processes.
Source: Food Hydrocolloids Volume 23, Issue 4, Pages 1120-
1126, ‘Beta-lactoglobulin and its nanocomplexes with pectin as
vehicles for Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids’, Authors: P.
Zimet, Y.D. Livney
Book Review
Life - As a Matter of Fat - The Emerging Science of Lipidomics
Edited by Ole G. Mouritsen (Springer Frontiers Collection),
Springer, Berlin (Germany) 2005. Hardcover, 290 pages. Price
53.45 Euros. ISBN-13 978-3540232483.
Presenting challenges and open problems at the forefront of
modern physics in a manner accessible to scientifically literate
non-specialists is the expressed aim of the Frontiers Collection
22
Food New Zealand

y Springer. This is exactly what Mouritsen achieves with his
book. The reader gains insight into the deeper implications and
the fascinating questions involved.
The field of lipid research is central to essential aspects of
life; its origin, its metabolic regulation, the brain, and decays in
various forms. Traditional approaches to lipid research through
physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine are complemented
by nanotechnology, high throughput technologies, etc., and are
now rapidly evolving into a multidisciplinary science, the lipidomics
enterprise.
For lipids, it is the third in a row of “omics”, after genomics
and proteomics, that strives to put the “heap of stones into
the shape of a house” (Pointcare). As Mouritsen puts it: a new
lipidomics science has to go beyond the mapping of all lipid
species in all cell types and must approach cellular functioning
from a more holistic perspective. The present state of affairs is
still largely such that the answers are there, but what are the
questions This book is a plea for hypothesis-driven science
that has to follow the undoubtedly necessary efforts of stamp
collection.
In that sense, the book is wonderfully exciting to read. It is
structured into three parts: the first part (The Overlooked Molecules)
describes in seven chapters the molecules, their chemistry
and physics, and introduces the concept of larger shape
creation through self-assembly. It ends with a six-page essay
on ‘Models and Fashion’. As with all complex systems, models
are important as nuclei for structured debate. With biological
membranes - where the enormous breadth of scales in sizes
(from Angstroms to millimetres) and in times (from picoseconds
to days) exceeds normal imagination - this structuring power
of models is of particular importance. Mouritsen gives a lucid
critique on the existing membrane models.
Remarkably, this chapter does not contain the fashionable
“rafts”, which are found in almost every self-important publication
on membrane biophysics of today, but have not yet been
seen in reality. No fear, however, rafts do appear in the following
part.
The second part (Lipids Make Sense) is devoted to the structural
and dynamic organisation of lipids at the supramolecular
level. It covers the ‘phase’ aspect with all its associated phenomena,
such as transitions, separations, fluctuations, also ‘rafts’,
and interactions, arriving finally at the interaction with proteins.
This part indeed covers a selection of relevant concepts and essential
phenomena without getting into the maze of too many
experimental results.
The third part focuses on function (Lipids in Action). Cholesterol
makes the start, as it does in the history of lipid science.
This is followed by a brief chapter on how lipids match up with
proteins - the mattress model and hydrophobic mismatch concept,
among others. Then the text shifts to nutritional aspects
of essential fatty acids, and how a physicist can rationalise such
diverse phenomena of life, as e.g. anaesthesia, obesity, and apoptosis.
‘Smart nanotechnology’ stands at the end of this selection
of examples.
A whole legion of scientific texts on membranes and lipids
have appeared over the past five decades, starting with the
classics of Dennis Chapman in the late Sixties, some more and
some less memorable. This book of Mouritsen’s is different in
being very readable, stimulating and concise. Perhaps not unintentionally,
its rather decent, unassuming layout - no glossy
charts and pictures, no flashy highlights or boxes - supports its
impression on the reader who wants to be seriously informed
of current ideas and concepts, rather than be carried away with
facts and figures. It will be an excellent companion for lipidologists,
membranologists and lipidomiacs at all levels of expertise
for time to come. It can be particularly recommended as a text
for interdisciplinary university courses in life sciences.
Andrew McKenzie
Chief
Executive
NZ Food Safety
Authority
Good Operating Practice - guidance ready to pilot
Under the proposed food regulatory system most food
business operators will need to have a risk management
tool such as a Food Control Plan (FCP) in place. This will
document how they manage their business to ensure they
produce safe and suitable food.
In previous columns I’ve talked about the voluntary implementation
of ‘off-the peg’ FCPs that has been rolled out
in most parts of the country since July 2008. This is being
done in anticipation of a new Food Act, so that we can
make the most of the impetus created by the considerable
amount of work that’s already gone into developing the
new food regulatory system.
An off-the-peg FCP is a ready-to-use plan, developed by
NZFSA for food sectors where processes are similar across
that sector. Custom-made FCPs will need to be created by
operators of businesses that are more complex, or have
unique or commercially confidential practices, to suit their
particular process. They may be developed from scratch,
or adapted from one or more of the off-the-peg FCPs as
appropriate.
Good Operating Practice (GOP) procedures covering
both food safety and suitability are the basic building
blocks in preparing a custom-made FCP. The procedures
incorporate good hygienic practice and good agricultural
practice/good manufacturing practice that are currently in
use by industry. We expect hazard analysis and critical control
point (HACCP) principles for food safety to be applied
after the good operating practice components of the FCP
are in place.
NZFSA has released for comment draft guidance for
businesses to develop their own good operating practice
procedures, such as allergen management, cleaning and
sanitation, product information, and pest control - as relevant
to the business.
Each guidance document prompts the food business
operator on what they need to consider for effective hazard
management.
The draft guidance information is available to download
from NZFSA’s website this month and operators have four
months to review the information, trial it if they wish, and
comment to NZFSA on its usefulness.
NZFSA would be keen for food business operators to
apply the draft guidance material to their business as appropriate
over the next few months and let us know what
worked well and what didn’t. NZFSA invites comments
from anyone, whether you represent a business or are acting
as an individual.
You can download the draft guidance information and
find out more about the proposed FCP manual from our
website (www.nzfsa.govt.nz). Follow the green Food Control
Plan link on the front page.
Please email your response by 30 June 2009 to
tss@nzfsa.govt.nz or send it to:
Suzie McQuoid
Adviser (Technical Standards & Systems)
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
PO Box 2835
Wellington 6140
www.nzfsa.govt.nz
OILS & FATS
February/March 2009
23

NUTRIGENOMICS
In future, foods could be tailored to remove particularly ‘risky’ components for significant groups of the population
Personalised nutrition
Julian Heyes, Plant & Food Research
‘Nutrigenomics’ is an unfamiliar term for many scientists,
and practically unknown to most members of the public. Simply
put, it is an emerging scientific discipline that recognises that
the subtle differences between people’s genetic make-up affect
our risk of acquiring particular diet-related diseases during our
lifetime; and the ideal foods (or ideal diet) for one person will
not be the same for their neighbour.
Genetics and disease
There are many human conditions (such as Inflammatory
Bowel Disease, (IBD)) that run in families, indicating that they
have a significant genetic component, but not everyone with
the same risk factors will develop full-blown IBD. It appears
that the diet and lifestyle choices made by each individual affect
the rate of onset and severity of IBD. The nutrigenomics
research being conducted in New Zealand holds the potential
to demonstrate exactly how certain components of our food
may be interacting with our genetic pre-disposition and triggering
the chronic inflammation that leads to IBD.
Already our research is indicating that there are certain foods
that are generically ‘safe’ for people at risk of developing IBD:
their texture and composition mean they are reported as neutral
by practically everyone. There are other foods that are reported
as ‘harmful’ by practically everyone at risk of IBD. Most interestingly,
there is a third group of foods that some people report as
improving their condition and others report as making it worse.
As we analyse these foods in detail we may be able to associate
these different responses to specific components of the food
interacting with particular risk-factor genes.
Personalised diets
We can envisage the day when each of us has had our full
genetic code read. Knowing what our particular risk-factor
genes are would open up information well beyond the generic
diet and lifestyle choices that we should all endeavour to make
(not smoking, getting some exercise, and eating a balanced
diet). People at risk of developing IBD at present may adopt a
very prudent but bland diet. It would be great if they could be
24
Food New Zealand

given specific advice about particular kinds of foods that they
should avoid; but even better if they were told there were certain
foods that they can eat that will help promote their health
and well-being.
Individualised shopping
Thinking further ahead, foods could be tailored to remove
particularly ‘risky’ components for significant groups of the
population (as is already done for, for example, gluten-free
products). In fact, there is no reason why we couldn’t be given
electronic assistance with our shopping. We love choice; free
will is an essential part of being human; so, rather than some
kind of dietary prohibition based on your genome, whoever
does the family shopping could have their family’s genetic risk
factors recorded on a device that is read remotely as they travel
around the aisles. There could be a corresponding traffic light
display on the shelves that signals whenever particular items are
particularly beneficial or risky for someone in the family.
Ethical issues
There are always new moral and ethical issues that arise as
new knowledge is uncovered. If I am aware of the ideal diet
for my risk profile, but choose to eat unwisely and become
ill, should I be eligible for the same level of support from my
health insurance as someone who has been more ‘responsible’
If I have a high genetic risk of developing a certain condition,
should I be obliged to declare this to a potential employer
Should I screen my potential partner before we enter a lifetime
commitment to ensure we are genetically compatible with respect
to our risk-factor genes
The New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and
Technology has recognised the potential for nutrigenomics to
open up new business opportunities for innovative companies
in the food industry. Their funding is building up a skilled team
of scientists that is unpicking the complex web of information
around human genetic variation, food components and disease
risk and providing the capability to lead us into futures we are
only dimly able to imagine.
“Nutrigenomics NZ is a collaboration between AgResearch
Limited, Plant & Food Research and the University of Auckland
and is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science
and Technology”
P R E M I X E S > V I TA M I N S M I N E R A L S N U C L E OT I D E S N U T R A C E U T I C A L S
At Unitech we specialise in customising premix blends
for use in the fortifi cation of food, dairy, beverage,
bakery and pharmaceutical products.
Premixes accelerate product development, reduce
production costs and provide assurance of quality and
consistency without compromising the taste or texture.
We’re New Zealand’s largest and most customer
focused independent premixer accrediting innovation
as the key to our success.
Contact us to share the success of developing
quality products that create new market opportunities.
www.unitech.co.nz
ISO 9001 ACCREDITED
Product design services
Precision powder and liquid blending
Tablet manufacturing
Sachet packing
Unitech Industries Limited
38-44 Bruce McLaren Road
Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone +64 9 835 0835 Fax +64 9 839 0086
Email sales@unitech.co.nz
www.unitech.co.nz
I N N O VAT I O N P R E C I S I O N T R U ST CO M M I T M E N T
February/March 2009
25

NZIFST
News and views from
NZIFST
More Employers Group members receive plaques.
NZIFST President, David Munro, (centre) pictured with, from left, Carole
Inkster, Judy Barker FNZIFST, Sandra Daly, Carol Barnao FNZIFST and
Phil Fawcet FNZIFST at NZFSA in Wellington
David Munro presenting the plaque to
MIA chief executive, Tim Ritchie
NZIFST Directory
executive manager Rosemary Hancock
PO Box 8031, Palmerston North
Ph (06) 356 1686
Fax (06) 356 1687
Mob (021) 217 8298
rosemary@nzifst.org.nz
president
vice president
TREASURER
David Munro
(07) 579 9122
munrodca@wave.co.nz
Dave Pooch
(09) 410 8357
dave@peppermintpress.co.nz
Eric Wilson
027 263 9006
eric.wilson@insightz.co.nz
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP contacts
DAIRY Division
Food Safety
Nutrition
Sensory
Neil Walker
familywalk@xtra.co.nz
David Lowry
David.lowry@ecolab.com
Amy Joseph
Amy.Joseph@nz.nestle
Rebecca Shingleton
Rebecca.shingleton@fonterra.com
As a member of NZIFST you will
benefit from
•
•
Professional development programmes
Networking at regular branch meetings,
seminars and the Annual Conference
and gain
•
•
•
Information through ‘Food New Zealand’,
‘Nibbles’ and our website
Recognition through awards,
scholarships and travel grants
JOIN NZIFST NOW!
http://www.nzifst.org.nz/join/
26
Food New Zealand

Conference Update
NZIFST
Food Elements: Putting the Pieces Together, NZIFST Annual Conference
2009 June 23-25, Christchurch Convention Centre
There are many elements to bringing a food product to market. Research and development
is necessary for new and innovative products, requiring funding as the first element.
Researchers need to be aware of new technologies and scientific processes. Understanding
nutrition and government regulations are necessary steps. Finally, communication to the
public of the risks and benefits of the product needs to be clear and compelling.
To find out more about how to put food elements together,
register to attend the NZIFST 2009 Annual Conference. The
current economic slowdown provides an important reason for
Keynote Speakers
Margot Skinner
Plant & Food Research
Functional foods with
enhanced bioavailability
and health benefits
Harjinder Singh
Riddet Institute, Massey
University
Dairy food structure,
digestion, and flavour
release
Eric Decker
University of Massachusetts,
USA
Structured delivery systems
for bioactive lipids
Andrew Bartholomaeus
Food Standards Australia
New Zealand
Regulations for nanotechnology
in food
Kim Mundell
Healthy Food Media
Science communication
(health and nutrition)
Ted Labuza
University of Minnesota,
USA
Water and food quality
Paul Callaghan
Victoria University
Wellington
Communication of
science to the public
Tim Wooster
Food Science Australia
Applications on nanoparticles
in food product
development
Gordon Roberston
Queensland, Australia
Smart packaging
you, and the key people in your organisation, to attend this
event. Find out how food elements can provide a boost to your
business.
A pre-conference workshop
will be held on
June 2 on “Properties
of Water in Food” at
the Christchurch Convention
Centre. This
will be organised by
Formula Foods and will
be a separate event to
the NZIFST conference.
More information
will appear at www.
nzifst.org.nz/events/
annual-conf.asp as the
conference organisation
progresses.
David Everett,
FNZIFST
NZIFST 2009 Annual
Conference Chair
david.everett@otago.
ac.nz
A problem shared is a problem solved
If you’ve got a complex problem, Global Expert
can access 20,000 experts worldwide
Give us 15 working days
High value, low price
We’ll find the best people with the right
skills, who are available to help your
company solve its challenges, from
invention to commercialisation and all
steps in between.
Our service uses a huge network of
New Zealand and international experts
from the world’s leading universities,
companies and research institutions.
Our professional team at the Foundation
for Research, Science & Technology
manages the process and works closely
with Global Expert clients to get results.
You can also apply for funding to
achieve the solutions your organisation
requires.
Start solving that puzzle.
Contact us now:
call 0800 GET EXPERT (0800 438 397) visit www.frst.govt.nz email globalexpert@frst.govt.nz
February/March 2009
27

NZIFST
NZIFST Professional
Development: 2009
Programme
We are delighted to announce the NZIFST Professional Development Programme for 2009.
Your Institute has always aimed to provide a platform for career and professional development for
members, this year is the first time that a programme of highly directed and worthwhile seminars
and workshops has been developed. We are looking forward to a successful year, which will be
the blueprint for a continuing programme.
We have used member responses to the professional development
survey in planning, and were encouraged by the strong
positive response to the proposed project.
Our challenge is to translate that high level of interest into
professionally valuable and cost-effective events. The programme
below is the result of much consultation and some
midnight oil.
We hope you take full advantage of these opportunities to
enhance your professional development and we welcome any
suggestions for improving the programme.
For more information, to book or to comment please contact
Rosemary Hancock, NZIFST Executive Manager. (rosemary@
nzifst.org.nz).
2009 Programme
Topic Location(s) Provider Date Time/Format Brief Description
NPD Project
Management
Business School, University of Auckland,
Auckland
Business School, University
of Auckland.
5th & 6th
March.
Sensory Massey University, Albany, Auckland Massey University. w/c 20th
April
Food Industry
Legislation
Update
Engineering for
Non-Engineers
Micro for Non-
Microbiologists
Dunedin, Christchurch, Hastings,
Hamilton, Auckland
To be confirmed.
May (over
2 weeks)
Palmerston North or Auckland Massey University 28th &
29th May
Auckland To be confirmed. Mid
August
Nutrition Palmerston North Massey University 1st
September
Food Industry
Legislation
Update
The Basics
of choosing
Packaging
Dunedin, Christchurch, Hastings,
Hamilton, Auckland
To be confirmed.
September
(over 2
weeks)
Auckland To be confirmed. Late
October
9 - 5pm.
2 day course with
lunches/refreshments
9 - 5pm.
1 -2 day course with
lunches/refreshments
7 - 9am.
1 hour seminar following
breakfast at a cafe.
9 - 5pm.
2 day course with
lunches/refreshments
9 - 5pm.
1 day course with
lunches/refreshments
9 - 5pm.
1 day course with
lunches/refreshments.
7 - 9am.
1 hour seminar following
breakfast at a cafe.
9 - 5pm.
1 day seminar with
lunch/refreshments.
An overview of best practice for managing the NPD process including, portfolio
management, project and risk management and how to get the best out of the
multi-disciplinary, NPD team.
This course is designed to up skill technical and NPD personnel in the practices
and management of sensory evaluation in a fast moving industrial setting. It
will include statistical interpretation of data and training and screening of panel
members. The course will be practically based with exercises and workshops.
An update from relevant authorities about the latest changes to food legislation
affecting the food industry, e.g. labelling, importing and exporting, biosecurity,
food control plans, etc
An overview for food technologists without an engineering background, who
now feel an understanding of some basic food engineering principles which
would add value to their role.
A quick refresher course about common pathogens & spoilage organisms and
techniques used to protect food products from the growth of microorganisms.
An update for food technologists on nutrition principles with a key focus on
current hot topics.
An update from relevant authorities about the latest changes to food legislation
affecting the food industry, e.g. labelling, importing & exporting, biosecurity,
food control plans, etc
5 x 1 hour presentations from a range of packaging suppliers discussing the
many technical aspects of food packaging which food technologists need to
know when assessing the options.
Each event will be actively publicised to ensure your awareness
and, where interest lies, attendance.
The price of each of the activities is set at a level recognising
the intensity and value of the content. The first NPD seminar
will cost $850+GST for members ($930+GST for non-members).
The remaining 2 day courses will be priced at a similar level.
The one day seminars will be about $530+GST for members
($580+GST for non-members). The 2hr morning seminars have
yet to be costed - we will advise on the cost for these sessions
closer to the time. For a few of the seminars there is still some
flexibility with regard to provider, location and timing. These
will also be firmed up nearer the time.
28
Food New Zealand

New Members
NZIFST
NZIFST welcomes the following people to the Institute
New Professional Members
Alaa El-Din Ahmed (Aladin) Bekhit Senior Lecturer university of Otago Dunedin
Alistair Carr Senior Lecturer in Food Engineering IFNHH, Massey University Palmerston North
Shaogiang (Chen) Chen R&D Scientist Westland Milk Products Hokitika
Jonathan Cox Product Innovation Manager mars Incorporated Wanganui
Stuart Dykes Hawkes Bay Wineries Manager Pernod Ricard New Zealand Napier
John Vincent Grigor Senior Lecturer massey University - IFNHH Auckland
Colin Pitt Technical Sales Engineer Pall Corporation Hamilton
Kuldeep Yadav PhD Student university of Canterbury Christchurch
Professional Member rejoined
Nigel Smith Development Technologist Kerry Ingredients NZ Ltd Auckland
New Members
Mina Asker Samples / R&D Technologist Kerry Ingredients NZ Ltd Auckland
Vivienne Cameron QA Analyst / Lab Manager New Zealand Sugar Company Auckland
Roberto Coetzee Risk Systems Manager Waiwera Water Ltd Auckland
Sarah Dagger Technical Assistant Zymus International Ltd Auckland
Joanne Gibson operations Manager Griffiths & Co Ltd Waiuku
Karl Goble Process Technologist Fonterra Kapuni Hawera
Ilana Greeff Development Technologist old Fashioned Foods Auckland
Sandra Hand QA Technician Kerry Ingredients (NZ) Ltd Auckland
Michele Harrod managing Director Plug-In Pest Free (also works for DMG) Auckland
Fiona Hedley Sensory Project Manager Colmar Brunton Auckland
Krishna Jones Development Technologist Kerry Ingredients NZ Ltd Auckland
David Kay Product Development Technologist Hubbard Foods Ltd Auckland
Robert Lethbridge Processing Development Technologist Frucor Beverages Auckland
Xin (Lucy) Lu R&D Technologist - Technical Support Frucor Beverages Ltd Auckland
Shaheen Mangera Chemistry Tech Nutricia NZ Ltd Auckland
Olivia Martyn National Innovation & Quality Manager George Weston Foods (NZ) Ltd Auckland
Johwiwa (Jig) Tawtingco Mawiago Food Technologist Kerry Ingredients NZ Ltd Auckland
Carla McCulloch laboratory Manager Cedenco Foods NZ Gisborne
Joanne (Jo) McDonald Technical Manager old Fashioned Foods Auckland
Karen McNaughton Product Development Manager New Zealand King Salmon Nelson
Karen (Lee) Miller managing Director Norsa Organics Tonga
Belinda Mitchell Documentation Assistant / Consumer Relation Rep Frucor Beverages Auckland
Simon Moran R&D Technologist General Mills Auckland
Shiji Nair Food Technologist Crop & Food Research Palmerston North
Vongprachanh (Dee) Phetsomphou Quality Assurance Technician Kerry Ingredients NZ Ltd Auckland
David (Dave) Rudd National Sales Manager Bakels Edible Oils (NZ) Ltd Tauranga
Brenda Sebastian Student university of Zimbabwe Botswana
Kevin Simmonds Process Technologist Fonterra Waitoa Waitoa
Maria (Fatima) Strickland Ceo le Vai NZ Ltd Wellington
Leonisa (Lily) Tanyag Food Technologist Sensient Technologies New Zealand Auckland
Joy Thompson laboratory Manager Bakels Edible Oils (NZ) Ltd Tauranga
Pelepesite (Site) Tipelu QA Technician Kerry Ingredients (NZ) Ltd Auckland
Vy Tong laboratory Technologist Sensient Technologies New Zealand Auckland
Amy Van Boheemen Product Development Technologist old Fashioned Foods Auckland
Nico Van Loon laboratory Services Manager Cawthron Nelson
Silas Villas-Boas lecturer, School of Biological Sciences university of Auckland Auckland
Kenneth (Ken) Wade Product Technologist Frucor Beverages Ltd Auckland
Dazhi (Patrick) Wang Quality Assurance & Food Safety leonards Superior Smallgoods Ltd Auckland
Kwai Fung (Kevin) Yip Quality Services Supervisor old Fashioned Foods Auckland
Nicole Yue Zhang Product Development Technologist Inghams Waitoa
Former Members rejoining
Garth Buttimore operations Director Goodman Fielder NZ Dairy Auckland
Fiona Camblin Senior R&D Technologist Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Ltd Auckland
Edgar Crisostomo Development Manager Tatua Cooperative Dairy Ltd Hamilton
Emma Shannon Product Development Technologist old Fashioned Foods Auckland
Greer Tubman Food Technologist, old Fashioned Foods Auckland
February/March 2009
29

NZIFST
New Professional Members
We are pleased to introduce...
Dr John Grigor
John graduated in 1987 with an honours degree in Food
Technology from the University of Reading (UK). He then went
on to research in sensory science at the same University, completing
his PhD in 1990. He was then recruited by a clinical
nutrition company Scientific Hospital Supplies Ltd (now owned
by Danone), where he introduced new
flavour technology leading to authorship
of two patents and the development of a
number of successful innovative new products.
John has worked in the UK University
sector for over eight years, originally
as a lecturer at Lincoln University and later
leading the undergraduate and postgraduate
food programme as a principal lecturer
at Teesside University. He has also worked
in the UK food industry for seven years.
John Grigor
He has been active in the research and
consultancy of flavour and sensory evaluation
of foods, working with a number of companies in Europe
both as an academic and as an independent consultant.
In his spare time he enjoys sailing and singing. John has
always wanted to move to New Zealand and is excited at the
prospect of now working at Massey University and with the
New Zealand food industry.
Colin Pitt
Colin Pitt graduated with an MSc (Tech)
from Waikato University and started work
at NZDC, then NZ Dairy Board in the Artificial
Breeding Centre.
He became a production laboratory
manager at Livestock Improvement Corporation
(LIC) for nine years before moving
back into research and development.
Colin’s experience spans protein, lipid and
lipoprotein separation, cell physiology and
gas/liquid interactions. In the course of his
research career he published 23 scientific
publications and one thesis, received
Colin Pitt
nine awards for innovation and registered one NZ patent: no.
518967.
He is presently technical sales engineer for Pall Corporation,
Food and Beverage Division, specialising in filtration and
separation technology for industry. Colin is also mini-market
manager for bottled water.
On a personal level, Colin says, “I’ve travelled the world,
raised a family, played music, skied, caved, canoed, run a motor
racing team, driven a bus, fallen out of a hang-glider, driven a
Stockcar and had a lot of fun. All my tertiary education was contemporaneous
with the above so I do know how to multitask”.
functional food ingredients
personalised process assistance
Salkat’s ingredient range includes:
> Antimicrobials
> Beta-glucan Oat Fibre
> Cocoa based products
> Dietary Fibre
> Functional Whey Powders
> Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
> Inulin (FOS)
> Encapsulated Omega 3s or Omega 6s
> Fat Powders & Creamers
> Maltodextrins & Starch
> Minerals (Iron or Calcium microencapsulated)
> Milk Calcium
> Natural Flavours & Extracts
> Natural Sweeteners
> Omega Products
> Pea Protein Isolates
> Phytosterols
> Soy Protein Isolates
> Specialist Enzymes
> Vitamins
Salkat specialise
in supplying diverse
ingredients for
improved health
and wellbeing
T +64 9 275 0745 F +64 9 275 0746
71c Montgomerie Road, Airport Oaks
Auckland, New Zealand
PO Box 97840, S.A.M.C, Auckland, New Zealand
www.salkat.com
30
Food New Zealand

Branch Activities
NZIFST
Canterbury
End of year dinner
At the end of November twenty-two members and guests
gathered at the Food Company and Cafe in Christchurch for
some entertainment and a meal. To start, everyone was given a
teaspoon full of alphabet pasta to arrange into any words they
thought appropriate. Those who enjoyed less academic pursuits
were then encouraged to use some small cubes of cheese and
various pasta shapes to create a sculpture. Some found that
kneading the cheese to form a structural putty was very effective.
The main fare of the night was provided by the enthusiastic
manager and chef Nik Mavromatis who prepared an Italian
meal in front of us. First he explained the different flours (“00”
and fine semolina) that are used to make pasta and how the
proportions of these depend on the type of product to be made.
With a little mixing, kneading and a home pasta roller he made
it look easy to produce various forms of pasta. To this he added
a simple but delicious olive oil/garlic/parsley/chilli sauce.
Meanwhile, in the main kitchen, his assistant ensured there
was enough for all to enjoy. The main dish of lamb tagine used
Moroccan Morgues lamb sausages from The Real Sausage Company,
with lots of vegetables, dried fruit and seasoning. For
the mouth-watering finale he produced a Tiramisu from scratch
with particular attention paid to the zabaglione (custard doesn’t
do it justice) that gives it the distinctive luxuriousness.
Nik’s enthusiasm and passion for food rubbed off on us all
as we enjoyed much more than a meal out together.
Ken Morison
Nik Mavromatis, our host at the Food Company and
Cafe
The Future of
Packaging and
Processing
Innovation, inspiration, results
Owned and Presented by
For further details go to www.auspack.com.au
Australia’s International Exhibition of Packaging and Processing Machinery, Materials and Associated Technology.
February/March 2009
31

NZIFST
In the shiny new pilot plant, tour members listen intently to Garry Radford and Dr Lara Matia-Merino, (facing the
camera) both from Massey
Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay
A visit to Massey University
On 28th November twelve members
of the branch joined eight
members of the Manawa/Wellington
branch for a combined tour of Massey
University’s facilities at the Institute of
Food, Nutrition and Health. Thanks
to the Massey crowd for an excellent
afternoon.
Tour Group A visited the NMR and
microscopy facilities, which were absolutely
fascinating. For relatively big
things (~3nm) the scanning electron
microscope may be suitable, but if you
really need to ‘see’ how things work,
it would be hard to beat the transmission
electron microscope with a resolution
of less than 2 angstroms.
Tour Group B visited the PD labs
and the human nutrition research
laboratory, then everyone toured the
food characterisation lab and the pilot
plant, and of course the micro brewery.
For those ex-Massey-ites amongst us it was a bit strange to
see the Riddet building in such a nice state of repair, but top
marks for turning the under-grad engineering lab into a functioning
brewery!
Dick and Mary Earle, with Gerry Townsend (centre) were special guests at
dinner after the tour
Following the Massey tour our group was enlarged with
another sixteen members of the Manawatu/Wellington branch
for Christmas dinner at Rendezvous Restaurant, with our very
special guests Dick and Mary Earle.
Emily Thomas
32
Food New Zealand

NZIFST
Enjoying the occasion are, (from left) Santhameena
Sivapalan (Kerry), Chris Neilson (New Zealand
FreshCuts), Cathy Merrall (McFoodies), Dongxiao Sun-
Waterhouse (Hort Research), Clinton Meharry (Zymus),
Christine O’Sullivan (Colmar Brunton)
Paula Maranhao from Old Fashioned Foods: Showing
how it’s done!
Auckland
Christmas party
To end the year and for their Christmas party, Auckland
branch members spent a sunny evening playing lawn bowls at
the Edendale Bowling Club.
With a great attendance, Christmas party hats, a jukebox and
drinks on the house, the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Everyone
was put into teams and the lawn bowls competition got
started! It was great to see some members new to the sport giving
it a real go; where others had some intense (but fun) competitions
between teams. Winners were Team 4; Team Captain
Karen Roberts-Thomson (Griffins), Rebekah Gordon (Sensient),
Wayne Cameron (Kerry), and Brendan Kerr (GS Hall). A spit
roast dinner followed. Enjoyed by all, it was a fantastic way to
end another busy year!
February/March 2009
33

NZIFST CAREERS
A new careers initiative -
The 2009 NZIFST Student
Product Development Challenge
NZIFST is delighted to be the naming sponsor
for the 2009 Student Product Development
Challenge, being run by Massey University
and CREST.
In 2006 Massey University first invited secondary schools in
Auckland to enter the Massey Food Awards Student PD Challenge.
In 2008 they again ran the Challenge, after linking it to
the CREST Awards scheme administered by The Royal Society
of New Zealand. Following positive feedback from the teacher
and students who participated last year, Massey and CREST
were keen to run the challenge in 2009 - incorporating some
changes to better link it to the school curricula. The challenge
requires that teams of senior secondary students develop a new
food product for an industry client with the aims of
•
•
•
•
Improving knowledge in schools about food technology
Linking the science and technology curricula, by providing
a challenge which incorporates both
Giving students the opportunity to work with professional
food technologists to develop a new product for a real
food industry client (an authentic experience)
Raising the profile of a career in food science, technology
and engineering with senior science and technology
students, their teachers, parents and schools.
The Challenge is being trialled in Auckland this year. Seven
schools have signed up to take part, with up to twelve teams of
students participating.
Each team of four students( who are studying both NCEA
science and food technology) will develop a new food product
for an industry client, following the process defined in the
Team Silver CREST Awards. This is very similar to the product
development process used by the food industry. They will
be supported by a food technologist, who will be their CREST
“consultant”. Futureintech supports the CREST scheme, and Futureintech
Ambassadors have been approached to be CREST
“consultants”. Where we could not find enough Ambassadors
with the time available to be consultants, we have approached
NZIFST members to take on the role. Massey University will
provide professional development support to those food technology
teachers who would like it.
The students started their projects in term 1, and will complete
them in Term 3. They will participate in the Massey Open
Day on 12 September, and at the end of term 3, they will submit
their projects to CREST assessors for judging. All teams which
achieve the requirements of the Team Silver CREST Award will
receive the award, and will then be entered into the NZIFST
Student PD Challenge. Winners will be announced at an awards
The St Kentigern College team at the 2008 Massey Food
Awards with Professor Ray Winger and their teacher,
Carolyn Norquay
function in October 2009, hosted by the Auckland Branch of
NZIFST. The judges can also choose to nominate some teams to
attend “Realise the Dream”, a six day event held in Wellington
each year, hosted by The Royal Society, which celebrates the
achievements of students who have demonstrated excellence in
science and research.
Professor Ray Winger from Massey University says: “This
is a fantastic initiative and we are excited to be working with
NZIFST, The Royal Society/CREST and Futureintech to inspire
High School students to take-up career in the food industry.
This is a real opportunity to show high achieving students, their
parents and teachers how we integrate sciences into a challenging,
fun and rewarding career in New Zealand’s biggest industrial
sector. Our earlier experiences have shown clearly how
constructive and rewarding this activity has been for everyone
involved.”
CREST NZ is delighted to be working, in this collaborative
venture, with NZIFST, Massey University, Futureintech, industry,
teachers and students.
Jessie McKenzie who manages CREST for the RSNZ says:
“CREST is all about using creativity, perseverance, application
of knowledge and communication. The 2009 NZIFST Student
Product Development Challenge offers all of these, plus a myriad
of other opportunities. If this trial is successful, CREST is
keen to roll it out around the country, in collaboration with
NZIFST and the universities.”
Jenny Dee, FNZIFST
NZIFST Careers Co-ordinator
Futureintech Facilitator, Hawke’s Bay
34
Food New Zealand

Graduate Opportunities
at Cadbury...
join one of the world’s most trusted brands!
• NZ - Dunedin location
Excellent career advancement & networking opportunity
Fantastic team environment
Contribute to our new ‘Green’ initiative
Food & Packaging Technologist
12 month contract
Assist in developing, delivering and optimising packaging and product solutions that
consumers will love! This will be achieved through working collaboratively with
Marketing and Supply Chain colleagues on Integrated Portfolio Manager (IPM) projects.
Degree qualified in Food Science or Engineering Previous Project Management skills
and an understanding of food manufacturing
Then visit www.cscareersasiapacific.com and search using reference CSAP1324
to apply and find out more!
Food Technologist
12 month contract
Manage and lead technical projects within our Confectionery products portfolio. You
will be involved in development and implementation of starch moulded and enrobed
confectionery and boxed chocolate products, liaising with a diverse range of internal
and external customers.
If you are degree qualified and exhibit strong skills in a similar position with a desire
to develop within the food industry please visit www.cscareersasiapacific.com and
search using reference CSAP1323 to apply and find out more!
Applications close: 23 February 2009
General Enquiries: 0800 555 570
February/March 2009
35
910156B

MIA NEWS
MIA News
Seeking sheepmeat efficiency
The chronic skills shortage and the hunt for
processing efficiencies are the two reasons
for a new meat-industry coordinated initiative
focusing on automation in the sheepmeat
industry.
The Ovine Automation Consortium (OAC) is a new commercial
initiative to focus work on automation within the sheepmeat
industry. With an overall budget of $15 million, it is planned to
be funded jointly by meat companies and the Foundation for
Research, Science & Technology (FRST). Industry part-funded
MIRINZ Inc will provide the industry funding in the first year as
that organisation winds down.
The MIA’s newly appointed innovation programme manager,
Richard McColl, will spearhead the initiative and manage
the programme as it evolves. He will bring his commercial meat
processing experience with Alliance and later with AFFCO’s executive
team to bear on its evolution.
He explains that the MIA council has determined that commercially-focused
consortia are the way to go forward to leverage
government funding and also to ensure there is a direct
evisceration and pelt-pulling technology with a dozen projects
in progress. Some have already had work done on them, while
others are ideas that have been on the shelf for a number of
years. Industrial Research Ltd’s DeviceWorks and Millers Mechanical
are the two process engineering companies that will
be involved in work on the projects.
“The aim is to have at least two or three of those projects
commercially available by the end of 2009,” says McColl, who
adds that he expects about eight meat companies to participate
jointly in the cross-industry activity. The OAC will also explore
interest in collaborative work from Meat & Livestock Australia
but it is early days on that side as yet.
As he says, “The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.”
McColl and Conway join MIA staff
Richard McColl (left), the MIA’s new innovation
programme manager, has been joined by another new
staff member, policy analyst Matt Conway
Prototype Y-cutting robotic tool in action
linkage with industry and a focus on achieving targeted outcomes
as well.
“The meat industry recognises that it needs to work collaboratively
if it wants to make essential gains and gain research
funding from government,” says McColl, adding that OAC is the
first of several potential initiatives in the meat industry pipeline.
“OAC is an inclusive, industry-good vehicle for the programme,
enabling smaller players to benefit alongside the larger.”
The chronic skills and labour shortage faced by the industry,
together with a need to improve processing efficiencies as
a whole were two of the reasons that the OAC programme has
been moved to the front of the queue. The focus will be on
Hailing from Invercargill originally, Richard joined the MIA
in early November 2008. He has a strong commercial background.
In addition to roles at AFFCO and Alliance, he graduated
from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Commerce
and gained an MBA from Massey University.
Matt Conway started at MIA in mid-December, coming from
NZ Trade & Enterprise where he worked as a research analyst.
Prior to that, he worked within the Parliamentary Library. Matt
was born in Palmerston North and comes from a farming background.
Reduce global warming - eat NZ
meat, says meat industry
The argument behind the UN’s call for
consumers to consider eating meat for one less
day a week to counter climate change is oversimplified
and being countered by the New
Zealand meat industry.
The UN call came in September last year from the chair of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra
36
Food New Zealand

Pacheuri, who received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 jointly with
US politician Al Gore for their work raising awareness of climate
change.
“This argument has been boiled down in the media and
very much over-simplified,” Silver Fern Farm’s group marketing
manager Glenn Tyrrell says. He attended the World Meat Congress
last September and heard a paper from Dr Pierre Gerber,
one of the authors of the UN Food and Agriculture Association
report called ‘The Long Shadow of Livestock’, which criticised
livestock farming and meat production for emitting 18% of the
world’s greenhouse gas, more than the total transport industry.
“This led to Dr Pacheuri’s extraordinary, reported public
statement that people should eat less meat to reduce global
warming,” Tyrrell says. “In his address Dr Gerber showed that
over one-third of the 18% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
attributed to livestock is created by deforestation of the
Amazon rainforest by the Brazilian meat sector.
“Other significant contributors are intensive grain and fishmeal
feeders. Deduct these from the equation and countries like
New Zealand, with natural extensive grass-fed production, have
a very low level of GHG and yet we are grouped together by
the UN in statements advising consumers to eat less meat.”
Clearly, Brazil has no intention of reducing expansion of
their beef industry through continued deforestation, Tyrrell says.
“So the New Zealand meat industry has established contact with
the FAO and requested isolation by country of livestock carbon
footprints. Global consumers should know that Brazilian beef is
a major contributor to global warming due to deforestation, but
also that New Zealand grass fed beef, lamb and venison has a
very low carbon footprint.
“We hope to work with the FAO on obtaining information
that we can use to highlight our position to global consumers
- ‘reduce global warming - eat New Zealand meat’”.
New Zealand is leading the world on GHG mitigation in
the pastoral sector. For the past five years, the Pastoral Gas
Research Consortium, a cross livestock industry group in New
Zealand, has been working on a range of ways in which to
mitigate this country’s GHG emissions. One of its first results in
the middle of last year was a world-first in research terms, genemapping
one of microbes responsible for producing methane
in the stomachs of cattle and sheep. That understanding should
lead to ways to reduce methane production. Other results will
follow this year.
Adapting for climate change
Climate change is real, its
impacts are real and it’s a matter
now of how we prepare for and
cope with that change, was the
message from MAF senior policy
analyst Trecia Smith at last year’s
MIA conference.
“To be forewarned is forearmed,”
she said.
“The projection for New Zealand
is that the whole country
will become warmer: the west
HamburgS-Attentive-NZFoodMg 10/1/08 will become 7:24 AM wetter Page and 1 the east
Trecia Smith
will become drier,” Smith said.
“In average years, projected changes averaged across the country
are likely to be small, but there is regional variability. On
the plus side, the warmer weather will mean more growing
days and increases in the length of the growing season, but,
in extreme years, the droughts will be worse than have been
experienced before.”
Adaptation to those changes is seen as part of sustainable
development: it has a link with green house gas mitigation and
it means adjusting over time and evolving with information. An
Adaptation Technical Working Group has been set up and has
proposed a five year adaptation programme leading to 2013
and the proposed inclusion of agriculture in the NZ Emissions
Trading Scheme (ETS).
Feedback to the programme indicates that due to greater
awareness adaptation will be a higher priority for adaptableland
managers. They will be using better weather forecasting
tools and business risk models and changing practices to improve
resilience. Issues include changing production systems,
resource management and social/economic factors to take into
consideration, Smith said.
Research must be proactive.
Adaptation of crops and livestock so they can thrive in a
water-limited environment, in a carbon-rich world of different
temperatures and changed pest pressures means that agricultural
research and development needs to be actively working
on climate-change resources, according to Jeremy Burdon, chief
of CSIRO’s Plant Industry Division. Speaking to the Guild of Agricultural
Journalists’ jubilee conference in Wellington last October,
he sees two options for producers/processors: either adapt
at the local scale, or move the farm i.e. adapt at the landscape
scale.
Understanding water availability crucial
Understanding the future availability of water in New Zealand
will be crucial to processors’ and livestock farmers’ ability
to adapt their systems to suit the local environment.
Work is being done by the National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to establish where the right
quality water will be available in the ‘right’ quantities in New
Zealand. Bob Wilcock, principal scientist, aquatic chemistry, another
speaker at the Guild’s jubilee conference explained the
complex interactions between ground-water and surface-water
catchments and then groundwater use and discharge impacts
downstream.
Discharge from dairy farming into groundwater streams
has been under the microscope to date. NIWA and AgResearch
are working with farmers, district and regional councils, MAF,
dairy companies, FRST and others in the ‘Best Practice Dairying
Catchments Project’ to improve streams in Waikato, Taranaki,
Canterbury, West Coast and Southland. The approach is a combination
of monitoring streams, surveying land use and farm
management, defining land-water linkages, isolating key drivers,
developing best management practice and farmer uptake of
the new ideas at regular farmer meetings.
“By simply fencing a stream, you can achieve remarkable
benefits,” Wilcock said.
His predictions for the future are that there will be an increase
in intensity of land and water use alongside an increase
in predictive ability, mitigation and improved practices. “But,
will they balance” he asked.
Time will tell.
MIA NEWS
Highly attentive service.
Expect nothing less.
The following toll free numbers will connect you to your nearest Regional Customer Service Centre:
Outbound : 0508 222 444 Inbound : 0508 333 666 For more, visit us at www.hamburgsud.com
No matter what.
February/March 2009
37

MIA NEWS
New technology on show
New packaging and technology from Cryovac
and Foss was unveiled at the trade show at last
year’s MIA Dunedin conference.
Cryovac has two new packaging products for New Zealand’s
meat processors. BXGuard is a new generation, super tough and
shrinkable Barrier Bag that has excellent shrink and premium
optics. The company claims it delivers the best in functionality
and optimum appearance for both retail and industrial applications.
The barrier bag is ideal for bone-in retail applications
without the requirement for any
additional bone protection. The
bag is suitable for a wide range of
meat products - such as bone-in
lamb, leg hams, pork loins, beef
shortloins and case-ready retail
cuts. It comes in a variety of formats
suited to individual customer
needs. It can be flex printed in up
to eight colours, stamped or plain,
and can be stacked and taped. The
seal format can be straight, curved
or vee. Available tubing widths
range from 250mm to 425mm.
BX Guard is a new
generation of super
tough barrier bags
Cryovac also has new vacuum
packs to keep meat bright red,
which it says are the ideal combination
of vacuum and modified air
packaging (MAP). Darfresh Bloom is second skin packaging
with a breathable film that allows oxygen to reach the entire
top surface of the meat to maintain maximum customer appeal.
Other benefits include the ability to display products vertically
- without drip - ongoing meat maturation, total pack integrity
with easy opening, flexible or semi-rigid trays and many printing
possibilities on the lid and bottom. It can
be used on dedicated
Cryovac Multivac R CD
range and on low-, medium-
or high-speed
FoodScan
Pro has an
integrated PC
with a touch
screen and a
stainless steel,
waterproof
cabinet for
use in a rough
production
environment.
rollstock machines.
FOSS’s AOAC-approved
FoodScan technology
offers rapid
analysis of solid and
semi-solid meat, and
other food products,
with a minimum of sample
preparation. See next
issue for more information
about rapid analysis
of fat in meat.
The latest news
from Foss is that it has
just released the XDS
Process Analytics(tm)
Direct Light system, a
simple-to-implement fat
monitoring solution allowing
meat producers
Cryovac’s Darfresh Bloom combines the benefits of
vacuum and MAP to keep meat succulent and bright red
on the display shelf.
to optimise the use of valuable raw materials while consistently
matching customer expectations. This consists of a precalibrated
near-infrared scanning device and a process control
system. Working on the same principle as FoodScan, the new
system continuously scans the surface of ground meat as it
flows through production, giving a constant stream of real time
results, the company says.
For more information about Cryovac food packaging products
www.sealedair-ap.com. For more about Foss FoodScan
visit www.foss.dk.
Standard Control
for Standard Applica
NEW from SEW - Eurodrive (NZ) ltd.
Economic control with advanced
features PLUS fast, simple start
up process!
The new MOVITRAC ® LTE B frequency
inverter is ideally suited for simple
applications. It was designed and
developed for speed control of
asynchronous motors and is used
for implementing tasks in conveyor
applications, such as small, modular
conveyor belts, fans and pumps, in a
very economical manner.
20
Years
Service to NZ
LTE B range
of frequency
inverters.
Also availab
in IP55 vers
(water & dus
protected).
38
Food New Zealand

MIA NEWS
lers
tions
le
ion
t
Kevin Taukiri, a technician in AgResearch’s Dairy Science and Technology section with the prototype NIR-based
measurement system for meat
Meat assessment, instantly
Instant meat quality assessment is the result of
a four year research project involving twenty
scientists from AgResearch, HortResearch and
international collaborating groups.
The unique near infrared (NIR) measurement system was
developed at the Ruakura campus in Hamilton by AgResearch’s
non-invasive technologies and meat science teams, together
with Dr Carrick Devine of HortResearch.
The all-new W37 geared
motor in a choice of
motors and mounting
configurations. 0.12 to 2.2
kW capacity depending on
gear ratio. High efficiency
>78% - 93% maximum
output torque 110Nm.
DRIVING THE WORLD
The K type range of helical-bevel geared motors.
FNZ608
AUCKLAND Ph: (09) 274 5627 Fax: (09) 274 0165 CHRISTCHURCH Ph: (03) 348 6251 Fax: (03) 384 6455
PALMERSTON NORTH Ph: (06) 355 2165
Motors & Brake Motors \ Servo Motors \ Gear Units \ Geared Motors \ Drive Electronics \ Industrial Gear Units
The new technology is said to revolutionise the way meat
attributes are measured. “Quality assessment of meat usually
takes hours,” says AgResearch scientist Dr Robert Burling-Claridge,
science leader for the project. “Samples have to be sent to
the lab where, to measure tenderness for instance, they must be
cooked in a defined way before being analysed. Since the process
is destructive and time consuming, only a small percentage
of New Zealand meat products can be assessed. With this new
technology it will be possible to determine the quality of every
single carcase.”
Designed to work in the laboratory as well as in the meat
plant, the prototype NIR measurement system measures meat
tenderness, fat marbling and pH, all of
which influence the eating quality, colour
and shelf-life of meat. Meat being sent to
market will be able to be accurately sorted
and guaranteed, Dr Burling-Claridge says.
Additionally, the rapid data collection will
improve research productivity and reduce
the size and complexity of trials.
The prototype system is a combination
of specific NIR instrumentation, sophisticated
mathematical models and optimised
physical tests. Together, these transform the
NIR light signal into information about meat
quality. The technology effectively combines
advanced research in meat properties
measurement, electronics, optics, engineering
and data processing. Negotiations with
potential commercialisation partners have
begun and the project team hopes to have
a commercial system available to the meat
industry in two years.
Reproduced with kind permission from
AgResearch Now newsletter.
February/March 2009
39

MIA NEWS
Meaty Morsels
Snippets from the vast array of research, technical, market and policy information received by the
Meat Industry Association
Ali Spencer
• Lamb pricing trends positive - Lamb is bucking the trend
of falling prices for New Zealand agricultural exports and
is well placed to capitalise on global demand for quality
food. The MIA and Meat & Wool NZ say that while the
ANZ Commodity Price Index for December 2008 showed
monthly price falls of 2.4% for lamb and 1.4% for beef, the
trend over the whole of the last year tells a different story.
MIA member meat companies
report current sales returns
from lamb are well up on
those 12 months ago, says MIA
chairman, Bill Falconer. “This
is illustrated by NZX Agrifax
data which shows earnings
for lamb cuts to the EU are up
30% on the same time last year
and racks and forequarters into
Asia and the US are up 28%.
This is significant and even
with uncertain times, given
the global financial crisis, we
remain cautiously positive
going forward,” he says,
adding that beef into North
America tells a similar story.
Earnings for New Current beef returns are 25-30%
Zealand lamb are up 30% ahead of a year ago. Beef and
on last year and it’s a lamb exports remain a strong
similar story for our beef, performer alongside other
says Bill Falconer agricultural products with over
$4 billion of export annually,
demonstrating the benefit of its positioning as a quality
food, rather than a traditional agricultural commodity
• Heaver carcase weights offset lower export lamb numbers
- the Meat & Wool New Zealand Economic Service says
drought and dairy expansion have reduced this year’s lamb
numbers to 27.3 million - a drop of 4.7 million or 15%
fewer than last spring. According to the Service’s director,
Rob Davison, this is because of a smaller breeding flock
(26.3 million), a drop in the number of lambs born per
ewe (down from 118% to 113%) and fewer lambs from
ewe hoggets (down by 50%). Export lamb numbers are
estimated to fall 6.15 million to 20.36 million, a decrease
of 23.2%, confirming earlier Economic Service estimates.
However, heavier lamb carcase weights this year are
expected to provide some offset to the large decrease in
lamb numbers. “Lamb carcase weights are estimated to be
up 7.5% on last year to 17.7kg. Production on a carcase
Drought and dairy expansion have reduced lamb
numbers, says Rob Davison of the Meat & Wool
Economic Service.
weight basis is therefore predicted to fall 17.5% to 361,000
tonnes,” Davison says.
• Lower hot water bill for meat company - Auckland Meat
Processors has reduced hot water use in its Otahuhu
plant by more than a third. According to EECA News,
the company received an Energy Intensive Business
Grant from EECA that enabled it to introduce innovative
technology for cleaning down the slaughter rooms. Before
the project started, moving conveyors were washed in
a non-stop sequence of two sprays - one 88 degree C
water sterilisation spray and one cold spray to cool the
area. Replacing the continuous wash with an ‘on-demand’
wash cycle, with controls installed across production
floors, made significant savings possible, EECA News
says. Proximity sensors ensure that the processing tables
are automatically cleaned and sterilised before the next
carcase arrives. Hot water is only applied to places that
have been used and finally when processing stops. The
design of the pipe system that moves the hot and cold
sprays back and forth for a thorough clean of the beef
tables enabled another valuable saving - cleaning time was
reduced by half. With no existing technology to base the
system on, design involved calculated trial and error that
took 12 months to get right, but the results are well worth
it, says John Farmer, AMP’s engineering manager, in the
newsletter.
40
Food New Zealand

• Meat companies report profits - Both Alliance Group and
AFFCO reported profits at the companies’ 2008 September
year ends. Alliance Group’s chairman, Owen Poole,
announced an improvement of over 300% in operating
profit before distributions to shareholders of $67.9 million
(compared to $16 million for the 2007 September year
end) from a turnover of $1.3 billion (1.1 billion in 2007).
The Group’s operating surplus after tax and before pool
surplus was $54 million ($10.9 million in 2007). The
result maintained Alliance’s performance as a consistently
profitable meat company, Poole said. AFFCO also reported
a net profit after tax of $60.2 million (comprising $40.8
million from trading activities and $19.4 million from
non-recurring items. The company put the result down to
more favourable conditions than expected in trading in the
second half of the year. AFFCO continues to benefit from
improved management focus and through its strategy of
being a broader food group, the company says.
• The eye says it all - A world-first non-invasive tool to
measure stress and pain in animals could have significant
applications in assuring the welfare standards of New
Zealand’s agricultural industry and boost the value of
products overseas. A team from AgResearch’s agricultural
systems section has shown that emotional responses
of cattle can be detected and quantified non-invasively
through measurement of eye temperature, using infrared
thermography. Tests conducted on cattle during routine
farm practices such as disbudding and castration showed
a rapid and acute drop in temperature in the capillaries
around the eye area as the animal’s body responded
to stress or pain. Used in conjunction with other tools,
including cardiac responses and behaviour, the research
gives a unique insight into the emotional response of
animals that could also have implications for assessing how
effective certain analgesics are in providing pain relief for
animals. Project leader Mairi Stewart has won a KuDOs
Emerging Scientist Award for work on the project.
Peter Storey (standing): AsureQuality’s new training
manager in action.
MIA NEWS
World-first research from AgResearch gives a unique tool for scientifically and
non-invasively assessing stress and pain in animals.
• AsureQuality appoints training
manager - Peter Storey is
AsureQuality’s new training
manager. In his new role, he will
take over full management of
the company’s training services,
including development and
implementation of a businesswide
training infrastructure. He
will also be actively involved in
facilitating system improvements
and strategy options aimed at
improving customer service
efficiency and delivery of new
industry training programmes.
Prior to joining the provider
of food quality assurance and
biosecurity services, Peter was
principal lecturer and horticulture
programme manager at Wintec
(Waikato Institute of Technology).
• MIA 2009 conference dates for your
diary - The 2009 MIA conference
will be held in Auckland from 6-7
September. Information will be
posted at the MIA’s website www.
mia.co.nz in due course.
For further information on any of the above items contact the Meat Industry Association on 04 473 6465 or by
email info@mia.co.nz. Visit the web-site www.mia.co.nz.
February/March 2009
41

TRAVELLER’S TALE
Ponte de Dom Luis I (taken from Vila Nova de Gaia looking towards the Ribeira district of Porto)
In search of whisky, wine
and better weather...
Lynn McIntyre, Plant & Food Research, Christchurch
After experiencing the coldest winter in New Zealand since
my arrival almost 10 years ago, I eagerly returned to my homeland
of Scotland in late August full of optimism that attending
FOOD MICRO 2008 in Aberdeen would coincide with those
long hazy days of summer. Alas a solitary week of good weather
had already occurred in June followed by the “worst summer
in years” to quote the locals. Unperturbed I put on a brave face
(and a raincoat), hopeful that I would eventually see sunshine
during my second conference at the University of Porto in Portugal
a week later.
FOOD MICRO 2008
The conference was held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and
Conference Centre, close to the University of Aberdeen, and
was attended by delegates from 58 countries around the world.
New Zealand was represented by seven scientists from ESR,
Crop & Food (now Plant & Food), AgResearch and the New
Zealand Food Safety Authority. Given the scope of the programme
(vast) and the number of delegates (970-ish; a record!),
it was impossible to cover the entire content but we gamely
tried. However, the poster area alone was about the size of a
rugby field and I fear some delegates never made it out of the
ruck and maul that ensued during the opening kick-off of the
poster session.
I bravely defended my ground at my poster entitled ‘Consumer
Poultry Freezing and Thawing: A New Zealand Survey’
until it was safe to venture forth and was rewarded with a conference
jam packed with interesting and topical sessions, including
the microbiological safety of fresh fruits and vegetables,
molecular biology-based rapid detection methods, biological
control of pathogens, verotoxigenic E. coli, Salmonella, Predictive
Microbiology and Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat
foods to name but a few. If anything, there was almost too
much going on, and being in two places at once is not one of
42
Food New Zealand

Scottish nationalism alive and well in Aberdeen city
centre (and a rare sighting of blue sky)
my major strengths.
However, dashing between the concurrent sessions proved
to be excellent exercise and in sharp contrast to our first social
event, a ‘slow food’ dinner which basically involved cruising
up and down the exhibition hall trying small portions of locally
produced Scottish delicacies. These included culinary delights
such as haggis, smoked salmon and mackerel, fresh organic
berry fruits, oatcakes, tablet (confectionery; think sugar and lots
of it!), Crannachan (a dessert of cream, honey, whisky, oats
and raspberries), clootie dumpling and beer. A bit of a sensory
nightmare for people who struggle to mix savoury and sweet,
but an interesting way to eat dinner. At a particularly yummy
stall offering fantastic pork pies and venison
sausages, I stopped to chat with the lady offering
treats who informed me that her daughter
lives in Akaroa on Banks Peninsula and runs a
local restaurant where I have eaten on at least
one occasion. Small world!
Despite the lure of a whisky tasting session,
I sensibly retreated to my accommodation at a
reasonable hour as I was scheduled to give a
talk entitled ‘Campylobacter jejuni reductions
on poultry due to domestic and commercial
freezing practices’ the following day. The session
I spoke in, entitled ‘Campylobacter: Here,
There, (Every)Where’, as suggested by the
title, covered a wide range of topics including:
(i) an investigation of serological response
to infection and estimated incidence, including
asymptomatic cases; (ii) source attribution
based on MLST typing of human isolates from
confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis in Scotland;
(iii) quantitative real-time PCR detection
in chicken carcass rinses; and (iv) the development
of a murine model of Campylobacter
colonisation. In almost all cases, speakers presented data on
campylobacteriosis rates which show that it is the most significant
bacterial foodborne pathogen of note in Europe, as it is in
New Zealand. Fascinatingly, in the UK, disease notification rates
which were previously declining (attributed to the implementation
of various interventions) are back on the increase. It will
therefore be interesting to watch how our campylobacteriosis
notifications behave over the next few years under the NZFSA’s
Campylobacter risk management strategy.
Dance practise
The conference dinner was accompanied by a traditional
Scottish ceilidh which was a highly entertaining event. Most of
the international delegates (including the English!) were com-
TRAVELLER’S TALE
13th Australian Food
Microbiology Conference
The conference, themed ‘Back to Basics and Beyond’,
includes concurrent sessions, which go ‘back to basics’
for delegates interested in practical industry applications
‘and beyond’ for the research sessions.
Key speakers will bring together relevant information on:
• factory hygiene
• microorganisms in the food chain
• water quality
• microbiological issues in fresh produce and
minimally processed foods
• laboratory methods update
• regulation and co-regulation
Workshops on:
• NATA - Laboratory Accreditation workshop
• Beyond Food Safety Management - Frank Yiannas, Wal-Mart Stores
NZIFST Members at Member Rate
Register online at www.aifst.com.au
for flexible registration options
24–26 March 2009
Rydges on Bell Preston – Melbourne
For more information visit the events page of the
AIFST website www.aifst.com.au
or contact AIFST National Office on +61 2 8399 3996
February/March 2009
43

TRAVELLER’S TALE
pletely baffled by dances entitled
‘the Gay Gordons’ and
‘the Dashing White Sergeant’,
and some even decided to
break with tradition and do
their own thing (generally
mid-way through a dance).
Chaos reigned supreme for
most of the event but nonetheless
a great time was had
by all. I had the rather good
fortune to meet a couple of
kilted Scots - Fraser Gormley
and Kenny Reay - who knew
all the dances and were therefore
excellent dance partners.
Turns out Kenny worked with
Fiona Thomson-Carter and
Phil Carter from ESR prior to
their move to New Zealand,
and Fraser now works in London
with Naomi Boxall (formerly
Massey University and
ESR). Is it just me, or is the
world shrinking
Fraser and Kenny show the
men how to wear a skirt
with pride at the FOOD
MICRO 2008 conference
dinner and ceilidh
children. If anyone has a spare bus kicking around, please let
me know!
The relaxing part of my trip
At the conclusion of the ISEKI conference I stayed on for
another week to explore Porto with my parents who reside in
the Southern Algarve region. Imagine my horror to discover
that they had rented a flat directly overlooking Graham’s Port
House with a picturesque view down the River Douro towards
the Ponte de Luis I bridge (designed by Eiffel)!!! Sampling port
was, needless to say, just one of the many highlights of our
stay in this World Heritage Site and we visited several of the
major tourist attractions including the Palácio da Bolsa, the Casa
da Musica (music hall), Clérigos Tower and the ornate gothic
church of São Francisco. We also dined in some fantastic restaurants
(definitely not for the vegetarians amongst you) but I have
to confess that my favourite dining experience was at the local
café bar where we watched F.C. Porto play football and feasted
on francescinha, a local delicacy consisting of a ham and spicy
sausage sandwich covered in cheese and gravy. Yum!
All in all, an exhausting but scientifically and personally rewarding
trip. Alas, due to airline luggage restrictions, not much
whisky and port made it back with me but the memories still
linger...
In search of sunshine
After a thoroughly enjoyable conference and a catch-up
with family and friends I then made my way to Porto, where the
weather did not disappoint. The ‘First International ISEKI_Food
Conference’ was organised in conjunction with the final meeting
of the EU project ‘ISEKI_Mundus’ (integrating safety and
environment knowledge in world food studies) and had over
200 delegates in attendance. The conference had a number of
themes revolving around education and knowledge transfer between
key groups, including academia, research organisations,
the food industry and consumers. I presented a poster in collaboration
with ex-colleagues Marie Wong (Massey University)
and Lisa Duizer (formerly Massey, then Acadia University, Nova
Scotia, now University of Guelph, Canada!) to promote the excellent
industry-funded undergraduate research activities being
conducted in New Zealand, and the benefits being gained from
these collaborations. Thanks to a talk by a Turkish delegate I
also discovered my dream job - driving around New Zealand
in a ‘Mobile Science Centre’ (a.k.a bus!) kitted out with microscopes
and other equipment to promote food safety to school
Port tasting at Graham’s (try their white port - fantastic
on its own or with tonic!)
FREE DAILY e-news FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY
NZ Food Daily is a daily e-newsletter, backed up by an interactive website, covering news from all facets of the New Zealand food
industry, from the farm gate to the consumer’s table.
SUBSCRIBE NOW, IT’S FREE
www.nzfooddaily.co.nz
44
Food New Zealand

Book Review
Food product development
Mary Earle, Richard Earle and Allan Anderson
Published by Woodhead Publishing Limited, Abington Hall,
Great Abington Cambridge, CB216AH, England
First published 2001, reprinted 2005, 2007, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Both Mary and Richard Earle are recognised as pioneers
and leaders in the field of Food Science and Technology. Their
contribution makes this publication one of significance because
most of their lives have been dedicated to this very subject matter.
Their experience relates to both academic endeavour and
industry in New Zealand and globally.
Allan Anderson, himself Massey graduate, has years of experience
in food product development, teaching and project
management.
The book is presented in 3 parts. Part I (and Chapter 1)
is essentially an introduction, covering the key elements that
must be managed to promote success and minimalise failure in
new product innovation. It is important to fully understand this
chapter before becoming ‘involved’ in Parts II and III.
Clearly the intention of Part I is to introduce the complexity
of the technical/marketing/management mix that is Product
Development. For those with little or no ‘product development’
knowledge, this chapter will definitely bring them up to speed
on the concepts.
Part II makes an in-depth analysis of the individual activities
necessary to achieve successful product development. Key
fields are innovation, strategy, product/process design, and
all aspects of the consumer’s role in the product development
process. There are five chapters, and the last one, devoted to
the consumer (final market) is very well presented with ideas
many companies would not even consider in their approach
- much to their detriment.
Part III deals with the management of the product development
process, including the design of the ‘pathway’ with its
decision points and financial constraints.
There are four case studies in Chapter 7, including horticulture
based commercial products, industrial, dairy and a typical
formulated consumer product. These may seem brief in their
coverage, but the Earles have published another book devoted
solely to “Case studies in food product development” (A review
will be published in Food NZ. Ed)
The very interesting aspect of this book is the way it is written.
It is itself, a ‘blueprint”’ of the way product development
works! In other words, it is not just a series of academic principles,
but a practical work piece that tells you how all the individual
product development stages fit together.
Nearly every page has a chart, table or information box to
highlight key points relevant to the general copy.
Throughout the copy are special ‘stop and reason’ points.
These are called ‘Think break’ and ask the reader questions
relating to a particular issue (very often a specific product development
project), with emphasis on how it fits into company
strategy.
‘Food Product Development’ is well supported by references
and, indeed, the technique of taking the real key issues from
such a wide spectrum of authors has given us the best of food
product development from others who have tended to write on
just segments of the product development process.
The book has a distinctive New Zealand flavour - no pun
intended! It is very in-depth (maybe too much in a few places),
but it is written in a style that could be used by both senior
technology students, and managing directors of companies that
may decide they need to understand what food product development
really means!
What the book does show, is that Food Technology itself is
a combination of many facets of science (chemistry, microbiology,
physics), marketing (sales, advertising, distribution), all
operating in a well managed food business environment. The
book emphasises how important it is for senior management to
set up a strategy for product development applicable to their
area of business, and, most importantly, gain an understanding
of their consumers needs.
This theme runs throughout the entire publication and sets it
apart from most other publications in this field. It is not a ‘handbook’
on the standard product development pathway. It is a far
more in-depth analysis of how to apply and manage modern
product development systems.
This book has taken global experience (over 50 years) in
food product development and consolidated it all into 370 pages
of invaluable text. I believe “Food Product Development”
should be essential reading for any research organisation or any
business that aspires to do the best it can in developing new
food products.
Gerard Hall, B. Tech FNZIFST
GPH Technology (NZ) Limited.
Calling all New Product Development Practitioners
Don’t miss THE NZIFST NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR
March 5-6. See pg 28 for more information
February/March 2009
45

EVENTS
Australasian Courses and Conferences
February 19, 2009
NZIFST Employers Group Meeting
Food Technologists of the Future - who, what, where
Enterprising Manukau, Auckland
rosemary@nzifst.org.nz
February 24-25, 2009
IDF/DIAA Conference on Functional Dairy Foods
Melbourne, Australia
www.fil-idf.org
February 26-27, 2009
Connecting the Dots GS1 Annual Conference
Heritage Hotel.Auckland
www.gs1nz.org
March 5-6, 2009
New Product Development (NZIFST Professional Development
Course)
The University of Auckland Business School
rosemary@nzifst.org.nz
March 9-11,2009
NZBIO Conference 2009 - BioSolutions for a changing world
Auckland, New Zealand
www.nzbio2009.co.nz
March 22-25, 2009
World Potato Congress 2009
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.wpcnz.org.nz
March 24-26
13th Australian Food Microbiology Conference
Melbourne, Australia
www.aifst.com.au
March 26-26
ConFectioNZ
The Sebel, Trinity Wharf, Tauranga
www.candy.net.au/about-cma.asppgID=665
April 15-17, 2009
4th International Symposium on Spray Dried Dairy Products
Melbourne, Australia
www.icebergevents.com/spraydryingmelbourne09
June 23-25, 2009
NZIFST Conference 2009, ‘Food
Elements: Putting the Pieces Together’
Christchurch, NZ
www.nzifst.org.nz
June 21-22, 2009
South Island Hospitality Show 2009
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.sihs.co.nz
July 13-16, 2009
42nd Annual AIFST Convention
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
www.aifst.asn.au
November 17, 2009
10th Functional Foods Symposium
Owen Glenn Centre, Auckland
March 21-24, 2010
5th IDF International Conference on Mastitis
Christchurch, NZ
www.fil-idf.org
November 4-11, 2010
IDF World Dairy Summit
Auckland, NZ
www.fil-idf.org
13th Australian Food Microbiology
Conference
March 24-26 2009, Melbourne, Australia.
The 13th Australian Food Microbiology Conference is run
by AIFST. There are two workshops, “Beyond Food Safety
Management- How to create a food safety culture”, by Frank
Yiannas, Vice President Food Safety, Wal-Mart Stores Inc,
and “Current Issues in Food Microbiology Laboratory AcAccreditation”
by NATA, as well as a Young Researchers session
on day one.
On the following days the
concurrent sessions follow the
theme ‘Back to basics and beyond’.
Delegates will be able
to go back to basics for practical
industry applications and
beyond for the research sessions.
International speakers include Dr. Frank Yiannas and Dr.
Joseph Frank, University of Georgia, and an extensive line
up of Australasian speakers, who will cover topics such as
Food hygiene, Tracking food microbes in the food chain,
Microbial persistence in the food chain, Water quality/recycling
and reuse - food safety and quality considerations,
Minimally processed and chilled foods-non horticulture.
For further information and to register visit www.aifst.com.au
GS1 2009 Connecting the Dots
Conference
February 25-26, Auckland
New Zealand’s progress with global standards for supply
chain efficiency, data management and traceability will be
under the spotlight. GS1 New Zealand will bring together
senior business people from this country and internationally.
The conference will focus on the development and use of
GS1’s global standards and solutions in key economic sectors
that include grocery and hardware retailing, primary
sector processing and healthcare.
International speakers will include: Miguel Lopera, Chief
Executive of GS1 Global and a pioneer in business collaboration
and Neil Lawrence, IDC Technologies Programme
Leader with the UK National Health Service ‘Connecting
for Health’ initiative. The conference will include presentations
on developments here and internationally in the use
of automatic identification and data capture for improved
safety in the healthcare sector.
GS1 New Zealand is a not-for-profit body with broad membership
among retailers, manufacturers, distributors and
servicing firms.
You can register for “Connecting the Dots” at www.gs1nz.org
46
Food New Zealand

International Conference Diary
List compiled by Dr David Everett, University of Otago
EVENTS
March 10-13, 2009
Anuga FoodTec 2009
Cologne, Germany
www.anugafoodtec.com
March 11, 2009
2nd Biofuels: Food vs. Fuel
Debate Forum
Bloemfontein, South Africa
www.allconferences.com/
conferences/20081209101203/
March 29-31, 2009
Future Food Congress
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
www.virtusinternational.com
April 1-3, 2009
Third International IUPAC
Symposium on Trace Elements
in Food
Rome, Italy
www.tef3-2009.it/welcome.html
April 5-8, 2009
CoFE 09 - the Conference of
Food Engineering
Columbus, Ohio, USA
www.cofe09.org
April 20-24, 2009
Tharp & Young “On Ice Cream”,
Asia Pacific Edition
Singapore
www.onicecream.com
April 20-24, 2009
X International Congress on
Engineering and Food
Via del Mar, Chile
jmaguile@ing.puc.cl
April 20-24, 2009
IDF Dairy Science and
Technology Week
Rennes, France
www.fil-idf.org
April 22-24, 2009
FiCEE and IUFoST conference
Warsaw, Poland
www.iufost.org/docs/IUFoST.
Poland.Conference.pdf
April 22-24, 2009
Total Food 2009 - Sustainability
of the Agri-Food Chain
Norwich, UK
www.ifr.ac.uk/totalfood2009
April 22-25, 2009
3rd International Congress on
Food and Nutrition
Antalya, Turkey
www.tubitak-food2009.org
April 24-25, 2009
Food and Democracy: 5th
European Conference on GMOfree
Regions
Lucerne, Switzerland
www.genet-info.org
April 25-26, 2009
1st International Congress of
Food Hygiene
Tehran, Iran
www.icfh2009.com
April 27-29, 2009
Food Safety & Security Summit
and Expo Trade Show
Washington DC, USA
www.foodsafetysummit.com
May 1, 2009
13th Annual Symposium on
Industrial and Fermentation
Microbiology
La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
www.uwlax.edu/microbiology/
html/events.htm
May 3-7, 2009
Wisconsin The World of Cheese
from Pasture to Plate
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
www.cdr.wisc.edu/courses
May 4-8, 2009
Codex Committee on Food
Labelling
Ottawa, Canada
www.codexalimentarius.net
May 11-12, 2009
Grains are Functional
Berlin, Germany
www.icc.or.at/igv17_first_
announcement.pdf
May 15-17, 2009
4th Central European Congress
on Food, 6th Congress of Food
Technologists, Biotechnologists
and Nutritionists
Cavtat, Croatia
www.pbn.hr/CEFFood2008/
May 16-20, 2009
Codex Committee on Food
Additives
Beijing, China
www.codexalimentarius.net
May 18-22, 2009
IDF/ISO Analytical Week
Kislovodsk, Russia
www.fil-idf.org
May 23-27, 2009
Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Foods
The Hague, The Netherlands
www.codexalimentarius.net
June, 2009
IDF Regional Symposium on
Dairy-based Infant Formulas and
Fermented Milks
Huhhot, China
www.fil-idf.org
June 6-10, 2009
Institute of Food Technologists
Anaheim, California, USA
www.ift.org
June 9-11, 2009
Food and Function 2009,
International Scientific
Conference on Nutraceuticals
and Functional Foods
Zilina, Slovakia
www.foodandfunction.com
June 15-18, 2009
International Symposium on
Food Rheology and Structure
Zurich, Switzerland
www.isfrs.ethz.ch
June 24, 2009
ICBFE 2009 - International
Conference on Biotechnology
and Food Engineering
Paris, France
www.waset.org/wcset09/paris/
icbfe/
June 24-26, 2009
FiAsia/China and conference
Shanghai, China, Sponsored by
IUFoST
hcennydd@cmpi.biz, JMeech@
iufost.org
July 1-3, 2009
4th International Dietary Fibre
Conference
Vienna, Austria
www.icc.or.at/events/df09/
July 9-11, 2009
MIFB 2009 - The 10th Malaysia
International Food & Beverage
Trade Fair
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.mifb.com.my
July 12-16, 2009
American Dairy Science
Association
Montreal, Québec, Canada
www.adsa.org
July 26-30, 2009
8th Pangborn Sensory Science
Symposium
Florence, Italy
www.pangborn2009.com
August 10-15, 2009
World Soybean Research
Conference VII
Beijing, China
www.wsrc2009.cn/en/index.asp
September 7-9, 2009
10th International Gluten
Conference
Clermont Ferrand, France
www.icc.or.at
September 9-11, 2009
International Society for
Mycotoxicology Conference
Tulln, Austria
www.ism2009.at
September 14-19, 2009
Drinktec
Munich, Germany
www.drinktec.com/link/
en/15610366
September 20-24, 2009
IDF World Dairy Summit
Berlin, Germany
www.fil-idf.org
September 27-30, 2009
2009 World Congress on Oils and
Fats & 28th ISF Congress
Sydney, Australia
www.isfsydney2009.com
September 30 - October 2,
2009
6th NIZO Dairy Conference:
Dairy ingredients: Innovations in
Functionality
Papendal, The Netherlands
www.nizodairyconf.elsevier.
com/index.asp
October 18-21, 2009
3rd International Symposium
on Delivery of Functionality in
Complex Food Systems
Wageningen, The Netherlands
www.delivery-of-functionality.
com
October 21-23, 2009
Flour- Bread ‘09
5th International/7th
National Congress of Cereal
Technologists
Opatija, Croatia
November 2-6, 2009
Codex Committee on Nutrition
and Foods for Special Dietary
Uses
Germany
www.codexalimentarius.net
November 9-13, 2009
Codex Committee on Food
Import and Export Inspection
and Certification Systems
Australia
www.codexalimentarius.net
November 16-21, 2009
Codex Committee on Food
Hygiene
Washington DC, USA
www.codexalimentarius.net
November 17-19, 2009
Food Ingredients Europe 2009
Frankfurt, Germany
europe2009.fi-events.com/
content/default.aspx
If you would like us to include your course or conference in this listing contact Dr David Everett, DrCheese@mac.com
February/March 2009
47

4th International Symposium on
Spray Dried Dairy Products
15 - 17 April, 2009 - Melbourne Convention Centre, Australia
Join research and industry leaders from around the world at this exciting
three day event, including presentations, posters and trade displays on:
Symposium Dinner Venue: Southern Star Observation Wheel
The Symposium Dinner will be held at
Southern Star Observation Wheel – an exciting
new tourism development in Melbourne’s
Waterfront City precinct. The Southern Star is
Australia’s first and only observation wheel, flying
to a spectacular 120 metres.
Dinner guests can enjoy a complimentary
30-minute ride around the wheel before the
Symposium Dinner, which will be held in the Star
Room at Southern Star.
Proudly Sponsored by
48
Food New Zealand
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER:
www.icebergevents.com/spraydryingmelbourne09