Issue_4_2015

foodeurope 

INGREDIENTS PROCESSING & PACKAGING ANALYSIS 

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES IN EUROPE 

www.foodmagazine.eu.com 

Issue 4 2015 

Featuring 

Fi Europe & Ni

foreword 

03 

foreword 

Front cover courtesy 

of Shutterstock.com 

Welcome to the last edition of foodeurope 

for 2015. 

As you will see, we have a bumper edition 

packed with details about one of the biggest 

shows in the food ingredient calendar: 

Fi Europe & Ni. The show has provided a 

platform for showcasing the world’s finest 

food and beverage ingredients for over 

25 years and as media partners, we look 

forward to meeting some of you there…... 

and sampling some of the products everyone 

is so excited about! 

About Food Europe 

Food Europe is a quarterly magazine covering the food and 

beverage industry in Europe. It facilitates the management 

processes responsible for identifying, anticipating and 

satisfying the needs of the European food industry. 

Publisher: Hoskins & Fall Publishing 

Calle Valiente 12, 03728 Alcalali (Alicante), Spain 

Tel: +34 966 48 2396 

Website: www.foodmagazine.eu.com 

Publisher: John Fall 

e-Mail: john@foodmagazine.eu.com 

Regional Manager, Spain: Ron Smee 

e-Mail: ron@foodmagazine.eu.com 

Managing Editor: Juliet Hoskins 

e-Mail: jhoskins@editor.eu.com 

Sub-editor: Hannah Smith 

e-Mail: hannah@foodmagazine.eu.com 

Designer: Zoe Sibley 

e-Mail: zoe@foodmagazine.eu.com 

Printer: Gráficas Díaz Tuduri, S.L. 

Tel: +34 94 4217453 

In our ingredients section we have many excellent features, such as 

Uelzena, discussing the technicalities of spray drying; Sensient Flavors, 

on the introduction of its deliciously flavoured caramels range; 

Goodmills Innovation on snacking trends and how to keep abreast of 

them; and Gelita, examining nutrition preferences of the modern 

consumer and how to cater for those who care about their health. We 

also have articles from DuPont Nutrition & Health on combining health 

and confectionery; and DSM Nutritional Products examines the health 

benefits of Vitamin E; UL explores the alternatives to sugar in soft 

drinks; BENEO describes its methodology for producing higher yields 

and cleaner labels for poultry products; and Wacker Chemie explores 

the health benefits of hydroxytyrosol within the context of the 

Mediterranean diet. 

In processing and packaging, our featured contributor GEA explains 

how the GEA PowerPak has evolved into a comprehensive family of 

horizontal form-, fill- and seal thermoformers; SPX Flow Technology 

reports on how the latest hydrodynamic cavitation technology enables 

enhanced efficiency in processing of nutritional dairy powders; and 

Crown Holdings looks at food security, food shortage and waste, and 

the role of packaging in curbing that waste. 

In analysis and control, Martin Easter provides another incisive article 

on the problems associated with hygiene in the manufacturing plant, 

and possible solutions; Eagle Product Inspection examines the role of 

x-ray technology and the quality of snack food products; and Corbion 

Purac describes the most effective solutions for extending the shelf life 

of meat and poultry. 

I hope you find this edition of foodeurope interesting and look 

forward to working with you in 2016, when we will be featuring a record 

number of futuristic innovations from across the globe. 

Juliet Hoskins 

Editor 

While the publishers believe that all information contained in this 

publication was correct at the time of going to press, they can accept no 

liability for any inaccuracies that may appear or loss suffered directly or 

indirectly by any reader as a result of any advertisement, editorial, 

photographs or other material published in Food. 

The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. 

All rights reserved. 

www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue four | 2015

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contents 

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Industry News 

A round-up of industry news 

Show Preview: Fi Europe & Ni 2015 

For over 25 years, Food ingredients Europe (Fi) & Natural ingredients (Ni) has provided the world with the leading 

food and beverage ingredients sourcing platform. This year, it returns to France, the third-largest food market in 

Europe and will take place from December 1–3 in Paris Nord Villepinte. The show will be 10% larger than the last 

edition and will showcase thousands of ingredients, innovations and solutions in food and natural ingredients, 

packaging and processing. 

http://www.figlobal.com/fieurope/home 

26 Bosch Packaging Technology at ProSweets 2016 

At ProSweets 2016, Bosch Packaging Technology, a leading supplier of processing and packaging solutions, is 

launching its upgraded WRF 600 Flex roller former for multilayer bars. The latest solution from Bosch enables 

customers to produce multilayer bars, such as those consisting of nougat topped with a layer of caramel, on the 

same production process. 

Bosch Packaging Technology 

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Ingredients 

Contract drying from Uelzena 

More than 60 years ago, Uelzena started drying milk, and in the early 1970s, the company specialised in the 

custom drying of various raw materials. In the beginning, they processed simple aqueous solutions, and today, 

spray drying is also applied to highly susceptible products, suspensions or emulsions. 

Uelzena eG 

Flavoured caramels for unique taste sensations 

Sensient Flavors introduces its deliciously flavoured caramels range. With bespoke textures and viscosities, the 

caramel sauces can be used for confectionery products and dairy applications. Their intense flavour sensations 

give premium products a competitive edge. 

Sensient Flavors 

Clean-label, gluten-free or vegan: Getting on-trend with modern snacking solutions 

In the last few years, snacks have evolved from being a simple between-meal treat to an everyday part of modern 

life. Instead of three main meals a day, more and more consumers are opting to graze on a selection of smaller 

snacks as part of their daily diet. 

GoodMills Innovation 

GELITA ® collagen proteins for those who care 

If we look at consumer attitudes towards nutrition, we see two major groups: those who care and those who 

don’t. The latter have come across so many different approaches, inconsistent theories and hot trends from food 

experts that they’ve lost track and simply refuse to believe anything they read. 

GELITA AG 

Healthy confectionery – contradiction or possibility? 

The healthy trip is stronger than ever. With the broad range of ingredients available to substitute less healthy 

constituents, or to increase healthy ones, there are lots of opportunities to give existing products a healthier 

composition without compromising on indulgence. 

DuPont Nutrition & Health 

Vitamin E: the essentials 

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and the European Commission has approved a health claim relating to the role 

of vitamin E in ‘contributing to the protection of cells from oxidative stress’. EFSA recently set new Dietary 

Reference Values (DRV) for α-tocopherol – the most biologically active form of vitamin E. 

DSM Nutritional Products Ltd 


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Ingredients 

Exploring the alternatives to sugar in soft drinks 

People who drink this ‘liquid confectionery’ do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid 

food and do not compensate by eating less. Not surprisingly, this has fuelled a negative attitude towards sugary 

drinks. 

www.ulprospector.com 

Improved yields and cleaner labels for poultry products with rice starch 

The market for poultry products continues to rise in Europe and producers are increasingly turning to alternative 

starches. Rice in particular is proving popular due to its clean label credentials and ability to increase yields and 

maintain profit margins. 

BENEO 

Fitness from within: Nature-identical hydroxytyrosol 

Fresh fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, a serving of walnuts every day and, most importantly, olive oil. People 

who regularly put these foods on their menu are following what is known as the Mediterranean diet – and making 

very healthy eating choices. 

Wacker Chemie AG 

Processing & Packaging 

The GEA PowerPak family: Thermoformers at the heart of automated end-of-line solutions 

GEA Food Processing and Packaging has evolved the GEA PowerPak into a comprehensive family of horizontal 

form-, fill- and seal thermoformers to cater for needs ranging from flexible small businesses to very high-volume 

producers. 

GEA 

SPX cavitation technology for dairy powder processing 

Bent Oestergaard, Director Global Marketing Food & Beverage at SPX Flow Technology reports how the latest 

hydrodynamic cavitation technology enables enhanced efficiency in processing of nutritional dairy powders. 

SPX FLOW, Inc. 

Curbing Food Waste 

With rising global populations, food security is an increasingly important concern. Fears of food shortages are a 

constant threat in certain parts of the world, and these threats are expected to grow. Policymakers agree food 

insecurity poses a threat not only to human welfare but also to global peace. 

Crown Holdings Inc 

Analysis & Control 

What do microbiology test results mean? 

It is generally recognised that no measurement is perfect due to the uncertainties arising from many factors. This 

is even more complex in microbiology due the particulate nature of bacteria and their ability to reproduce by binary 

fission. 

Hygiena International Ltd 

How to produce safe and quality assured snack foods 

As public scrutiny of food manufacturers continues to escalate and consumers increasingly turn to social media to 

voice complaints, snack processors have become more reliant on food inspection equipment. 

Eagle Product Inspection 

Extending meat and poultry shelf life: Choosing the most effective solution 

The industry is now faced with a much larger, more international and increasingly complex value chain with higher 

stakes and risks. There are not only more parties involved in the meat sector, but globalisation has also increased 

the time it takes the finished product to reach the consumer. 

Corbion Purac 

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Diary Dates 

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Media Plan 


8 industry news 

EFAD Conference 2015 

Insects as food? What are the risks? 

Interest is growing in the potential benefits of using 

insects in food and animal feed, but what would be the 

risks from production, processing and consumption of 

this alternative source of protein? 

EFSA has addressed this question with a risk profile 

that identifies the potential biological and chemical 

hazards as well as allergenicity and environmental 

hazards associated with the use of farmed insects as 

food and feed. The Scientific Opinion also compares 

these potential hazards with those associated with 

mainstream sources of animal protein. 

The possible presence of biological and chemical 

hazards in food and feed products derived from insects 

would depend on the production methods, what the 

insects are fed on (substrate), the lifecycle stage at 

which the insects are harvested, the insect species, as 

well as the methods used for further processing, 

EFSA’s scientific experts say. 

EFSA concludes that when non-processed insects are 

fed with currently permitted feed materials, the 

potential occurrence of microbiological hazards is 

expected to be similar to that associated with other 

non-processed sources of protein. There are limited 

data available on the transfer of chemical contaminants 

from different types of substrate to the insects 

themselves. n 

While public health concerns about 

obesity and its consequences are 

high on the agenda for both 

governments and health 

professionals everywhere, it is 

easy to forget the role that losing 

weight – or maintaining a healthy 

weight – can have in living a 

healthy and active life. The 9th 

European Federation of the 

Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) 

Conference took place in 

Amsterdam on 23rd and 24th October, at which a 

symposium on Sweetness in everyday life: why low 

calorie sweeteners contribute to positive diet behaviour, 

showcased the latest science on the practical use of low 

calorie sweeteners in everyday diet. 

Understanding the cues in our environment that can help 

us stick to diet goals can be an important aid to 

achieving them. This is what brought Dr Nicola Buckland 

and her team to conduct a laboratory study looking 

specifically at how diet-related food cues can improve 

female dieters' appetite control and food intake. “Dieters 

were more likely to associate low calorie sweetened 

beverages with dieting to lose weight compared with the 

sugar-sweetened versions,” the study highlighted. As 

outlined by Dr Buckland, the results showed that ‘the 

exposure to images, odour or preload of diet primes, 

including low energy dense foods and low calorie 

sweetened drinks, significantly reduced energy intake’ at 

subsequent meals, and thereby ‘helped facilitate dieters' 

self-control’. 

Closely linked to energy intake is the human appetite for 

sweetness, which has been addressed in the science 

literature for more than 30 years now. Presenting data 

from research on this topic and including various 

methodological approaches, Dr France Bellisle 

highlighted that ‘evidence does not support the 

hypothesis that low calorie sweeteners might exacerbate 

appetite for sweetness.’ n 

Kellogg and Pepsico best on water efficency 

A new analysis by Lux Research has found that Kellogg and PepsiCo lead the food and 

beverage industry, respectively, for water use efficiency. While this finding serves as an 

important metric for long-term profitability and sustainability of these businesses, the 

report found also that the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector as a whole needs 

better information to avoid resource risks. 

In its analysis of 4,000 companies, Lux focused on 18 leaders in the CPG sector and 

reported sustainability numbers on variables such as water usage, energy consumption 

and waste generation, noted the the release. Kellogg generated more than US$1,200 

of revenue per kiloliter (kL) of water used, while all diversified food companies averaged 

US$600/kL. Diversified beverage companies averaged under US$400/kL, and PepsiCo was the best in its class 

at about US$600/kL. n 


industry news 

9 

Top food and drink trends 2016: A report from Mintel 

Alternatives everywhere 

Veggie burgers and non-dairy milks have escaped the 

realm of substitutes, primarily for people with dietary 

concerns and followers of vegetarian diets. Instead, the 

growing ranks of novel protein sources and potential 

replacements appeal to the everyday consumer, 

foreshadowing a profoundly changed marketplace in which 

what was formerly ‘alternative’ could take over the 

mainstream 

Artificial: Public enemy No. 1 

Consumer demands for natural and ‘less processed’ food 

and drink are forcing companies to remove artificial 

ingredients. Products that have yet to do so, will face 

scrutiny – or worse – from consumers who are looking for 

natural formulations with recognisable ingredients. 

Eco is the new reality 

Drought, worries about food waste and other natural 

phenomena not only affect the worldwide food and drink 

supply, but influence preparation and production. In 2016, 

sustainability evolves from being good for the bottom line 

to being a necessary part of new product development for 

the common good. 

From the inside-out 

As the adage goes with beauty, ‘It’s what’s on the inside 

that counts’. Consumers are recognising that diets can 

connect with the way they look and feel. This places new 

emphasis on packaged products that are formulated to 

help people’s physical appearance as well as their personal 

wellness, creating a market for products enhanced with 

everything from collagen to probiotics. 

For every body 

For many, fitness is simply about becoming more active. 

The rising promotion of athletic programmes that 

encourage consumers to get and stay active showcases a 

parallel need for food and drink that helps consumers get 

acquainted with sports nutrition. This creates an 

opportunity for communication and product ranges that 

progress alongside people’s activity levels and goals. 

Based on a true story 

Consumers have been romanced by product origin, 

ingredients or inspiration stories. With similar claims made 

by legitimately hand-crafted as well as mass-produced 

products, this proliferation – and occasional propagation – 

will find consumers and regulators alike seeking products 

with verified claims. 

e-Revolution: From carts to clicks 

Online shopping, apps and delivery services are 

transforming consumers’ access to deals, niche offerings 

and even full meals. While the internet has not yet vastly 

changed the landscape of grocery shopping, innovations 

encourage consumers to think outside traditional physical 

retailers. 

Diet by DNA 

Interest in natural 

and ‘getting back 

to basics’ has 

boosted ancient 

grains and 

superfoods, 

fostering a 

principle that 

age-old staples are 

better than today’s manufactured 

options. Interest in historical ingredients suggests that 

consumers could make efforts to unlock the keys to their 

personal physiology and design diets by connecting with 

their own ancestry or genetic make-up. 

Good enough to tweet 

The rise of food-centric media has sparked new interest in 

cooking, not only for the sake of nourishment, but for the 

purposes of sharing one’s creations via social media. This 

finds people taking divergent paths: some hope to become 

well-rounded enough to compete on popular television 

programmes, while others privately cultivate specialties 

ranging from cupcakes to curries. Either way, people are 

cooking to share with friends and social media followers. 

Table for one 

Across age groups, more consumers are living in singleperson 

households or occasionally eating meals alone. 

These meals for one require right-sized products and 

packaging as well as promotions that further erode any 

stigma of dining solo. 

Fat sheds stigma 

Consumers’ negative stereotype that any and all fat 

content is evil has begun to diminish. The awareness of the 

many sources of good and bad fats is ushering in a 

paradigm shift in which fat content is not the first and 

foremost consideration – and barrier – in the search for 

healthy products. 

Eat with your eyes 

Flavour has long been the core of innovation, but more 

visual and share-focused societies call for innovation that 

is boldly coloured and artfully constructed. Finding 

inspiration in global foodservice offerings, brands can 

experiment with vibrant colours and novel shapes to make 

packaged products worthy of consumer praise and social 

media posts. n 

GLOBAL FOOD AND DRINK 

TRENDS 2016 IS FREE TO 

DOWNLOAD FROM 

www.mintel.com. 


10 industry news 

Scientists produce beneficial natural compounds in tomatoes 

Scientists at the John Innes Centre have found a way to produce industrial quantities of 

useful natural compounds efficiently, by growing them in tomatoes. 

The compounds are phenylpropanoids like resveratrol, the compound found in wine 

which has been reported to extend lifespan in animal studies; and genistein, the 

compound found in soybean which has been suggested to play a role in prevention of 

steroid-hormone related cancers, particularly breast cancer. 

As a result of the research led by Dr Yang Zhang and Dr Eugenio Butelli working in 

Professor Cathie Martin's lab at the John Innes Centre, one tomato can produce the 

same quantity of resveratrol as exists in 50 bottles of red wine. One tomato has also 

produced the amount of genistein found in 2.5kg of tofu. 

Drs Zhang and Butelli have been studying the effect of a protein called AtMYB12 which is 

found in Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant found in most UK gardens and used as a model plant in scientific 

investigation. 

The protein AtMYB12 activates a broad set of genes involved in metabolic pathways responsible for producing natural 

compounds of use to the plant. The protein acts a bit like a tap to increase or reduce the production of natural 

compounds depending on how much of the protein is present. 

What was interesting about the effect of introducing this protein into a tomato plant was how it acted to both increase 

the capacity of the plant to produce natural compounds (by activating phenylpropanoid production) and to influence the 

amount of energy and carbon the plant dedicated to producing these natural compounds. In response to the influence of 

the AtMYB12 protein, tomato plants began to create more phenylpropanoids and flavanoids and to devote more of 

energy to doing this in fruit. 

Introducing both AtMYB12 and genes from plants encoding enzymes specific for making resveratrol in grape and 

genistein in legumes, resulted in tomatoes that could produce as much as 80mg of novel compound per gram of dry 

weight – demonstrating that industrial scale up is possible. 

Tomatoes are a high yielding crop – producing up to 500 tonnes per hectare in countries delivering the highest yields 

(FAOSTAT 2013) and require relatively few inputs, therefore production of valuable compounds like resveratrol or 

genistein in tomatoes could be a more economical way of producing them than relying on artificial synthesis in a lab or 

extracting them in tiny quantities from traditional plant sources (grapes, soybeans, etc.). The tomatoes can be harvested 

and juiced and the valuable compounds can be extracted from the juice. The tomatoes themselves could potentially 

become the source of increased nutritional or medicinal benefit. n 

New role for insulin: Studies tie the hormone to the brain’s ‘pleasure’ center 

Insulin, the hormone essential to all mammals for controlling blood sugar levels and a feeling of being full after eating, 

plays a much stronger role than previously known in regulating the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps 

control the brain's reward and pleasure centres, new studies by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center show. 

"We found that when there's more insulin in the brain, there will be more dopamine released, not less," says study senior 

investigator and NYU Langone neuroscientist Margaret Rice, PhD. Rice says the experiments she and her colleagues 

conducted not only reaffirm that insulin helps trigger the reuptake of dopamine 

when insulin levels rise, but also are the first to show that the net effect is a 

rise in dopamine levels. The results may also be the first to demonstrate that 

insulin's role in the dopamine pathway may affect and explain food choices. 

In one set of experiments, Rice and her colleagues recorded a 20% to 55% 

increase in dopamine released in the striatal region of the rodent brain (where 

dopamine's effects on the brain are felt and which governs the body's 

response to getting a reward). The rise occurred along the same timeframe 

as the rise in insulin activity needed to process any food sugars the mice and 

rats ate. And this occurred despite the reabsorption, or reuptake, of 

dopamine that in other regions of the brain tells an animal that its appetite is 

satisfied. n 


industry news 

11 

World processed poultry meat market is 

expected to garner US$289.16 billion 

by 2020 

According to a new report by Allied Market Research 

titled, ‘World Processed Poultry Meat Market – 

Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2020’, the world 

processed poultry meat market is estimated to garner 

US$289.16 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 6.4% 

during the forecast period 2015–2020. Poultry meat has a 

higher demand among consumers compared to pork, beef 

or goat meat, as it is comparatively cheaper and contains 

a lower content for saturated fats. Processed poultry 

meat has been gaining popularity among consumers due 

to the lesser preparation time. North America is the 

largest market of processed poultry meat. However, Asia 

Pacific would be the fastest growing region during the 

forecast period. 

In 2014, the chicken poultry meat segment contributed 

the highest market share in the processed poultry meat 

market and will continue to 

maintain this trend over 

the forecast period. 

Chicken 

processed 

poultry 

meat 

has a 

substantial 

demand 

worldwide, followed by turkey 

meat, as these are relatively 

cheaper and contain a high protein content as compared 

to pork and beef meat. The Asia Pacific region is the 

highest consumer of unprocessed chicken meat in the 

world. However, the demand for processed chicken meat 

has increased in recent years owing to the increased 

preference for processed and convenience foods among 

the consumers in this region. 

Cured processed poultry meat products generated the 

highest market revenue in 2014. These products contain 

nitrites, which prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria 

and increase the shelf life of the products. In addition, 

nitrites are used in cured meat to enhance the quality of 

the product. However, consumption of excessive amounts 

of nitrates can cause health-related risks. Uncured 

poultry meat is in high demand in the market, owing to 

the use of natural preservatives. Thus, the uncured 

processed poultry meat market is expected to grow at a 

higher CAGR during the forecast period. 

The end user segment of the processed poultry meat 

comprises retail and food service industries. The retail 

segment, being the biggest consumer, contributed a 

significant share of the market in 2014. n 

Seaweed: the next big opportunity 

in snacking 

Seaweed is a rare 

example of an 

opportunity to get in at 

Day One of a new 

growth market for 

snacks, predicts New 

Nutrition Business, 

with sales of seaweed 

snacks in the US 

already overtaking 

those of kale. 

“Launches of seaweed snack products are proliferating 

and sales outstrip those of kale, the trendy green 

vegetable that has benefited from a huge degree of hype 

since 2010 and has been embraced by young healthconscious 

urban consumers,” says Julian Mellentin, 

director of New Nutrition Business, which outlines five 

steps to creating a successful seaweed snack in a new 

report. “Seaweed’s transition from the food fringes to 

mainstream will be propelled by snack products,” he 

adds. 

In the US, retail sales of seaweed snacks were valued at 

over US$250 million in 2014. n 

Obese children's health rapidly 

improves with sugar reduction 

unrelated to calories 

Reducing consumption 

of added sugar, even 

without reducing 

calories or losing 

weight, has the power 

to reverse a cluster of 

chronic metabolic 

diseases, including 

high cholesterol and 

blood pressure in 

children in as little as 

10 days, according to a study by researchers at UC San 

Francisco and Touro University California. 

"This study definitively shows that sugar is metabolically 

harmful not because of its calories or its effects on 

weight; rather sugar is metabolically harmful because it's 

sugar," said lead author Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, 

paediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children's 

Hospital San Francisco. "This internally controlled 

intervention study is a solid indication that sugar 

contributes to metabolic syndrome, and is the strongest 

evidence to date that the negative effects of sugar are 

not because of calories or obesity." n 


12 

show preview: Fi Europe & Ni 

Food ingredients Europe & Natural 

ingredients 2015 returns to Paris 

The world's most important food ingredients event will unite the global food & beverage industry under one roof for 

three days. 

Today’s food and beverage 

professionals are demanding 

greater access to innovative 

reformulation solutions, new, 

tastier and better quality 

ingredients and greater industry 

thought-leadership. There are 

ever-changing and more complex 

consumer trends, a greater need 

for safer and healthier food and 

beverages, and higher demands to 

use purely natural ingredients in 

today’s marketplace. 

For over 25 years, Food 

ingredients Europe (Fi) & Natural 

ingredients (Ni) has provided the 

world with the leading food and 

beverage ingredients sourcing 

platform. This year, it returns to 

France, the third-largest food 

market in Europe and will take 

place from December 1–3 in Paris 

Nord Villepinte. The show will be 

10% larger than the last edition 

and will showcase thousands of 

ingredients, innovations and 

solutions in food and natural 

ingredients, packaging and 

processing. Over 25% of all annual 

ingredient procurement budgets 

for food and beverage 

manufactures are influenced by a 

visit to Fi Europe & Ni making Fi 

Europe & Ni one of the most 

influential and important 3 day 

events for the industry. The show 

attracts a global audience of over 

26,000 attendees and as it only 

occurs once every two years, it 

simply can’t be missed! 

Fi Europe is about bringing in new 

business and inspirations, while 

providing innovative ideas and 

suppliers to the market; and 

adapting the latest trends in the 

global food and beverage industry. 

Whether visitors seek to improve 

existing products or systems, get 

educated on market and industry 

trends, or radically innovate 

through new technologies and new 

business processes, Fi Europe is 

the place to be from 1–3 

December. 

Show Highlights 

NEW from the last edition 

Building on the success of the last 

edition of Fi Europe and Ni, the 

2015 edition promises more 

innovation, matchmaking and 

learning opportunities. With over 

200 new exhibitors, more than 85 

educational opportunities, a brand 

new Expo FoodTec pavilion which 

will showcase exhibitors with 

solutions in processing, packaging, 

equipment and associated 

services, there are so many 

features onsite to help visitors 

make the most of their trip. 

Leading ingredients suppliers 

Taking place at Paris Nord 

Villepinte, France, the 

exhibition will showcase the latest 

product developments and 

innovations from over 1,400 


show preview: Fi Europe & Ni 13 

global, leading food and beverage 

ingredients suppliers and solution 

providers including Cargill, DSM, 

Beneo, Roquette, Rousselot, 

Nexira, JK Sucralose, GNT Group, 

Glanbia Nutritionals, Omya, 

Naturex, Hydrosol and Synthite 

ADM, Ingredion, Gelita, DMV, 

Brenntag and many more. 

Fi Europe Conference 

A 4 day, co-located conference will 

take place onsite during the show. 

The multifaceted, dynamic 

programme will help visitors and 

their peers from leading food and 

beverage companies identify the 

top trends and opportunities in the 

global food ingredients market. 

100+ leading experts from 

companies such as Nestlé 

Research Center, Friesland 

Campina, Ingredion, Gelita, 

Innova, FoodDrink Europe, Mintel, 

Ketchum, Britvic and many more 

will ensure visitors get the latest 

insights in 20 different modules 

discussing natural colour & 

colouring foods, dairy innovation, 

category innovation, functional 

foods, health and wellness trends, 

and the global ingredients 

industry. 

New Product Zone 

This feature is one of the most 

popular at the show and is now a 

trendsetting spot for the food 

industry. Produced in association 

with Innova Market Insights, the 

New Product Zone will showcase 

over 30 new products and 

packaging displays, highlighting 

recent launches from exhibitors at 

the forefront of innovation in the 

industry. This feature gives new 

products a proper introduction to 

the market and to industry 

professionals, and is a very 

popular area for visitors and press. 

Global Seminar Theatre 

This theatre will host 25 minute 

seminar sessions which are free to 

attend. Here, key exhibitors will 

inform visitors about their latest 

innovations, developments and 

food trends by presenting new 

product applications, technologies 

and practical insights. There will 

be a variety of educational 

seminars presented over the three 

days. 

Industry Insight Theatre 

30 minute sessions in this theatre 

are free to attend and will be 

presented by leading associations 

and research companies such as 

Euromonitor International, 

Nutrimarketing, Leatherhead and 

more. They will inform and educate 

the audience with content on the 

latest trends and innovations 

impacting the food and beverage 

industry in topics such as health 

and wellness and gluten free. 

These content rich, educational 

presentations will be free, and 

each will feature a five minute 

Q&A session at the end. 

Ingredients in Action 

Innova Market Insights are 

returning with their feature 

Ingredients in Action – an 

ingredients application tasting bar. 

At this feature on the Innova stand 

on the show floor, visitors can use 

all five senses to explore how the 

latest ingredients are being 

applied to finished food products, 

while learning about current trends 

driving new product development. 

With six focused topics 

including protein 

innovation and natural 

colours, visitors can 

learn about key trends 

in the area while 

finding the perfect 

exhibitors to provide 

the solutions they need 

Fi Europe Innovation Awards 

Food and beverage ingredients 

companies that have excelled in 

their sector, have contributed to 

the ingredients world as a whole 

and have demonstrated innovation 

in certain areas will be recognised 

in an awards ceremony at Fi 

Europe 2015. A showcase area will 

display those innovative 

ingredients that are leading the 

way in the industry. 

Innovation Tours 

Industry experts NutriMarketing 

have produced and will conduct 

focused, guided tours around the 

show floor at Fi Europe. Featuring 

six topical areas including 

innovations in dairy, innovations in 

bakery and vegetable supremacy, 

the Innovation Tours will highlight 

to visitors how key suppliers are 

responding to market trends 

through innovation. 

Discovery Tours 

Produced in conjunction with 

Leatherhead Food Research, the 

Discovery Tours offer visitors the 

opportunity to follow a trendspecific 

tour around the show floor 

at their own speed, using a guided 

trail show map. With six focused 

topics including protein innovation 

and natural colours, visitors can 

learn about key trends in the area 

while finding the perfect exhibitors 

to provide the solutions they need. 

FiE Mobile App 

The official Fi Europe mobile app is 

free to download. It allows visitors 

to navigate the show floor, access 

the exhibitor list, store their 

agenda, mark seminars they want 

to attend, make appointments and 

network with industry peers at the 

show! It has all the information 

visitors need right at their 

fingertips! 

Supplier Finder Desk 

This feature is designed to help 

you find exactly what you are 

looking for at the show. By using 

Supplier Finder touch screens on 

the show floor, you can locate 

suppliers, products and find your 

way around the exhibition. You can 

also visit 

www.ingredientsnetwork.com to 

source new suppliers and products 

all year round. 

Women’s Networking Breakfast 

(NEW!) 

This year’s Fi Europe introduces a 

brand new feature, the Women’s 


14 


Networking Breakfast. Taking 

place on the morning of Day two 

(8:30–10:30), this is a paid 

networking opportunity for women 

from the industry to come 

together and discuss, share and 

debate their ideas. Discussions 

will be coordinated by Lu Ann 

Williams, Director of Innovation, 

Innova Market Insights and will 

also feature Laurette Rondenet- 

Smith, President & CEO, Edlong 

Dairy Technologies and Dinnie 

Jordan, Managing Director & 

Founder, Kudos Blends. 

FiE Press & VIP room 

The Fi Europe VIP room onsite will 

provide a quiet setting away from 

the show floor where luxury and 

hospitality can be enjoyed by VIP 

and press attendees. There are a 

range of facilities to help visitors 

access their emails, network with 

other VIPs, hold meetings, enjoy 

refreshments and enjoy a break 

away from the hustle and bustle of 

the exhibition. 

The venue 

This year, Fi Europe & Ni will take 

place in Paris Nord Villepinte, a 

world-class business centre in the 

heart of France. Paris is a central 

and easily accessible location and 

is the ideal place to come and 

generate business. As one of 

Europe's top tourist destinations 

with excellent infrastructure and 

attractions, it also promises to 

provide many exciting places to 

visit and enjoy. 

Mark your agendas now! 

Visit Fi Europe and Ni and we 

promise you will: 

n 

n 

n 

Find high quality ingredients 

from 1,400+ leading 

suppliers, all under one roof, 

the quickest way to meet 

your sourcing needs! 

Build your network with 

27,000+ food and beverage 

professionals from across the 

globe. 

Get the latest insight on food 

and beverage trends from 86 

free presentations and tours, 

n 

or book to attend the high 

level conference. 

No matter where you are 

located or in what sector you 

operate, Fi Europe & Ni is the 

must attend event for the 

global food and beverage 

ingredients industry. It is a 

unique platform to meet 

existing and potential 

suppliers, learn about the 

latest trends and 

developments, acquire 

priceless industry knowledge 

and explore endless 

networking opportunities. 

As one of Europe's top 

tourist destinations 

with excellent 

infrastructure and 

attractions, it also 

promises to provide 

many exciting places to 

visit and enjoy 

How do you register? 

You can pre-register online at 

www.fi-europe.eu/preview which 

will save you €130 onsite fees! 

There are also four different visitor 

and conference packages to 

choose from. Visit the website for 

regular updates or follow 

@Fi_Global on Twitter or Fi Global 

on Facebook, and use the show 

hashtag, #FiEurope. 

About the organiser 

UBM EMEA connects people and 

creates opportunities for 

companies across five continents 

to develop new business, meet 

customers, launch new products, 

promote their brands and expand 

their markets. Through premier 

brands such as Routes, CPhI, 

IFSEC, Ecobuild, Seatrade, and 

many others, UBM EMEA 

exhibitions, conferences, awards 

programs, publications, websites 

and training and certification 

programs are an integral part of 

the marketing plans of companies 

across seven industry sectors. 

About Food ingredients Global – 

the trusted route to market since 

1986 

Food ingredients was launched in 

Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1986. 

Its portfolio of live events, 

extensive data, digital solutions 

and high-level conferences are now 

established throughout the world 

and provide regional and global 

platforms for all stakeholders in 

the food ingredients industry. Over 

500,000 people have attended our 

shows over the years with billions 

of euros worth of business created 

as a result. With over 25 years of 

excellence, our events, digital 

solutions and supporting products 

deliver a proven route to market 

with a truly global audience. For 

more information about the Food 

ingredients Portfolio please visit: 

www.figlobal.com. 

UBM EMEA is committed to the 

continual improvement of 

sustainability 

To ensure long term profitability, 

UBM EMEA aims to be a leader in 

sustainable business, aligning all 

key business decisions with our 

sustainability strategy. UBM 

EMEA sees it as fundamental that 

we are conscious of the impact 

that our actions have on the 

environment and the communities 

in which we operate. UBM EMEA 

strives to manage its impact by 

ensuring that the principles of 

sustainability are at the core of all 

our activities. A cornerstone to our 

journey towards sustainability is 

our certification to the ISO 20121 

Sustainable Event Management 

System. UBM EMEA is one of the 

first major organisers to 

successfully implement and certify 

our sustainable event management 

system against the International 

Standard ISO 20121. n 

Fi Europe and Ni 

www.fi-europe.eu 



Goodmills: Innovative meat and soy alternatives: two new ingredients 

GoodMills Innovation GmbH will introduce two new products: wheat texturates 

in the form of flakes will complement the WHEATMEAT ® core range, allowing 

for the creation of vegetarian and vegan dishes, minced meat substitutes as 

well as bakery and snack fillings. The second innovation is YePea (toasted pea 

meal), which offers a non-GMO and allergen-free alternative to soy grits. The 

company will also present its comprehensive Clean Label portfolio of 

functional flours, process flours and high-fibre milled wheat products. 

WHEATMEAT ® 

The extruded WHEATMEAT ® flakes are characterised by their high water 

binding capacity and are especially suitable for adding texture and structure to 

bakery and snack fillings as well as for the production of meat-free hamburger patties. Based on high-protein 

wheat fractions, the flakes can achieve end products with up to 76% protein, depending on the amount used. 

Thus, snacks and dishes containing WHEATMEAT ® flakes can form a valuable part of a healthy diet, particularly 

for the growing number of vegetarian and vegan consumers. 

YePea 

GoodMills Innovation’s second new product, YePea (an abbreviation of yellow pea) is derived from the yellowpodded 

snow pea. This almost forgotten legume was rediscovered by the company during a research project. The 

new product is an alternative to soy grits, which are often used in baking mixes, bread recipes and small baked 

goods to improve texture. The toasted and coarsely ground peas enhance water binding capacity and provide a 

soft texture. Additionally, baked goods gain an appealing nutty flavour. Allergen labelling on the end products is 

not required. YePea’s raw materials, all of which are non-GMO, are grown in Europe. “We are delighted to be able 

to use FiE as a platform for our two latest product launches,” said Michael Gusko, Managing Director of 

GoodMills Innovation. “By offering tasty meat alternatives and ingredients that are free from allergens and 

genetic engineering, we are enabling manufacturers to respond to current trends in different ways. Our wideranging 

portfolio is the ideal base from which to create innovative concepts. Whether the aim is health, wellbeing, 

Clean Label or process optimisation, our products are suitable for versatile demands and positionings.” n 

Stand 

6T38 

www.goodmillsinnovation.com 


16 


Sensient Flavors: Innovative concepts for appealing products 

Visitors to this year’s FiE in Paris, France can look 

forward to a wide variety of value-added flavours and 

innovative ingredients: Sensient’s Sweet, Savory and 

Beverage divisions will present complete solutions for 

products with authentic taste profiles and amazing 

flavour sensations, supporting Europe, The Middle East 

and Africa. 

Stand 

6P24 

Hall 6 

According to its motto, ‘We bring life to products’, the 

Sensient team invites visitors to experience a whole 

new world of natural flavours and extracts, as well as a 

broad portfolio of sauces, inclusions, fillings and ontrend 

value added flavour systems. In the ‘Trends to 

Taste’ section, Sensient will display an entire 

collection of flavour solutions, ranging from traditional 

berry options to more exotic and unusual variants 

including floral notes for products with a wellness positioning. Also on display will 

be functional flavours and proprietary technical solutions that enable sugar, salt, fat and calorie reduction 

without compromising on taste. ‘Tasting is believing,’ says Simon Daw, Marketing Director at Sensient, “so we 

invite manufacturers of all kinds of food and drink products to come to our stand and explore Sensient’s 

fantastic world of exciting flavours and technologies.” 

Sweet temptations for confectionery and dairy 

Flavoured caramels will be one of the taste highlights of FiE: with bespoke textures and viscosities, Sensient’s 

innovative Flavored Caramels range can be used as fillings for premium chocolates, candies, pralines and 

chocolate bars, as well as a broad range of dairy products such as yoghurt, ice cream and chilled or frozen 

desserts. The combination of high quality caramel with natural extracts and exciting flavours allows for new 

taste sensations, including fruit flavours, spiced chai variants, zesty salted orange or spicy notes such as 

cardamom, cinnamon and ginger extract, to mention just a few. Also available as low calorie versions, 

inclusions or decorations, Sensient’s sumptuous Flavoured Caramel range is a real innovation that’s ready to 

be tasted. 

Flavour trends for beverage innovations 

Sensient’s beverage experts will present a whole range of flavourings and sweetening systems for all kind of 

drinks, from carbonated soft drinks, functional and flavoured water drinks to alcoholic beverages and coffee. 

Visitors to the stand can enjoy a selection of freshly brewed flavoured ground coffee variants, including vanilla, 

caramel and spiced orange. With sugary drinks under the spotlight, Sensient offers low sugar or sugar-free 

‘Juicy Water’ concepts, such as samples with sucralose in berry and floral flavour variants. For cocktail lovers, 

examples of low-alcohol RTD with a reduced flavour-masked alcohol burn, as well as reduced-sugar concepts 

are available. Sensient demonstrates how APSS (All-Purpose Sweet Solutions) and Smoothenol can make lowcalorie 

drinks with our without alcohol just as indulgent as the real thing. 

Taste sensations for savoury products 

By maintaining taste while reducing sodium and fat, Sensient will showcase just how good ‘healthy’ savoury 

food can taste. For seasonings, soups, sauces and dressings, ready meals, processed meat, cheese, snacks, 

canned products and many more, Sensient s Taste Sensations range comprises flavouring solutions that 

enhance the umami sensation and compensate for salt and fat reduction in terms of taste and mouthfeel. 

These functional flavours are vegan, free from calories, salt and MSG, palm oil and GMOs, produced using the 

company’s own, high quality raw materials and ingredients and, of course, their flavouring expertise. The 

Umami Enhancer improves mouthfeel, allows a clean label declaration and can easily be added to existing 

flavour concepts. The Long Lasting Enhancer makes fat reductions of up to 30% possible without compromising 

on taste, whereas the clean label Sodium Replacer is perfect for salt reduced products (up to 30%) and also 

acts as a masking agent for off notes. n 

www.sensient.com 



SternMaid: Flexible solutions for processing 

and filling products in powder form 

SternMaid will be showing various possibilities for outsourcing 

manufacturing processes. From the optional purchase of raw 

materials, through blending and processing, co-packing and 

warehousing to delivery of the goods, the contract 

manufacturer offers the whole service chain from one source. 

With its comprehensive range of plant and machinery the 

company is well equipped to produce powdered foods, food 

supplements and ingredients, and package them as the 

customer wishes. 

With fluid bed technology, SternMaid can specifically 

influence the particle structure of the products and thus their potential for applications. It 

extends the services offered by the company to include gentle drying, spray granulation, agglomeration, 

instantization and coating. The products that emerge from a fluid bed dryer dissolve and disperse much better in 

liquids than spray-dried powders. That makes the goods easier to handle, because the particles have better flow 

properties, can be portioned well and are practically dust-free. 

SternMaid has also commissioned another fully automated can filling line that greatly increases the plant’s 

capacity. The equipment enables the contract manufacturer to handle up to 90 composite (wound), tin or plastic 

containers per minute. The line is designed for filling food supplements and granulated, extruded or powdered 

foods. In addition, a further automated blending line with an annual capacity of around 10,000 tonnes will come 

into service early in 2016. n 

Stand 

6F29 

www.sternmaid.de 


18 


Biocatalysts: Customised enzyme development & 

manufacturing capabilities 

With the food industry moving at a fast pace, innovation is key if food 

companies want to stay ahead of the game. There are a limited number of 

ingredients, processes and enzymes available and chances are, if you’re 

using them then so are your competitors. The ideal situation would be for 

food manufacturers to have access to unique solutions at a cost and 

timeframe that suits. 

At Fi Europe Biocatalysts will be showcasing their capabilities in 

customised enzyme development and manufacture. The process of taking a 

new enzyme from concept to routine manufacture has previously been an expensive and lengthy 

process. In response to the need for unique enzymes to drive innovation and differentiate products from 

the competition, Biocatalysts have developed the tools and expertise to rapidly and cost effectively access, 

develop and manufacture enzymes in under 12 months. 

Stuart West, Managing Director at Biocatalysts commented, “It’s our 30 years’ experience and holistic approach 

to customised enzyme manufacture that sets us apart from our competitors. Offering enzyme production in 

combination with enzyme discovery and development gives our customers access to a truly unique way of helping 

them achieve their strategic objectives in a timely manner.” 

Off-the-shelf range 

Biocatalysts will also be promoting their off-the-shelf range of enzymes at the show. This includes a variety of 

microbial enzymes which can be used in place of plant or animal derived enzymes to overcome supply issues. 

Take, for example, Papain, which is derived from the tropical plant Carica Papaya. Its seasonal plant origin means 

that its quality, price and supply may not always be consistent. Leading food manufacturers are overcoming this 

by using the protease Promod 950L, a microbial alternative to papain which isn’t dependant on the production 

of seasonal fruit. n 

Stand 

6F84 

www.biocatalysts.com 

Arla: Women are the next big market opportunity 

Natural whey protein solutions that appeal to female consumers will be 

the key theme for Arla Foods Ingredients at Fi Europe. 

As many as 75% of women identify themselves as the primary 

shoppers in their households, according to specialist consultants 

Female Factor, highlighting their important position as the main 

decision-makers in the food and beverage market. However, with 76% 

of women stating they look carefully at the nutrition information on 

labels, it’s also clear that the ingredients that manufacturers choose 

to put in their products have never been more important. 

Research from the US shows that protein is in the top three ingredients mothers look for in products 

they are buying for themselves and their children. Arla Foods Ingredients will showcase a wide range of 

whey protein concepts that will illustrate how food and beverage manufacturers can create healthy products 

women will want to buy for themselves and their families. Low calorie solutions for yoghurt and cheese, and 

highly nutritious protein bars for pregnant women, are just a few examples of the latest innovative concepts 

visitors to the show will be able to view. 

Lars Vestergaard Nielsen, Marketing Communication Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Female 

consumers represent the next big market opportunity for food and beverage companies, and whey protein is the 

perfect ingredient to create products for women. It offers excellent versatility in terms of its naturalness, health 

benefits and ease of use in manufacturing processes. It also offers the benefit of a high level of recognition 

among female consumers and a neutral taste that ensures it will not impair flavour in food and beverage 

applications.” n 

Stand 

6F9 

www.arlafoodsingredients.com 



DSM: Unique approach to support consumer health and wellness choices 

Consumers increasingly look for food, beverages 

and dietary supplements that address their 

particular health concerns, such as improving 

digestion or cutting down on sugar intake. At this 

year’s FiE, DSM brings its range of digestive 

solutions, highlighting nutritional and functional 

ingredients and enzymes backed by science to 

support digestive health. This allows products to 

be tailored to popular consumer requirements. 

Visitors will also be able to gain insight into 

DSM’s latest solutions on sugar reduction, 

particularly in dairy, as well as see and taste an 

extensive range of food and beverage concepts. 

Improve Your Digestion 

At FiE, DSM will launch its innovative health 

benefit platform, ‘Improve Your Digestion’ 

which is a unique approach to support customers interested in creating products 

for improved digestion. Digestive health and wellness are one of consumers’ top concerns, and is one of the key 

nutritional health benefits expected from foods and beverages. So far, probiotics have been a popular solution. 

However, DSM’s new health benefit platform extends to a complete portfolio that also includes fibres, enzymes 

and vitamins, proven by new science to enhance the digestive system. ‘Improve Your Digestion’ is a one-stopshop 

combining scientific studies, applications expertise, regulatory knowledge and consumer insights – all easily 

accessible to help DSM customers differentiate their product ranges with customised solutions for digestive 

health. For example, the DSM portfolio includes Tolerase L – an enzyme that facilitates the breakdown of 

lactose, and OatWell ® oat-beta glucan soluble fibres for improved digestion. 

Sugar reduction 

Visitors will also be able to gain insights into the latest trends in sugar reduction. DSM’s Global Insight Series on 

sugar reduction, explores consumer preferences and requirements towards sugar in general, as well as 

specifically in dairy. The reports aim to help manufacturers ensure their offering addresses the consumer needs 

of the future. In light of this, DSM will showcase its sugar reduction solutions for the dairy industry, including 

enzymes and cultures that help create a healthy product without compromising on taste. 

Premixes 

DSM will also highlight its premix capabilities offered through Fortitech ® Premixes, the one-stop source for food, 

beverage and supplement manufacturers looking at fortification as a way to differentiate their products from the 

competition. 

Visitors will be able to find out more about DSM’s digestive health, sugar reduction solutions and more by 

interacting with the extended product offering on stand and sampling a variety of products and prototypes made 

with its ingredients. DSM’s sample products include: Chocolate chip cookies with OatWell ® and multivitamins 

from Fortitech ® Premixes 

n Crispy hearts with OatWell ® 

n Chocolate milk drink 0% with Maxilact ® lactase, fibers and no added sugar 

n High protein yohgurt energy shots with Delvo ® Fresh 

n Lactose-free vanilla custards with savory MultiRome ® and Maxilact ® 

n Par-baked buns with DSM’s latest innovation BakeZyme ® Go Pure and Panamore ® for improved dough 

stability and bread quality. 

Delegates can also join the DSM team for its happy hour from 16:00, taking place on 1 and 2 December offering 

champagne and healthy snacks. n 

Stand 

6I5/6 

www.dsm.com 


20 


GELITA ® : Collagen proteins bridging the gap between different food 

categories 

GELITA, the expert in all areas of collagen protein 

applications can merge solutions and create synergies 

between different industries and support you to choose 

new and exciting pathways for product innovations. 

Stand 

6K12 

As market segments continue to blur into one another, 

product developers and marketers are challenged to 

loosen their preconceived notions about product 

categories. And who else but a renowned expert in so 

many different industries can bring these different 

worlds together? 

At FiE GELITA will inspire and motivate you to open 

your mind to consider solutions in different industries 

to support your individual product concepts. 

Pharmaceuticals and food 

Pharmaceuticals and food are increasingly 

approaching each other, as food becomes more and 

more healthy and pharmaceuticals enter the 

supplement and even the nutraceuticals market. 

Fortified Gummies are one example in this intersection as 

they combine an effective delivery system with the indulgence of a confectionery. GELITA has developed 

interesting concepts for this category. For example, with a special GELITA technology even high doses of 

Bioactive Collagen Peptides ® are possible to realise nutritional supplements for healthy joints, skin and bones 

and to optimise body composition. 

Cosmetics and food 

Cosmetics and food are becoming bedfellows. The result is the strongly increasing market of nutricosmetics. 

These Beauty from Within products are positioned like cosmetics but from the declaration point of view they 

are food. VERISOL ® is the first choice when it comes to developing new products for wrinkle reduction and 

elasticity improvement of the skin. 

Different food categories 

Also within food the borders between different categories begin to crumble. The results are highly convenient 

products that combine eg. the technology from meat production and the texture of a dessert or confectionery to 

create new and easy to prepare ready to eat products. 

Clean label 

Besides all their physiological and technological advantages collagen proteins are perfect ingredients for 

natural and clean label products. They are natural and non-allergenic proteins. As they are neutral in taste and 

ready soluble they are easy to use in a wide range of different products. 

Education 

GELITA is the sponsor of the FI Conference module ‘Developments in Healthy Aging’. In his presentation 

‘Preventing muscle wastage in old age through improvements in nutritional offerings’ Dr. Steffen Oesser from 

Collagen Research Institute Kiel, Germany, will provide first hand scientific findings in the area of how collagen 

peptides contribute to support healthy aging (FIE Conference, Module 6b, December 2, 1:30–3:15 pm). 

Dr. Margarethe Plotkowiak, Technical Product Manager Food at GELITA provides insights in a Seminar Theatre 

Session on December 2 at 1:30pm: How collagen proteins can help to bridge the gap between different product 

categories. n 

www.gelita.com 



Taura: URC ® fruit innovations 

Taura Natural Ingredients will highlight its latest URC ® fruit concepts with a 

focus on three key points of difference: Format, Taste and Formulation. 

Taura will showcase each of these themes on three separate ‘islands’, where 

visitors will have the opportunity to see, handle and taste a wide range of 

ingredient and snack solutions based on real fruit. 

Within Format, Taura will demonstrate size and shape innovations, including 

Mini’s, which are believed to be the world’s smallest fruit pieces. For Taste, 

Taura will introduce exciting flavour innovations in tune with the latest 

consumer trends, such as fruit+veg and fruit with spices. Under Formulation, 

the emphasis will be on underlining the natural origin of Taura’s fruit products 

with an emphasis on the unique qualities that make them ‘Rooted & Real’. 

Raf Vanlommel, Marketing Manager EMEA for Taura, said: “We offer an 

extremely wide range of real fruit solutions so we wanted to make it easy for 

our customers and potential customers to find the right ingredients for their 

products. Our stand at this year’s FIE will enable us to achieve this, giving 

visitors a chance to get a true sense of how our real fruit ingredients can 

give their products a new and added dimension that will be very appealing 

to consumers.” 

URC ® (Ultra Rapid Concentration) is a unique process of concentrating the 

taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes and pastes 

for use in applications such as baked goods, breakfast cereals, 

confectionery, chocolate and snack bars. n 

Stand 

6L59 

www.tauraURC.com. 


22 


Treatt: Set for sweet success 

Treatt, the global ingredient solutions provider, is to showcase its 

enhanced capabilities for reduced sugar beverages at this year’s 

Food Ingredients Europe. Its highly customisable, non-calorific 

blends of 100% natural essences and flavours can be used to 

create low or no sugar drinks, without sacrificing sweetness or 

mouthfeel. Brix degrees (°Bx ) are commonly used to measure 

the sugar content of a beverage product. Visitors to stand 6K39 

can be among the first to experience a new formulation that can 

increase brix perception from 4°Bx to 9°Bx, in combination with other 

sweeteners. 

This unique sweet ingredient solution imparts a clean sugar cane taste and can be incorporated into beverages at 

levels of 100ppm upwards to create the perception of increased sweetness, without introducing any dominant 

flavour notes. At lower levels between 100 and 250ppm, the natural flavour plus additive system adds valuable 

and appealing mouthfeel, while intensifying sweetness. The low usage rate (150–300ppm) makes the cost-in-use 

attractive for many applications, while good solubility makes the new Natural Brix Booster particularly suitable 

for formulating refreshing, clear beverages. 

“We are passionate about delivering ingredients that excite customers and give a real ‘wow factor’ to the finished 

beverage product, whilst also satisfying the very latest consumer trends,” comments Nick Evans, director of 

sales and purchasing at Treatt. “It is estimated that global demand for low calorie drinks will rise by 5.9% CAGR 

from 2014 to 2019 in response to rising obesity rates. We also expect our 100% natural sugar solutions to 

continue to appeal to formulators wanting to achieve a clean label on beverage products, as they do not need to 

be labelled as a sweetener.” 

Tea solutions 

Treatt will also be highlighting its extensive range of natural tea solutions. The tea distillates are made up entirely 

from FTNF (From the Named Food) ingredients, and offer delicate natural tastes that impart a deeply authentic 

tea flavour. Two new and exciting additions are Darjeeling Tea Treattarome ® 9772 and regional favourite Rooibos 

Treattarome ® 9762. Distilled from the ‘champagne of teas’, Darjeeling Tea Treattarome ® captures the refined, 

heady aroma of true Darjeeling tea, with all its delicate floral character. The flavour brings forward warm, spicy 

notes with just a hint of honey sweetness to impart a distinctive, aristocratic flavour to ready-to-drink teas. 

Rooibos Treattarome ® delivers an authentic and well-rounded rooibos character to a variety of beverage 

applications. The essence provides a spicy and fruity front end, with a robust earthy chai finish. 

Visitors to the stand can also learn about Treatt’s latest high impact speciality chemicals, 8-Methylnonanal, 8- 

Methyldecanal and 6-Methyloctanal, which are synthesized by its manufacturing partners, Endeavour Speciality 

Chemicals, and have been recently added to the Fema Gras list. They impart fresh zesty citrus aldehydic notes, 

ideal for boosting zingy notes in citrus applications. All of Treatt’s high impact speciality chemicals are ideal for 

flavour creation. n 

Stand 

6K39 

www.treatt.com 

Uelzena: High quality milk-based ingredients 

Success needs the best ingredients. The milk specialist Uelzena eG 

presents its high-quality milk based ingredients range and 

comprehensive contract processing services. The ingredients range for 

the baking, confectionery and delicatessen industry includes skimmed 

milk powder, anhydrous milk fat and sweetened condensed milk as well 

as customised milk fat products and premixes. The contract processing 

services are focused on drying natural colours and flavours as well as 

vitamins, minerals, vegetable extracts, spices and additives. Contract 

processing of butter and anhydrous milkfat, fractionation as well as 

standardising and manufacturing of cream products complete these services. n 

Stand 

6D29 

www.uelzena.de 



ADM: Extended applications capabilities and extensive 

ingredients portfolio 

ADM will present its expanded range of innovative ingredients to enhance taste, 

texture, nutrition and functionality. With its acquisition of WILD Flavors last year, 

ADM has been growing its portfolio to better serve customers’ needs for innovative 

products and solutions. The result is a food business partner with global reach and 

the capabilities to offer complete food and flavour solutions – a partner dedicated 

to feeding your food business. Joining ADM on the stand will be Olenex, ADM’s 

joint venture with Wilmar International for oils & fats, and Société Industrielle des 

Oléagineux (SIO), ADM’s subsidiary for specialty oils. The group will also 

highlight relevant consumer and market trends, with a particular focus on 

sustainability. 

ADM will showcase the combined strength and reach of these three companies, and customers will be able to 

learn about the team’s capabilities to serve customers on-trend ingredient solutions for innovative product 

development. 

Prototypes 

Visitors will be able to sample a variety of prototype food and beverage concepts that showcase the broad 

applications and formulation expertise that is available to customers by partnering with ADM. This includes 

frozen desserts and pH neutral beverages using CLARISOY ® , an isolated soya protein that is well-suited to use in 

a growing number of applications, including fortified beverages and sports recovery drinks. Also on display are 

cereal bars featuring the Textura range of customised protein crisps, which answer consumer demand for 

convenience foods. 

Soya protein 

In addition, ADM will present chicken hot dogs with Arcon ® S, the latest extension of Arcon ® functional soya 

protein concentrates, as well as WILD flavours, colourings and salt-reduction technology. With a neutral flavour 

profile, Arcon ® S has great versatility; it is suitable for use in a variety of meat applications including ground 

meats and sausage products, and in snack foods. 

For those with a sweet tooth, chocolate samples using ADM’s lecithin will be available; fluid soya lecithin 

promotes even blending, reduces hardening and improves food texture. n 

Stand 

6P19 

www.adm.com 

Frutarom: Move, Feel, Think 

Frutarom Health, Ltd., will present innovative, market-oriented healthful 

ingredient solutions, showcasing concepts geared toward the growing demand 

for cognitive performance, energy and well-being. 

The innovative ingredients will be demonstrated in several food applications: 

n Incaberrix: Frutarom Health will launch new food applications with its 

Incaberrix superberry complex. The new ingredient for multiple 

applications can be used easily in beverages with natural aromas and 

colours. The taste bar will offer new applications in confectionary and 

bakery, such as cherry flavoured gummies and mixed berry cereal bars 

with Incaberrix. 

n Neuravena ® , a unique green-oat extract supported by five clinical studies, will be presented in a delicious 

apple-flavoured drink and cereal bars to highlight the excellent suitability of this ingredient in food and 

beverage applications. 

Based on years of expertise, Frutarom Health provides high-quality natural health ingredients, scientifically 

supported, documented and in line with all current regulations. Working in cooperation with all Frutarom 

segments allows Frutarom to offer comprehensive combinations of taste and health. n 

www.frutarom.com 

Stand 

6R29 


24 


Glanbia Nutritionals: Complete solutions 

Glanbia Nutritionals is introducing its wider set of capabilities available to 

food, beverage and supplement companies in the form of the Complete 

Solutions Suite. This portfolio is built around four distinct offerings: 

Nutritional Ingredient Solutions, Functional Ingredient Solutions, Product 

Development Solutions, and Finished Product Solutions. 

The new Complete Solutions Suite will be demonstrated at the show 

through Glanbia’s latest ingredient introductions and new uses of existing 

ingredients. These will feature in creative prototypes that tap into current 

trends, showcasing the company’s commitment to providing consumerrelevant 

solutions to the marketplace. 

Two new nutritional and functional ingredients will be launched at FiE, including MenaQ7 ® PURE Vitamin K2 

(MK7), a nature-identical synthetic vitamin K2 produced by worldwide vitamin K2 developer NattoPharma, and 

GanedenBC30 ® , a probiotic from Ganeden Biotech able to survive harsh manufacturing processes. 

Glanbia will also present OatPure gluten-free oats, guaranteed at fewer than 10 parts per million (ppm) gluten, 

and Bioferrin ® lactoferrin milk protein that acts as an iron activator. 

MenaQ7 PURE is the optimal solution to utilise calcium in the body. It activates osteocalcin, which helps to bind 

calcium to the bone matrix, leading to increased bone mineral content. Consequently, bones become stronger and 

less susceptible to fracture. Ganeden BC30 is extremely shelf-stable, requires no refrigeration and can be baked, 

boiled or frozen while retaining viability, allowing consumers to experience its benefits in a variety of applications, 

such as baked goods, bars, smoothies and protein drinks. 

With regard to Glanbia’s gluten-free offering, OatPure oats are cultivated under the tight control of the 

company’s NSF certified OatSecure closed loop supply chain to offer fewer than 10ppm gluten. This exceeds 

industry standards that stipulate 20ppm of gluten to be certified gluten-free. Plus, OatPure oats offer naturally 

slow release carbohydrates and fibre for sustained energy. 

Bioferrin lactoferrin’s impact on iron utilisation makes it particularly suited to the sports and wellness sector. The 

ingredient is also linked with improving digestive health and its novel food status opens up additional interesting 

opportunities for Bioferrin. 

Within the Complete Solutions Suite of ingredients and premixes, Glanbia’s Nutritional and Functional Ingredient 

Solutions highlight its science-driven capabilities in gluten free, dairy and vegan applications, advanced whey 

peptides, next generation grain technologies, and proprietary speciality micronutrients. n 

www.glanbia.com 

Stand 

6F45 

Salt of the Earth: Discover how to reduce sodium by 

up to 45% 

Salt of the Earth, Ltd. will exhibit its innovative, all-natural Umamix 

ingredient. The exceptional salt-reduction solution is designed to help 

decrease sodium levels by up to 45% across a broad variety of food and liquid 

applications, without decreasing flavour. 

Umamix is a proprietary savoury mix of high-quality sea salt and vegetable 

extracts rich in umami, the distinctive flavour-boosting ‘fifth taste’. This 

innovative ingredient can help food manufacturers keep the consumer-craved salty, savoury flavour of 

a product, while maintaining a low amount of sodium in the final application. 

Stand 

6N105 

Umamix is highly soluble, vegan, kosher and contains no artificial ingredients or MSG. It provides food 

companies a simple way to include a clean label claim on products and comply with global agendas to cut sodium 

levels in processed foods. 

Salt of the Earth, a global industry leader in salt and salt-related products, is a market innovator in progressive 

sodium-reduction solutions made from natural Red Sea salts. n 

www.saltoftheearthltd.com 



Cargill: Enabling sustainable growth through innovation 

The focal point of Cargill’s stand will be a futuristic ‘Innovation Hub’ 

where food manufacturers will be able to interact with dedicated R&D 

specialists and discover new product concepts. The main theme will 

substantiate how Cargill works to fuel sustainable business growth by 

meeting the industry’s needs and delivering consistently on 

commitments. 

Stand 

6K5 

Texture and new sensory experiences are becoming an important 

factor of consumer attraction and the focus of many of today’s food 

innovations, together with other trends like transparency in 

labelling, additional protein sources, emphasis on unsaturated and 

natural fats, and healthier snacking (Source: Innova Market Insights, 2015). 

“Brands need to creatively combine these trends if they want to reach untapped market areas, and we are 

focusing our research efforts on helping our customers do precisely that,” explains Nils Sips, R&D Director 

Cargill Food Ingredients and Systems EMEA. “By targeting our innovations on manufacturers’ needs like 

healthier reformulation or cost-efficiency, we can dramatically increase our customers’ speed to market and 

success rate. The breadth of our technical expertise enables us to tackle challenges across market segments, as 

demonstrated by the new product concepts that we will be presenting on our stand.” 

Cargill will also participate in the Fi Europe Conference that will take place in parallel to the trade exhibition: Taco 

Terheijden, Director Cocoa Sustainability, will take part in the ‘Promoting the sustainability agenda’ module 

(December 1, 14.30h) to discuss Cargill’s learning, progress and experiences in the cocoa supply chain. n 

www.cargill.com 


26 

special feature: PROSWEETS 


at ProSweets 2016 

At ProSweets 2016, Bosch Packaging Technology, a leading supplier of processing and packaging 

solutions, is launching its upgraded WRF 600 Flex roller former for multilayer bars. The latest 

solution from Bosch enables customers to produce multilayer bars, such as those consisting of 

nougat topped with a layer of caramel, on the same production process. Thanks to its patented 

flexible working width it is designed to minimise or eliminate the trim when processing masses for 

cereal, candy, protein and fruit bars. Bosch’s WRF 600 Flex enables width changes without 

production stoppages, maximizing uptime and output. No other machine of this kind on the market 

offers this capability. 

Flexible roller 

former WRF 

600 Flex 

enables 

production of 

multilayer bars 

The machine 

enables flexible 

working width 

changes during 

production 

allowing for 

less or no trim 

to reduce 

product waste. 

This increases 

machine 

availability and 

output. 

Less waste, more bar 

The WRF 600 Flex features a 

smooth slab former with a flexible 

working width that allows for easy, 

step-less and tool-free 

adjustments for the precise cutting 

of multilayer bar products in 

different sizes. As a result, less 

product mass is wasted, helping to 

decrease production costs and 

contributing to a higher return on 

investment (ROI). To 

accommodate slabs of different 

widths, operators simply make a 

manual adjustment to the machine 

during production – completely 

eliminating downtime. Removing 

the need for machine stoppages 

also reduces waste, maximizing 

product usage and enhancing 

productivity. The WRF 600 Flex 

gently forms the mass slab without 

applying any pressure, preventing 

product breakage. The working 

width ranges between 400 and 

ProSweets Cologne & ISM 

31 January to 3 February 2016 

ProSweets 

From raw materials/ingredients to 

process technology and packaging – 

ProSweets Cologne covers the entire 

supply spectrum of the confectionery 

and snack industry under one roof. 

ISM 

The entire diversity of the world of sweets and snacks will be awaiting 

you once again. The comprehensive spectrum of offers reflects the 

entire global market. Over 37,000 trade visitors and 1,513 exhibitors 

acquired a taste at the last ISM. 

www.prosweets.com www.ism-cologne.com 

1500 millimeters. As a standard 

feature, the slab thickness can be 

continuously adjusted between 5 

and 30 millimeters. 

With its hygienic design, the WRF 

600 Flex allows manufacturers to 

meet the most stringent hygiene 

requirements and offers access 

from all sides, resulting in easy 

and tool-less cleaning. “Today’s 

manufacturers need technologies 

that can efficiently handle delicate 

products and decrease waste more 

than ever,” says Frank Jansen, 

product manager, Bosch 

Packaging Technology. “The WRF 

600 Flex is well positioned to meet 

these demands thanks to its 

flexibility and operator-friendly 

features.” 

In addition to its bar processing 

technology, Bosch also provides 

primary and secondary packaging 

solutions for bars. Designed for 

simple integration with existing 

Bosch technology, manufacturers 

are able to partner with a singlesource 

solution provider for their 

entire bar production line. 

Standardized interfaces allow for 

the balanced speed of all line 

components to eliminate 

bottlenecks, minimise downtime 

and optimise production flow, 

facilitating high Overall Equipment 

Effectiveness (OEE). 

The WRF 600 Flex for multilayer 

bars, along with other technologies 

from Bosch, will be on display in 

Hall 10.1, booth C10 at 

ProSweets 2016 in Cologne, 

Germany. n 


www.boschpackagingtechnology.com 


ingredients 

27 

Contract drying from Uelzena 

Leadership through experience 

Spray drying is the method of choice when it comes to preserving susceptible ingredients and to 

facilitating their further use. More than 60 years ago, Uelzena started by drying milk. In the early 

1970s, the company specialised in the custom drying of various raw materials. In the beginning, 

they processed simple aqueous solutions, and currently, spray drying is also applied to highly 

susceptible products, suspensions or emulsions. Uelzena eG combines long-term experience with 

pro-active problem solving expertise from various product areas and applies this to challenging 

projects. The company handles between 300 and 400 projects each year on behalf of its customers. 

As a contract manufacturer, the company custom dries a broad range of products including protein 

hydrolysates, colourings, flavourings, vitamins and minerals, colouring plant extracts as well as 

seasonings and additives. Within the industry the company is known as a problem solver for 

‘difficult issues’. Simone Oeder, Sales Manager Contract Manufacturing at Uelzena eG, explains: 

“We are challenged for colourings and susceptible products where premium quality, exceptional 

sensory properties and uniform functionality are a must.” 

Expertise in custom drying 

Five spraying towers in different 

sizes which operate with different 

spraying technologies, nozzles and 

discs, are available at the Uelzena 

site in order to cater for the 

versatile tasks. Common aqueous 

solutions as well as highly 

susceptible products, suspensions 

and emulsions are processed into 

spray dried ingredients. Uelzena’s 

specific strengths are the 

development, control, organisation 

and systematisation of processes. 

“First of all, we want to know 

everything about the product and 

its intended use. Next, we will 

develop a process that we know 

for sure will deliver the properties 

and quality the customer 

requested.” This is how Bernd 

Gewecke, Director of Sales 

Contract Manufacturing, explains 

Uelzena’s approach to new 

projects. The company is highly 

experienced in the processing of 

products which require demanding 

solutions for various reasons, for 

example, natural products which 

deviate in composition and colour 

depending on their origin and 

seasonal influences. Because of 

Uelzena’s expertise in analytical 


28 

ingredients 

issues and production technology, 

all batches and lots produced will 

be uniform in terms of 

composition, colour and grain 

sizes. Guaranteed. 

“Upon receipt of the raw material, 

we check its composition and 

concentration. In particular natural 

products have their own unique 

identity. Composition and level of 

certain substances can vary 

strongly depending on the country 

of origin and time of harvest. If 

needed, we dissolve or 

concentrate, remove possibly 

contained preservatives. We clean, 

clarify and so on,” continues Bernd 

Gewecke. 

Flexibility is key 

Drying and packaging are the core 

activities among the services 

offered. These processes will 

always be conducted in close 

consultation with the customers 

and they are based on individual 

recipes and processes. Apart from 

these core activities, Uelzena is 

also able to support its customers 

individually with supplemental 

services for the pre- or posttreatment 

of their products. The 

range comprises the optimised 

dissolution of solid materials or the 

cleaning and clarification of liquid 

materials. It also includes 

processes from emulsifying, 

homogenisation, cooling and 

heating to standardisation of the 

final product. 

Global confidence in product 

safety 

Customers from all over the world 

including leading food and 

ingredient suppliers are taking 

advantage of Uelzena’s 

comprehensive problem solution 

expertise. Well-established 

processes from development to 

automatic cleaning processes and 

the monitoring of quality in an inhouse 

high-tech analytical 

laboratory ensure the highest level 

of safety and quality. This high 

standard is underpinned by 

certifications according to 

important industrial standards 

including ISO 9001, organic and 

IFS. Kosher and halal production is 

also possible. 

Uelzena Food Ingredients & 

Contract Manufacturing Services 

The contract drying service is part 

of the Uelzena Ingredients unit, 

which offers milk based food 

ingredients and contract 

processing services for the food 

industry. 

Core business of Uelzena 

Ingredients unit: 

n Production of dairy based 

ingredients like milk powder 

and milk fat for the food 

industry 

n Contract drying of (colouring) 

plant extracts, flavourings, 

vitamins, minerals and more for 

the ingredients industry 

n Contract producing and 

processing of milk fats for the 

food industry. 

Main target groups: 

n Confectionery industry 

n Baking industry 

n Ice cream industry 

n Food industry 

n Ingredients industry. 

Products range: Uelzena 

Ingredients: 

n Low heat and medium heat 

skimmed milk powder 

n Standardised, partly 

standardised and not 

standardised skimmed milk 

powder 

n Buttermilk powder 

n Anhydrous milk fat 

n Best quality butter 

n Fractionated milk fats 

n Decolorised white milk fat 

n Blends of milk fat and 

vegetable oils 

n Sweet condensed milk with 

various fat levels and dry 


ingredients 

29 

Facts & figures 

Uelzena group: 

Founded: 1952 

Subsidiary companies: H. 

Schoppe & Schultz GmbH & Co. 

KG, Hoche Butter GmbH, Trilactis 

GmbH, WS Warmsener 

Spezialitäten GmbH, Altmark- 

Käserei Uelzena GmbH. 

Associated companies: DFF 

Dairy Fine Food GmbH, MTW 

Milchtrockenwerk Norddeutschland 

GmbH. 

n 

n 

n 

matter content 

Dulce de leche 

Cream products with various 

fat content 

Yoghurts for delicatessen and 

desserts 

Service range: 

n 

n 

n 

Standardising, concentrating, 

emulsifying 

Spray drying, agglomerating 

Mixing, blending, coating 

Business divisions: Ingredients, 

Instant Beverages, Health Food, 

Dairy products. 

Turnover: 557 Mio. EUR. 

Employees: 655. 

Milk delivery: 506 Mio. Kg. 

n 

n 

n 

n 

Customised pre-mixes/ 

products 

Contract drying 

Contract mixing 

Contract manufacturing of 

butter and anhydrous milk fat. 

n 

n 

n 

n 

Fractionating, deodoriszing 

Contract processing of milkfat 

Standardising of milk fat 

products 

Recombining. n 

Uelzena eG 

www.ingredients.uelzena.com

30 

ingredients 

Flavoured caramels for unique taste sensations 

Sensient extends the indulgent appeal of caramel sauces 

with high quality extracts and natural flavours 

Sensient Flavors introduces its deliciously flavoured caramels range. With bespoke textures and 

viscosities, the caramel sauces can be used for confectionery products and dairy applications. Their 

intense flavour sensations give premium products a competitive edge. 

In creating its tantalising flavoured 

caramel sauces, Sensient 

combines high quality caramel with 

premium extracts and natural 

flavours. The caramel sauces can 

be used as fillings for chocolates, 

candies, pralines and chocolate 

bars. For ice creams, yoghurts, 

chilled and frozen desserts, this 

new generation of caramel sauces 

can be used as toppings, ripples 

and bottom or top layers. 

The company has created a 

selection of nine pralines with 

flavoured caramel fillings which 

acts as a ‘Toolbox’ that allows 

customers to experience the 

products for themselves. It 

contains a choice of taste 

sensations, ranging from 

outstanding fruit flavours, chai tea 

flavours and an on-trend salted 

orange to traditional variants – the 

sky’s the limit in terms of flavour 

creativity. 

Sensient’s new portfolio has been 

developed by combining 

knowledge of caramel, flavouring 

expertise and cutting edge 

technology. The surprising twist in 

this novel range is achieved by 

refining the sauces with high 

quality extracts and natural 

flavours which capture the 

authentic taste profiles of the raw 

materials. This sophisticated 

approach means that the products 

are especially suitable for premium 

positionings, allowing for higher 

margins. 

All products in the 

range are ambient 

stable and can be 

delivered in a range 

of bulk packaging 

formats to suit all 

manufacturing needs 

Its annual ‘Trend to Taste’ analysis 

has enabled Sensient Flavors to 

translate global as well as local 

culinary trends into innovative 

concepts. When fresh cardamom, 

cinnamon and a hint of ginger 

extract spice up a rich caramel 

sauce, a pleasant surprise is 

guaranteed. Banana blended with 

fig flavours delivers a rich, sweet 

and fruity taste sensation, 

whereas raspberry, cranberry and 

redcurrant provide fruity and acidic 

berry notes. Zesty salted orange is 

a perfect match for the sweetness 

of caramel. These and other 

inspiring variations can be 

sampled in the customer toolbox. 

“The more consumers seek out 

new taste sensations, the more 

exciting flavouring concepts can 


ingredients 

31 

Mouthwatering indulgent flavours 

meet drinks 

Sensient Flavors introduces a new product range that enables 

manufacturers to pack the indulgent taste experience of cakes 

and desserts into beverages 

With its latest range of indulgence flavourings, Sensient 

Flavors blurs boundaries, crosses categories and enables 

drinks manufacturers to provide sweet bakery and dessertinspired 

treats in the form of beverages. Currently, six natural 

flavourings are available: Apple and Strawberry Cheesecake, 

Black Forest Gateau, Chocolate Coconut, Marshmallow and 

Salted Caramel. They are suitable for the use in carbonated 

soft drinks, flavoured waters, still drinks but also alcoholic 

beverages such as spirits and liqueurs. 

Sensient’s indulgence flavors help beverage manufacturers to 

offer the ‘unexpected twist’ that today’s consumers crave, 

providing more experiential pleasures. Based on its taste 

creation expertise, Sensient Flavors brings authentic 

flavouring to life, capturing the sensory characteristics of the 

products that inspired the formulations. For example, the 

Apple Cheesecake flavoured drink delivers a baked apple 

flavour with yoghurt notes. The mouthwatering Black Forest 

Gateau combines rich chocolate with a delicious hint of cherry 

in liquid form. Salted Caramel is characterised by its wellbalanced 

caramel flavour which is blended with a hint of salt. 

With increasingly adventurous consumers like Millennials 

demanding novel and exciting new taste sensations, traditional 

flavour categories are becoming progressively blurred and less well 

defined. Stefano Asti, Technical Director at Sensient Flavors 

Beverage Europe, notes: “Because so many people lead busy or 

stressful lives, little treats can mean a lot! Consumers frequently 

resort to traditional foods such as desserts, cakes and ice cream, 

but more and more often, they’re reaching for soft drinks to reward 

themselves. Our flavouring range bundles both sweet treats and 

beverages together to provide a novel way for soft drink 

manufactures to differentiate their offerings. We think it’s time to 

think – and drink – outside the box!” 

About Sensient Flavors 

Sensient Flavors uses proprietary technologies to create valueadded 

flavour systems and customised solutions for customers in 

the beverage, sweet and savoury segments. Sensient Flavors is a 

business unit of Sensient Technologies Corporation, a leading global 

manufacturer and marketer of colours, flavours and fragrances. 

Sensient employs advanced technologies at facilities around the 

world to develop specialty food and beverage systems, cosmetic and 

pharmaceutical systems, inkjet and specialty inks and colours, and 

other specialty chemicals. The company’s customers include major 

international manufacturers representing most of the world’s bestknown 

brands. 

become. In the indulgence sector 

in particular, consumers are looking 

for fun flavours and innovative 

twists. These on-trend flavoured 

caramels will capture consumer 

attention and provide innovative 

buying incentives,” says Colin 

Haine, Technical Director for 

Sensient Sweet Flavors Europe. 

Sensient’s new caramel sauces are 

designed to suit versatile 

application needs; they can be 

adjusted in terms of texture and 

viscosity as well as flavour. All 

products in the range are ambient 

stable and can be delivered in a 

range of bulk packaging formats to 

suit all manufacturing needs. 

Sensient also provides fruit-based 

and chocolate or coffee sauces as 

well as an extensive variety of 

inclusions, which can be combined 

in a multitude of exciting 

application solutions. n 

Sensient Flavors 

www.sensientflavors.com 


32 

ingredients 

Clean-label, gluten-free or vegan: getting 

on-trend with modern snacking solutions 

GoodMills Innovation offers a wide range of solutions for a variety of snack concepts 

In the last few years, snacks have 

evolved from being a simple 

between-meal treat to an everyday 

part of modern life. Instead of 

three main meals a day, more and 

more consumers are opting to 

graze on a selection of smaller 

snacks as part of their daily diet. 

In particular the ‘Millennials’ have 

become a focus target group for 

the food industry’s product 

development experts. An extensive 

snacking habit is an expression of 

their lifestyle. 1 

In his 2015 report, food expert 

Julian Mellentin refers to the 

ongoing trend of ‘snackification’. 2 

Take, for example, the first meal of 

the day, which has already 

migrated – in the form of nutritious 

breakfast drinks or cookies – from 

the kitchen table to the car, bus or 

train. As the distinction between 

snacks and meals gets narrower, 

consumer requirements for snacks 

are changing as well. Issues such 

as nutrition, clean label and ‘free 

from’ are playing an increasingly 

important role. 

Regarding ‘free from’ positionings, 

gluten-free claims are booming. 

Initially just a niche market to offer 

versatile and welcome alternatives 

to people suffering from celiac 

disease or gluten sensitivity, these 

products are being used by a far 

greater population than those who 

are sensitive to gluten: in fact, 

more and more consumers 

correlate gluten-free consumption 

with a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing. 

Masa flour: absolutely gluten-free 

Based on corn, Masa flours are 

perfectly suited for the production 

of gluten-free snacks. As a leading 

company in grain refinement, 

GoodMills Innovation has 

developed a purely physical 

process based on dry grinding to 

produce Masa. The technique, 

compared with traditional 

methods, offers considerable 

savings in terms of process water. 

Supplemental additives such as 

lime are no longer required, which 

enhances the final flavour. Masa 

flours ensure a homogenous 

particle distribution; the doughs 

demonstrate excellent machine 

compatibility properties as they 

are non-sticky. 

Typical applications include tortilla 

chips and taco shells. But, wishing 

to examine further uses for Masabased 

snacks, GoodMills 

Innovation has developed glutenfree 

waffle concepts, which have 

already performed successfully in 

trial runs. Depending on specific 

requirements, the company 

collaborates with its customers to 


ingredients 

33 

develop tailored solutions. 

Irrespective of whether you prefer 

a soft or crunchy texture, a hearty 

filling for lunch or a sweet treat 

with your afternoon coffee, there’s 

no limit to the creative 

possibilities. 

Vegetable snack fillings 

The veggie trend is also making an 

impact in the snacking world. With 

a growing number of vegetarians, 

vegans and flexitarians, a wide 

range of meat substitutes has 

emerged in a relatively short 

period of time. Once perceived as 

being rather unappealing and old 

fashioned, veggie options are now 

thought of as a popular and 

versatile choice. According to the 

GfK, Germany’s biggest market 

research institute, the sales 

figures for vegetarian products 

were 27% higher in the first 

quarter of 2015 than in the same 

quarter of the previous year. 

Offering meat-free indulgence, the 

wheat texturate, WHEATMEAT ® , 

has long been a classic in 

GoodMills Innovation’s central 

product portfolio. It is suitable for 

all kinds of snack fillings, eg used 

in folded pies made from 

laminated and/or yeast-raised 

dough. And, because of 

WHEATMEAT ® ’s high waterbinding 

capacity, weight losses 

during heating are reduced to a 

minimum. As a result, vegetable 

fillings benefit from a pleasant, 

solid consistency because the 

dough does not get saturated. 

Furthermore, fillings that don’t 

shrink adhere much better to the 

dough and the production of 

undesirable ‘holes’ is prevented. 

Compared with their meatcontaining 

counterparts, 

WHEATMEAT ® products have a 

better nutritional profile as well as 

lower levels of cholesterol. 

Burger patties 

WHEATMEAT ® flakes are a new 

type of wheat texturates, 

When it comes to 

snacks, GoodMills 

Innovation focuses 

– as it does with every 

product range – on 

promoting clean label 

solutions 

characterised by an especially 

coarse texture and a high amount 

of protein (up to 76%). They are 

particularly suited for the 

preparation of vegetarian and 

vegan burger patties. Here, the 

flakes provide a stable structure 

and a meat-like texture. Even if 

they are kept in a warming tray for 

a long time, they remain crispy 

and succulent, and still look 

appetising. As a valuable source of 

protein, they perfectly 

complement vegetarian and vegan 

diets. 

Improving visibility in the 

snacks area 

When it comes to snacks, 

GoodMills Innovation focuses – as 

it does with every product range – 

on promoting clean label solutions. 

Benefiting from state-of-the-art 

technology, the company’s experts 

specialise in grain processing 

using only physical methods, 

1 http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2012/05/snack-on-on-the-go-millennials-are-frequent-snackers, 

abgerufen am 18. August 2015 

2 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition and Health 2015, Julian Mellentin, published by New Nutrition Business 

which allow contemporary 

concepts and clean label products 

to be developed. Ulrike Thomas, 

Product Manager Food at 

GoodMills Innovation GmbH, 

states: “Our clean label approach 

has been fundamental to 

establishing our reputation in the 

food and baking industries. It is 

our goal to become equally as well 

known in the snack domain too.” 

So, for the first time, the company 

presented its growing snack 

assortment, ‘SNACKMAXX’, to 

the expert audience at the 

SNACKEX trade fair in Istanbul, 

Turkey. This portfolio contains 

Masa flours, coating solutions for 

different kind of nuts and much 

more. Thomas concludes: “We 

offer a broad range of solutions 

for both new and reformulated 

product concepts. To showcase our 

capabilities, we invite our 

customers to our proprietary 

Innovation Center. Here, we have 

plenty of room to brainstorm 

creative ideas and implement 

them in our kitchen and baking 

areas.” n 

Ulrike Thomas 

Product Manager Food 

GoodMills Innovation 

www.goodmillsinnovation.com 


34 

ingredients 

GELITA ® Collagen Proteins for those 

who care 

If we look at consumer attitudes towards nutrition, we see two major groups: those who care and 

those who don’t. The latter have come across so many different approaches, inconsistent theories 

and hot trends from food experts that they’ve lost track and simply refuse to believe anything they 

read. They eat and drink what they want and don’t ‘waste’ their time thinking about nutritional 

requirements. 

At the same time, it’s clear that 

making sophisticated nutritional 

choices is increasingly important 

for an ever-growing consumer 

group. The main drivers of this 

behavioral pattern are health, 

lifestyle and ethical concerns. For 

some, nutritional regimes are an 

extension of their own personality. 

As many products need to match 

these personal requirements and 

ways of living, the scope of 

individual food preferences is 

huge, ranging from people who 

believe in free-from or fat- and 

sugar-reduced options to those 

who look for fortified products and 

healthy supplements to prevent or 

even cure certain ailments. 

Partner with the experts 

This diversification process has led 

to a demand surge for tailored 

products that fulfill individual 

consumer needs. Now, more than 

ever, businesses should be 

investing in strategies that target 

these distinct groups to reap the 

potential rewards and benefits. 

Companies that fail to move first 

with innovative and targeted 

products risk being left behind! 

In the race to exploit today’s 

multifaceted consumer base, the 

role of the raw material supplier 

has become progressively more 

important, especially regarding 

ingredient know-how, time-tomarket, 

quality and service. For 

GELITA, the leading manufacturer 

of collagen proteins, innovation is 

key. With comprehensive global 

market knowledge and in-depth 

collagen protein expertise, GELITA 

supports its customers by paving 

the way to producing truly 

innovative new product offerings. 

Keep your label clean 

An increased understanding of the 

correlation between food intake 

and personal wellbeing has led to 

an increase in demand for healthy 

products. Without question, this 

altered consumer mindset is 

impacting how foods are produced 

and positioned. Heavily processed 

products, high calorie foods, 

E-numbers, GMOs or highly 

chemical-sounding additives are no 

longer in vogue. At the same time, 

calls for clean label ingredients 

and products with a balanced 

nutritional profile or added health 

benefits are on the rise. 

To meet these requirements, 

GELITA offers an extensive range 

of gelatine and collagen peptides. 

These ingredients allow for a wide 

variety of innovative product 

developments that fit with today’s 

consumer expectations. Classed 

as foodstuffs, both gelatine and 

collagen peptides are free from 

E-numbers, which means they are 


ingredients 

35 

ideal for use in clean label 

products. 

Just being healthy is not enough 

With more and more people trying 

to eat healthily, reducing the daily 

intake of sugar, salt and fat has 

become a consumer mantra. Yet, 

no matter how health conscious 

people tend to be, flavour and 

taste are absolutely critical. Food 

must taste good, no matter what. 

To achieve this goal, particular 

types of collagen proteins can be 

used to maintain a product’s 

sensory characteristics while 

decreasing its energy load. Using 

gelatines to increase a food’s 

water content and volume can also 

help manufacturers to provide the 

tasty foods that consumers want. 

The key here is gelatine’s immense 

water binding capacity. What was 

previously perceived to be a 

disadvantage – as it added ‘empty 

volume’ – has now become a 

benefit: water has zero calories, so 

the higher the water content of a 

food product, the lower its calorific 

value. Granted, replacing fat with 

water sounds too easy to be true; 

but, with gelatine as a binding and 

texturising agent, water is 

immobilised and bound in a matrix. 

In multi-phase systems, gelatine 

improves both consistency and 

structure because it increases the 

viscosity of the aqueous phase. 

Another way to produce low calorie 

foods is to add air or nitrogen by 

whipping. Foaming dairy desserts 

and puddings increases their 

volume and creates the impression 

of a larger serving size. Here, 

gelatine acts as a stabiliser and 

keeps the ‘foam in form.’ It can 

also be used in marshmallows, 

confectionery fillings and cheese 

preparations, with future plans 

including meat products such as 

spreadable sausage. Gelatine 

decreases the surface tension and 

facilitates foam formation. It also 

stabilises the air–liquid interface by 

forming a film and prevents the 

foam collapsing. 

Owing to its excellent sensory and 

functional properties, gelatine can 

also be used to reduce the sugar 

content of products. In cereal bars, 

for example, even at low 

concentrations, collagenous 

protein acts as an effective binding 

agent. By using collagen peptides 

such as GELITA’s PEPTIPLUS ® in 

bar recipes, the sugar content can 

be reduced or even eliminated. 

With no bitter taste, it’s especially 

valuable in protein bars; 

PEPTIPLUS ® ’s unique functional 

properties enhance the production 

process to deliver optimal texture 

and shelf-life. 

Crossover development or how 

product categories blur into each 

other 

As consumer health concerns 

continue to influence the way food 

and beverages are produced and 

positioned, previously wellestablished 

boundaries between 

different industries are beginning 

to blur. One example of crossover 

innovation is the synergy between 

food and cosmetics, resulting in 

the emerging market of 

nutricosmetics: beauty-from-within 

products that are delivered as 

foodstuffs. 

For female consumers who value 

their appearance, GELITA’s 

VERISOL ® ingredient for beautyfrom-within 

applications has a lot 

of potential. Comprising pure, 

natural collagen peptides, the 

product has been specifically 

developed to provide the highest 

possible efficacy in human skin. It’s 

highly soluble and neutral in taste, 

which means it can easily be 

incorporated into various types of 

liquid and solid nutricosmetics – 

from collagen water and 

concentrated ready-to-consume 

liquid shots to tablets, capsules 

and flavoured powder mixes – 

without compromising the sensory 

profile. 

Another example of crossover 

innovation is the fusion of food and 

pharmaceuticals. As food becomes 

healthier and pharmaceuticals 

enter the supplement and 

nutraceutical market, exciting new 

product innovation opportunities 

have been identified. Fortified 

gummies, for example, combine an 

effective delivery system with the 

indulgence of a confectionery 

treat. Without gelatine’s unique 

technological properties, this 

synergy of categories would be 

unthinkable. Driven by GELITA’s 

technical experts, though, a whole 

range of novel fortified gummy 

concepts is ‘under construction’ to 

create solutions that match 

individual consumer needs: from 

sugar reduced and toothfriendly 

variants to those with added 

minerals, omega-3s and fibre. 

However, the production of tailored 

products is much more than just 

adding vitamins and minerals; it’s 

also about meeting the particular 

needs of specific focus groups, 

such as elderly people, and 

counteracting and preventing 

specific ailments such as 

osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and 

sarcopenia. 

Get old, stay healthy 

As life expectancies continue to 

increase and global fertility rates 

further decline – particularly in 

industrialised countries – the world 

has witnessed a clear demographic 

shift. For example, life expectancy 

will reach an average of 82 years in 

Europe by 2050. 1 Globally, the 

number of people aged 60 and 

older is growing faster than any 

other age group, which makes the 

wellbeing concerns of an everexpanding 

number of elderly 

people a significant health issue. 

Addressing this challenge is a task 

that provides various opportunities 

for manufacturers of foods, 

beverages and nutritional 

supplements. GELITA’s Bioactive 

Collagen Peptides ® are 

scientifically proven ingredients 

that offer huge potential for 

successful innovations in these 

fields. 

Joint cartilage recovery 

FORTIGEL ® is scientifically proven 

to regenerate joint cartilage and 

ease the joint discomfort caused 

by age-related wear and tear, 

intense exercise and joint stress. 


36 

ingredients 

With its optimised collagen 

peptides, FORTIGEL ® has been 

proven to stimulate the cells that 

promote the growth of new 

cartilage tissue, helping to ease 

painful joints and keep them 

flexible. It is therefore a highly 

effective ingredient for use in 

various types of joint health 

products, including fortified 

gummies, functional foods and 

supplements. 

Stimulating bone matrix 

formation 

Bones need calcium, but they also 

require collagen for optimum 

health. Bone is composed of a 

mixture of mineral crystals held in 

an organic collagen matrix. On 

their own, these crystals would be 

extremely brittle and prone to 

breakage, so collagen plays a key 

role in keeping the skeletal system 

healthy. The Bioactive Collagen 

Peptides ® in FORTIBONE ® 

stimulate osteoblast cells to 

increase the production of the 

extracellular bone matrix, the 

essential framework that supports 

calcium mineralisation. In addition, 

FORTIBONE ® regulates certain 

degenerative processes by 

reducing protease production in 

osteoclasts. These mechanisms 

support overall bone stability and 

flexibility. 

Fighting the onset of sarcopenia 

Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of 

skeletal muscle mass and strength, 

affects millions of aging adults. It 

not only reduces mobility, but also 

increases the risk of falling. As 

such, it’s not only one of the 

greatest long-term threats to 

healthy and independent living, it 

also places an ever-greater burden 

on our healthcare system. To fight 

sarcopenia, GELITA has developed 

specific bioactive collagen peptides 

named BODYBALANCE. To 

investigate the effects of collagen 

peptides on body composition and 

muscle strength, a randomised, 

double-blind placebo-controlled 

study was conducted at the 

Institute of Sports and Sports 

Science at the University of 

Freiburg, Germany. 

Involving 60 sarcopenic men aged 

65 and older (mean age = 72), the 

study found that specific collagen 

peptides further increased the 

benefits of resistance training in 

elderly people with sarcopenia. 

Compared with a placebo, 

participants in the collagensupplemented 

group showed a 

significant increase in fat-free 

mass (+4.2kg compared with 

+2.9kg) and muscle strength 

(+16.5Nm compared with 

+7.3Nm), as well as a statistically 

significant reduction in fat mass 

(-5.4kg compared with -3.5kg). 

Improving body composition 

Although many young consumers 

rely on a normal balanced diet to 

get their nutrients, others take a 

more precise approach. 

Sportspeople, especially those 

with personal goals to achieve, 

take an active interest in 

personalised nutrition. Making the 

appropriate nutritional choices can 

both support and enhance the 

effects of physical activity and lead 

to more productive sessions in 

the gym. 

With BODYBALANCE, GELITA 

offers pure collagen peptides that 

can help sportive people to pursue 

1 Source: http://www.berlininstitut.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Studien/Europa_e_Kurzfassung_sicher_o_B.pdf 

their goals. Easily absorbed by the 

body and highly bioavailable, 

BODYBALANCE enhances the 

beneficial effects of resistance 

training. It positively influences 

body composition, supports body 

toning and helps to increase 

muscle mass while decreasing fat 

mass. 

Team up with GELITA 

GELITA is a provider of premium 

ingredients. But, more than that, 

the company also delivers 

outstanding, comprehensive 

service in a wide range of business 

aspects – from the development of 

concepts, formulations and 

prototypes and selecting the ideal 

collagen proteins to process 

optimisation, technical expertise, 

marketing support and regulatory 

advice. GELITA can even take on 

partial or complete contract 

manufacturing. 

Thanks to decades of experience, 

the company’s technical experts 

are able to offer first-class 

guidance for new and established 

customers alike. At the same time, 

its research specialists are 

constantly exploring new and 

innovative application areas that 

help clients to enter new markets 

all over the world. n 

Oliver Wolf 

GELITA AG 

www.gelita.com 


ingredients 

37 

Healthy confectionery – contradiction or 

possibility? 

It’s not new that consumers want both delicious and healthy. The healthy trip is stronger than ever. 

With the broad range of ingredients available to substitute less healthy constituents, or to increase 

healthy ones, there are lots of opportunities to give existing products a healthier composition 

without compromising on indulgence. It is more challenging if the goal is to use claims, but still 

there are also options in this area. 

Better for You 

There are at least two important 

restrictions for a confectionery 

product have the claim ‘better for 

you’: 

n 

n 

n 

Sweets – particularly chocolate 

– are associated with 

indulgence. Therefore, 

something has to taste good 

and still be regarded as a treat, 

despite any health benefits it 

may have 

There are strict rules to take 

into account when using 

particular ingredients and 

before claiming any health 

benefits 

When developing healthy or 

healthier confectionery 

products there are three 

options: 

> to reduce the quantities of 

not-so-healthy ingredients 

such as sugar and fat 

(especially saturated fat) 

>to use unsaturated fatty 

acids and other ingredients 

with potential health 

benefits such as fibre, 

minerals, vitamins, prebiotics 

and probiotics 

> to combine the above two 

approaches. 

Fat reduction = less calories 

The reduction of fat is the most 

efficient method of reducing the 

calorie content of a particular 

product. However, fat has other 

important properties, such as 

being a bulking agent, determining 

mouth feel, carrying flavours and 

having a big impact on flow in 

processing. Decreasing the fat 

content in chocolate tablets 

As well as being a 

sweetener, sucrose is 

used as a bulking 

agent, providing 

weight, volume, 

mouthfeel, colour and 

texture 

requires the addition of lecithin 

and polyglycerol poly ricinoleate 

(PGPR) to substitute the effect of 

fat on the flow parameters ‘yield 

value’ and ‘plastic viscosity’. 

Polydextrose syrups can be used 

as a substitute for part of the fat 

in water-based fillings by adding 

bulk. 

Another approach is to use a 

stabilizer, such as the hydrocolloid 

pectin, to provide texture, and 

perhaps to use a small amount of 

fat to give the correct mouthfeel. 


38 

ingredients 

This method can be used for 

chocolate fillings. Despite the 

water needed for the hydration of 

the pectin, it is possible, partly due 

to the use of xylitol and other 

water activity reducing agents 

such as glycerol, to decrease the 

water activity to below the critical 

level for microbiological growth. 

Processing 

Methods for reducing fat and 

sugar can be substituted by, or 

combined with, whipping. In 

whipped fillings the amount of fat 

and sugar in a standard chocolate 

shell will be lower than normal in 

terms of volume, particularly when 

the whipping is combined with a 

reduction in the quantities of fat 

and sugar. The other benefit of a 

whipped filling is the light 

mouthfeel. 

Sugar reduction and sugar free 

solutions 

Excess sugar consumption 

increases the risk of tooth decay 

as well as diabetes and 

overweight. These potential health 

issues are reason enough for 

consumers to reduce their sugar 

intake. There are other ‘healthier’ 

ingredients that can be used to 

add sweetness to a product, but it 

is important to take into account 

the other important properties of 

both sugar and sugar substitutes. 

As well as being a sweetener, 

sucrose is used as a bulking agent, 

providing weight, volume, 

mouthfeel, colour and texture. It 

also enhances some flavours. 

Sucrose is often a major 

component of chocolate and 

chocolate products, and its 

beneficial functions are difficult to 

achieve when the quantity is 

reduced. 

A property of utmost importance is 

the preservative effect. Sucrose is 

a humectant, and, like salt, one of 

the ingredients that is most often 

used to bind water and control 

water activity. The reduction of 

water activity that is achieved by 

adding humectants to food 

enhances stability by maintaining 

texture and eliminating microbial 

activity. 

Polyols such as hydrogenated 

sugars or sugar alcohols are bulk 

sweeteners. The most relevant for 

chocolate products are xylitol, 

lactitol and maltitol, which all 

contain less calories and have 

non-cariogenic benefits. 

Glycaemic response is as 

efficiently reduced using xylitol or 

lactitol as it is when using another 

sugar substitute acting as bulking 

agent. 

Sucrose can be substituted 100% 

by lactitol, having the same 

functions but with less sweetness 

and calories. 

Xylitol is as sweet as sugar, and 

has an intense cooling effect when 

dissolving. Because xylitol is a 

monosaccharide, the molecules 

are so small that the xylitol acts as 

a humectant and increases water 

activity: a very important property 

and useful in fillings. 

Probiotics are exciting 

enrichments. Adding 

healthy microorganisms 

to a 

chocolate filling has no 

adverse effect on the 

taste, texture or feeling 

of indulgence 

Polymeric polyols such as 

polydextrose and inulin are bulking 

agents that provide very little 

sweetness. This offers great 

opportunities for tailor-making 

sucrose-reduced products when 

sweetness and bulking can be 

treated as two separate functions. 

High intense sweeteners (HIS) 

such as stevia can be added to 

provide all the sweetness without 

‘taking up space’. 

Above and beyond: proteins, 

fibres and probiotics 

Proteins can be used as bulking 

agents. Depending on the type of 

product being produced and the 

fibre content, up to 15% of the 

sucrose can be substituted with 

protein, providing a minor sugar 

reduction but a large increase in 

protein. 

Polydextrose does more than 

simply reduce sucrose. It can be 

declared as fibre. Calorie content 

has to be declared as 2kcal/g 

compared with 1kcal/g if fibre is 

not listed. 

Probiotics are exciting 

enrichments. Adding healthy microorganisms 

to a chocolate filling has 

no adverse effect on the taste, 

texture or feeling of indulgence. 

Legislation 

Ingredients for use in chocolate are 

strictly regulated, whereas for 

chocolate fillings more additions 

are allowed. However, it is 

important to check the applicable 

rules for the relevant countries. 

For some of the substitutions 

mentioned, it is possible to claim 

the change in sugar, fat, fibre and 

calorie content, but there are strict 

rules to follow. In the European 

Union, these nutritional claims are 

included in Regulation (EC) No 

1924/2006. 

The use of polyols is discussed in 

Regulation (EC) 1333/2008. It is 

important to remember that 

polydextrose is not a polyol but a 

bulking agent, and that polyols 

have other functions as well as 

being sweeteners; lactitol can act 

as a bulking agent, and xylitol is a 

flavour enhancer and acts as a 

humectant by decreasing water 

activity and thereby increasing 

shelf life. 

Finally, polyols are known to have a 

laxative effect. The legal limit in 

terms of declaration is 10% polyol 

in a product. As a rule of thumb, 

intake should not exceed 40g per 

day, which would equate to 40 

pieces of filled chocolate. n 

Susanne Birkebaek 

Application Specialist 

DuPont Nutrition & Health 

www.dupont.com 


ingredients 

39 

Vitamin E: the essentials 

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and the European Commission has approved a health claim 

relating to the role of vitamin E in ‘contributing to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. 1 

EFSA recently set new Dietary Reference Values (DRV) for α-tocopherol – the most biologically 

active form of vitamin E – at 13mg/day for men and 11mg/day for women. 2 

New guidance 

The previous Recommended Daily 

Allowances (RDA) of vitamin E in 

Europe ranged from 4 to 25mg α- 

tocopherol equivalents (α-TE)/day 

for men and from 3 to 12mg α- 

TE/day for women. Although the 

newly defined DRVs are higher 

than the current guidance in 

countries such as the UK and Italy, 

the RDA set by the Institute of 

Medicine in the US is 15mg α- 

tocopherol in adults for both men 

and women. 

The decision by EFSA to replace 

the previous RDA with an 

Adequate Intake (AI) failed to 

consider a number of recent 

studies, which have been accepted 

by other well recognised scientific 

bodies such as the D-A-CH report 

for Germany, Austria and 

Switzerland. In particular, this 

New research suggests 

that individual 

requirements also 

differ for specific 

groups, such as 

pregnant and lactating 

women, as well as 

being dependent on 

factors such as age 

includes the role of vitamin E in 

protecting polyunsaturated fatty 

acids (PUFAs) from being 

oxidized in cell membranes and 

Vitamin E and 

Alzheimer’s 

There are currently 35 million 

patients being affected by 

Alzheimer’s type dementia 

worldwide, and the number is 

expected to quadruple by 

2050. Vitamin E is important 

for proper neuronal 

functioning and the role of 

vitamin E supplementation in 

the prevention of 

neurodegenerative diseases 

is under investigation. 

Central to initial research is 

the overall finding that 

vitamin E may protect 

essential fatty acids in the 

brain from lipid peroxidation 

and that improved vitamins 

play in vitamin E status is 

protective for cognitive 

function. High plasma levels 

of vitamin E at baseline have 

been associated with a 

reduced risk of Alzheimer’s 

disease and increased 

access, through innovative 

vitamin E intake from foods 

is linked to decreased risk of 

developing Alzheimer’s 


Source: 

IDF Diabetes Atlas 2014, www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/nafld/. 

afld/. WHO Global 

Health Observatory. GC Farrell, J George, PM Hall, AJ McCullough, 

Fatty Liver Disease: NASH and Related Disorders, Blackwell, Publishing, 2008. Sanyal 

et 

al, N Engl 

J Med 2010, 362:1675-1685; 5; 6 May 2010; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0907929. 

O Tirosh, Liver metabolism and fatty 

liver disease, Taylor & Francis Group LLC, 2015. Developed by: DSM Nutrition Science & Advocacy www.vitaminsinmotion.com

ingredients 

41 

DSM – Bright Science. Brighter Living. 

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its 

unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, 

environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders simultaneously. 

DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as 

food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and 

electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM and its associated companies 

deliver annual net sales of about €10 billion with approximately 25,000 employees. The company is listed on 

Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com. 

the beneficial effect of adequate 

blood levels of vitamin E on 

cardiovascular health – with 

outcomes from the main 

epidemiological studies showing 

for instance a risk reduction of 

24% for cardiovascular events, 

when comparing high versus low 

vitamin E concentrations. New 

research suggests that individual 

requirements also differ for 

specific groups, such as pregnant 

and lactating women, as well as 

being dependent on factors such 

as age. 

Dual function 

There is a clear need for more 

research into vitamin E to precisely 

define its requirement in humans. 

Emerging data is also available on 

specific conditions and diseases at 

intake levels which are likely not to 

be achieved by regular diet, and 

that may be applicable for 

selected individuals and groups, 

especially risk groups. For 

example, vitamin E has been 

shown to help maintain cognitive 

Vitamins in Motion 

ability in those at risk of 

Alzheimer’s disease, 3 improve 

status of fatty liver disease 4 and 

impaired lung 5,6 function in 

individuals who are overweight or 

exposed to air pollution, 

respectively. 

Intake of vitamin E is generally low 

in Europe and results of a 

micronutrient intake panel 

demonstrate that more than 75% 

of the population in the UK does 

not meet the current 

recommendations. 7 The potential 

subclinical and clinical 

1. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1816.htm 

2. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/150709.htm 

3. M. Dyksen et al, ‘Effect of Vitamin E and Memantine on Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease,’ Journal 

of the American Medical Association, Vol 311, No 1 2014 

4. Sanyal A. J. et al. ‘Pioglitazone, vitamin E, or placebo for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.’ N Engl J Med. 

2010; 362(18):1675–1685 

5. Hueylen Sue et al, ‘Effect of Vitamin C and E intake on peak respiratory flow rate of asthmatic children 

exposed to atmospheric particulate matter,’ Arch Environ Occup H 2013;68:80 

6. Zhang, W. et al. Nutrition solutions to counter health impact of air pollution: scientific evidence of marine 

omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins minimizing some harms of PM2.5. (2015) J Food Nutr Sci 2(2): 1-6 

7. Troesch, B., et al., ‘Dietary surveys indicate vitamin intakes below recommendations are common in representative 

Western countries.’ British Journal of Nutrition, 2012. 108(04): p. 692-698. 

8. Gey KF, Puska P, Jordan P, Moser UK. Inverse correlation between plasma vitamin E and mortality from 

ischemic heart disease in cross-cultural epidemiology. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;53:326s-34s 

9. Knekt P, Ritz J, Pereira MA, O'Reilly EJ, Augustsson K, Fraser GE, et al. Antioxidant vitamins and coronary 

heart disease risk: a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80:1508-20 

10. Biesalski HK, Bohles H, Esterbauer H, Furst P, Gey F, Hundsdorfer G, et al. Antioxidant vitamins in prevention. 

Clin Nutr. 1997;16:151-5 

11. Gey KF. Cardiovascular disease and vitamins. Concurrent correction of 'suboptimal' plasma antioxidant 

levels may, as important part of 'optimal' nutrition, help to prevent early stages of cardiovascular disease 

and cancer, respectively. Bibl Nutr Dieta. 1995:75-91 

12. Gey KF. Prospects for the prevention of free radical disease, regarding cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

Br Med Bull. 1993;49:679-99 

Vitamins play an essential role for health, wellness and disease 

prevention throughout the lifecycle. They are key to solving our 

global nutritional challenges. DSM, a global leader in health and 

nutrition science, is leading an initiative – Vitamins in Motion – to 

highlight the important role of vitamins. The campaign advocates 

for increased access, through innovative solutions, to the essential 

vitamins all people need to be healthy and well-nourished. To learn 

more, visit www.vitaminsinmotion.com. 

consequences of low vitamin E 

intake mean that the situation 

needs to be urgently addressed by 

the industry as a whole. Moreover, 

it must be emphasised that a 

number of observational, 

prospective studies suggest that a 

serum α-tocopherol concentration 

of 30 μmol/L and above is in fact 

required to have beneficial effects 

on cardiovascular disease, some 

types of cancers 8,9,10,11,12 and 

respiratory infections. 5 

Nutrition related solutions can play 

a vital role in tackling a number of 

global health concerns and an 

increase of the intake 

recommendations by the 

regulatory authorities would help 

to educate and guide the general 

population on the importance of 

achieving optimal nutritional 

status. n 

Prof. Manfred Eggersdorfer 

DSM Nutritional Products 

www.dsm.com 


42 

ingredients 

Exploring the alternatives to sugar 

in soft drinks 

With sugary beverages now the subject of much 

controversy, what are the alternatives? 

Consumption of sugary drinks is said to be a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. People who 

drink this ‘liquid confectionery’ do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid 

food and do not compensate by eating less. 1 Not surprisingly, this has fuelled a negative attitude 

towards sugary drinks. Some countries are considering introducing a sugar tax – indeed, Mexico 

has already taken this step. Since the one peso per litre tax on soft drinks with added sugar was 

introduced there in 2013, sales have declined by 6%. So it would appear that even politicians are 

waging war against sugar, and others are likely to follow. Jill Frank, Certified Food Scientist and 

Food Industry Expert at UL, takes a look at the current trends and the options available to 

manufacturers. 

Option one: Steer clear of sugar 

Perhaps the easiest option for 

consumers is to simply switch to 

water. This is in fact becoming a 

more and more popular choice, as 

shown by the latest Canadean 

forecasts, which state that global 

packaged water consumption will 

overtake carbonates this year for 

the first time in documented 

history. In this sector, the trend for 

functional and sensory added 

value is obvious: between January 

2014 and January 2015, fortified 

water containing added healthy 

ingredients grew by 71%, and 

flavoured still water rose by 17%, 

according to IRI figures. 2 

Option two: Use moderate 

amounts of sugar 

Reducing sugar in beverages 

is challenging for product 

developers because apart from its 

sweetening properties, sugar 

contributes to a full taste profile 

and good mouthfeel by adding 

body. So removing sugar also 

removes these desirable 

attributes. 

According to a presentation given 

at the Sugar Reduction Summit 

2014 in London, manufacturers 

can dramatically reduce the sugar 

content of their products by 

applying technologies that use 

sugar differently. These include 

reducing the sugar particle size, 

recrystallising dissolved sugar and 

using sugar-coated calcium 

carbonate particles. Speaking at 

the summit, 

Leatherhead Food 

Research’s Dr 

Wayne Morley 

explained that smaller sugar 

particles have bigger surface 

areas, so they deliver greater 

sweetness, gram for gram, than 

standard sugar. It is also possible 

to cut the sugar content of 

products by dissolving sucrose in 

solvents such as alcohol then 

recrystallising it and creating fine, 

web-like threads of sugar that 

augment taste and texture. Sugar 

can also be recrystallised to create 

an extremely thin coating on 

calcium carbonate particles. 3 

Processors just have to decide 

which technologies are appropriate 

for them. 

Option three: Substitute sugar 

with natural sweeteners 

Blends of sugars, high intensity 

sweeteners, fibres or sugar 

alcohols with lower calories are 

established alternatives to sugar, 

but with increasing consumer 

desire for natural ingredients, 

demand for natural sweeteners is 

rising. 


ingredients 

43 

When it comes to natural 

sweetening solutions, the major 

focus is still on Stevia. Although it 

has to be declared with an E 

number (E 960), it is at least 

derived from a natural source 

rather than a laboratory. According 

to Euromonitor, in the past two 

years, about 1,200 Steviasweetened 

products have been 

launched across Europe, with most 

drinks companies targeting a 30% 

sugar reduction. However, Stevia 

manufacturers claim that new 

formulations and blends allow for a 

50% reduction in sugar, with much 

less taste impact than was 

previously possible. 4 

Within food systems, Stevia is 

often associated with bitter and 

black liquorice off notes. One way 

around this is to hide its 

undesirable side – for example, 

with masking flavour technology, 

which can rebuild the mouthfeel 

and body that is often lost in 

reduced sugar beverages. 

The other natural sweetening 

solution worth looking at is the 

monk fruit or Luo Han Guo, which, 

according to Innova Market 

Insights, had the highest growth 

rate of 378% for soft drink 

launches in the first half of 2012 to 

2013. The fruit’s intense 

sweetness comes from naturally 

occurring constituents called 

mogrosides, and reported ratings 

vary from 100 to 300 times the 

sweetness level of sugar. In the 

last year, newly launched products 

containing monk fruit have 

included protein shakes and 

lemonade in the USA, instant tea 

in Vietnam and juice drinks in 

Canada, according to Mintel’s 

Global New Products Database. 5 

However, so far monk fruit has not 

been approved for use in Europe. 

Option four: Forget the concerns 

and enjoy sugar 

It has to be stated that the 

beverage industry has already 

responded to the concerns about 

sugar. In the last three years, an 

8.3% reduction in sugar has been 

achieved across the soft drinks 

category, 6 showing that voluntary 

steps taken by the industry are 

having an impact. It is also the 

case that even though caloriereduced 

versions are increasingly 

being requested, there is still a 

place for full-sugar drinks. They 

have their legitimation and do not 

necessarily cause any problems – 

provided that consumers are more 

accountable for what they eat 

overall. In the end, it’s the amount 

of calories consumed that counts. 

It should be remembered that it is 

not the high sugar content of 

processed foods alone that is 

driving obesity and diet-related 

illnesses: the lack of food diversity 

seems to be the real killer of our 

gut flora. 7 Thus, continuous 

consumer education – beginning in 

children’s nurseries and schools – 

is what’s needed to instil the 

benefits of an enjoyable yet 

consciously considered diet. 

Powdered, granulated, syrupbased: 

there are many forms of 

sugar that can be used in 

beverage applications. But these 

days, there are also flexible, 

multitasking alternatives: naturally 

sweet, high intensity, bitter notemasking 

or mouthfeel-improving. In 

all cases, drinks manufacturers 

who want to capitalise on the 

alternative-to-sugar trend can trust 

Prospector ® , a free-of-charge 

global search engine and fullservice 

database for raw materials 

and food ingredients. Prospector ® 

accelerates the time between 

concept development and product 

launch as it simplifies ingredients 

procurement significantly. In total, 

the database contains details of 

more than 70,000 ingredients from 

some 1,500 suppliers, and is 

constantly growing. For the trends 

discussed here, Prospector ® 

provides more than 2,400 

sweetener ingredients, more than 

250 stevia ingredients and 17 (and 

counting) monk fruit options. 

The platform, which is available in 

several languages, connects 

suppliers and manufacturers 

rapidly and provides a base for 

successful product development. 

With diverse user needs in mind, 

the search options are designed to 

be flexible. Besides being able to 

search key words by application 

category (eg sweetener), visitors 

can also perform searches by 

specific supplier, application type 

(eg soft drinks), ingredient (e.g. 

monk fruit) and combine these 

searches. 

The Prospector ® search engine is 

accessible online or via mobile app, 

and each ingredient is backed up 

by technical datasheets, safety 

information, certification details 

and starter formulations, making it 

easy to find the right ingredient for 

each application when aiming for 

sugar-free claims. As an added 

plus, these documents are linked 

to relevant supplier personnel to 

facilitate direct contact for sample 

requests and other enquiries. n 

1 An Pan and Fran B. Hu: Effects of carbohydrates on satiety: differences between liquid and solid food. Current 

Opinion in Clinical Nutrition Metabolic Care 14, 4 (2011), p. 385-390. 

2 http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Ingredients/Sports-drinks-and-juice-hit-by-anti-sugar-campaign 

3 http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Ingredients/How-food-firms-should-cut-sugar 

3 http://www.foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/Stevia-boosts-reduced-sugar-drinks-category 

4 http://knowledge.ulprospector.com/355/4-beverage-market-trends-drink-now/ 

5 British Soft Drinks Association, Press Release of 14 May 2015: Calories in soft drinks down by over 7 % 

6 http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Lack-of-diversity-in-processed-foods-may-be-causing-obesity-andcancer 

Jill Frank 

Certified Food Scientist and 

Food Industry Expert 

UL 

www.ulprospector.com 


44 

ingredients 

Improved yields and cleaner labels for poultry 

products with rice starch 

The market for poultry products continues to rise in Europe and producers are increasingly turning 

to alternative starches. Rice in particular is proving popular due to its clean label credentials and 

ability to increase yields and maintain profit margins. Olivier Chevalier, Business Development 

Manager Meat Applications from BENEO discusses how poultry product manufacturers can make 

the most of improved taste and texture profiles as well as higher yields by using rice starch. 

Meeting demand for higher 

quality whilst maintaining 

margins 

With challenging profit margins 

and increasing demand for clean 

label and higher quality products, 

poultry product manufacturers and 

powder blenders for the meat 

industry are looking at ways to 

maintain yields and margins, 

without having a negative impact 

on the end product. This might 

seem like an impossible feat, but 

following extensive trials by the 

BENEO-Technology Center on 

BENEO’s rice starch (Remyline 

AX-DR), the results show that this 

is now possible. 

What is driving poultry product 

popularity? 

Since 2012, new product launches 

of poultry products in Europe have 

risen from 879 to 1,365, an 

increase of 55.3%. 1 Globally, 

poultry meat consumption is 

growing more than in any other 

sector and by 2021 it is expected 

to overtake pork as the most 

widely eaten meat. 2 This 

significant rise in the popularity of 

poultry products also comes at a 

time when, according to Jeremy 

Garlick, partner at Insight Traction: 

“Online and convenience store 

shopping is growing at the 

expense of bigger supermarkets, 

but these channels are less 

profitable, meaning less profit to 

share in the supply chain. At the 

same time, discounters have re-set 

consumer expectation of value for 

money. Again, squeezing profit for 

the industry.” 3 

Consumers are also changing 

allegiance in their poultry 

purchasing behaviour, with an 

increasing emphasis on products 

that contain no additives or 

preservatives and are 

low/no/reduced allergen. 

According to recent data from 

Mintel, 4 new product launches 

within Europe have reflected this 

growing trend, with more than 10% 

of new poultry product launches 

carrying a ‘no 

additives/preservatives’ health 

claim and more than 12% carrying 

a ‘low/no/reduced allergen’ claim. 

Using BENEO’s Remyline AX-DR 

rice starch in the injection and/or 

tumbling of poultry, the results 

have shown that its use delivers 

clean label benefits (unlike 

carrageenan that carries an E- 

number). In comparison to other 

starches or carrageenan rice 

starch it also has a better yield, 

leading to higher profits and 

provides superior organoleptic 

qualities. 

Looking good 

Rice starch has the smallest 

granule size (2-8µm) in the starch 

family, meaning excellent 

dispersion in meat muscle, with no 

lumping. When rice starch such as 

Remyline AX-DR is injected into 

poultry, or added during tumbling, 

the brine that contains the starch 

disperses evenly throughout the 


ingredients 

45 

meat, creating a natural, fibrous 

structure and taste. Unlike larger 

granule sized starches such as 

potato starch and carrageenan, 

this even dispersal ensures that no 

gel pockets or ‘tiger stripes’ are 

visible in the end product. 

In phosphate-free systems using rice starch can increase the total yield up to 7 

percentage points. 

Due to the exceptional water 

binding properties of rice starch, 

the addition of Remyline AX-DR to 

meat applications also ensures 

that the end product has improved 

juiciness and improved 

tenderness, compared to products 

using alternative starches. Also, 

being pure white, rice starch 

ensures that poultry in particular 

has a clean look, with no pinking. 

Impressive yields also in 

phosphate-free products 

Sampling tests by the BENEO- 

Technology Center using Remyline 

AX-DR rice starch show that rice 

starch improves yields in both 

phosphate and phosphate-free 

products. The tests of phosphatefree 

products were carried out on 

rice and potato starches. The 

results demonstrated that using 

rice starch delivered a resultant 

yield that was 7 percentage points 

higher than the control sample and 

up to 2 percentage points greater 

than the sample containing potato 

starch. 

Total yield in phosphates-free 

systems: 

Easy to use 

Using BENEO’s Remyline AX-DR 

does not require any adaptation in 

the production process. Injection 

pressure, as well as other relevant 

parameters, remains the same. 

The rice starch is either dispersed 

into the brine or it can be added, 

as a powder, into the tumbler. 

Unlike other stabilisers, rice starch 

does not increase the viscosity of 

the brine. In addition, due to the 

small granular size of rice starch, 

injector filters and needles are free 

from the risk of clogging due to 

lumps and the brine is stable with 

very low sedimentation. 

Long lasting benefits 

Due to the structure of 

amylopectin and its ratio to 

amylose in rice starch, the use of 

BENEO Remyline AX-DR in meat 

applications, such as poultry, 

ensures that there is very low 

retrogradation, enabling water 

retention to be maintained after 

the poultry has been packed. This 

not only means that there is no 

unsightly water release 

(syneresis) in the packaging for 

consumers, compared to products 

containing potato starch or 

carrageenan, but that the product 

remains moister for the duration of 

its shelf life. During tests, the 

1 Source: Mintel GNPD, Poultry Products, Europe-ASPAC-NAM, Jan 2012 - Dec 2014 

2 Source: Chris Dickinson from the National Farmers Union at The Agricultural and Horticultural Development 

Board Outlook Conference in London, February 2015. 

3 Source: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, 24th February 2015, ‘Riding the Waves’, 

http://www.ahdb.org.uk/news/blog.aspx 

4 Source: Mintel GNPD, Poultry Products, Europe-ASPAC-NAM, Jan 2012 - Dec 2014 

Rice starch can increase the yield in systems that contain phosphate by up to 18 

percentage points 

BENEO-Technology Center was 

able to demonstrate the technical 

benefit of using Remyline AX-DR 

to reduce syneresis. 

Consumers today know what they 

want: tasty, appealing, natural, and 

affordable chicken products. 

Meeting their expectations, as well 

as improving yield in an economical 

way is a tall order, but is now 

possible with functional rice 

starches such BENEO’s Remyline 

AX-DR. Thanks to the research of 

the BENEO-Technology Center, 

poultry product manufacturers can 

now see the benefits of rice starch 

in delivering products with cleaner 

labels, improved taste and texture 

profiles as well as increased yields, 

economically, on existing 

processing equipment. n 

Olivier Chevalier 

Business Development Manager 

Meat Applications 

BENEO 

www.beneo.com 


46 

ingredients 

Fitness from within: 

Nature-identical hydroxytyrosol 

Fresh fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, a serving of walnuts every day and, most importantly, olive 

oil. People who regularly put these foods on their menu are following what is known as the 

Mediterranean diet – and making very healthy eating choices. What makes this a healthy diet is 

that these foods contain plant secondary metabolites, a category of substances that includes 

hydroxytyrosol. This antioxidant is much sought after as an active agent, and WACKER can now 

produce a nature-identical version of it via a new, patented synthesis route. The process improves 

purity with no unwanted by products, while keeping the content of the active agent at a defined 

level – opening up entirely new possibilities for manufacturers of nutritional supplements and 

cosmetics. 

Healthy and fit with the 

Meditteranean diet 

Thinly sliced carrots combined with 

layers of bell peppers and 

tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil 

and grated Parmesan – while 

certainly delicious, a colourful 

vegetable carpaccio like this also 

serves up a course of important 

vitamins, minerals and fibre. The 

fact that eating an abundance of 

fruits and vegetables keeps mind 

and body in good shape is fairly 

well known, as is the promise of 

longevity that the Mediterranean 

diet offers. A large number of 

studies have put Southern 

European eating habits under the 

microscope and investigated 

physical health within these 

populations. What they have 

concluded is that the 

Mediterranean diet has a positive 

effect on our bodies – an effect 

due to the compounds these foods 

contain. Nutrition experts have 

been paying particularly close 

attention to the plant secondary 

metabolites in bell peppers, olives 

and the like, owing to the health 

benefits of these chemicals. 

Examples of what these ‘natural 

wonders’ are supposed to do 

include protecting against 

cardiovascular diseases, diabetes 

and Alzheimer’s, strengthening 

immune system response, and 

inhibiting inflammatory processes. 

Background Information on Hydroxytyrosol: 

A compound found in olives and olive leaves, hydroxytyrosol is a plant 

secondary metabolite – a phenol to be precise. Phenols and 

polyphenols are aromatic compounds present as bioactive substances 

in plants, where they produce colour or flavour, or act as an antioxidant. 

Their considerable antioxidant power makes them interesting for the 

food and cosmetics industries: as free-radical scavengers, antioxidants 

prevent oxidative stress, which is associated with a number of diseases 

and signs of ageing. 

Antioxidants are present in many plants, but not all of these exhibit the 

same levels of activity – this is why hydroxytyrosol is considered so 

important: olive oil polyphenols, which include hydroxytyrosol, are said 

to contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress – a 

factor often linked to human aging and many diseases, including 

cancers or cardiovascular diseases. 

Hydroxytyrosol: a powerful 

antioxidant 

Plant secondary metabolites – 

polyphenols, to be precise – 

include hydroxytyrosol, a 

compound that is among the most 

powerful antioxidants, protecting 

human cells from harmful oxygen 

radicals. Olives and olive leaves 

are the most common naturally 

occurring source of this substance. 

“There are already a few suppliers 

out there who obtain this active 

agent via extraction,” explains Dr. 

Sebastian Schuck, senior manager 

for business development at 

WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS, “and 

they sell it to manufacturers of 

nutritional supplements and 

cosmetics who use it in their 

product formulations.” Their olive 

extract, however, is a blend of a 

wide range of polyphenols rather 

than pure hydroxytyrosol. Olive 

harvests are also subject to 

seasonal fluctuation, which affects 

more than just the composition of 

the product ingredients – it also 

has an impact on the price of 

these valuable extracts. 

Chemical synthesis 

Nevertheless, demand for this 

health superstar is on the rise, 

which gave WACKER experts an 

idea: “We follow trends on the 

nutritional-supplement market 

very closely, of course. That’s 

what got us to thinking about 

developing a synthesis route for 

making hydroxytyrosol – a method 

that could supply the market with 


ingredients 

47 

this coveted active in large enough 

amounts and at high levels of 

purity,” Schuck recalls. No sooner 

said than done. Within just a year 

and a half, WACKER researchers 

had managed to prepare a natureidentical 

hydroxytyrosol – a feat 

that included selecting the most 

suitable synthesis route, scaling up 

the process and ultimately 

submitting a successful patent 

application. That these chemists 

were able to develop a route in 

such a short period of time was 

primarily due to the enormous 

treasure trove of experience that 

has been gained over a great many 

decades in the laboratories at the 

main plant in Burghausen. And 

thanks to the new multistage 

synthesis method, the company 

now has a cost-effective process 

for manufacturing a highly pure 

form of the active. Another 

advantage is that the route is 

based on commercially available 

raw materials and practical 

process conditions, ensuring that 

the compound can be produced on 

a large scale 

Consistent, high quality 

“Plus, we don’t end up with a 

mixture of natural substances any 

more – now we can directly 

produce metric tons of the 

molecule we want, without having 

to rely on harvests. Our 

hydroxytyrosol meets a precise set 

of specifications, and the quality is 

consistent and exceptionally high,” 

Schuck is pleased to report. And 

that opens up the possibility of 

other applications: the active is 

highly concentrated, making it 

suitable, for instance, as a 

nutritional supplement in more 

compact forms, such as tablets 

and capsules. In addition, 

WACKER also hopes that natureidentical 

hydroxytyrosol – 

marketed under the name 

HTEssence ® – will be more widely 

accepted among food 

manufacturers. “Cost pressures 

are especially high in that 

industry – and HTEssence ® means 

we can offer these manufacturers 

a cost-effective, high-quality 

alternative,” Schuck points out. 

The food industry is the most 

important market for WACKER 

BIOSOLUTIONS, constituting 61% 

of the division’s sales. Experts 

estimate global sales of food 

supplements to be around US$96 

billion, a figure that rises to 

US$112 billion when functional 

foods are taken into account. It is 

a promising market – and it is 

precisely the market that 

WACKER’s new, nature-identical 

hydroxytyrosol is intended to serve 

and, in so doing, expand the 

company’s functional ingredients 

business. 

Hydroxytyrosol protects cells 

from free radicals 

Its unusually powerful antioxidant 

properties are what make 

hydroxytyrosol such an interesting 

plant secondary metabolite for use 

in foods and cosmetics. The 

compound is exceptionally good at 

capturing free radicals, which can 

damage our cells. At 45,000 

micromol Trolox equivalents 1 per 

gram, the oxygen radical 

absorbance capacity of 

hydroxytyrosol is nearly ten times 

that of green tea and over twice as 

high as that of coenzyme Q10. As 

Schuck notes, “That means that 

hydroxytyrosol protects human 

cells and blood lipids from 

oxidative stress – a key factor 

influencing the development of 

cardiovascular diseases.” 

Also attributed to this active 

substance is the ability to 

strengthen immune system 

response, lower blood pressure, 

inhibit inflammatory processes, 

and exert a positive effect on the 

bones and joints – interesting 

properties that could be put to use 

in nutritional supplements or 

applications in sports nutrition, 

such as power bars or functional 

beverages. 

WACKER anticipates approval for 

HTEssence ® by the end of the 

year. The company has already 

sent out samples of the product to 

a few customers for research and 

development purposes – and initial 

feedback on nature-identical 

hydroxytyrosol has put Schuck and 

his team in a very good mood. n 

Wacker Chemie AG 

www.wacker.com 

1. Trolox is a water-soluble vitamin E derivative with a pronounced antioxidant effect, prompting its use as a 

reference substance for determining the antioxidant capacity of a sample. 


48 

processing & packaging 

The GEA PowerPak family: Thermoformers at 

the heart of automated end-of-line solutions 

GEA Food Processing and Packaging has evolved the GEA PowerPak into a comprehensive family 

of horizontal form-, fill- and seal thermoformers to cater for needs ranging from flexible small 

businesses to very high-volume producers. The machines have a long and respected tradition in 

both food and non-food applications, although today’s focus is on raw- and processed meat and 

poultry products, cheese, bakery products, sea food, fish, salads, fruits, snacks and confectionery. 

Non-food applications include surgical supplies, technical goods and other products where a costeffective 

formed and sealed package is required. 

GEA 

PowerPak 

thermoformer 

suits nearly 

every specific 

packaging 

requirement 

Integrated solutions 

As a supplier of far more than 

thermoformers, GEA helps 

customers build integrated end-ofline 

solutions with machines that 

are linked via a common interface. 

This level of compatibility 

simplifies initial integration, line reconfiguration 

and line future 

extension. The GEA own range 

comprises pre-scanners, loaders, 

slicers, weighers, labellers, 

printers, line convergers and 

quality control systems that can be 

seamlessly connected and 

controlled from a single touchscreen 

panel on the thermoformer, 

meaning fewer personnel on the 

line, a complete overview and 

faster changeover (switching 

programs). Having a single 

supplier for major line equipment 

also simplifies logistics, service 

and stocking of spare parts as well 

as clearly defining responsibilities. 

The GEA PowerPak family 

The GEA PowerPak is easily 

configured to suit specific 

packaging requirements, including 

air, vacuum, MAP, shrink, top-form, 

skin, steam-flush and zipper – all 

on the same machine if necessary. 

Even unique cardboard/plastic 

combinations are possible. The 

modular machine frame and 

standardised components simplify 

conversion from one package size 

or format to another, and 

changeover involves just a few 

steps. The wide range of sizes and 

capacities mean machines can be 

specified to meet customers’ 

specific application requirements, 

ranging from compact and flexible 

for handling many different 

products to a speed-optimised 

thermoformer that uses timesaving 

techniques to achieve 

amazing throughput with one type 

of product. Compatibility between 

machines and the availability of 

options and add-ons protect the 

investment in a thermoformer as it 

can be upgraded if required. 

A long life and uninterrupted 

performance 

All GEA thermoformers are 

ruggedly constructed to safeguard 

package quality and achieve up to 

99% machine technical availability 

– even in harsh production 

environments like the fish 

processing industry. High-quality 

materials, high-performance drive 

technology from premium 

manufacturers and proven German 

engineering ensure consistent seal 

quality. To oversee that packages 

are correctly filled and sealed, the 

process parameters (such as 

heating temperature, compressed 

air, cooling water, vacuum and 

process times) are monitored and 

logged. Options include 

continuous oxygen measuring, 

adjustable sealing- and forming 

pressure, and label- and legibility 

detection. There is also a choice of 

heating, forming and cutting 

systems, plus optional product 

detection with faulty pack ejection. 

Innovative membrane sealing 

A highly efficient membrane 

sealing system is one of the 

innovations that make GEA 

PowerPaks so reliable. Unlike 

thermoformers with sealing tools 

that use cylinders or pressure 

hoses, which are not only 

vulnerable to leaks that result in 

reject packs but are also subject 

to wear, GEA’s maintenance-free, 

low-wear membrane sealing 

technology produces a 

permanently tight seal. It is a 

gentle sealing process that builds 

up contact pressure evenly for 

100% seal performance with no 


processing & packaging 49 

rejects or returns. It also delivers 

reliable peel opening even with 

large-format tools with many 

subdivisions. 

Hygiene and safety 

Hygiene is critical for food 

packaging so the GEA PowerPak 

is built using a sanitary open frame 

design with easy-to-clean smooth 

surfaces, no cavities, inclined 

panels, hinged sides, bearings that 

don’t require greasing and a 

special cleaning mode for tooling 

and transport chains. Operator 

safety also features highly in the 

design priorities and the GEA 

PowerPak complies with the 

provisions of relevant Machinery 

Directives and is certificated by 

the German Employer’s Liability 

Insurance Association. State-ofthe-art 

RFID-based technology is 

used to safeguard personnel. 

Integrated control 

Controls are ideally suited to 

operate the machine as standalone 

or fully integrate it into a line 

or factory network. The GEA Endof-line 

control system also controls 

printing, labelling, line converging 

and other functions from a single 

point. The control system uses 

intuitive pictograms, the user 

interface language can be changed 

and alarms are displayed in plain 

text. The personalized user 

interface is configurable to allow 

each operator to see only relevant 

information, while (optional) RFID 

tags control individual access 

levels to virtually eliminate human 

error. 

Printing and labelling 

Printing and labelling solutions are 

important add-ons for packaging 

machines. In addition to the 

economic benefits of printing 

labels on the thermoformer, there 

is also a growing need to meet 

legal and commercial requirements 

regarding production and 

traceability data, dietary 

information and 2D and 3D 

barcodes. GEA offers integrated 

cross-web and in-line labelling 

solutions for pre-printed labels and 

integrated printers (for example, 

inkjet and thermo-transfer) for 

creating ‘product identification on 

demand’ labels on the machine. 

The printers are sourced from 

leading global OEMs, and are fully 

integrated into the thermoformers 

and control software. 

In line and correctly oriented 

To further complement the GEA 

PowerPaks at the end-of-line, GEA 

also produces line convergers to 

cater for all production speeds. 

They are positioned after the 

thermoformer’s cutting station 

and are synchronised with the 

packaging machine and cutting 

knives to ensure the optimum gap 

between packs at all times. The 

range starts with the GEA 

EasyGuide converger, an 

intelligent outfeed system that 

dispatches packs in a single line 

with even spacing. It handles up to 

six tracks at up to 70 packs per 

minute (ppm) and can handle 

multi-format packs. Its advanced 

features include automatic jam 

detection, self-centering belts and 

powered adjustable converging 

rails to ensure packs arrive in line 

and in the correct orientation. 

Fully automatic line converging 

Next up is the fully automatic GEA 

PowerGuide multi-indexing 

converging system that converges 

from up to six tracks to one at up 

2. Cross web 

labeller with no 

downtime 

function 

2a. The two 

photos 

underneath the 

labeller show 

the: Special 

pressing 

device that 

guarantees 

optimal 

placement 

accuracy even 

on uneven 

surfaces 

3. Applying 

very small 

spot labels 


50 


4. GEA 

PowerGuide 

lane converger, 

an outfeed 

system that 

handles up to 

six tracks at up 

to 100 packs 

per minute 

6. Checkweigher 

with 

built-in metal 

detection – 

GEA Easy- 

Check 

to 

100ppm. As a 

fully automatic 

system, it calculates the 

maximum pack spacing for the 

available cycle time. This modular 

converger has separate drive 

motors for the interfacer-, indexand 

outfeed conveyors, making it 

easy to set up for different track 

configurations. Moving up another 

step in performance, the GEA 

PowerGuideSpeed converges up 

to six tracks to one at up to 

160ppm with a single-lane outfeed 

and up to 250ppm with a doublelane 

outfeed. Comprising an 

interfacer conveyor that replaces 

the outfeed conveyor on the 

thermoformer, an index drive bed, 

a high-speed index section and a 

modular outfeed conveyor, the 

GEA PowerGuideSpeed is flexible 

for various track configurations. 

Line converging when speed 

really matters 

The GEA PowerPick is the latest 

line converger for applications 

where innovative product handling 

is required to achieve the highest 

production output rates. This 

model can be fully synchronised 

with and controlled by the fastest 

GEA PowerPak 

configuration to 

match the high 

throughput of 

this top 

performer. Its 

advanced features 

include selectable oneor 

two lane outfeed, 

identification and expulsion of 

empty packs and packs without 

a label, optional single pack 

discharge and an optional 

quality assurance system for 

individual pack traceability. 

Total inspection system 

Another end-of-line 

enhancement is the GEA 

EasyCheck by Bizerba, a compact 

check weigher with built-in metal 

detection that contributes to 

seamless production flow. 

Developed with BIZERBA GmbH, 

a global leader in weighing 

technologies for trade and 

industry and a specialist in 

industrial metal detecting and 

labelling, it is a total inspection 

system that filters out products 

with metal or incorrect weights 

and is compliant with HACCP, IFS, 

BRC and other processes. The 

system is integrated into GEA End 

of Line control, making it 

unnecessary to deal with 

individual machines on the 

production line. This saves time, 

money and labour, and reduces 

human error to a minimum. It is 

available in combination with 

GEA’s lane convergers described 

above. 

A commitment to development 

and sustainability 

Research and development into 

packaging 

machines is 

carried out 

in-house, so 

there is 

considerable 

expertise 

on-hand. 

5. GEA PowerPick for highest 

production output rates 

The GEA Food Processing and 

Packaging plant in Wallau 

(Germany), where the 

thermoformers are developed and 

manufactured, has led the industry 

for many decades. The plant’s 

state-of-the-art Technology Center 

is available for helping customers 

evaluate new machines, materials 

and formats as well as testing 

innovative new packaging 

techniques and configurations. 

Although traditional plastic-based 

films are still widely used for 

packaging applications, 

sustainable packaging materials 

are gaining acceptance as the 

cost-performance ratio of these 

materials improves. GEA works 

closely with suppliers of these biomaterials 

as well as with 

customers who wish to adopt the 

films to ensure the thermoformers 

perform as required. As a global 

organisation with application 

support, service and sales in all 

regions and an innovation-driven 

approach to product development, 

GEA helps food processors move 

from ideas and concepts to 

market-ready food products. n 

GEA 

www.gea.com/global/en/products/ 

GEA-PowerPak.jsp 



SPX cavitation technology for 

dairy powder processing 

Bent Oestergaard, Director Global Marketing Food & Beverage at SPX Flow Technology reports 

how the latest hydrodynamic cavitation technology enables enhanced efficiency in the processing 

of nutritional dairy powders. This latest technology ensures highly efficient scale-free heating, 

spray drying, powder hydration and functionalisation and effective emulsification and gas 

dispersion. 

Figure 1: APV Cavitator 

The APV Cavitator has multiple applications including 

scale free heating, dispersion, hydration and emulsification; 

viscosity reduction and protein functionalization, etc. 

Figure 2: High protein yoghurt sports drinks 

The Cavtation technology can help producers converting 

WPC into a high value natural dairy ingredient for healthy 

and delicious whey or milk/whey drinks from sweet or 

lactic whey. 

With the rising global demand for 

high quality milk and whey based 

powder ingredients for a wide 

range of applications across dairy, 

food and beverage industries 

nutritional dairy powders are a 

quickly growing segment. 

Market trends are being driven by 

many factors including a growing 

youth population, increased 

spending power in emerging 

markets, and the dairy nutrition 

crossover into the high-growth 

nutritional beverage market. 

There is an increasing demand 

from consumers for more 

nutritional products that are 

natural, functional, healthy, tasty 

and convenient, which is leading to 

expanding application 

requirements. Combined with 

highly competitive marketplaces 

and environmental pressures, new 

and innovative processing 

technologies are needed. 

SPX Technology for nutritional 

dairy powder processing 

SPX is a leading provider of 

innovative process equipment for 

the production of infant formulas, 

milk derivative powder from SMP 

and WMP to more advanced MPC 

categories. Furthermore, we are 

also involved in supplying 

equipment for the processing of 

whey derivative powder from whey 

powders to high grade WPC or 

WPI and permeate powder and 

various grades of lactose. Our 

food technologists are constantly 

focusing on new ways to support 

customers with the modern 

challenges they are facing. SPX’s 

solution portfolio includes all 

process line equipment from milk 

and whey intake through liquid 

membrane and thermal processing 

to evaporation and drying, and 

may also include partnerships with 

powder handling providers. 

Supported by leading Innovation 

Centres, SPX has proven ability in 

helping customers develop and 

produce a wide range of high 

quality and safe nutritional dairy 

concentrates and powder 

products. 

Hydrodynamic cavitation 

technology 

Hydrodynamic cavitation 

technology uses a rotor with 

precisely machined cavities 

spinning in a liquid chamber that 

generates controlled cavitation. 

The process generates and 

collapses bubbles due to the 

decrease and then increase in 

pressure produced. As the bubbles 

collapse, a very powerful energy 

wave (shockwave) is released into 

the surrounding liquid. This 

cavitation shockwave creates a 

very efficient, microscopic mixing 

effect and the rotor/liquid friction 


52 


Figure 3: Microparticulation based on CaviMaster technology 

Microparticulation is a thermal and mechanical process to denature WPC 

and form ideal micro particles (1-1.5µ) for natural functional dairy ingredients 

generates controllable, scale-free 

heating. 

The APV Cavitator, shown in 

Figure 1, has multiple applications 

including pre-treatment and 

structural conditioning of milk and 

whey to enhance process 

efficiency, powder hydration and 

functionalization, scale free 

heating, emulsification and gas 

dispersion. The applications are 

represented in Table 1 and two of 

these applications will be further 

reviewed here. 

Viscosity reduction & structural 

conditioning 

Particle size distribution of functionalised WPC 

Figure 4. – Viscosity reduction of WPC 80 by controlled hydrodynamic 

cavitation 

A viscosity reduction of milk/whey concentrates enables an increase in the 

solid levels during spray drying and other key processes, thereby, significantly 

reducing the operational cost.. 

Viscosity and other factors like the 

microstructural condition in whey 

and milk and other food products/ 

concentrates sets the limit for 

solids levels and efficiency in 

performance of spray drying, as 

well as other core processing 

applications such as membrane 

filtration, thermal treatment and 

evaporation. 

The Cavitator has proven its 

excellence in combined viscosity 

reduction and microstructural 

conditioning. The viscosity 

reduction (temporarily) enables an 

increase in the solid levels during 

the spray drying and other key 

processes, thereby, significantly 

reducing the operational cost and 

improving sustainability. 

About SPX 

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SPX Corporation (NYSE: SPW) is a 

global, multi-industry manufacturing leader with approximately $5 billion 

in annual revenue, operations in more than 35 countries and over 14,000 

employees. The company's highly-specialised, engineered products and 

technologies are concentrated in Flow Technology and energy 

infrastructure. Many of SPX's innovative solutions are playing a role in 

helping to meet rising global demand for electricity and processed foods 

and beverages, particularly in emerging markets. The company's 

products include food processing systems for the food and beverage 

industry, critical Flow components for oil and gas processing, power 

transformers for utility companies, and cooling systems for power 

plants. 

Fig. 4 shows a viscosity reduction 

of 20% in WPC 80 and even with a 

very high viscosity caseinate 

product, the Cavitator has 

demonstrated its capability in 

increasing the solids level by more 

than 15% prior to drying. The 

particle structure, size and 

distribution of the solid 

components also affect the drying 

efficiency and performance and 

the Cavitator has also proven its 

excellence in de-agglomeration 

and formation of smaller and 

homogenous particles size and 

distribution. Gas injection is known 

to have a positive impact on the 

drying performance and the 

Cavitator has demonstrated a very 

efficient gas dispersion in eg 



KEY APPLICATIONS KEY PROCESS/PRODUCT BENEFITS 

Scale-free heating Thermal processing of WPC and other sensible 

products without fouling for enhanced run time 

and reduced operation cost. 

Viscosity reduction & 

structural conditioning 

Powder Mixing and 

Hydration 

Protein (WPC) 

functionalisation 

Dispersion & 

emulsification 

Intensive gas 

dispersion and 

liquid contact 

coffee extract with a positive 

effect on the drying performance 

and functional properties of the 

end product. 

Microparticulation & 

functionalisation of WPC and WPI 

grades 

The well-known APV LeanCreme 

technology for Microparticulation 

of WPC provides functional 

ingredients for low fat cheese, 

yoghurt, ice cream and nutritional 

beverage and other food products. 

Fig 2 shows a high quality 

nutritional dairy beverage based 

on microparticulated WPC. 

Enhanced processing efficiency and drying 

perfor-mance of milk and whey based 

concentrates for increased solids and capacity 

and reduced OpEx. 

Fast dissolving of dairy powder ingredients and 

gums at decreased temperature and increased 

solids. 

Microparticulation of WPC to enhance 

functional properties in low fat and or 

protein-enriched nutritional products. 

Improved emulsion quality with small and narrow 

particle distribution possibly in combination with 

homogenisation. 

Very fine gas distribution and high gas/liquid 

mass transfere rate for enhanced process 

performance, functionality, stability and quality. 

Table 1: Applications and benefits of APV Cavitator technology 

Hydrodynamic cavitation offers multiple application opportunities based on highly 

efficient breakthrough microscopic mixing and scale free heating technology 

Compared to the Lean Cream 

System the multi-purpose 

CaviMaster technology enables 

higher denaturation temperature 

and very long run time without 

fouling. It produces very narrow 

particle sizes of 1–1,5 micron (Fig 

3) ideal for many products. 

The CaviMaster can improve 

existing processes and end 

products as well as facilitate 

innovation and production of new 

added-value dairy, food and 

beverage products with low fat 

and high nutritional whey proteins. 

Sweet whey and lactic acid whey 

or ideal whey from milk 

fractionation, can be used. The 

whey source and products can be 

based on liquid WPC before spray 

drying or recombined powder 

WPC/WPI of various grades. 

Summary 

SPX continues to research and 

develop solutions that deliver clear 

customer benefits enhancing 

productivity, production flexibility, 

efficiency and sustainability. It has 

a detailed understanding of 

nutritional dairy powder 

applications, food safety and 

hygiene requirements. 

Controlled hydrodynamic 

cavitation offers many benefits 

and versatility in the growing 

yoghurt market space. The scale 

free heating it provides is ideal for 

use with high fouling products and 

can increase running time and 

reduce required CIP cycles. It 

provides excellent microscopic 

mixing and dispersion with 

efficient hydration, emulsification 

and gas dispersion. The viscosity 

reduction and concentrate 

conditioning significantly impact 

the process efficiency in spray 

drying and also in membrane, 

thermal and evaporation 

processing. Overall, this 

technology offers real potential to 

reduce operational costs and 

provide higher end product 

quality.n 

Bent Oestergaard 

Director Global Marketing 

Food & Beverage 

SPX FLOW, Inc. 

www.spxflow.com 

REPRINTS 

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING REPRINTS OF YOUR 

ARTICLE TO HAND OUT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS/ PROSPECTS 

please contact: john@foodmagazine.eu.com 

IT’S A LOT LESS EXPENSIVE THAN YOU THINK! 


54 


Curbing food waste 

Packaging to help manage a global challenge 

With rising global populations, food security is an increasingly important concern. Fears of food 

shortages are a constant threat in certain parts of the world, and these threats are expected to 

grow. Policymakers agree food insecurity poses a threat not only to human welfare but also to 

global peace. To help combat this threat, it’s time to take a close look at food waste and at 

strategies to mitigate the problem. 

There is a tremendous amount of 

food that is wasted on this planet. 

According to the United Nations’ 

Food and Agriculture Organization 

(FAO), 1.3 billion tons of food is 

wasted annually, 1 or more than 

350 pounds of food for every 

person on the planet. With the 

many ways in which food is lost or 

discarded – from harvest through 

to consumption – it is unsurprising 

that food spoilage and waste are 

considered significant 

sustainability concerns. With the 

world celebrating Earth Day on 

April 22, this article will examine 

the various points across the 

production and consumption cycle 

where waste occurs, and outline 

several processing and packaging 

technologies that can go a long 

way to reducing the problem. 

The value chain of food loss 

At every point along the process 

of food harvesting, production, and 

ultimately consumption, food 

waste is an ever-present factor. 

Fruit, for example, is often 

discarded if it becomes bruised 

during picking or threshing. 

Farmers often leave crops behind 

in fields due to a lack of proper 

mechanical means of harvesting, 

or if commodity prices drop 

sharply and eliminate profit 

margins. During handling and 

storage, food items are prone to 

being eaten by pests, and they are 

also subject to degradation by 

disease or fungus. 

Food can also be inadvertently 

wasted during processing and 

packaging. Unspoiled fruit or 

grains are every so often 

inaccurately marked as ‘not 

suitable’ in production lots and 

discarded unnecessarily. And 

during the processing chain there 

is the inevitable loss of product 

that is spilled whenever it is 

moved and transferred. 

The reasons for food 

waste vary both at the 

retail and consumer 

levels and include 

in-store ‘two for one’ 

promotions, particularly 

for food items with 

short shelf lives 

After food products do arrive at 

retail outlets, there is a percentage 

that is spilled, dropped or 

damaged in the store environment. 

Some expires – and then 

discarded – before it can be 

purchased. Finally, even after 

foods are purchased and taken 

home, there is waste that occurs 

when consumers throw out 

unwanted food because they 

prepared too much or dislike the 

taste, or if it spoils because it is 

forgotten or not stored properly. 

Regional variations 

A country’s economic status can 

be an indicator of where in the 

value chain food waste is more 

prevalent. According to the FAO, 

more than 40% of food waste in 

mature economies takes place at 

points of distribution and beyond, 

including the time food items 

spend on retail shelves and with 

consumers. By contrast, in 

emerging economies more than 

40% of food waste takes place 

earlier in the value chain, during 

harvesting, production, handling 

and storage. 2 

In the United States, 40% to 50% 

of food waste comes from 

consumers, and 50% to 60% 

comes from businesses, according 

to the EPA. 3 The reasons for food 

waste vary both at the retail and 

consumer levels and include instore 

‘two for one’ promotions, 

particularly for food items with 

short shelf lives. Retailers often 

discard food prior to its ‘sell by’ 

date, or for cosmetic reasons. 

Consumer attitudes and 

behaviours regarding food tell 

much of the story. In societies 

where food is accessible and 

relatively inexpensive, it’s easy to 

purchase or cook larger food 

portions than necessary. 

Additionally, leftovers that are not 

properly stored can spoil more 

easily and be discarded. 

Families in the US throw away 

14% of the food they purchase, 

which is roughly US$600 per year 

per household, or US$46 billion in 

total. In the United Kingdom, the 



government’s Waste & Resources 

Action Program (WRAP) estimates 

that one-third of all food sold ends 

up as waste, even though as much 

as 50% of this food is still edible. 4 

In emerging economies, most food 

waste is due to infrastructural and 

technological limitations in 

production and handling. Farmers 

often do not have access to robust 

harvesting technologies. Statistics 

highlight how these limitations can 

have a significant impact on food 

waste. In India and Sub-Saharan 

Africa, between 35% and 50% of 

fruits and vegetables are wasted 

annually. Between 25% and 50% of 

grain is wasted in Eastern Europe, 

and as much as 80% of rice 

harvests in Asia are wasted. 5 

Inadequate storage is another 

challenge for emerging economies 

that result in food waste. 

Approximately 21 million tons of 

wheat in India and 3.2 million tons 

of wheat in Pakistan are lost due 

to poorly engineered storage 

facilities. 6 

Technologies to mitigate waste 

Several new technologies 

developed for use in food 

production and storage are helping 

to reduce the problem of food 

waste. One example is Rapid 

Freezing, which uses electroconductive 

packaging film to 

accelerate cooling and reduce the 

size of ice crystals formed upon 

freezing. Developed by a Japanese 

consortium comprised of Mutsumi 

Chemical Industry Co., SUN 

Electric Co. and Enshu-Kasei Co., 

this process extends the shelf-life 

and improves the quality of frozen 

foods like fish that are sensitive to 

tissue damage from large ice 

crystals. 

Vacuum packs such as 

FreshCase ® by Curwood 

represent another 

technology that is used to 

prevent costly items such as 

meats from spoiling. Sodium 

nitrate is used on film that 

comes into contact with meat to 

preserve the bright red colour and 

help prevent it from being 

Vintage is the new 

‘chique’: Crown 

refreshes 

century-old tea 

brand look 

CROWN Aerosols and 

Specialty Packaging Europe 

has recently unveiled the 

newly designed tea caddy tin 

for the prestigious Bettys 

brand. 

Inspired by Bettys’ famous Café Tea Rooms, 

the intricate metal container manufactured by Crown 

in Mansfield, UK is a testament to the brand’s heritage and its 

premium teas. Designed by Yorkshire artist Emily Sutton, the 

collectable tin depicts quirky 20th century illustrations of ladies having 

tea and of families, friends and lovers enjoying Bettys delights, set 

against a soft matt black finish that gives the container a unique, 

vintage look and feel. Embellished patterns and designs influenced by 

the Yorkshire surroundings and a golden satin lid add to the elegance 

of the tin, hinting at the unique flavor of the teas inside and 

underlining the quality associated with the iconic British brand. 

The caddy contains a box of 80 bags of a rich, fragrant tea blend that 

is served daily in the six Café Tea Rooms found across the Yorkshire 

countryside. The metal container conveys the style of the first Bettys 

tea room opened in 1919 by the Swiss baker and confectioner 

Frederick Belmont, who came to England to further develop his craft. 

A distinguished and instantly recognizable presence on the retail 

shelves, the tin makes for an original gift and the ideal souvenir for 

English tea lovers around the world, who are looking to preserve fond 

memories of their Bettys experience. 

Metal is the best packaging material to emulate the vintage style of 

the design which makes Bettys such a well-known English brand. 

Made of a 100% recyclable material, this premium container can also 

be re-filled or used around the 

home for storage or display long 

after the tea has been 

consumed. 


56 


unnecessarily wasted, as 

consumers might otherwise 

mistakenly think it was not fresh. 

An example of another new 

technology is the ‘timer label’ 

developed by UWI Technology, an 

Edinburgh, Scotland-based smart 

labelling company. This unique 

label, placed on a container, 

indicates how long a food product 

has been opened and therefore 

when it may no longer be safe to 

consume. The technology is 

designed to help reduce the 

amount of perishable foods that 

are discarded unnecessarily. 7 

Packaging to reduce waste 

Food manufacturers and 

consumers who are looking to 

reduce the amount of food that is 

wasted also have packaging 

choices that can reduce the loss 

that occurs. Among the numerous 

formats available to 

manufacturers, metal packaging 

offers one of the most effective 

means of reducing food waste on a 

global scale. 

More than most other formats, 

metal cans preserve their food 

contents and offer a long shelf life, 

significantly reducing the risk of 

food spoiling before it is 

consumed. During packaging, food 

is cooked in the can to destroy 

bacteria and other organisms that 

can cause botulism or other types 

of food poisoning. As a 

hermetically-sealed environment, a 

metal can protects foods from 

pathogens, light, oxygen and 

humidity. It keeps fruit and 

vegetables as fresh as the day 

they were packaged. This is 

especially critical in markets with a 

less well-developed infrastructure. 

In hot and humid climates, 

transporting food products on 

poorly maintained roads can lead 

to a high level of product loss. 

Metal packaging solves this 

problem. 

The can’s airtight seal is also 

tamper resistant, reassuring 

consumers that the food is safe 

and of good quality. In fact, the 

food can has an unprecedented 

safety record. According to the 

FDA, “There has not been a single 

occurrence of a food-borne illness 

resulting from a failure of metal 

packaging in more than 35 years.” 8 

Metal packaging also 

comes in unique 

shapes and varying 

sizes, allowing 

consumers to portion 

food appropriately, 

reducing the potential 

for throwing away 

unwanted excess food 

Metal is also logistically 

convenient, and it scores points 

for being sustainable and energyefficient. 

Metal cans can be 

stacked easily and stored without 

refrigeration in warehouses and 

shipping containers, and metal 

offers the greatest defense 

against bruising and spoiling. 

Metal is also 100% recyclable 

without any degradation in quality, 

so it can essentially be recycled 

indefinitely. In regions that lack 

1 Source: United Nations Environment Program, http://unep.org/wed/docs/WRI-UNEP-Reducing-Food- 

Loss-and-Waste.pdf 

2 Source: Gustavsson, J. et. al., "Global food losses and food waste - Extent, causes and prevention," Food 

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, 2011. 

http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf 

3 Source: "To end food waste, change needs to begin at home," Food for Thought blog, National Public Radio, 

Nov. 17, 2014. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/11/17/364172105/to-end-food-waste-changeneeds-to-begin-at-home 

4 Source: M. Melikoglu et. al., "Analysing global food waste problem: pinpointing the facts and estimating 

the energy content," Central European Journal of Engineering (Vol. 3:2), June 2013, pp. 157-164. 

http://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s13531-012-0058-5#page-1 

5 Source: T. Fox, "Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not," Institution of Mechanical Engineers, no date. 

http://www.ifama.org/files/Tim%20FoxR.pdf 

6 Source: T. Fox, "Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not," Institution of Mechanical Engineers, no date. 

http://www.ifama.org/files/Tim%20FoxR.pdf 

7 Source: UWI Technology http://www.uwitechnology.com/sectors/food-manufacturing 

8 Source: Can Manufacturers Institute http://www.cancentral.com/sites/cancentral.com/files/public-documents/cmi-food-safety-doc-2012.pdf 

9 Source: M.K. Muth et. al., "Consumer-level food loss estimates and their use in the ERS loss-adjusted food 

availability data," U.S. Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin # 1927, Jan. 2011. 

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/134674/tb1927.pdf 

resources, metal’s inherent 

sustainability makes it a more 

affordable and practical packaging 

option. 

Metal packaging also comes in 

unique shapes and varying sizes, 

allowing consumers to portion 

food appropriately, reducing the 

potential for throwing away 

unwanted excess food. Currently, 

more than 1,500 types of foods 

are packaged in metal cans. 

A quick look at some food 

preservation statistics highlights 

the benefits of metal packaging in 

reducing food waste. According to 

the US Department of 

Agriculture, 9 consumers lose only 

7% of canned sweet corn, but they 

lose 32% and 36% of fresh and 

frozen corn respectively. Similarly, 

for peaches, consumers lose an 

average of 42% of fresh peaches 

and 35% of frozen, but only 8% of 

canned peaches. 

Global awareness of food waste 

and its potentially disastrous 

consequences is growing. As 

manufacturers and consumers, 

and even policymakers focus their 

efforts at reducing the potential 

for food insecurity on a global 

scale, some technological 

solutions to the problem already 

exist. Leveraging these 

technologies will help make a 

difference. n 

Dr. Daniel Abramowicz 

Executive VP Technology & Regulatory 

Affairs 

Crown Holdings, Inc. 

www.crowncork.com 


analysis & control 57 

What do microbiology test results mean? 

It is generally recognised that no measurement is perfect due to uncertainties arising from many 

factors. This is even more complex in microbiology due the particulate nature of bacteria and their 

ability to reproduce by binary fission. This results in localised pockets of higher concentrations of 

bacteria where each individual represents a unique variable entity. 

Consequently, there is an uneven 

distribution of microbes even in 

well-mixed samples, which creates 

problems not only for test methods 

but also sampling in order to get a 

meaningful result for the batch or 

consignment. The working group 

of the International Laboratory 

Accreditation Cooperation states 

it is virtually impossible to know 

the exact microbial concentration 

in any sample, natural or artificial’. 

The vagaries of microbial 

measurement are often 

conveniently forgotten resulting in 

unreasonable expectations of both 

laboratories and the methods 

deployed. So what do 

microbiological test results 

actually mean? What can we 

expect and does it apply equally to 

both product and environmental 

samples? 

Food products are generally well 

controlled and manufactured to a 

consistency where microbial 

specifications are established. 

Conversely, there are no agreed 

standards for microbes for 

environmental surface samples 

that are less controlled and more 

variable. Each facility is expected 

to do ‘the best it can’ for 

monitoring cleaning processes due 

the uniqueness of each 

manufacturing facility. Most food 

manufacturers strive for high 

hygienic standards to protect their 

products, consumers and brands. 

Some sources of variation and 

considerations 

The unit of measurement for the 

enumeration of microbes is a 

colony forming unit (CFU) derived 

from plate count methods. This 

technique has remained largely 

unchanged since the pioneering 

days of Pasteur and Koch in the 

19th century. It is defined as ‘a 

rough estimate of the number of 

viable bacteria or fungal cells in a 

sample’ because it relies on the 

false assumption that each colony 

is derived from a single bacterium. 

Microbes exist as clumps or chains 

and are often difficult to separate 

into single cells. Hence, there is a 

large natural variation in CFU 

results from plate counts, 

particularly if single replicate 

samples are used and single tests 

are conducted. 

There are several steps in this 

method where additional variation 

can arise. To obtain the optimum 

number of colonies for counting 

(30 – 300), dilutions of the sample 

have to be prepared. Since the 

distribution of microbes in the 

sample is not uniform, each series 

may produce different numbers of 

CFUs. More variation occurs if 

there are fewer than 30 colonies 

per plate. The normal expected 

variation from plate counts is 

typically 0.2 – 0.5 Log units, hence 

for a target 1000cfu (Log 3.0) this 

means the actual result can be 

anywhere between 300 – 3000 and 

still be correct. 

Variation 

Such variation is well known and 

regularly examined among 

accredited testing laboratories. 

Under the Proficiency Testing (PT) 

scheme laboratories using 

standard methods are provided 

with several replicates of stable, 

homogenous samples. These are 

examined by the participants and 

are expected to show a 10 fold (1 

Log) variation in results between 

laboratories. Sometimes this 

variation is exceeded by >2 Logs 

for plate counts such as coliform 

and Enterobacteriaceae. 

Mathematical models can be 

applied to gauge the quality or 

confidence of the results. 

Measurement Uncertainty is used 

to calculate the dispersion of the 

values attributed to a measured 

quantity. The uncertainty reflects 

the doubt in the result of the 

measurement. In the case of a 

standard method for TVC in milk 

this has been calculated as 39.6% 

ie the ‘true value’ of the obtained 

result (within 95% confidence 

limits) can be expected in a range 

±39.6% of the result. This means 

that the actual value is not known 

for certain, and for a sample 

expected to contain 10,000cfu the 

value lies somewhere within the 

range 6000 to 14000cfu on 95% of 

occasions but can also be outside 

this range 5% of the time. 

Microbial stress and survival also 

affect test results. In dry, nutrient 

poor environments microbial 

viability declines rapidly in a 

matter of hours such that there is 

a large variation in observed 

contamination levels. The 

literature shows examples of total 

counts

58 

analysis & control 

Figure 1: Comparison of MicroSnap Total with traditional 

plate counts 

Figure 2: Detection of low level Enterobacteriaceae using 

MicroSnap EB 

with hugely variable residual 

contamination levels. Inoculating 

surfaces with a suspension 

containing 1 million bacteria can 

give a final residual contamination 

of 10–100 bacteria with 100–500 

fold variation between five 

replicates from the same inoculum. 

Resuspending and recovering 

contaminants from the surface 

swab into a diluent prior to testing 

also introduces another source of 

variation. Therefore, great care 

needs to be exercised when 

assessing the results of 

environmental tests and also when 

comparing methods for the 

assessment of environmental 

contamination. 

Accordingly, the enumeration of 

microbes in environmental samples 

yields little meaningful information. 

A qualitative approach is more 

appropriate. General guidelines 

have been suggested by some 

authors and auditors, e.g. 

acceptable ≤80 CFU/cm 2 and 

unacceptable ≥1000 CFU/cm 2 . 

Trend analysis is more suitable and 

gives better management 

information about risks and 

emerging problems. The benefits 

of regular testing, preferably with 

a simple method giving rapid 

results for prompt corrective 

actions, are well established. 

Alternative rapid method; 

MicroSnap 

MicroSnap is a simple two-step 

test procedure with a total time to 

result of 7 hours and 15 seconds. 

The sample can be a surface swab, 

a 1ml liquid sample or a food 

suspension that is mixed with a 

proprietary enrichment broth in an 

all-in-one device. After incubation 

for 7 hours at 37°C a 0.1ml aliquot 

is transferred (using the device 

itself) to a specific end detection 

device. Using a rapid 

bioluminescence method for 

measurement together with the 

EnSURE luminometer results are 

available in 15 seconds. 

MicroSnap is formulated in 

different ways to measure a 

variety of bacteria. The test 

devices are currently available for 

Total Counts, Enterobacteriaceae, 

coliforms and E. coli. 

The output of MicroSnap is 

directly related to inoculum size, ie 

the greater the number of bacteria 

the shorter the time to detection. 

Typical results for Total and 

Enterobacteriaceae (figures 1 and 

2) show excellent agreement and a 

high coefficient of correlation 

(>0.90) when compared with 

traditional plate counts. The 

dynamic range of the single test 

device is 10–10,000 bacteria per 

ml (or swab), thus negating the 

need for serial dilutions saving 

labour, materials and time. 

Conversely, a shorter detection 

time can be set according to the 

desired specification. For example, 

100 Enterobacteriaceae can be 

detected in 5 hours. 

MicroSnap’s major advantage is 

that all viable bacteria collected 

on the swab are cultured and 

detected within the system. This 

permits maximum recovery and 

minimal losses. A study of 300 

surface samples showed an 89% 

agreement with the traditional 

plate count methods for both Total 

Counts and Enterobacteriaceae 

and the limit of detection was 

calculated as 50 – 100 CFU per 

swab (10 x 10 cm), or ~1 

CFU/cm 2 . In a small proportion of 

cases (7%) the results did not 

match. Samples were positive 

when tested with MicroSnap and 

negative when tested with 

traditional methods. In contrast, 

4% of samples were detected 

positive with traditional methods 

and negative with MicroSnap. This 

suggests that MicroSnap was 

better at recovering samples than 

the traditional method. 

In summary, the results of 

microbiological methods are 

naturally very variable and must 

be interpreted with care and 

recognition of limitations. 

Pragmatism and practical solutions 

are required to establish 

‘reasonable expectations’ for the 

results from microbiological 

methods. 

Results from environmental 

samples are subject to even 

greater variation. Therefore, 

qualitative measurements and 

trend analysis provide the most 

meaningful information. MicroSnap 

can offer a simple, rapid and cost 

effective alternative to traditional 

Martin Easter 

Hygiena International Limited 

www.hygiena.com 


60 


How to produce safe and quality assured 

snack foods 

Global snack sales totalled US$374 billion annually ending March 2014 – an increase of 2% yearon-year.¹ 

That's because more of us are snacking today than ever before and we're snacking more 

frequently too. In fact, it's estimated that, on average, 24% of our daily calorie intake comes from 

snacks. With nearly one in four calories consumed outside a meal, the snack is no longer just a 

treat, it's become a fourth meal.² 

As public scrutiny of food 

manufacturers continues to 

escalate and consumers 

increasingly turn to social media to 

voice complaints,³ snack 

processors have become more 

reliant on food inspection 

equipment to protect consumers 

and reduce the risk of branddamaging 

product recalls in order 

to stay ahead of their rivals. 

However, many snack applications 

can prove challenging for 

traditional product inspection 

equipment. 

Why are snacks such a challenge 

to inspect? 

The unique challenges 

manufacturers face when striving 

to produce safe and qualityassured 

snacks can be 

summarised as follows: 

Variety of potential contaminants 

Often snacks contain a wide 

variety of ingredients that are all 

open to different types of 

contaminants. Fruits, vegetables 

and nuts may be contaminated 

with stones or a piece of wire from 

the farm, while dairy products can 

be subject to metal or plastics 

from processing. 

High salt content of products 

Many snacks, such as nuts and 

potato chips, contain high doses of 

salt and are conductive. When 

they pass through a metal 

detector, they can create a 

disturbance of the detection field, 

triggering false rejects. Product 

temperature and moisture 

content can also affect a 

metal detector's 

detection sensitivity. 

Metal packaging 

Metalized film 

and foil are 

used to 

package various 

snacks, including 

energy bars and 

chocolate. 

Inspecting these products 

using metal detectors can lead to 

reductions in the level of 

achievable sensitivity. In some 

cases, if the metalized film is 

especially thick, it's preferable to 

inspect products before packing. 

Variations in product density 

Many snacks, such as bags of trail 

mix and granola bars, contain high 

variations in density because of 

the multitude of ingredients. 

Finding physical contaminants in 

these products can prove 

challenging for traditional x-ray 

inspection systems as the varying 

densities create 'busy' x-ray 

images. 

Contaminants similar to product 

Colour and hand sorting are 

frequently used to remove rocks 

and other visual defects from 

loose flow bulk snacks foods, such 

as almonds, but neither method is 

entirely accurate as stones are 

similar in shape and colour to the 

product. Visual inspection 

methods are also limited to the top 

layer, which means anything that 

can’t be seen, won't be identified 

or removed. 

Quality assurance 

Proper portioning and seal 

integrity are another two major 

concerns for snack manufacturers. 

Individual bars and boxes with 

multiple bars can be underweight, 

overweight, deformed or broken. 

Additionally, during the sealing 

process, bits of food can get 

trapped in product seals, creating 



a faulty seal and causing food 

spoilage. To overcome such issues, 

manufacturers have traditionally 

installed a range of inspection 

equipment on their production 

lines, including checkweighers, 

metal detectors and vision 

systems. 

Which technology is the ideal 

contaminant detection solution: 

metal detection vs. x-ray 

inspection? 

Different snacks and packaging 

types require different product 

inspection solutions and selecting 

the right system is crucial to 

guarantee maximum detection 

sensitivity and high throughput. 

In many cases, there's only one 

suitable solution (metal detection 

or x-ray inspection) and in many 

others, either technology could be 

used. Occasions also exist where it 

may be necessary to install both 

technologies at different Critical 

Control Points (CCPs) on the 

same line. 

Metal detection 

For cost-effectiveness, metal 

detectors usually offer the best 

solution when looking to detect 

ferrous and non-ferrous metal, 

stainless steel and aluminium 

contaminants. A metal detection 

search head also takes up less 

space than an x-ray inspection 

system. This means that for 

applications where installation 

space is limited and metal is the 

only likely contaminant, a metal 

detector may be the best option. 

X-ray inspection 

X-ray inspection systems are just 

as adept as metal detectors at 

finding metal and provide 

unrivalled detection of nonmetallic 

contaminants too, 

including glass, mineral stone, 

calcified bone and high-density 

plastics. 

In addition, the latest x-ray 

inspection equipment is 

simultaneously capable of 

performing additional quality 

assurance checks such as 

measuring mass, checking fill 

levels, and detecting missing and 

damaged products, as well as 

identifying seasoning 

agglomerates such as flavour or 

powder lumps. 

Unlike with traditional inspection 

systems, the accuracy of x-ray 

food inspection equipment isn't 

affected by freeze/thaw 

conditions, moisture or salinity, 

and metal packaging has no effect 

on sensitivity of detection. 

Dual energy x-ray technology 

Standard x-ray systems are 

incapable of detecting flat glass or 

low-density plastics, rubber, 

stones and rocks in most foods, 

and finding physical contaminants 

in products with complex density 

levels can also prove challenging. 

However, Material Discrimination 

X-ray (MDX) uses dual energy to 

discriminate materials by 

their atomic number and 

not on density alone to 

enhance traditional x- 

ray inspection and 

enable the detection 

of those historicallyundetectable 

inorganic 

contaminants 

(eg stones, 

calcified bone, 

flat glass) in 

multiple-textured 

products. 

MDX also allows 

snack manufacturers to inspect 

products in corrugated card 

encasements and fold-out 

cardboard sandwich packaging 

that plague traditional x-ray 

inspection tools, and is especially 

valuable for inspecting snacks 

with high-density variations, such 

as cereals, nuts and confectionery. 

Quality optimisation with 

one machine 

Advanced x-ray food inspection 

equipment is capable of providing 

safety and quality assurance at 

every stage of production for 

unpackaged and packaged snack 

applications, and eliminates the 

need for multiple inspection 

machines on one line by 

performing the following quality 

checks: 

Fill level 

Modern x-ray inspection systems 

allow manufacturers to set 

maximum and minimum fill levels 

and will reject products that fall 

outside these pre-set parameters. 

Fill levels can also be adjusted by 

adding an optional feedback to the 

filling machine, which is 

particularly beneficial for staged 

products, such as cans of crisps. 

Filler feedback control can reduce 

product giveaway and customer 

complaints by assuring the 

customer receives exactly what 

they expect every time. 

Component counts 

X-ray inspection equipment is 

simultaneously capable of 

detecting missing, deformed or 

broken snacks. Market-leading x- 

ray food inspection systems can 

look inside final sealed packaging 

to check that all components are 

present, for example that the right 

number of cereal bars are inside 

each box. By counting cookies and 

crackers that can’t be seen or 

counted by cameras or human 

eyesight, systems can help to 

reduce customer complaints. 

Seal integrity 

The integrity of airtight seals is 

vital to the quality control of food 

produce. X-ray machines are 

capable of preventing food 

spoilage by identifying 

obstructions in packaging seals. 


62 


Ensuring seal integrity is an 

important step in the prevention 

of microbiological contamination 

and any resulting product recall 

this could cause. Seal integrity 

checks by x-ray inspection 

machines can help prevent 

customers rejecting a spoiled 

product or sticky packaging. 

Mass measurement 

X-ray food inspection systems can 

help snack manufacturers exert 

better quality control by measuring 

overall and zoned mass. Mass 

measurement is particularly 

effective on high-speed lines 

where traditional in-line weighing 

systems may not be practical or 

offer the same level of accuracy. 

It’s also useful when space 

limitations mean manufacturers 

can’t accommodate separate 

machines and need all checks to 

be simultaneously carried out – in 

one machine. For products in 

defined compartments, x-ray 

inspection systems are available 

that can provide results for 

individual zones. 

Unlike checkweighers, which can 

only measure the total weight of a 

box of snack bars, x-ray inspection 

equipment can measure the weight 

of a box of snack bars and the 

weight of each individual snack bar 

inside the box. 

Ever-increasing regulations 

Following a number of highly- 

publicized food safety scandals in 

recent years, global safety 

regulations are increasingly farreaching 

and more stringent. 

Examples include the Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA), which 

aims to ensure the US food supply 

is safe by shifting the focus from 

responding to contamination to 

preventing it, and China's 

revamped food safety law, which 

came into effect in October 2015, 

and imposes criminal liability for 

unsafe food. 

On top of this, snack 

manufacturers in the US face 

increasing pressure to achieve 

Safe Quality Food (SQF) 

compliance. Market-leading x-ray 

food inspection systems can help 

manufacturers meet the rigorous 

requirements necessary to achieve 

SQF certification with features like 

validation mode for unique login 

credentials and XML files for data 

storage that support 

manufacturers' audit processes. 

Product inspection equipment can 

also help manufacturers comply 

with Hazard Analysis and Critical 

Control Points (HACCP) 

principles, as well as achieve 

certification to the following 

Global Food Safety Initiative 

(GFSI)-recognized schemes: 

n The British Retail Consortium's 

REFERENCES 

¹http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/ar/docs/Nielsen%20Global%20Snacking%20Report%2 

0September%202014.pdf 

²http://blogs.einstein.yu.edu/snacking-the-fourth-meal/ 

³http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/may/21/customer-complaints-social-media-rise 

(BRC) Global Standard for 

Food Safety 

n International Featured 

Standard (IFS) 

n ISO 22000:2005. 

Furthermore, systems can assist 

manufacturers in complying with 

national food safety regulations 

and retailers' own codes of 

practice. 

Data is king: traceability and 

reports 

The ability to swiftly identify and 

isolate unsafe food is crucial to 

ensure snack safety and avoid 

product recalls. 

The latest x-ray inspection 

equipment makes product 

traceability effortless by recording 

valuable production data and 

machine status information, and 

enabling quick and easy access 

to it. 

Market-leading x-ray systems 

store images of all rejected packs, 

which are date and time stamped 

with the product name and can be 

taken off the x-ray machine and 

stored on a manufacturer's 

computer in chronological order. 

These offer excellent traceability 

on any complaints or returns as 

the production times/codes can be 

immediately cross-referenced. 

By recording large amounts of 

useful information, x-ray machines 

can also help to identify trends and 

instigate preventive action to 

reduce the occurrence of 

contamination. 

What’s more, in the event of a 

legal claim, x-ray food inspection 

equipment can help manufacturers 

provide a due diligence defence by 

demonstrating that they took all 

reasonable, practicable steps 

throughout the manufacturing 

process to avoid a breach of food 

safety regulations. n 

Christy Draus 

Marketing Manager 

Eagle Product Inspection 

www.eaglepi.com 



Extending meat and poultry shelf life: 

Choosing the most effective solution 

The demand for processed meat is steadily increasing across the world. Driven primarily by the 

ever growing global population, higher disposable incomes and the trend towards high-protein 

diets, the processed meat market is expected to be valued at nearly US$800bn by 2018. 1 

The industry is now faced with a 

much larger, more international 

and increasingly complex value 

chain with higher stakes and risks. 

There are not only more parties 

involved in the meat sector, but 

globalisation has also 

increased the time it takes 

the finished product to 

reach the consumer, 

whose demands 

and requirements 

are also changing. 

Driven by a need 

for convenience, 

consumers are looking for 

ready-to-eat products that they 

can easily fit into their busy 

lifestyles. More than two 

thirds of consumers say they 

look at the use by/best before 

date when purchasing meat. 1 As a 

result, practical and affordable 

solutions to extend shelf life are 

more in demand than ever before. 

Shelf life – a complex issue 

Shelf life is generally defined as 

the period in which a product 

remains safe and suitable for 

consumption. This means that it 

has not deteriorated in quality or 

spoiled in any way that the 

consumer would find 

unacceptable. 2 A wide range of 

factors influence the shelf life of 

processed meat. Once produced, 

several chemical-physical and 

microbiological processes will 

impact the meat quality over time, 

and in some cases microorganisms 

like pathogens can cause the meat 

to become unsafe for human 

consumption. Although meat 

Artificial food additives, 

such as nitrites and 

benzoates, can be used 

to preserve meat 

thanks to their 

antimicrobial effect 

quality is highly subjective, there 

are a number of factors on which 

both consumers and the meat 

processing industry agree. These 

include tenderness, juiciness, 

appearance (colour), fat and 

protein content, drip and cooking 

loss and the absence of offodours. 

Controlling and extending shelf life 

is a complex task of managing a 

variety of intrinsic and extrinsic 

factors. Intrinsic factors refer to 

the characteristics of the meat 

itself, such as the quality of the 

product, its formulation, oxygen 

availability and composition, 

whereas extrinsic factors are those 

that refer to the environment 

surrounding the meat and/or the 

way it is processed. Although 

there are several options available 

to assist with these challenges, 

each method comes with its own 

specific benefits, limitations and 

costs, making it difficult for many 

meat processors to find the 

optimum solution. 

Traditional ingredient solutions 

One of the most common options 

to preserve meat is the addition of 

salt. Via absorption, the salt draws 

out any moisture from the meat 

and creates an environment 

inhospitable to bacteria. The same 

is also true for sugar, which is 


64 


often added to food as an 

alternative to avoid the strong 

flavour inherent to salt. While 

these options are still widely used 

across the sector, the general 

consumer trend towards health 

and wellness means that many are 

limiting their salt and sugar 

intakes, which restricts the 

acceptance and appeal of meat 

that is preserved in this way. 

Artificial food additives, such as 

nitrites and benzoates, can be 

used to preserve meat thanks to 

their antimicrobial effect. Although 

highly effective, these ingredients 

are often perceived negatively, 

with many consumers now actively 

seeking out products that are ‘free 

from additives’. This year’s IFIC 

Food and Health study found that 

more consumers believe 

‘chemicals’ in foods are a bigger 

food safety concern than 

pathogens. 3 This trend plays a key 

role in influencing the choice of 

shelf life extension solutions some 

manufacturers are willing to 

consider. 

Traditional non-ingredient 

solutions 

Cooling is one of the most 

common ways of controlling shelf 

life, however, as supply chains 

grow increasingly complex and 

meat is stored and transported for 

days, refrigeration has become an 

expensive solution and is not 

always a possibility. 

Heating foods can also cut 

microbial populations, which 

increase rapidly during 

slaughtering, meat cutting and 

initial processing steps. However, 

depending on the length and 

temperature of the heat 

treatment, it can cause physicalchemical 

alterations in meat, resulting in 

undesired sensory alterations, 

such as a loss of flavour or 

texture. 

Packaging can be used to protect 

foodstuffs from contamination by 

dirt and micro-organisms. 

Modified atmosphere packing 

(MAP) or vacuum packing (VP), 

can extend shelf life by anything 

up to ten days, by preventing 

oxidation. While MAP and VP 

inhibit the growth of some aerobic 

spoilage microorganisms, others, 

like C. botulinum, may still 

be able to grow, risking 

the growth of harmful 

toxins, which are 

responsible for 

food poisoning. 

While the 

individual 

solutions 

outlined above 

can be quite 

effective in 

combating 

microbial 

growth, food 

processors are 

increasingly using a combination of 

controls, rather than relying on 

only one. Also known as the hurdle 

concept, this technique deploys a 

variety of measures, known as 

hurdles, which interact, sometimes 

synergistically, enabling 

use of lower intensities 

of each factor than 

would be necessary if 

one were used alone. 

A complex system 

to implement and 

manage, many 

manufacturers 

are looking for an 

easier solution to 

the ever growing 

shelf life 

conundrum. 

Novel 

technologies 

The last few 

years have also 

seen a number 

of alternative 

novel processing techniques 

emerge, which are based on 

conventional thermal processing 

techniques, but are less 

detrimental to quality. One of 

these is high pressure processing 

(HPP), a method of preserving and 

sterilizing food, in which a product 

is processed under very high 

pressure (between 300 and 600 

MPa) for several minutes. The high 

pressure inactivates certain 

microorganisms, such as spoilage 

bacteria and enzymes in the food 

that could lead to its degradation. 

Another technology that is rapidly 

gaining pace across the entire food 

industry is high intensity pulsed 

electric field (PEF) processing. 

PEF is a non-thermal method of 

food preservation that uses short 

(less than 1 second) electric 

pulses to inactivate harmful 

microorganisms. In terms of food 

quality, PEF technology is 

considered superior to traditional 

thermal processing methods 

because it avoids or greatly 

reduces detrimental changes in 

the sensory and physical 

properties of foods. 4 



Although these new processing 

technologies offer significant 

advances in terms of shelf life 

control – and in many cases are 

able to achieve this without 

negatively affecting the structure 

or quality of the meat product – 

they often require considerable 

investment. However, in a highly 

competitive market where costs 

and margins are under intense 

pressure, such an investment is 

rarely affordable for the majority 

of meat processors. Furthermore, 

surveys have also indicated that 

consumers are often skeptical 

about novel food technologies and 

prefer to keep food processing to 

a minimum and as simple as 

possible. 5 

Speciality ingredients 

Natural, non-sodium ingredients 

are a viable and cost-effective 

alternative to the options outlined 

above. Lactate solutions, such as 

those offered by Corbion Purac’s 

PURASAL ® and Opti.Form ® 

ranges, have a bacteriostatic 

effect on meat, inhibiting the 

growth of microorganisms and 

prolonging the dormant phase of 

bacterial growth. This is achieved 

by reducing water activity and 

lowering bacterial metabolism, 

lengthening shelf life by 50–100%. 

As well as preserving, lactates and 

lactate/acetate blends can also 

maximise the quality of meat 

products. They deliver the salty 

taste of processed meat, while 

allowing manufacturers to 

decrease sodium levels. In 

addition, they also enhance 

tenderness and juiciness, 

mimicking some of the functional 

benefits of using salt. As such, 

products formulated with 

ingredients like these exhibit 

increased sliceability 

characteristics by increasing 

breaking strength, cutting shear 

force, hardness and springiness. 

Extending shelf life 

the natural way 

Consumers expect meat products 

to be free from additives and many 

would be put off by seeing E 

numbers on the label. Corbion 

Purac’s label friendly ingredients 

are produced from natural raw 

materials such as cane and corn 

sugar, through natural 

fermentation. The Verdad ® range 

of label friendly ingredients 

improves overall quality including 

preventing bacterial growth. When 

blended with a source of acetic 

acid, such as vinegar, these natural 

ingredients act as highly effective 

barriers against the growth of 

pathogens such as Listeria. 

In addition to improving overall 

quality, including anti-microbial 

performance, the range also meets 

demand for decreased sodium 

content, while simultaneously 

improving the sensory profile of 

the meat. The addition of vinegar 

to fresh pork and poultry products 

can equally contribute to 

maintaining colour uniformity and 

reducing grey discoloration during 

shelf life. 

Conclusion 

The requirements for longer shelf 

life in meat products are 

multiplying, thanks to longer and 

more complex food supply chains. 

As a result, food is required to 

stay fresh for increasing amounts 

of time. Many of the traditional 

techniques and solutions for 

extending shelf life can be difficult 

to manage and do not align with 

modern consumer expectations. 

Ingredients from Corbion Purac 

offer label friendly and costeffective 

alternatives to control 

microbial spoilage, prolong shelf 

life and enhance the overall quality 

of meat, all while satisfying 

consumer demand for clean and 

healthy products. n 

1 “Processed Meat and Meat Processing Equipment Market”, MarketsandMarkets (October 2013) 

2 Consumer Market Study on the Functioning of the meat market for consumers in the European Union: GfK 

EU3C - EU Custom Research and Coordination Centre (December 2012) 

3 Food shelf life and its importance for consumers: The European Food Information Council (2013) 

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/artid/Food_shelf_life_and_its_importance_for_consumers/ 

4 “What’s Your Health Worth?,” International Food Information Council Foundation, May 2015 

5 Pulsed Electric Fields for Food Processing Technology: Maged E.A. Mohamed and Ayman H. Amer Eissa 

(2012) 

6 European citizen and consumer attitudes and preferences regarding beef and pork: Verbeke et al. (Meat 

Science 84 (2010) 284–292) 

Lonneke van Dijk 

Category Manager – Meat & Poultry 

Corbion Purac 

www.corbion.com 


66 

diary dates 

DIARY 

DATES 

foodeurope brings you up-to-date with major exhibitions, 

and the latest research, products and technologies on the 

marketplace today. 

Seafood Expo Global 

26–28 April 2016, Brussels 

http://www.seafoodexpo.com/ 

global/ 

Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing 

Global is the world’s largest seafood trade 

event, featuring more than 1,700 

exhibiting companies from over 70 

countries. Exhibitors supply all types of 

fish, seafood and seafood-related products 

or services. Attendees travel from 150 

countries to do business at the three-day 

event. 

Vitafoods Europe 

10–12 May 2016, Geneva 

www.vitafoods.eu.com 

Source ingredients and raw materials, 

services, equipment and finished products. 

Discover the best ingredient innovation, 

invention and scientific research. Find high 

quality service and equipment providers 

and take advantage of the leading 

suppliers of dietary supplements, 

functional food and functional beverages. 

At Vitafoods Europe you will find the most 

beneficial advice and expertise to respond 

to consumer demand and give your 

products competitive edge. 

EXPO PACK México 

17–20 May, Mexico City 

http://www.expopack.com.mx/2 

016/en/expopack 

EXPO PACK México, the leading 

packaging and processing technology 

event in Latin America, will bring together 

over 1,000 international exhibitors from 20 

countries, covering 204,500 net square 

feet (19,000 net square metres) of 

exhibition space. EXPO PACK México will 

give your company the opportunity to 

make direct contact with leading suppliers 

of processing and packaging technologies 

and solutions. 

ANUTEC BRAZIL 2016 

2–4 August, Brazil 

www.anutecbrazil.com 

Witness the latest technological 

developments and optimise your 

production cycle. International companies 

will be displaying their newest offerings to 

the food industry at ANUTEC – 

INTERNATIONAL FOODTEC BRAZIL. 

With an impressive premiere in August 

2014 ANUTEC – INTERNATIONAL 

FOODTEC BRAZIL became the new 

hotspot for the food processing and 

packaging industry. 

Supplyside West 

4–8 October, Las Vegas 

www.west.supplyside.show.com 

SupplySide West is all about the 

exploration, discovery, innovation and 

marketing strategy around the 

development of finished consumer goods 

that drive the global business economy. 

Our 19th Annual Expo & Conference was 

the largest to-date and attracted nearly 

14,000 participants from over 66 

countries. Attendees represented those 

from the dietary supplement, food, 

beverage, animal nutrition, personal care, 

cosmetic, pharmaceutical, packaging and 

sports nutrition marketplaces. 

Gulfood Manufacturing 

2016 

7–9 November, Dubai 

www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com 

Gulfood Manufacturing is the new home 

for ingredients, processing, packaging and 

food logistics providers who service the 

rapidly growing food and beverage 

production industries established in the 

Middle East, Africa, Far East and Sub- 

Continent. The event provides food 

manufacturers with the ingredients, 

equipment and business improvement 

tools that enable more efficient production 

and distribution. 

PackExpo Chicago 

6–9 November, Chicago 

http://www.packexpointernatio 

nal.com/ 

In 2016, PACK EXPO International will be 

the world’s largest processing and 

packaging event. Along with co-located 

Pharma EXPO, PACK EXPO International 

will bring together: 

n 50,000 attendees from 40+ vertical 

markets 

n 7,000 international buyers from 130+ 

countries 

n More than 2,300 exhibiting companies 

Hi Europe & Ni 

29 November–1 December, 

Frankfurt 

http://www.figlobal.com/hieuro 

pe/home 

In 2014, over 8,000 attendees took the 

opportunity to meet over 500+ suppliers 

of health & natural ingredients. They 

explored the latest product developments 

and innovations from the world’s leading 

ingredients suppliers and solution 

providers, including Cargill, Tate & Lyle, 

DuPont Nutrition & Health, Beneo, Barry 

Callebaut, DSM, Roquette, ADM, 

Fortitech, BASF, Döhler, Naturex, DMV 

and many others! In 2016, we will return to 

Frankfurt. 

Emballage 2016 

14–17 November, Paris 

http://www.all4pack.com/ 

EMBALLAGE > ALL4PACK Paris, the 

place to be for packaging professionals, 

has a unique and complete offering: 

process and packaging machines, primary 

materials, consumables and films, 

identification, traceability, marking, coding 

machines, secondary, tertiary and shipping 

machines, converting, printing packaging 

and labelling, packaging and containers 

(cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, wood). 


foodeurope 

INGREDIENTS PROCESSING & PACKAGING ANALYSIS 

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES IN EUROPE 

www.foodmagazine.eu.com 

Mechanical Data 

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Value Added Positions and Other 

Opportunities 

For details of value added positions, sponsorship 

opportunities, series bookings and 

reprints please contact John Fall. 

Acceptable Formats 

Please send all Advertisement Artwork 

Only to: zoe@foodmagazine.eu.com 

food europe magazine is produced entirely 

digitally. To ensure the correct reproduction 

of your advertisement please 

supply your digital files following the guidelines 

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foodeurope examines the food and beverage manufacturing industries in Europe. 

It is published four times a year and its aim is to ensure that readers have a source 

from which they can learn about new developments within key areas in the food 

and beverage manufacturing industries. It covers the latest technologies and hot 

issues within the following main sections: 

INGREDIENTS PROCESSING & PACKAGING ANALYSIS & CONTROL 

ISSUE 1 2016 

PUBLISHED: SPRING 

Special Feature: Seafood Expo Global Brussels, Vitafoods Geneva, 

PackExpo Mexico 

Ingredients 

n Colours and flavours: the natural way 

n Energy and sports nutrition 

n Sauces and dressings 

n Market trends 

n Confectionery and biscuits 

n Innovations in health 

n Fish on the menu 

Processing & Packaging 

n Frozen food processing 

n Automation in the plant 

n Coating technologies 

n Cost effectiveness production 

n Labelling technologies 

n Packaging with shelf life in mind 

n Liquid packaging technologies 

n Innovation in wrapping 

n Packaging with the consumer in mind 

n Powder mixing 

Analysis & Quality Control 

n Metal detection and food sorting 

n Food safety research 

n Research round-up 

n Laboratory analysis 

n Reducing food contamination 

www.foodmagazine.eu.com

Issue_4_2015

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