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

INNOVATION
2010 Government restrictions meant Undaria couldn’t be harvested or
farmed here due to concerns about its ecological impact.
“Undaria is a resource whose time is finally coming. There is potentially
tens of thousands of tonnes of Undaria currently going to waste
in New Zealand annually, most of it found growing on the lines of commercial
mussel farms.”
While seaweed may not yet be a diet staple for the average New Zealander,
there are increased demands for fresh seaweed here because
of our growing Asian population.
At AUT’s new sensory research lab, sensory scientist Dr Nazimah Hamid
and analytical chemist Dr John Robertson are supervising four
postgraduate students who are undertaking characterisation of protein,
carbohydrates and lipids in Undaria. They are also comparing the
flavour profiles and sensory characteristics of processed Undaria to
commercial Japanese and Korean samples.
“Our work on Undaria is unique because seaweed can now be turned
into a valuable food commodity like wakame, which is highly sought
after in Japanese and Korean cuisines. Wakame is known for its bioactive
compounds like fucoxanthin and fucoidan that have antioxidant
and anti-carcinogenic properties. These compounds can be isolated
and marketed as a health supplement which could prove lucrative.”
“In 2001, China harvested about 802 million tonnes of Undaria which
makes up 77% of the total harvest for that year. If New Zealand can
contribute even a little bit of that, it would be a positive contribution
to our economy.”
AsureQuality
AsureQuality will be featuring an innovative solution that provides independent
verification of a product’s food safety, quality, traceability,
provenance and sustainability. They will be offering producers, manufacturers,
retailers and consumers a way to access information that will
support a product’s integrity and trustworthiness.
Flyhidrate
Flyhidrate is the world’s first scientifically-formulated three beverage
system designed to counter the major stresses of long-haul flying.
Company director Chris Watkins says the beverage formulations focus
on dehydration, radiation exposure and poor circulation. “For the
first time, at the NZ Food Innovation Showcase, the finished packaged
product will be publicly demonstrated in a simulated aircraft environment
that showcases how it is used. This is the launch of an as-yet
unseen product and will be a global first in the marketplace that will
benefit both airline crews and passengers. FLYHIRATE is the culmination
of 18 months of research collaboration between teams from the
University of Otago’s School of Physical Education and Department of
Food Science, and leading nutritionists. The New Zealand Ministry of
Science and Innovation, which invests in businesses to grow New Zealand’s
economy through science and innovation, has co-funded Flyhidrate
Ltd’s research and development.”
Linkplas Innovation
“Custom-designed bottles produced to a very high quality standard are
our speciality,” says Paul Sutton of LinkPlas Innovation. “Visitors will
be able to talk to us about creating a unique bottle to increase brand
awareness for their product. The Showcase is an opportunity to present
our capabilities to a local and international audience, and show
how food businesses can benefit from our ability to react quickly to requests
for new products. One example is our creation of a ‘world first’
with the production of a PET 187ml wine bottle for use in the airline
and entertainment industries.
“The Pettle, is an all-round environmental winner and took more than
four years of product development and testing to achieve the required
shelf-life of 12 months and also maintain the integrity of the wine. The
Pettle weighs just 34g, saving 120g per bottle, which is a significant
environmental improvement. Another major advantage of the Pettle is
that there has been no leakage since launch because the neck finish is
much more accurate than the glass equivalent.”
Multivac New Zealand
Multivac New Zealand, based in Auckland and Christchurch is proud to
be at the forefront of food packaging design and development.
Whether you are launching a new product or looking to refresh your
existing brands or products they work with clients to develop the best
solution, their purpose-built ‘Test Kitchen’ provides an environment
where packaging concepts can be trialled and realised, using a range
of fully operational equipment which also allows hands-on training in
conjunction with a theory training room. Individually tailored training
courses can be provided to ensure customers get the optimum performance
and reliability only Multivac packaging machinery can offer.
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Food New Zealand