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ITALIANTECHNOLOGY

n. 69 - September 2012ISSN 1590-6515

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CONTENTS

5 - BISCUITS Physico-chemical and electronic

nose measurements on the study of biscuit baking kinetics

14 -FRUITS Shelf-life of minimally processed

blood oranges as affected by modi-fied atmosphere packaging

S. Romani - F. Balestra - A. Angioloni - P. Rocculi - M. Dalla Rosa

P. Rapisarda - C. Caggia - S.E. Bellomo - P. Pannuzzo - C. Restuccia - N. Timpanaro - C.M. Lanza

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Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september - 5

BISCUITS

ABSTRACTThe main physico-chemical modifications during the cooking process of laboratory-made biscuits were monitored at different cooking times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 min). Moisture content, surface colours and textures were measured. In addition the evolution of the flavour release was performed by means of an electronic nose equipped with 10 metal-oxide sensors. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to distinguish samples as a function of their physico-chemical characteristics. The electronic nose permitted differentiation between raw, under cooked, well-cooked and over cooked products. Similar and complementary information was obtained considering both electronic nose data and traditional physico-chemical cooking indexes. The obtained results showed that it could be feasible to monitor the changes in the biscuit’s aroma and cooking level directly during the process by using an electronic nose with a simplified gas sensor array, as well as allowing the optimization of the technological parameters.

INTRODUCTION

Biscuits are a popular food product, consumed by a wide range of peo-ple, due to their varied taste, long shelf-life and relatively low cost (Vi-tali et al., 2009).The main sequential operations in the production of plain, round bis-cuits are ingredient metering, dough mixing, dough sheeting, dough sheet relaxation, biscuit shape form-ing, baking, cooling and packag-ing. Each of the above mentioned

steps in the process is of equal im-portance in determining the final character of the biscuit (Cronin and Preis, 2000).Short doughs are characterised by their composition based upon three major ingredients: flour, sugar and fat. Physico-chemical changes oc-curring in biscuit dough during the baking stage are very complex and take place following specific ki-netics depending on heating con-ditions. The main transformations induced by cooking are water evap-

S. ROMANI* - F. BALESTRA - A. ANGIOLONI - P. ROCCULI - M. DALLA ROSAAlma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Department of Food Science,Campus od Food Science, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, FC, Italy*email: [email protected]

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND ELECTRONIC NOSE MEASUREMENTS ON THE STUDY OF BISCUIT BAKING KINETICS

Key wordsbiscuit, colour, cooking process, electronic nose, texture

6 - Italian Food & Beverage Technology - LXIX (2012) september

BISCUITS

oration, protein denaturation, starch gelatinisation/destruction, browning and surface colouration (principal-ly due to the Maillard reactions), dough expansion during the pro-duction and the thermal expansion of gas cells formed during mixing (Chevallier et al., 2000; Manley, 2001).In the baking process, the viscoe-lastic dough is transformed into a solid-like baked item. This pro-cess determines the biscuit’s final physical characteristics including dimensions (diameter and thick-ness), weight and moisture content (Cronin et al., 2000). During the cooking process a typical evolution in the aroma profile takes place. In particular in the initial stages heat-ing produces an increase in the vol-atility of the distinctive aromas of raw food, deriving from the ingredi-ents used in the formulation. There-after, cooking involves the genesis and release of new volatile com-pounds that are a consequence of chemical reactions occurring in the food matrix. Finally pirolysis reac-tions (i.e. Maillard and Strecker deg-radation) take place on the food’s surface with the formation of spe-cific volatile compounds (Ward et al., 2002). The biscuit’s initial aro-matic profile, due to the raw matrix composition, changes considerably becoming, at the end of cooking process, very complex in terms of the type and quantity of the numer-ous chemical substances. Consumers consider texture and re-lated flavour release as factors of primary importance in determin-ing the profile of dry bakery prod-ucts and assess texture by using a combinations of bites, particle de-

cay and sound evaluations together with flavour release in the mouth (Piazza et al., 2008).The complexity of most food aro-mas makes them difficult to char-acterize with conventional flavour analysis techniques such as gas chromatography or gas chroma-tography olfactometry (Peris and Escuder-Golabert, 2009).Food organoleptic features are usu-ally assessed by human sensory methods. The classical techniques of descriptive analysis, namely fla-vour profile, quantitative descrip-tive analysis and texture profile, are mainly useful for the sensory char-acterisation of food products. These sensory methods need a group of well-trained assessors and several established attributes in order to provide reliable results; require-ments that are time-consuming and, in some cases, could cause serious problems to some indus-tries and laboratories (Sinesio et al., 2000). Hence, an instrument such as the electronic nose (e-nose), with recognised high sensitivity and the ability to provide data closely linked to results obtained from hu-man sensory panels would be very useful for several specific applica-tions in food control.Because they are easy to build, cost-effective and as they provide analysis quickly, e-noses are be-coming more and more popular as objective automated non-destruc-tive techniques to characterize and/or monitor food flavours (Peris et al., 2009).Gardner and Bartlett (1994) de-fined the e-nose as “an instrument which comprises an array of elec-tronic chemical sensors with partial

specificity and an appropriate pat-tern recognition (PR) system capa-ble of recognizing simple or com-plex odours”.E-noses were proposed some years ago as a promising technology for odour detection and discrimination, and it has been successfully applied in different fields, such as food sci-ence, medicine or environmental pollution control.Relevant recent literature shows that there are five major categories of use for e-noses in food control. These are (i) process monitoring, (ii) shelf-life investigation, (iii) freshness evaluation, (iv) authenticity assess-ment and (v) other quality control studies (Peris et al., 2009).Detection of key aromas of bakery products during baking is of crucial importance at an industrial level with regard to the final food qual-ity. Previous works showed the pos-sibility of using an e-nose to detect and monitor the evolution of vola-tile compounds during the cooking process of some foods (Ward et al., 2002) or key aromas of bread bak-ing (Ponzoni et al., 2008). To our knowledge, there are no works in which the evolution of biscuit qual-ity characteristics during baking has been monitored considering both traditional cooking indexes and a gas sensory array such as e-nose.The aim of this work was to moni-tor the baking process of biscuits in terms of the main physico-chemi-cal product characteristics (moisture content, colour and texture) togeth-er with the evolution of aromatic compounds during cooking time. The analysis of flavour release was performed by using of an e-nose equipped with 10 metal-oxide sen-


BISCUITS

sors. The obtained e-nose respons-es were subjected to a multivariate statistical analysis in order to clas-sify the biscuits on the basis of their cooking level.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Biscuit preparation

Biscuits were prepared using wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and salt according to the formula given in Table 1. The recipe was based on previous trials per-formed on the same materials.The ingredients were mixed in a household mixer (Kenwood, Major, Hampshire - UK) for 10 min, and, after mixing, the dough was kept for 20 min at room temperature (23° ± 1°C) in a closed food container in order to avoid dehydration. After-wards, the dough was sheeted to a thickness of about 2.5 mm and then was cut by using a stainless steel circular mould (3.5 mm diam-eter) and placed on a tray. Biscuits were baked in an electric thermo-convection oven (FC61, ANGELO PO, Grandi Cucine S.p.A, Carpi, It-aly) at 175°C for different cooking times: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 min. The cooking times were chosen on the basis of preliminary experiments in order to obtain under and over baked products. The baking experi-ments were carried out in triplicate for each cooking time. For each test 16 biscuits were cooked in order to obtain enough samples for all the other measurements.After cooking, the biscuits were removed from the oven and im-

mediately set for the e-nose analy-sis. Conversely, before being used for the physico-chemical analyses (moisture content, texture and col-our) the biscuits were cooled at room temperature for 1 hour.

Analyses of biscuits

After each baking test, the follow-ing analytical determinations were performed: moisture, colour, texture properties, and the flavour release.

Moisture

Biscuit moisture was determined by following the ICC Standard Method n° 110/1 (ICC 2004). For each sam-ple three replicates were performed.

Colour analysis by computer vision system (CVS)

Six biscuits from each cooking ex-periment, representative of whole sample, were used for colour meas-urements. Biscuits were placed on a matte black background and images were captured by using the image acquisition system developed by Mendoza and Aguilera (2004) with

slight modifications. Samples were illuminated by using two parallel lamps (with two fluorescent tubes by lamp, model TLD Deluxe, Natu-ral Daylight, 18W/965, Philips, NY, USA) with a colour temperature of 6500 K (D65, the standard light source commonly used in food re-search) and a colour-rendering in-dex (Ra) close to 90%. A colour dig-ital camera (CDC) mod. PowerShot A70 (Canon, NY, USA) was located vertically over the sample at a dis-tance of 12.5 cm. Lamps and CDC were inside a wooden box with in-ternal walls painted black in order to avoid the light and reflection from the room. Images of biscuit surfaces were taken on the matte black background and saved in JPG format. The algorithms for pre-pro-cessing of full images, image seg-mentation and colour quantification were written in MATLAB 6.5 (The MathWorks, Inc., USA). The aver-age value of the segmented pixels in CIE L*a*b* colour space was reg-istered as the colour of the sample. The biscuits’ colour were described in terms of: luminosity (L*), hue an-gle (h°) = tan-1(b*/a*) and Chroma (C*) = (a*)2 + (b*)2 (McGuire,1992).

Texture

The mechanical and fracture prop-erties of biscuit samples were de-termined by the three-point bend-ing test (Tyagi et al., 2007) using a TA.HDi 500 Texture Analyser (Sta-ble Micro Systems, Godalming, UK) equipped with a 5 kg load cell.For the analysis, each biscuit was placed on the aluminium platform situated on two supporting beams spaced at a distance of 35 mm. The

Table 1 - Biscuit dough formulation (1,000 g).

Ingredients Amount (g)Biscuit flour 544Sugar 136Butter 136Egg 163Baking powder(E450*; E500**, E470***) 19.6Salt 1.4

* Disodium diphosphate; ** Sodium bicarbonate; *** Fatty acids calcium salts.


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blade was attached to the cross-head of the instrument and was brought down to break the biscuit at a crosshead speed of 3.0 mm/s. Care was taken to see that the point of contact was at an equivalent distance from both the support-ing beams. This test simulates the biscuit hardness during consumer handling and the way it breaks by bending (Tyagi et al., 2007). All the tests were carried out at room tem-perature. The blade was brought down at a constant speed under computer control and the applied force was recorded as a function of time. The absolute peak force from the resulting curve was considered as biscuit hardness, while the dis-tance at the break (resistance of the sample to bending) was recorded as sample fracturability. Samples that break at a very short distance have a high fracturability. In order to better understand the results in this study the fracturability was ex-pressed as 1/break point distance. Six biscuits for each cooking time were tested.

E-nose and test procedures

Samples were analyzed as follows: about 3 g of powdered biscuit sam-ple was placed into a glass vials (ca-pacity 40 mL); these vials were then sealed with a suitable lid equipped with a pierceable Silicon/Teflon disk in the cap. Preliminary experiments, carried out in order to obtain signals of suitable intensity and good repro-ducibility, showed that after 60 min at 25° ± 1°C of equilibration, the headspace reached a steady state. After this period, the headspace was analyzed with a commercial port-

able e-nose PEN2 (Airsense Analyt-ics, Milano, Italy) composed of an array of 10 temperature-moderated metal-oxide sensors (MOS), a sam-pling system, a data acquisition de-vice and a data processing system. The sensor response was expressed as relative conductivity (G/G0) of a single sensor with time, G0 is the initial conductivity taken as a ref-erence.The signal output of the sensors was digitized by recording, and normal-ized to a value of 1.0 prior to sam-pling; this arbitrary baseline value was subtracted from the sensor re-sponses prior to enhancement de-termination. The signal output was measured at 1 s intervals for 60 s at a flow rate of 400 mL min-1. The injection time was long enough for most of the sensors to reach a steady state condition. After each sample analysis the system was purged for 120 s with filtered air prior to the next sample injection to allow re-establishment of the in-strument base line. No sensor drift was experienced during the meas-urement period. The sensor values from 40 to 60 s were used for the statistical analysis.For each sample, 3 different vials were prepared and each vial was evaluated three times; an average of these nine measurements for each cooking time was used for the sta-tistical analysis.

Statistical analysis

The pattern recognition techniques used in this work were Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA). PCA was used to reduce the number of variables

in the data matrix and to select the most discriminating parameters in order to classify the different sam-ples. CA was applied on electronic-nose selected sensor responses. CA performs agglomerative hierarchical clustering of objects on the basis of distance measurements of dissimi-larity or similarity.The statistical package STSG statis-tica for Windows, version 6.0 (Stat-Soft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA) was used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Baking is the key stage in baked good production; during this pro-cess the main quality characteris-tics of the final product such as size extension, brownness, texture and flavour are formed thanks to sev-eral physico-chemical changes in the product. During baking, trans-formations, which depend on the course of water content and tem-perature, are decisive for the fi-nal product quality. The majority of these transformations occur to-gether and influence each other (Hadiyanto et al., 2007).In the first part of this study, the cooking kinetics of biscuits were analyzed on the basis of the main changes regarding the most im-portant parameters involved in the phenomenon.In Fig. 1, the changes of the bis-cuit’s water content as a function of baking time are shown.It can be observed that at the be-ginning of cooking there is a faster reduction in the level of moisture owing to the water migration from the inner towards the biscuit sur-


BISCUITS

face due to diffusion and capillarity phenomena.After 8 min, the optimum cooking time on the basis of previous ex-periments, the moisture loss rate decreased reaching the minimum and constant value after 10 min.Usually, in the last stage of bak-ing, when most of water has evap-

Fig. 2 - Changes of biscuit colour parameters (L*, h° and C*) during cooking time.

Fig. 1 - Changes of biscuit water content during cooking time.

orated, a dried and coloured crust starts to form.Colour is one of the most impor-tant quality attributes for consumer acceptance of baked goods. In fact the surface colour of a baked prod-uct is one of the main criterion of acceptance by consumers, together with texture and taste.

Colour is influenced by dough composition, water content and process conditions, temperature and duration of baking. Sugars to-gether with proteins will produce browning compounds, which give colour to the product that lead to irreversible changes. The required relative high temperature needed for these reactions is reached only in the outer zones, once the prod-uct is sufficiently dried to have a low water activity and correspond-ing high evaporation temperature. The duration of this phase depends on the initial water content of the dough and is ruled by heat and mass transfer phenomena (Hadi-yanto et al., 2007).In Fig. 2 colour results (lightness (L*), hue angle (h°) and Chro-ma (C*)) measured on the biscuit samples at different cooking times are reported. Obtained variations of colour parameters during bak-ing draw a characteristic trajec-tory, previously found in similar researches (Broyart et al., 1998; Chevallier et al., 2002).During the first 4 min of cooking the lightness (L*) and hue angle (h°) values increased respectively from about 70 to 80 and from 87 to 90, while chroma (C*) decreased from about 46 to 39. Subsequently, with the increase of the product’s tem-perature, lightness started to de-crease and the biscuit surface start-ed to brown. These findings suggest that the biscuit samples underwent initial whitening and a subsequent gradual intensification of colour, from a yellow to a brown hue. Af-ter 8 min of baking the consider-able decrease in lightness, hue and chroma were concomitant with a


BISCUITS

dark browning of the biscuit surface (Fig. 3), that becomes unacceptable for consumers. As is known and established by pre-vious researches (Shibukawa et al., 1989; Broyart et al., 1998; Cheval-lier et al., 2002) the overall biscuit colouring kinetics involve two stag-es. During the first stage of baking the increase in lightness, hue and decrease in chroma correspond to a brightening of the biscuit surface; this makes the product surface ap-pear to be lighter. These colour changes are due to the water migra-tion toward the surface and/or mod-ification in the surface state attribut-able to the sample rise (Chevallier et al., 2002). In the second stage the progressive browning of the biscuit surface is mainly caused by chemi-cal reactions (Maillard reactions, sugar caramelisation) activated by thermal treatment.In Fig. 4 the changes of texture pa-rameters of biscuit samples at differ-ent cooking times are shown.As expected, the longer the cooking time the higher the hardness and the fracturability of the biscuits. During cooking, biscuit samples underwent an increase in hardness values from 0.46 kg after 2 min of cooking to 2.21 kg at the end of the process. Regarding the fracturability, the biscuits exhibited values between 1.29 (1/mm) after two min of cook-ing and 3.76 (1/mm) at the end of the process. The rate of fracturability increase was faster until the first 8 min of cooking; after this time, when the evaporation of water and the production of gases had ended, the fracturability increased more slowly.These macroscopic changes of biscuit texture characteristics are Fig. 4 - Changes of biscuit texture parameters (hardness and fracturability) during cooking time.

Fig. 3 - Images of biscuit subjected to different cooking times.


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caused by several phenomena that take place during baking: the pro-duction of gases from chemical liv-eners, the water vaporization, the gas thermal expansion associated with a biscuit’s thickness increases and the product dries, resulting in a large decrease in product den-sity and on the development of an open porous structure (Chevallier et al., 2002).As previously reported, during cook-ing changes in the biscuit’s colour and texture are concomitant to the evolution of a typical aroma profile.In Fig. 5 the responses (relative con-ductivity mean data of six replicates) of the e-nose sensors (MOS 1 to 10) obtained at each considered biscuit cooking time are shown. It can be observed that only some sensors were more sensitive to the evolution of biscuit aromatic pro-file during baking. In particular, the responses of 1, 3 and 5 sensors in-creased with the increasing of cook-ing time; the 2 and 6 sensors dis-played the highest relative conduc-tivity signals. From these results, it seems that the responses of the 1, 3 and 5 sensors are most related to the aroma compounds that are formed and developed during the cooking process. Meanwhile, the 2 and 6 sensor responses seem to be related to the disappearance and/or conversion of others chemical vola-tile compounds. All the other sen-sor results were less sensitive to the aromatic profile developed during biscuit cooking process.PCA was carried out by using the responses from the e-nose sensors collected at the end of each cook-ing time, in order to highlight and to evaluate whether the most sensi-

ble e-nose sensors were able to de-tect differences between the biscuit samples during cooking stages as a function of their volatile compo-nents. The PCA loading plot report-ed in Fig. 6 confirms results shown in Fig. 5.

Few sensors were able to explain most of the variance and in partic-ular the MOS 1, 3, 5, 2 and 6 had the highest influence in the pat-tern file. Their responses were the most relevant in the discrimination of biscuits on the bases of the level

Fig. 6 - PCA loading plot in the plane defined by the first two principal components of the e-nose sensor responses.

Fig. 5 - Sensor (MOS 1 to 10) responses (mean relative conductivity data: G/G0) obtained at the con-sidered biscuit cooking times.


BISCUITS

of cooking. The 4 and 7 MOS sen-sor responses were not significant from the PCA. Examining the score plot of Fig. 7 in the area defined by the first two principal components (96.21% of the total variance) a clear separation of biscuit samples into different clusters, according to the cooking degree was found.Moving from right to left along the PC1 axis (79.08% of the total vari-ance), raw biscuit cluster is first en-countered, then the biscuits were cooked for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 min respectively. In particular, the group of sensors on the right of the loading plot better discriminate the raw and under cooked (0-4 min) biscuit aromatic compounds; while those on the left of the plot (MOS 1, 3 and 5) better discriminate the cooked and over cooked samples.

The biscuit samples cooked for 6 and 8 min were grouped in the same cluster, probably because of their similar aromatic profiles. The biscuits cooked for 10 min were positioned among them and the over cooked (10 to 12 min) sam-ples. The obtained finger print (se-quence) shows a behaviour similar to that obtained by Ponzoni et al. (2008) who detected, with only four metal oxide e-nose sensors, key ar-tificial aromas related to different stages of the bread baking process. In the same way at which biscuit samples were here distinguished and separated along the PC axes, they firstly obtained the separation of acetaldehyde and diacetyl, that are key odorants identifying the initial baking steps, and then of pyridines and pyrazines, that are

flavouring compounds produced by Maillard reactions as the bak-ing process continues. To verify results obtained from PCA, a clus-ter analysis was run with the same e-nose sensor selected responses (Fig. 8) in order to isolate groups of biscuits with similar aromatic pro-files. The dendogram was obtained using Ward method and Euclidean distance. Through this analysis, it was possi-ble to subdivide the biscuit samples on the bases of their aromatic pro-files, related to cooking times, into five groups: 0 (raw), 2, 4, 6 and 8 min, 10 and 12 min. The distanc-es among biscuit groups increased proportionally to the increase of cooking time, being characterized by more and more different volatile aroma compounds.The CA results were in agreement with those obtained from PCA and were able to better distinguish the biscuit samples cooked for 10 and 12 min from the others. These out-comes confirm further the suita-bility of the e-nose in monitoring the evolution of the biscuit aroma changes and cooking degree.

CONCLUSIONS

The potential of the e-nose, as an off-line system, for distinguishing the biscuits’ cooking levels on the bases of their peculiar aromatic pro-files was demonstrated. Multivariate statistical analysis of the e-nose data collected during the biscuit cooking process showed a clear separation between raw, under-cooked, well-cooked and over-cooked biscuits. The discrimination of biscuits ac-

Fig. 7 - Score plot of biscuit samples in the plane defined by the first two principal components on the basis of the e-nose sensor responses during cooking process.


BISCUITS

cording to the cooking time, ob-tained by analyzing the e-nose sig-nals, confirmed the results provided from all the other considered tra-ditional cooking indexes (moisture content, colour and texture), show-ing the interchangeable ability of both approaches.In particular, only few sensor re-sponses were able to explain most of the variance of the data in the PCA and consequently were rel-evant in the discrimination of the biscuits’ cooking levels. The use of e-nose would appear to have a great potential in the future to develop an on-line monitoring system of the baking process. For this purpose much more research is required, as well as many calibra-tion tests to demonstrate its on-line application.

REFERENCES

1. Broyart B., Trystram G. and Duquenoy A. 1998. Predicting colour kinetics during cracker baking. J. Food Eng. 35: 351.

2. Chevallier S., Colonna P., Della Valle G. and Lourdin D. 2000. Contribution of major ingredients during baking of biscuit dough systems. J. Cereal Sci. 31: 241.

3. Chevallier S., Della Valle G.P., Colonna B., Broyart B. and Trystram G. 2002. Structural and chemical modifications of short dough during baking. J. Cereal Sci. 35: 1.

4. Cronin K. and Preis C. 2000. A statistical analysis of biscuit physical properties as affected by baking. J. Food Eng. 46: 217.

5. Gardner J.W. and Bartlett P.N. 1994. A brief history of electronic noses. Sensor Actuat B- Chem. 18: 211.

6. Hadiyanto H., Asselman A., Van Straten G., Boom R.M., Esveld D.C. and Van Boxtel A.J.B. 2007. Quality prediction of bakery products in the initial phase of process design. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol. 8: 285.

7. ICC. 2004. “International Association for Cereal Science and Technology”. Determi-

nation of the moisture content of cereals and cereal products (Practical method). Standard Method 110. Approved 1960, revised 1976. Vienna.

8. Manley D. 2001. Baking Techniques. In: Manley D. (Ed.), “Biscuit, cracker and cookie recipes for the food industry”, p. 27. Woodhead Publishing Ltd and CRC Press LLC, Cambridge England.

9. Mcguire R.G. 1992. Reporting of objective colour measurements. Hort. Sci. 27: 1254.

10. Mendoza F. and Aguilera J.M. 2004. Ap-plication of Image Analysis for classifica-tion of ripening Bananas. JFS E: Food Eng. Physical Prop. 69: E471.

11. Peris M. and Escuder-Golabert L. 2009. A 21st century technique for food control: Electronic noses. Anal. Chim. Acta 638: 1.

12. Piazza L., Gigli J. and Benedetti S. 2008. Study of structure and flavour release rela-tionship in low moisture bakery products by means of the acoustic-mechanical com-bined technique and the electronic nose. J. Cereal Sci. 48: 413.

13. Ponzoni A., Depari A., Falasconi M., Comini E., Flammini A., Marioli D., Taroni A. and Sberveglieri G. 2008. Bread baking aromas detection by low-cost electronic nose. Sensor Actuat B-Chem. 130: 100.

14. Shibukawa S., Sugiyama K. and Yano T. 1989. Effect of heat transfer by radiation and convection on browning of cookies at baking. J. Food Sci. 54: 621.

15. Sinesio F., Di Natale C., Quaglia G.B., Bucarelli F.M., Moneta E., Macagnano A., Paolesse R. and D’Amico A. 2000. Use of electronic nose and trained sensory panel in the evaluation of tomato quality. J. Sci. Food Agric. 80: 63.

16. Tyagi S.K., Manikantan M.R., Oberoi H.S. and Kaur G. 2007. Effect of mustard flour incorporation on nutritional, textural and organoleptic characteristics of biscuits. J. Food Eng. 80: 1043.

17. Vitali D., Vedrina Dragojevic I. and Sebecic B. 2009. Effects of incorporation of integral raw materials and dietary fibre on the se-lected nutritional and functional properties of biscuits. Food Chem., 114: 1462.

18. Ward D., Benedetti S. and Riva M. 2002. Monitoring and controlling coking process-es using an electronic olfaction device. pp. 292-8. Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN); 2002 Rome, Italy.

From “Italian Journal of Food Science”Nr. 1/2012

Fig. 8 - Classification dendogram (Cluster analysis) for group of biscuits on the bases of volatile com-position: 0 to 12 are cooking time (min). The distance is the geometric distance in the multidimen-sional space.


FRUITS

ABSTRACTThe present study evaluated the shelf-life of two minimally processed Tarocco genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) that were packaged in a modified atmosphere with three gas mixtures of different percentages of O2, CO2 and N2. No important physicochemical differences were observed among the orange slices packaged under modified atmosphere and stored at 4°C for 15 ds. The low O2 percentage in the atmosphere of trays may have caused a decrease in the oxidation process. In addition, the increasing amount of CO2 due to the respiration process did not lead to fermentation phenomena. Sensory and microbiological changes, however, were observed among the slices packaged with the three gas mixtures, especially for the Tarocco Scirè.

INTRODUCTION

Minimal processing of raw fruits and vegetables is designed to maintain a sufficient shelf-life to make distribution feasible within a region of consumption and keep produce fresh without losing nutri-tional quality (Huxson and Bolin, 1989). Modified atmosphere pack-aging (MAP) has commonly been used in combination with refrigera-tion to increase the shelf-life of food products (Moleyar and Narasim-

ham, 1994). The MAP technique consists of a voluntary replace-ment of atmospheric gases, which are in the package head space, with specific gases or gas mixtures with various properties. Modified atmos-phere packaging should be care-fully designed (i.e., it should take into consideration not only steady-state conditions but also the dy-namic process) because the pack-age may have no benefit if the prod-uct is exposed to an unsuitable gas composition for a long time before

P. RAPISARDA1* - C. CAGGIA2 - S.E. BELLOMO1 - P. PANNUZZO1 - C. RESTUCCIA2 - N. TIMPANARO1 - C.M. LANZA2

1CRA-ACM - Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, Italy2Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agrarie e Alimentari (DISPA),Sezione Tecnologia e Microbiologia degli Alimenti, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy*email: [email protected]

SHELF-LIFE OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED BLOOD ORANGES AS AFFECTED BY MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING

Key wordsfresh-cut orange, MAP, microbial growth, physicochemical analysis, sensory evaluation, Tarocco orange


FRUITS

reaching an adequate atmosphere (Fonseca et al., 2002).Generally, the replacement of air in the package is carried out using mixtures of O2, CO2 and N2 (Jacx-sens et al., 1999; Ahvenainen, 2000). Low levels of O2 and high levels of CO2 in MAP (Jacxsens et al., 1999; Sandhya, 2010) can potentially reduce the respiration rate, ethylene production, decay and physiological changes, which would extend the shelf-life of fresh produce (Kader, 1986; Zagory and Kader, 1988; Watada et al., 1990; Fonseca et al., 2000; Fonseca et al., 2002). Moreover, this atmosphere in minimally processed fruits and vegetables has also been shown to inhibit the growth of spoilage mi-croorganisms, which was attribut-ed to the low O2 concentration be-cause the elevated CO2 percentage (3-10%) inside the package was not high enough to act against micro-organisms (Faber, 1992; Bennik et al., 1998; Francis et al., 1999). It is important, however, to emphasize that MAP does not guarantee the desired effect, or at least not in the desired measure, if food is not pro-duced in microbiologically optimal conditions.Oranges are a non-climacteric fruit, and they are likely to be minimally transformed because of their mor-phological and physiological char-acteristics (Pretel et al., 1998). Pre-vious research on minimally pro-cessed oranges studied the effects of different types of processing on fruits of common varieties. Pretel et al. (1997 and 1998) studied the ef-fects of enzymatic peeling and MAP on orange cv Salustiana, whereas Rocha et al. (1995) evaluated sen-

sory changes during storage at low temperatures of autochthon Portu-gal orange slides. Moreover, studies have examined shelf-life extension, microbiological stability and bitter substance development of peeled oranges (Pao and Petracek, 1997; Pao et al., 1997). Finally, Del Caro et al. (2004) have assessed the effect of minimal processing on flavanone glycoside, ascorbic acid contents and antioxidant capacity of cold-stored Salustiana and Shamouti or-ange segments.Recently, research has been direct-ed towards the possibility of pro-cessing blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello varieties) in ready-to-eat products with the aim of finding a new market segment for blood oranges, which have excel-lent nutritional and sensory char-acteristics. Previous studies have evaluated the shelf-life of minimally processed fruits of different Tarocco genotypes packaged with films that have different oxygen permeability (Rapisarda et al., 2006a) and the changes in health-promoting com-ponents and antioxidant capacity in ready-to-eat Tarocco orange fruit (Rapisarda et al., 2006b). In addi-tion, studies have showed the evo-lution of several enzymes that cause the qualitative decay in blood or-ange slices during chilled storage (Catalano et al., 2009).The present study investigated the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory changes of fresh-cut orange slices of two Tarocco gen-otypes (Gallo and Scirè), the most extensively grown blood orange varieties in Italy, packaged under modified atmosphere. Since low O2 and high CO2 atmosphere is known

to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut fruits (Rojas-Graü et al., 2009), three different gas mixtures of O2 (2.5, 5.0 and 10%) and CO2 (8.0, 15 and 20%) were used. These studies were designed to identify the most suitable genotype to be processed and the best packaging conditions to extend the shelf-life and market-ability of Tarocco products.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sample preparation

Fruits of two different Tarocco gen-otypes (Gallo and Scirè) were har-vested at the experimental field “Palazzelli” of the CRA-Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee (Acireale, It-aly). The samples were processed in a suitably equipped and hygieni-cally controlled environment (UV lamps lighted before processing, disinfection of surfaces and ma-chines by food grade solution of quaternary ammonium salt and room temperature at 15°±1°C). To reduce microbial contamination, the operators wore gloves and masks during all the sample prep-aration stages, and the cutting and packaging operations were done under a laminar flow hood.Oranges with uniform size and no blemishes were harvested at ma-turity (TSS/TA > 10) and sanitized by immersion for 2 min in a so-lution containing 200 ppm of Cl2 (420 ppm of sodium hypochlorite adjusted to a pH of 7.0±0.1 with citric acid). The oranges were then rinsed with distilled water, air-dried


FRUITS

and manually peeled. Next, the fruits were sliced along the equa-torial axis using a commercial slic-ing machine (ALA 430, Treviso, It-aly). Fruit slices were handled by sanitized steel pliers and packaged under modified atmosphere condi-tions with three gas mixtures con-taining different percentages of O2, CO2 and N2 (Table 1). Crystal poly-ethylene terephthalate (CPET) trays were heat-sealed with the follow-ing film by a vacuum/gas machine (TecnoFoodpack, Pavia, Italy): 17 g/m2 oriented nylon (OPA), 2 g/m2

adhesive and 42 g/m2 polyester (PET) with permeability to oxygen at 35 mL/(m2·24 h), permeability to water vapor at 15 g/(m2·24 h) and a sealing point at 140°/220°C. The thickness of each orange slice was approximately 1 cm, and each tray contained four orange slices ( 180 g). The trays were stored at 4°±1°C for approximately 15 ds. During the storage period, groups of five trays of each Tarocco geno-type were sampled every 3-4 ds to determine the main physicochemi-cal, sensory and microbiological parameters.

Physicochemical analyses

The gas (O2, CO2 and N2) percent-ages inside the trays were evaluated by a gas detector (PBI Dansensor mod. CheckMate 9900, Dansen-sor Italia srl, Segrate, Italy). The firmness of the orange slices was determined by a digital penetrom-eter (Turoni & C. snc, Forlì, Italy), and the color evaluation (CIE L* a* b*) was performed with a Mi-nolta CR200 colorimeter (Minol-ta, Milano, Italy). The chemical

analyses were carried out on juice obtained by squeezing the orange slices of each tray using a juice ex-tractor (Moulinex, Milano, Italy). The pH value, total acidity (TA) and total soluble solids (TSS) were de-termined according to classic ana-lytical methods (Maf, 1989; Kim-ball, 1991). The anthocyanins were determined using the method de-scribed by Rapisarda et al. (2000), and expressed as mg/L of cyanidin-3-glucoside. The determination of ascorbic acid was carried out by HPLC (Rapisarda and Intelisano, 1996) using a Waters mod. 600-E liquid chromatograph (Milano, Italy) equipped with a PDA Waters 996 detector and managed by Mil-lennium 3.2 Waters software. The column used was a C-18 Hyper-sil ODS 5-μm (Phenomenex, Tor-rance, CA), maintained at 35°C, and the elution was performed with a solution 0.02M of H3PO4 and a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The detec-tion wavelength was set at 260 nm. The sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose) were determined by HPLC using an aminic column (IB-SIL5-NH2, Phenomenex, Torrence, CA) and the same liquid chroma-tograph described above equipped with a refractive index detector (Waters-410). The mobile phase consisted of an 80:20 mixture of acetonitrile:water with a column flow of 1.8 mL/min.

Sensory analyses

We used the profile method for the sensory evaluation of the slices during storage (ISO 13299, 2003), which involved the quali-quantita-tive description of the sample sen-sory attributes by a trained panel (ISO 8586-1, 1993) in a labora-tory consistent with the standard UNI ISO 8589 (1990). Twenty-four judges between 25 and 28 years old were recruited among students from the University of Catania (Italy). The suitable descriptors (i.e., freshness, aroma, acidity, juiciness, sweetness, firmness, and off-flavor) for evaluat-ing the product were defined by the judges in preliminary sessions. Dur-ing the training period, the judges were required to estimate several samples of Tarocco oranges using fresh product as a reference. In the session, the judges evaluated the intensity of each chosen descriptor and assigned a score between one (absence of the descriptor) and nine (extreme intensity of the descriptor) on a numerical unipolar scale (UNI-ISO/WD 4121, 2001).

Microbiological analyses

The slices of each tray were asepti-cally weighed and placed in a ster-ile plastic bag to be blended in a Stomacher® 400 (Lab-Blender 400, Seward Medical, London, UK) for

Table 1 - Gas mixtures percentages used for packaged fresh-cut blood oranges.

O2 (%) CO2 (%) N2 (%)

Gas mixture 1 2.5 8.0 89.5Gas mixture 2 5.0 15 80Gas mixture 3 10 20 70


FRUITS

3 min. The microbiological anal-yses of each trial were performed in triplicate until 12 ds of storage. Psychotropic viable counts (PVC) were performed on plate count agar (PCA, Oxoid, CM325) by spread plating after one week of incuba-tion at 15°C. Mesophilic viable counts (MVC) were performed with the same medium by spread plating after 48 h of incubation at 32°C. Acetic acid bacteria counts (AABC) were determined by pour plating using GYCA medium (50 g/L glu-cose, 10 g/L yeast extract, 30 g/L calcium carbonate, and 25 g/L agar) after incubation at 32°C for 48 h. Yeast and mold counts (YMC) were determined by pour plating with Sabouraud dextrose agar (Oxoid, CM41) after incubation at 25°C for 4 ds (SAB). Acidophilic microorgan-isms counts (AMC) were performed by pour plating using orange serum agar (OSA, Oxoid, CM657) after in-cubation at 32°C for 48 h. Colo-nies were manually counted and expressed as Log10CFUs.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis of the physico-chemical results was carried out with the STATSOFT 6.0 program (Vigonza, Padova, Italy). The statis-tical differences at 0, 3, 7, 12 and 15 ds of storage were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the differences in the means were evaluated using Tukey’s test. The sensory analysis scores were ana-lyzed by ANOVA to verify signifi-cant differences among attributes during storage, and the differences between the means were evaluated by Tukey’s test. Ta

ble

2 - P

hysi

coch

emic

al p

aram

eter

s of

Tar

occo

‘Gal

lo’ s

lices

pac

kage

d un

der m

odifi

ed a

tmos

pher

e w

ith th

ree

gas

mix

ture

s an

d st

ored

for 1

5 da

ys a

t 4°C

.

D

ays

Firm

ness

pH

TA

a TS

Sa L*

a*

b*

A

Aa

AN

Ta FR

Ua

GLU

a SU

CRa

O2

CO

2 N

2

(kg)

(%)

(%)

(m

g/10

0 m

L)

(mg/

L)

(mg/

100m

L)

(mg/

100

mL)

(m

g/10

0 m

L)

(%)

(%)

(%)

Gas

0

0.32

3.

82

0.65

11

.73

47.5

0 10

.40

14.9

2 61

.53

8.15

2.

15

2.12

4.

83

2.38

A

9.06

B 88

.56A

mix

ture

1

3 0.

31

3.88

0.

57

11.1

9 47

.22

10.2

9 15

.47

55.9

6 7.

45

2.33

2.

29

5.07

0.

46B

13.2

8AB

86.2

6AB

5

0.33

3.

89

0.57

11

.40

47.4

6 9.

84

14.7

8 56

.72

7.49

2.

41

2.45

5.

04

0.12

BC

16.8

6A

83.0

2BC

7

0.36

3.

95

0.58

11

.40

46.8

6 9.

86

15.4

1 55

.41

9.13

2.

39

2.41

5.

27

0.11

BC

17.9

3A

81.9

6C

10

0.

32

3.88

0.

67

12.0

7 49

.29

9.21

15

.59

63.4

7 9.

33

2.45

2.

53

5.24

0.

00C

19.0

2A

80.9

8CD

12

0.

33

3.93

0.

65

11.8

2 48

.91

9.19

14

.60

60.9

1 8.

49

2.46

2.

55

5.63

0.

01C

19.0

4A

80.9

5CD

15

0.

33

3.98

0.

60

11.2

3 48

.29

9.61

15

.04

59.2

6 9.

16

2.35

2.

36

5.29

0.

01C

20.3

8A

79.6

1D

Gas

0

0.35

3.

90

0.64

11

.64

46.4

7 10

.77

14.6

3 66

.06

8.33

2.

54

2.43

5.

33

5.58

A

14.4

2D

80.0

0A

mix

ture

2

3 0.

34

3.94

0.

64

12.0

1 45

.86

11.1

6 14

.92

64.8

9 8.

63

2.42

2.

46

5.46

2.

58B

18.5

8CD

78.8

4A

5

0.30

4.

03

0.55

11

.65

46.2

7 10

.83

15.4

0 63

.50

7.85

2.

46

2.47

5.

17

0.75

C

22.4

4BC

76.8

1AB

7

0.29

4.

01

0.57

12

.11

45.0

5 11

.15

16.0

7 57

.15

11.0

9 2.

59

2.72

5.

96

0.34

CD

25.7

2AB

73.9

4BC

10

0.

32

4.00

0.

61

11.7

9 47

.26

10.5

2 15

.68

69.2

9 10

.06

2.50

2.

56

5.53

0.

00D

26.7

6AB

73.2

4BC

12

0.

36

3.91

0.

66

12.4

8 46

.90

10.2

3 15

.29

65.1

8 10

.46

2.62

2.

83

6.06

0.

01D

26.6

0AB

73.3

9BC

15

0.

32

4.02

0.

63

12.6

1 47

.27

10.5

3 15

.33

66.0

4 8.

74

2.78

3.

01

5.64

0.

00D

29.4

0A

70.6

0C

Gas

0

0.31

3.

77

0.71

12

.16

45.8

4 11

.27

12.2

0 58

.75

12.1

2 2.

52

2.57

5.

72

9.99

A

19.8

3D

70.1

8AB

mix

ture

3

3 0.

38

3.79

0.

67

12.0

3 43

.90

11.9

6 12

.72

65.8

7 12

.24

2.51

2.

50

5.33

7.

71B

21.1

2D

71.1

7A

5

0.30

3.

92

0.59

12

.16

43.8

3 11

.83

12.6

8 57

.56

13.0

1 2.

66

2.59

5.

74

4.37

C

26.5

1C

69.1

2ABC

7

0.35

3.

92

0.68

11

.79

44.3

5 11

.35

12.7

9 57

.35

12.9

5 2.

34

2.50

5.

68

4.14

C

27.3

2BC

68.5

4BCD

10

0.

33

3.99

0.

60

11.8

2 45

.88

11.1

3 13

.04

53.8

5 11

.63

2.35

2.

50

5.58

1.

67D

31.3

0ABC

67

.03C

D

12

0.

37

3.92

0.

69

12.5

6 45

.27

10.7

9 12

.40

65.6

9 13

.10

2.64

2.

86

5.75

1.

60D

E 31

.72A

B 66

.68D

15

0.

32

3.96

0.

65

11.5

3 45

.29

10.4

1 12

.07

64.4

1 11

.47

2.51

2.

67

5.29

1.

37E

35.0

0A

63.6

3E

With

in a

col

umn

for a

giv

en p

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and

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, diff

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s at

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ence

s.a T

A, t

itrat

able

aci

dity

; TSS

, tot

al s

olub

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olid

; AA

, asc

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c ac

id; A

NT,

ant

hocy

anin

s; F

RU, f

ruct

ose;

GLU

, glu

cose

; SU

CR,

suc

rose

.


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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Physicochemical results

Tables 2 and 3 show the physico-chemical results of two Tarocco or-ange genotypes (Gallo and Scirè) that were packaged in modified at-mosphere with three gas mixtures of different O2, CO2 and N2 percentag-es and stored at 4°C for 15 ds. Anal-ysis of the O2, CO2 and N2 percent-ages in the tray head space showed that there was a significant decrease of O2 after 3 ds of storage in both Tarocco Gallo and Scirè products, for the three tested mixtures. The CO2 level was increased in all treat-ments, whereas the N2 percentage in the trays decreased, which balanced the CO2 production. Peeling and slicing severely injured the tissues and induced a high respiration rate, which created a gas atmosphere rich in CO2 and poor in O2 inside the trays (Pretel et al., 1998).Regarding quality parameters, no important changes were observed for products packaged under modi-fied atmosphere. These results were similar to a previous study that ex-amined the same Tarocco geno-types (Gallo and Scirè) packaged with three films with different oxy-gen permeability (Rapisarda et al., 2006a). Only a change of firmness between the first and last sampling for Tarocco Scirè slices packaged with mixture 1 was observed, prob-ably due to an increase of pectin viscosity (the gelling behavior) rather than metabolic processes. In addi-tion, during the entire storage pe-riod, only a slight decrease in sugar concentration was noted for sucrose Ta

ble

3 - P

hysi

coch

emic

al p

aram

eter

s of

Tar

occo

‘Sci

rè’ s

lices

pac

kage

d un

der m

odifi

ed a

tmos

pher

e w

ith th

ree

gas

mix

ture

s an

d st

ored

for 1

5 da

ys a

t 4°C

.

D

ays

Firm

ness

pH

TA

a TS

Sa L*

a*

b*

A

Aa

AN

Ta FR

Ua

GLU

a SU

CRa

O2

CO

2 N

2

(kg)

(%)

(%)

(m

g/10

0 m

L)

(mg/

L)

(mg/

100m

L) (

mg/

100m

L) (m

g/10

0mL)

(%

) (%

) (%

)

Gas

0

0.20

B 3.

90

0.73

11

.99

48.6

2 6.

83

7.32

58

.64

26.3

2 2.

66

2.76

5.

23A

2.07

A

9.00

D

88.9

3A

mix

ture

1

3 0.

21B

3.92

0.

73

11.8

7 46

.08

7.38

7.

98

57.9

2 24

.08

2.64

2.

74

5.20

A

0.82

B 12

.52C

86

.66A

B

5

0.23

AB

3.91

0.

70

11.9

1 46

.57

6.98

7.

40

58.8

8 25

.17

2.63

2.

73

5.22

A

0.16

C

14.7

6BC

85.0

8BC

7

0.22

AB

4.02

0.

65

11.9

8 47

.04

6.68

7.

04

56.3

3 28

.43

2.67

2.

80

5.12

AB

0.13

C

15.5

9B 84

.28BC

D

10

0.

23A

B 3.

90

0.72

11

.96

46.4

6 7.

06

7.48

53

.47

28.4

9 2.

56

2.76

4.

93A

B 0.

08C

17.1

4AB

82.7

8D

12

0.

22A

B 3.

93

0.69

11

.68

46.1

5 7.

79

8.10

53

.22

28.4

0 2.

48

2.63

4.

80A

B 0.

00C

19.0

4A

80.9

6D

15

0.

26A

3.96

0.

66

11.3

1 46

.56

7.11

7.

96

55.4

4 26

.97

2.42

2.

56

4.72

B 0.

00C

18.6

8A

81.3

2CD

Gas

0

0.24

3.

88

0.81

11

.99

44.3

2 9.

87

12.2

9 58

.72

18.0

9 2.

52

2.57

5.

23A

4.63

A

15.3

6D

80.0

1A

mix

ture

2

3 0.

24

3.86

0.

79

11.9

2 44

.72

9.52

11

.63

56.3

9 18

.02

2.57

2.

68

5.00

AB

1.74

B 20

.54C

77

.72A

B

5

0.25

3.

89

0.78

12

.10

45.9

4 9.

12

10.9

4 57

.14

21.2

1 2.

52

2.65

4.

95A

B 1.

35BC

21

.20BC

77

.45A

B

7

0.25

3.

79

0.83

12

.12

46.9

4 9.

09

11.0

8 60

.25

20.8

5 2.

52

2.66

5.

11A

B 0.

66C

D 2

3.68

B 75

.66BC

10

0.

24

3.91

0.

77

12.0

4 45

.83

9.38

11

.17

57.1

4 19

.27

2.34

2.

45

4.29

B 0.

02D

27.0

0A

72.9

8C

12

0.

26

3.86

0.

79

11.7

8 45

.77

9.37

11

.91

56.8

7 20

.84

2.27

2.

42

4.46

AB

0.01

D

27.0

8A

72.9

1C

15

0.

25

3.90

0.

77

12.2

1 45

.92

9.34

12

.09

59.8

6 21

.66

2.45

2.

63

4.59

AB

0.00

D

26.9

8A

73.0

2C

Gas

0

0.23

3.

77

0.77

12

.20

47.2

6 7.

47

7.71

59

.95A

22

.93

2.80

2.

93

5.17

9.

65A

19.2

0E 71

.15A

mix

ture

3

3 0.

24

3.89

0.

64

12.2

9 45

.79

7.45

7.

28

56.8

9AB

22.5

2 2.

86

3.01

5.

42

7.08

B 22

.64D

E 70

.28A

5

0.22

3.

80

0.69

12

.90

46.1

5 7.

15

6.63

54

.98A

B 21

.95

2.99

3.

15

5.61

6.

06B

23.8

2CD

70.1

0A

7

0.26

3.

80

0.67

12

.47

46.6

7 6.

85

6.78

54

.45A

B 23

.53

2.89

3.

05

5.35

3.

91C

27.3

0BC

68.7

9AB

10

0.

25

3.91

0.

63

12.4

2 45

.77

7.03

6.

59

50.7

5B 23

.53

2.77

2.

93

5.29

3.

89C

28.5

3AB

67.5

8BC

12

0.

25

3.90

0.

68

12.4

5 46

.21

7.60

7.

31

50.7

0B 21

.71

2.67

2.

85

5.11

2.

91C

D 2

9.72

AB

67.3

7BC

15

0.

25

3.85

0.

67

12.3

5 47

.92

7.82

7.

25

49.1

3B 21

.79

2.74

2.

95

5.23

1.

84D

32.4

4A

65.7

2C

With

in a

col

umn

for a

giv

en p

aram

eter

and

mix

ture

, diff

eren

t let

ters

indi

cate

sig

nific

ant d

iffer

ence

s at

p0.

01; n

o le

tters

no

sign

ifica

nt d

iffer

ence

s.a T

A, t

itrat

able

aci

dity

; TSS

, tot

al s

olub

le s

olid

; AA

, asc

orbi

c ac

id; A

NT,

ant

hocy

anin

s; F

RU, f

ruct

ose;

GLU

, glu

cose

; SU

CR,

suc

rose

.


FRUITS

mixture 1, a loss of freshness was already perceived after 3 ds of stor-age, but the other packaged prod-ucts maintained acceptable levels of freshness up to 12-15 ds of storage. In slices packaged in mixture 1, the aroma descriptor was different by the 10th day, whereas the judges did not notice a difference in aroma for the other two mixtures until the 12th day. During the 15 ds of storage, chang-es in the acidity and juiciness pa-rameters were observed in the slices packaged with gas mixtures 1 and 3, whereas the sweetness and firmness parameters had significant differenc-es in slices packaged in gas mixture 3. Furthermore, the judges perceived an increase in the off-flavor at 5 ds of storage in all Tarocco Scirè pack-aged products.

Microbiological analysis

Table 6 shows the microbiological evolution of both Tarocco orange genotypes during storage.None of the experimental samples of the Tarocco Gallo slices had mi-crobiological values that exceeded the microbiological criteria (maxi-mal level of 7.5 log CFU/g) recog-nized for minimally processed fruits and vegetables (CNERNA-CNRS, 1996). In the three different modi-fied atmospheres, the highest mi-crobiological values for the Taroc-co Gallo slices were always lower than 4.0 log CFU/g, and the highest value was observed for mesophilic aerobes (MVC) that were cultured on PCA and incubated at 32°C (on the 9th day of storage with mixture 3). A different evolution of the bacterial growth in Tarocco Scirè slices pack-aged with the three mixtures was

ing phenomena of the slices during storage, which would be highlight-ed with a decrease in L* and an in-crease in b* values. Moreover, the maintenance of the red color param-eter (a*) during the 15 ds of storage was confirmed by the absence of changes in the concentration of an-thocyanins, which are the pigments responsible for the typical red flesh color for both genotypes.

Sensory results

In all the MAP treatments, the judg-es found that only a few descrip-tors were changed in the Tarocco Gallo slices (Table 4). A signifi-cant decrease in aroma was noted between the fresh and 7 ds stored products packaged with mixture 1. Moreover, a change in aroma was found between the fresh and 10 ds stored products packaged with mix-ture 3. The highest value of acidity was observed after 3 ds of storage for slices packaged with mixture 1 and mixture 2. A delay of perception of acidity was noted for slices pack-aged with mixture 3. Nevertheless, the observed trends of acidity were not comparable with the equivalent chemical parameters. No changes in pH or TA were found for slices pack-aged with any of the three mixtures. Considering the sweetness descrip-tor, only the Tarocco Gallo packaged with mixture 1 showed a decrease between fresh slices and slices stored for 7 ds. Freshness, juiciness, firm-ness and off-flavor remained un-changed in all treatments.Tarocco Scirè slices had the worst results with changes observed for al-most all the considered descriptors (Table 5). For slices packaged with

in the Tarocco Scirè slices packaged with mixtures 1 and 2. This decrease was probably associated with weak hydrolysis phenomena of the sugar, but the decrease was not directly observed through monosaccharide analyses.Among the various orange varieties, cv Tarocco is the richest in vitamin C (Rapisarda and Intelisano, 1996; Rapisarda et al., 2001). The content of ascorbic acid in the juice of Taroc-co genotypes has been reported to be between 60-90 mg/100 mL (Rap-isarda and Russo, 2000). Studies on fresh-cut blood oranges packaged in normal air with three films with different oxygen permeability (Rap-isarda et al., 2004; Rapisarda et al., 2006a) have shown a decrease in ascorbic acid by the last day of stor-age; however, the decrease did not exceed 40% of the ascorbic acid content on the production day. In contrast, most of the products pack-aged in modified atmosphere con-taining a low percentage of O2 have maintained the ascorbic acid con-tent during the entire storage peri-od. A loss of ascorbic acid was only observed in slices of Tarocco Scirè packaged with mixture 3 with sig-nificant differences after 7 ds of stor-age. The decrease of this component was probably due to the residual O2 percentage in the packaging.One of the most important objectives for minimally processed products is the maintenance of the original color (Dorantes-Alvarez and Chiralt, 2000). The two Tarocco genotypes packaged with three gas mixtures showed no change in the parameters of the color (L*, a*, b*) during stor-age. These data provide further con-firmation of the absence of brown-


FRUITS

observed. Microbiological analy-ses of orange slices packaged with mixture 1, especially for AMC and MVC, showed high values (up to 6.0 log CFU/g) at 6th day and 9th day of storage, respectively. However, the highest values for all detected micro-bial groups were observed at 9th day of storage. A similar trend was also noted for the product packaged with mixture 3 (i.e., yeasts and molds had values up to 6.0 log CFU/g). Slices packaged with mixture 2 had an in-creased microbiological value up to the 3th day of storage, which was fol-lowed by a decrease from the 3th day to the 6th day and then another in-crease during the last days of storage (values reached 7.5 log CFU/g for all the considered microbial groups).Compared with the normal air at-mosphere, the microbial results ob-tained from the slices of Tarocco Gallo and Tarocco Scirè slices pack-aged in modified atmosphere did not demonstrate an increase of prod-uct stability. Previous studies have shown that Tarocco slices packaged in normal air with three different films have lower CFU/g values for all detected microbial groups than the values established by CNERNA-CNRS (1996), both at the production day and last day of storage (Rapisar-da et al., 2006a).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found that sliced oranges obtained from two Taroc-co genotypes packaged in modified atmosphere with three different gas mixtures did not show marked phys-icochemical changes during 15 ds of storage. The low oxygen percent-

Tabl

e 5

- Sen

sory

eva

luat

ion

of Ta

rocc

o ‘S

cirè

’ slic

es p

acka

ged

unde

r mod

ified

atm

osph

ere

with

thre

e ga

s mix

ture

s and

stor

ed fo

r 15

days

at 4

°C.

G

as m

ixtu

re 1

G

as m

ixtu

re 2

G

as m

ixtu

re 3

D

ays

Day

s D

ays

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

Fres

hnes

s 7.

25a

6.25

ab

4.48

bc

4.73

bc

4.60

bc

4.74

bc

3.42

c 6.

59a

6.23

a 5.

01a

5.00

a 4.

65ab

4.

42ab

2.

62b

6.70

a 6.

69a

4.98

ab

4.91

ab

5.22

ab

4.05

bc

2.48

c

Aro

ma

6.00

a 5.

19ab

5.

15ab

5.

14ab

3.

40bc

3.

27bc

2.

65c

5.68

a 5.

38a

5.10

a 4.

18ab

4.

38a

3.65

ab

2.15

b 5.

25a

5.02

a 4.

62ab

3.

72ab

4.

48ab

2.

98ab

2.

23b

Aci

dity

2.

85ab

2.

59ab

4.

20a

3.36

ab

3.58

ab

2.61

ab

2.15

b 3.

38

4.19

4.

38

4.04

4.

81

3.59

3.

69

2.98

ab

2.64

ab

4.58

a 4.

58a

4.33

ab

3.16

ab

2.08

b

Juic

ines

s 6.

08a

5.97

ab

4.67

ab

5.43

ab

5.53

ab

5.80

ab

3.65

b 6.

28

5.18

4.

96

4.83

4.

88

5.22

4.

77

6.20

a 6.

27a

5.40

a 5.

29a

5.27

a 5.

41a

2.31

a

Swee

tnes

s 5.

40

5.64

3.

98

5.25

3.

95

4.68

4.

41

4.69

4.

27

4.82

4.

67

4.65

4.

22

3.95

4.

98a

5.31

a 5.

08a

4.69

ab

3.53

ab

3.10

ab

1.96

b

Firm

ness

4.

51

5.81

5.

39

4.32

4.

97

4.42

3.

65

4.38

5.

88

5.95

4.

77

5.62

5.

21

3.81

5.

30a

5.80

a 6.

28a

4.85

ab

4.92

ab

4.48

ab

2.92

b

Off-

flavo

r 1.

87b

3.42

ab

4.68

a 3.

88ab

3.

15ab

3.

62ab

2.

35ab

1.

73b

3.99

ab

5.44

a 2.

92ab

3.

88ab

3.

79ab

4.

48a

2.22

b 2.

49b

5.78

a 3.

19ab

4.

75ab

5.

09ab

2.

82b

With

in a

row

for a

giv

en p

aram

eter

and

mix

ture

, diff

eren

t let

ters

indi

cate

sign

ifica

nt d

iffer

ence

s at p

0.05

; no

lette

rs n

o sig

nific

ant d

iffer

ence

s.

Tabl

e 4

- Sen

sory

eva

luat

ion

of T

aroc

co ‘G

allo

’ slic

es p

acka

ged

unde

r mod

ified

atm

osph

ere

with

thre

e ga

s m

ixtu

res

and

stor

ed fo

r 15

days

at 4

°C.

G

as m

ixtu

re 1

G

as m

ixtu

re 2

G

as m

ixtu

re 3

D

ays

Day

s D

ays

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

0

3 5

7 10

12

15

Fres

hnes

s 5.

85

4.69

4.

39

5.05

5.

12

5.00

4.

64

5.82

5.

21

5.12

5.

14

5.96

4.

36

4.82

5.

87

5.51

4.

75

4.85

4.

00

4.30

4.

16A

rom

a 5.

55a

4.22

ab

4.01

ab

3.22

b 3.

56ab

3.

96ab

4.

53ab

4.

76

5.05

4.

76

3.96

3.

68

4.08

4.

02

5.20

a 5.

22a

4.49

ab

3.48

ab

2.65

b 3.

14ab

3.

26ab

Aci

dity

2.

67ab

4.

52a

3.28

ab

2.72

ab

2.65

ab

2.38

b 3.

59ab

2.

85ab

4.

32a

3.07

ab

2.35

b 2.

99ab

2.

88ab

3.

13ab

3.

27ab

3.

72ab

2.

62b

2.40

b 4.

69a

4.17

ab

4.09

ab

Juic

ines

s 5.

68

4.53

4.

24

5.42

5.

31

5.35

4.

85

5.31

5.

64

5.07

5.

31

6.38

4.

66

5.45

5.

77

5.00

5.

15

5.72

4.

79

5.16

5.

02Sw

eetn

ess

6.32

a 4.

68ab

4.

74ab

4.

06b

5.27

ab

4.20

ab

5.37

ab

5.18

5.

20

4.70

5.

96

5.48

4.

15

5.13

6.

04

5.68

4.

97

4.54

4.

35

4.58

5.

29Fi

rmne

ss

5.15

5.

82

5.98

5.

45

5.42

5.

77

5.59

5.

03

5.45

5.

85

5.68

5.

64

5.79

5.

12

4.94

5.

59

4.71

5.

57

5.50

6.

30

5.07

Off-

flavo

r 3.

94

3.13

3.

04

2.78

3.

05

3.28

3.

55

3.11

3.

28

3.88

2.

87

3.15

2.

77

3.79

4.

14

3.02

3.

26

4.36

4.

54

4.69

4.

88

With

in a

row

for a

giv

en p

aram

eter

and

mix

ture

, diff

eren

t let

ters

indi

cate

sig

nific

ant d

iffer

ence

s at

p0.

05; n

o le

tters

no

sign

ifica

nt d

iffer

ence

s.


FRUITS

ages of the three gas mixtures may have contributed to the maintenance of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and an-thocyanin concentrations. Moreover, the high acidity and maintenance of vitamin C content prevented enzy-matic browning development and marked changes in the color of the slices. The sensory descriptors and estimated microbial group evolution during storage at 4°C revealed that Gallo was the best Tarocco genotype to be processed as a fresh-cut prod-uct. Slices of Tarocco Gallo oranges maintained good freshness, juiciness and firmness during storage. In addi-tion, no development of off-flavors occurred, and the growth of micro-organisms did not exceed accepta-ble limits (CNERNA-CNRS, 1996). In contrast, the Tarocco Scirè slices spoiled faster than the Gallo slices under the same conditions. The re-sults of the present study suggest that the shelf-life of Tarocco Gallo slices

is 12 ds, whereas Tarocco Scirè slic-es are not considered acceptable af-ter 5 to 6 ds of storage.

REFERENCES

1. Ahvenainen R. 2000. Minimal processing of fresh produce. In: “Minimally processed fruits and vegetables”. S.M. Alzamora, M.S. Tapia and A. Lopez-Mallo (Ed), p. 277. AS-PEN Publishers Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland.

2. Bennik M.H.J., Van Overbeek W., Smid E.J. and Gorris L.G. 1998. The influence of oxygen and carbon dioxide on the growth of prevalent Enterobacteriaceae and Pseu-domonas species isolated from fresh and controlled atmosphere-stored vegetables. Food Microbiol. 15: 459.

3. Catalano A.E., Ingallinera B., Todaro A., Rapisarda P. and Spagna G. 2009. Degrada-tive enzymatic activities in fresh-cut blood orange slices during chilled-storage. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 44: 1041.

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11. Huxson C.C. and Bolin H.R. 1989. Process-ing and distribution alternatives for mini-mally processed fruit and vegetables. Food Technol. 43, 124-128.

Table 6 - Microbiological evolution during storage of Tarocco ‘Gallo’ and ‘Scirè’ slices packaged under modified atmosphere with three different gas mixtures (log CFU/g).

Gas mixture 1 Gas mixture 2 Gas mixture 3 Days Days Days

0 3 6 9 12 0 3 6 9 12 0 3 6 9 12

Tarocco ‘Gallo’

PVCa 0.00 3.14 1.73 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.91 2.43 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.70 1.53 2.00 2.00MVCa 0.00 3.72 2.03 2.60 2.00 0.00 2.82 2.56 2.85 2.00 0.00 3.06 2.40 4.00 2.60AABCa 0.00 2.76 2.37 3.92 2.00 0.00 2.79 2.52 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.15 1.43 2.00 2.00YMCa 0.00 2.80 1.87 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.93 2.32 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.06 1.01 2.00 2.60AMCa 0.00 3.72 2.28 2.00 2.60 0.00 2.97 2.97 2.00 2.00 0.00 3.07 1.53 2.00 2.00

Tarocco ‘Scirè’

PVCa 0.00 2.31 4.00 4.61 3.01 0.00 3.00 0.42 3.53 7.52 0.00 1.48 3.92 4.90 5.60MVCa 0.00 2.26 5.52 6.57 3.14 0.00 2.69 1.73 3.31 7.53 0.00 1.33 4.52 5.12 2.60AABCa 0.00 2.38 3.83 4.37 4.14 0.00 3.00 2.56 3.01 7.53 0.00 1.22 3.73 5.05 3.52YMCa 0.00 2.25 4.53 4.17 2.00 0.00 3.19 1.56 2.00 7.53 0.00 1.78 5.52 6.07 2.00AMCa 0.00 2.48 6.52 6.82 3.32 0.00 3.04 1.52 3.37 7.53 0.00 1.49 4.52 6.53 2.00

aPVC, psychotropic viable count; MVC, mesophilic viable count; AABC, acetic acid bacteria count; YMC, yeast and mold count; AMC, acidophilic microorganisms count.


FRUITS

12. ISO 13299. 2003. Sensory analysis - Meth-odology - General guidance for establishing a sensory profile.

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15. Kader A.A. 1986. Biochemical and physi-ological basis for effects of controlled and modified atmospheres on fruits and vegeta-bles. Food Technol. 40: 99.

16. Kimball D. 1991. Citrus Processing. Qual-ity Control and Technology. AVI Book, New York.

17. MAF. 1988. Metodi ufficiali d’analisi per le conserve vegetali (Official Analysis Methods for Plant Preserves). Parte generale, D.M.

18. Moleyar V. and Narasimham P. 1994. Modi-fied atmosphere packaging of vegetables: an appraisal. J. Food Sci. Technol. 31: 267.

19. Pao S. and Petracek P.D. 1997. Shelf-life extension of peeled oranges by citric acid treatment. Food Microbiol. 14: 485.

20. Pao S., Widmer W.W. and Petracek P.D. 1997. Effects of cutting on juice leakage, microbiological stability and bitter sub-stances of peeled citrus. Lebensm. Wiss. u.Technol. 30: 670.

21. Pretel M.T., Fernández P.S., Romojaro F. and Martínez A. 1998. The effect of modi-fied atmosphere packaging on ‘ready-to-eat’

oranges. LWT-Food Sci. Technol. 31: 322.22. Pretel M.T., Lozano P., Riquelme F. and Ro-

mojaro F. 1997. Pectic enzymes in fresh fruit processing: optimization of enzymic peeling of oranges. Proc. Biochem. 32: 43.

23. Rapisarda P. and Intelisano S. 1996. Sam-ple preparation for vitamin C analysis of pigmented orange juice. Ital. J. Food Sci. 3: 251.

24. Rapisarda P. and Russo G. 2000. Fruit qual-ity of five “Tarocco” selections grown in Italy. Proc. Intl. Soc. Citriculture IX: 1149.

25. Rapisarda P., Bellomo S.E. and Intrigliolo F. 2001. Anthocyanins in blood oranges: composition and biological activity. In: Re-cent Research Developments in Agricultural and Food Chemistry. S.G. Pandalai (Ed.), Vol. 5, p. 217. Research Signpost, Trivan-drum, India.

26. Rapisarda P., Bellomo S.E., Pannuzzo P., Caggia C., Lanza C.M. and Restuccia C. 2004. Minimally processed blood orang-es: physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of four ‘Tarocco’ clones slices. Proc. Intl. Soc. Citriculture III: 1149.

27. Rapisarda P., Caggia C., Lanza C.M., Bel-lomo S.E., Pannuzzo P. and Restuccia C. 2006a. Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of minimally pro-cessed Tarocco clone oranges with 3 differ-ent permeability films. J. Food Sci.71: 299.

28. Rapisarda P., Fanella F. and Maccarone E. 2000. Reliability of analytical method for determining anthocyanins in blood orange juice. J. Agric. Food Chem. 48: 2249.

29. Rapisarda P., Pannuzzo P., Timpanaro N.

and Lo Bianco M. 2006b. Changes in poly-phenol, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity in minimally processed Tarocco orange fruit. Special Issue Ital. J. Food Sci., 439.

30. Rocha A.M.C.N., Brochado C.M., Kirby R. and Morais A.M.M.B. 1995. Shelf-life of chilled cut orange determined by sensory quality. Food Control 6: 317.

31. Rojas-Graü M.A., Oms-Oliu G., Soliva-For-tuny R. and Martin-Belloso O. 2009. The use of packaging techniques to maintain freshness in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables: a review. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol. 44: 875.

32. Saltveit M.E. 2003. Is it possible to find an optimal controlled atmosphere? Postharvest Biol. Technol. 27: 3.

33. Sandhya. 2010. Modified atmosphere of fresh produce: current status and future needs. LWT- Food Sci. Technol. 43: 381.

34. UNI ISO 8589. 1990. Analisi sensoriale – Criteri generali per la progettazione di locali destinati all’analisi sensoriale.

35. UNI ISO/WD 4121. 2001. Analisi senso-riale – Linee guida per l’utilizzo di scale quantitative di risposta.

36. Watada A.E., Abe K. and Yamauchi N. 1990. Physiological activities of partially processed fruits and vegetables. Food Tech-nol. 44: 116.

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From “Italian Journal of Food Science”Nr. 1/2012

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were monitored during treatments.In NaClW, free chlorine was produced more rapidly than in TW and, as a conse-quence, reductions of 5 log units of E. coli O157:H7 were achieved faster (0.17, 4, 15 and 24 min for water with 60, 300, 500 and 750 mg/L of COD, respectively) than in TW alone (0.9, 25, 60 min and 90 min for water

with 60, 300, 600 and 800 mg/L of COD, respectively).Nonetheless, the equipment showed potential for water disinfection and organic matter reduction even with-out adding NaCl. Addition-ally, different mathematical models were assessed to account for microbial in-activation curves obtained from the electrochemical treatments.

New research supports the efficacy of an electrochemi-cal treatment in water disin-fection, using boron-doped diamond electrodes.A group of Spanish research-ers and an R&D engineer at Adamant Technologies, a company specializing in the production and develop-ment of thin polycrystalline diamond coatings and relat-ed applications in the fields of electrochemistry and ma-terials in Switzerland, have studied an electrochemical treatment in water disinfec-tion and have analyzed its

suitability for the fresh-cut produce industry.Tap water (TW) and tap water supplemented with NaCl (NaClW), containing different levels of organic matter (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) around 60, 300, 550 50, and 750 50 mg/L) obtained from let-tuce, were inoculated with a cocktail of Escherichia coli O157:H7 at 105 cfu/mL. Changes in levels of E. coli O157:H7 free, com-bined, total chlorine, pH, oxidation-reduction poten-tial, COD and temperature

The journal Food & Function has published the results of a study that may help efforts to reduce salt in snacks and other foods.The researchers Ian Fisk and Tian Xing from University of Nottingham (UK) moni-tored the rate of salt release as crisps are chewed. They found that a peak in salivary

sodium levels was recorded after 20-30 s implying that a significant proportion of the crisp’s salt flavouring is re-leased in a pulse-type mech-anism which would not be encountered when the crisp is exposed to normal eating patterns, i.e. swallowed with-in 20 seconds of first chew.This further suggests that con-sumers are receiving a large proportion of unperceived so-dium, perhaps meaning salt consumption is higher than it

would be if the salt has being detected. This has health con-sequences since high levels of dietary sodium have been linked to negative health im-pacts such as hypertension.The research team suggests that future development of novel technologies to modify the rate-release mechanism of sodium in mouth may offer significant commercial and health opportunities within the food industry.

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Various species of Lactoba-cillus and Bifidobacterium have been used as probiot-ics but their survival during processing and storage is insufficient and limits use-fulness in food applications.Is it possible to produce functional bread contain-ing probiotics? A study pub-lished in the Journal Food Hydrocolloids by Rosell et al. suggests the conclu-sion. The research team has investigated producing functional partially baked bread combining the en-capsulation of Lactobacil-lus acidophilus and starch based coatings and have as-sessed the microorganisms after baking and after a short storage of 24 hrs.The researchers used three different probiotic coatings (dispersed or multilayer) ap-plied onto the surface of the bread. Treatment S1 consist-ed of 5% starch containing 1% microcapsules; S2 was the same at treatment S1 plus a coating of 5% starch

(w/v); S3 consisted of a costing of starch solution (5%, w/v) followed by dis-persing microcapsules (2% w/w, corresponding to 0.2 g/bread) and a final costing with starch solution (5%, w/v). The amount of viable Lactobacillus acidophilus in the bread surface after full baking at 30 minutes and after 24 hr storage has been determined. Chemi-cal and physical analyses of the bread were carried out including puncture tests, examining the treated crusts with scanning elec-tron microscopy and using a trained panel of 8 panel-lists to sensory evaluate the attributes of the bread, in-cluding crust appearance, colour, odour, crispness, and crumb hardness.The scientists found that viable microorganisms re-mained after the baking process in all the coatings, although reduction was higher in the S3 treatment. In all treatments, short-term storage caused a reduction in the total colony counts of microencapsulated Lactoba-cillus acidophilus. However they report that despite this reduction the microbe’s sur-vival indicates that probiotic coatings could be used for obtaining functional breads. Although the physical and chemical analysis showed that the coating had signifi-

cantly affected the physi-ochemical properties of the crust, the sensory panellists found the breads to be of good acceptability.

In conclusion Rosell at al. propose the S1 and S2 treat-ments as the best options for carrying the microcapsules.

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“SIRHA” is the short for “se-quential infrared and hot air”, an almond pasteur-izing technique proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) engineer Zhongli Pan and microbiol-ogist Maria T. Brandl. Their study has demonstrated that giving almonds a burst of infrared heat, followed by a stint of hot-air roast-ing, helps make sure these tasty, healthful nuts remain safe to eat.Findings from their labora-tory experiments show that this chemical-free process offers a simple, safe, energy-efficient and environmen-

tally friendly way to reduce Salmonella enterica popu-lations to levels generally recognized as safe.All almonds processed for sale in the United States to-day are treated with some kind of pasteurization pro-cess in order to zap Salmo-nella, even though it’s gen-erally thought that almonds are only rarely contaminat-ed with this pathogen.Nearly half-dozen almond pasteurization methods already have federal ap-proval, but many almond processors remain eager to learn about new options, including SIRHA and its


promise of fast, reliable and relatively economical pas-teurization.According to results from dozens of volunteer taste-testers who participated in the studies, infrared heat-ing doesn’t detectably al-ter the mild taste, smooth texture, attractive appear-ance or other characteris-tics that make almonds one of the Country’s most pop-ular tree nuts. Dr. Pan reports that, with fu r the r work , S IRHA should be easy to scale up for use at packinghouses.

Most are located in Cali-fornia, where all of Ameri-ca’s commercial almonds – 80% of the world’s supply – are grown. He also notes that some almond pack-inghouses already use in-frared heating, but not for pasteurizing.The idea of using infrared heating to kill germs isn’t new. But studies that Pan and Brandl reported are the most comprehensive inves-tigations of the use of in-frared heating to pasteurize almonds and knock down Salmonella.

Postprocessing contamina-tion of the products in a processing plant has been identified as one of the ma-jor reasons for food contam-

ination with Listeria; brining is one such postprocessing area.A study published in the Journal of Food Safety, by Dr Parikh et al., is focused on the reduction of L. mono-cytogenes in recycled chill brine (obtained from a frankfurter processor) using the combinations of ultra-violet (UV) light and anti-microbial agents, such as citric acid (CA), hydrogen peroxide (HP), and dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC).A previous study of the same research team has shown that the combina-tions of UV and antimicro-bials reduces the number of this organism significantly in fresh brine, but brine is usu-ally recycled from days to

weeks depending on its use.The brine solutions are gen-erally recycled in industries for up to 4 weeks as per United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guide. Thus, it is very important to study various treatments to process recycled brine that was used to process ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products to prevent foodborne dis-eases or outbreaks.Results show that the com-binations of UV and 2,000 and 4,000 ppm HP were the most effective treatments in reducing the Listeria popu-lation with the total process-ing time of 120 min. Both of these treatments were found to be more effective

than UV or HP alone. Addi-tionally, all other treatments, such as the combinations of UV and CA (0.2 and 0.5%) and UV and DMDC (250 and 500 ppm) were com-paratively less effective. This may be due to the presence of organic matter in spent brine, which may have re-duced the penetration of UV and availability of an-timicrobials for microbial interaction.Industry may benefit from this research in their vali-dation efforts to control L. monocytogenes for recycled brine in recirculating chill brine systems through the use of UV light and antimi-crobial agents.

Researchers from the Ohio State University (Usa) have investigated the biological functions of the breakdown products of -carotene. Al-though -carotene is mostly broken down to Vitamin A, their findings published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry indicate that certain molecules that de-rive from -carotene, the -apocarotenoids, have an

opposite effect in the body, blocking some actions of vitamin A, which is critical to human vision, bone and skin health, metabolism and immune function.Harrison et al. explain

that depending on the enzyme pathways in-volved, -carotene (BC) can be broken into differ-ent products including the

-apocarotenoids, which have been found in food and in the blood of hu-mans and animals but their biological functions are still unknown.The scientists produced a series of beta-carotene-de-rived molecules in the labo-ratory that match those that exist in nature; these mol-ecules were then exposed to conditions mimicking their metabolism and action in the body. They found of


the 11 synthetic molecules produced, 5 appeared to function as inhibitors of vitamin A action based on how they interacted with receptors that would nor-mally launch the function of vitamin A molecules. They thought the compounds would function similarly to vitamin A by activating retinoic receptors however they found that they inhibit the activation instead.In order to investigate how

prevalent these molecules were in humans, the re-searchers examined blood samples from 6 healthy hu-man volunteers and found that some of these anti-vita-min-A molecules were pre-sent in every sample stud-ied, which indicates that they are a common product of -carotene metabolism.The paper suggests that high doses of -carotene may be detrimental to health.

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A dietary study involving hamsters and published in the journal Nutrition and Dietary Supplements sug-gests that ProAlgaZyme and its subfractions can in-crease the level of plasma HDL cholesterol in hyper-cholesterolemic animals.ProAlgaZyme (PAZ) algae

infusion is the fermenta-tion product of a blend of freshwater organisms, in-cluding green algae. Since current treatment strategies for reducing the risk of car-diovascular disease include a focus on increasing low levels of high-density lipo-protein (HDL) cholesterol,

the Authors argue that this study merits further inves-tigation in human subjects, once any potential toxic effects of PAZ have been considered.In the study, sixty male gold-en Syrian hamsters (8 weeks old) were randomized into controls (W) or PAZ (P), P1, P2, P3, and P4 (n = 10 per group). Hamsters were used in this study because their lipoprotein metabo-lism is comparable with that of humans in terms of having similar components and metabolism of both li-poproteins and bile acids. An infusion of either 5% (P1, P2, P3) or 20% (P, P4) concentration (v/v) was ad-

ministered via the drinking water for 4 weeks, while the hamsters were being fed a high-fat diet (30% of calories from fat). Serum li-pids were assayed and liver samples subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to deter-mine the relative transcrip-tion levels of genes involved in HDL/reverse cholesterol transport metabolism.The results suggest that PAZ administration results in a favourable lipoprotein cho-lesterol distribution profile in hamsters, primarily via its effects on multiple targets in the reverse cholesterol trans-port pathway.

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Researchers from University of Zagreb (Croatia) have de-veloped a chocolate rich in polyphenols derived from raspberry leaves. They re-port their work in Food Re-search International and note that raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus L.) have been used in folk medicine to treat a number of condi-tions. Many of these po-tential health benefits are attributed to polyphenol-ic compounds, especially ellagic acid and ellagitan-nins, which provide a dis-tinctive flavour of raspber-ry leaves tea.In the present study the bio-

active content, physical and sensory properties of milk, semisweet and dark choc-olates enriched with con-centrated (1 and 3%) and freeze dried (1%) red rasp-berry leaf extract were stud-ied. Researchers found that the addition of 3% con-centrated extract reduced the particle size distribu-tion parameter in all choc-olates but provided hard-er product with higher vis-cosity and rough, coarse product surface, resulting in an unattractive and sen-sorially unacceptable prod-uct. However, the addition of freeze dried extract in-


creased the particle size of all chocolates and did not cause any significant differ-ence in the chocolate sur-face, and was scored the best in terms of visual, tex-

tural and flavour attributes. The addition of 1% of con-centrated or 1% of freeze dried extract did not alter the total phenol content (TPC) of enriched choco-late compared to plain sam-ples, while the addition of 3% concentrated extract enhanced the TPC in all chocolates.Researchers claim that opti-mal physical, bioactive and sensory properties can be achieved if a freeze-dried concentrate of raspberry leaf is used.

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Diabetes in obese people often occurs when the dedicated sugar transport molecules on fat cells are blocked. Glucose is not able to enter the fat cell causing the whole body to become insulin resistant, and blood sugar rises,

leading to diabetes. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.In recent years, several research groups have shown that fat cells play a key role in controlling healthy blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the human body.The current study at Harvard Medical School, published in the Journal Nature, has identified a fat gene that appears to protect against diabetes, a disease that af-fects more than two million people in the UK.The research showed how the gene, ChREBP, converts glucose sugar into fatty acids and boosts sensitivity to insulin, allowing diabetes to be resisted. The study

involved tweaking a “glu-cose transporter” gene in obese mice that serves as a gateway for sugar. Usually the activity of the gene in fat cells decreases with obesity.The scientists found that when they allowed more sugar into their fat cells by increasing glucose trans-porter levels in obese mice, they were protected against diabetes. Furthermore, nor-mal weight mice lacking the

glucose transporter gene de-veloped diabetes symptoms.It is believed that the find-ings could lead to new treatments for diabetes and other metabolic diseases. This study adds to previous research, based on 123 fat samples from non-diabet-ic people, which showed the gene was more active in those whose bodies had a better sugar balance.

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Researchers from the Dept. of Science of Dietetics-Nu-trition and Dept. of Home Economics and Ecology, at the Harokopio University in Greece, have analysed to-mato processing by-prod-ucts, together with unpro-cessed tomatoes, for sever-al bioactive phytochemicals such as like sterols, toco-pherols, carotenes, terpe-nes, total and simple poly-phenols. In addition, their radical scavenging capacity and reducing power were assayed.On a dry weight (DW) ba-sis, tomato wastes con-tained significantly low-er amounts of lycopene and increased amounts of

-carotene, tocopherols, sterols and terpenes, while their fatty acid profile was similar to that of unpro-

cessed tomatoes.Tomato by-products con-tained similar amount of to-tal polyphenols and exhib-ited similar DPPH radical scavenging activity and fer-ric reducing power with to-matoes. Among 18 simple polyphenols determined by GC/MS, hydroxycinnam-ic acids predominated in


whole tomatoes, while fla-vonoids predominated in tomato wastes with narin-genin comprising 87% of flavonoids.As most of the phytochem-icals determined exert an-

tioxidant activities, toma-to processing by-products could be successfully uti-lized as functional ingredi-ent for the formulation of antioxidant rich function-al foods.

A research team, led by Pickering, from the Brock University (Canada), have investigated if the tempera-ture of food we eat affects the intensity of its taste. The Chemosensory Percep-tion journal published the findings.The study involved 74 par-ticipants from the university and local community who were “thermal” tasters (people who have areas of the tongue that produce taste sensations to hot or cold even without the presence of food), “super” tasters (people who are par-ticularly sensitive to taste

in general), and “regular” tasters. Over three ses-sions, scientists gave the participants sweet, sour, bitter and astringent solu-tions at both 5° and 35°C. The participants rated the intensity of the taste of the solutions over a period of time.For all types of tasters, temperature influenced the maximum perceived intensity from all but the sweet solutions. It is found that astringency was more intense when the solution was warm; the flavour in-tensity lasted longer with the warm solution than

with the cold one. Bitter-ness was more intense when the solution was cold, whilst the flavour profile declined faster with the cold solution than with the warm one. Sourness was more intense with the warm solution and with the warm solution flavour intensity lasted longer.Pickering et al. state that they were surprised that the there was no difference in

the perceived sweetness be-tween the warm and cold sugar solutions, but not that it took longer for the cold solution to reach its maximum flavour intensity.The study concludes by reiterating their findings by saying that their work reveal that in addition to these sensitive individuals, the temperature of a spe-cific taste can affect how intense it tastes.

The prebiotic GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) is a group of indigestible short-chain carbohydrates which are found naturally in human milk. They are also used to supplement infant formulas, dairy products, fruit and energy drinks, cereal bars, and confectionery.Previous studies have indi-cated that this prebiotic can reduce intestinal inflamma-tion, improve the intestinal barrier function, reducing colonisation of pathogens, amongst others. A mouse study recently published in The Journal of Nutritionhas investigated the effect of a prebiotic on colitis development.The researchers Fenton et al. fed mice with GOS (5,000 mg/kg) 4 weeks be-fore and after infection with Helicobacter hepaticus and evaluated the effect of GOS

on colitis development. Us-ing PCR they investigated changes in the protective bacteria, Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. in faeces.It is found that the mice fed GOS saw a 50% reduction in colitis. The state that the positive results were linked to the significant enhance-ment of the body’s own natural killer cells found in the immune system and crucial in fighting off new infections in the body. The GOS supplementa-tion enhanced the growth of Bifidobacterium spp. however faecal Lactoba-cillus spp. did not differ between control and GOS-supplemented mice. GOS also altered NK cells in the spleen and MsLN. NK cells are capable of destroying foreign and dysfunctional cells via degranulation and


induction of cell lysis; they have an important role in the eradication of cellular infections. Before infection, the number of NK cells did not differ between the con-trol and GOS-supplemented mice; however at day 3 af-ter infection, the percentage of NK cells in GOS-treated mice significantly increased and were greater than in control mice. They then decreased to baseline levels by day 7.Fenton el al. also investi-gated IL-15, an important med ia to r i n immune responses in the intestine. Depletion of IL-15 impairs innate responses to patho-gens which the scientists report is associated with reduced NK cell activity, as

well as lowered resistance to colonisation. Researchers report that IL-15 production differed between the con-trol and GOS-supplemented mice. Prior to infection the supplemented mice had higher concentrations com-pared to the control, and by day 3 postinfection, IL-15 significantly increased in GOS-treated mice, seeing a decrease by day 7 similar to levels seen at baseline.Results suggest that GOS may be effective in reducing colitis severity by priming the innate immune system. The mice given GOS had significantly less inflam-mation and fewer abnormal cells, two precursors for colon cancer.

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The stability of phytochemicals in processed fruit and vegetables

A study conducted by Leong and Oey in New Zealand published in Food Chemistry investigated the stability of phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, ca-rotenoids and vitamin C in fruit and vegetables (cher-ries, nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, carrots, red bell peppers) when ex-posed to three different pro-cessing conditions (98°C for 10 minutes, -20°C and freeze-drying). Phytochemi-

cal-rich fruit and vegetables are believed to have value in the prevention of some chronic diseases. Food pro-cessing enables the supply of these commodities out-side of their growing sea-sons.The aim of the Leong and Oey study was to evaluate the changes in phytochemi-cal content as affected by processing conditions. The researchers reported that the stability of phyto-

chemicals depends on their amount and species, food matrix, the presence of other bioactive compounds in fruit and vegetables, geographical locations of foods, and growth condi-tions.The authors concluded that heating and freez-ing release the anthocya-nins bound in plant cell membranes and therefore increase their bioaccessi-bility. They noticed higher anthocyanins content in heated cherries, peaches and plums (but not in nec-tarines) compared to fresh fruits. On the other hand heating decreased the ca-rotenoids content in apri-cots, nectarines and carrots but not in cherries, peach-es, plums and red bell pep-pers. Moreover, in contrast to existing literature the researchers reported that heating inactivates ascorbic acid oxidase that improves

the stability of ascorbic acid, with an exception for red bell peppers.Additionally, the research-ers highlighted that heating causes leaching of water-soluble compounds which could change the phyto-chemical profile and con-tent of fruit in vegetables. Similarly, the rate of freez-ing may contribute to the changes in phytochemical content.In the present study freeze-drying as a technique of food processing resulted in a lower phytochemical content when compared to heating and freezing. Thus, in order to achieve high retention of phytochemicals in heated and frozen foods, Leong and Oey propose to heat commodities in sealed vacuum plastic bags and to recover the fruit and vegetables drip loss during thawing.

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Researchers of the Labora-tory of Food Chemistry and Technology at the Univer-sity of Ioannina (Greece) have invest igated the combined effect of an O2 absorber and a citrus ex-tract (0.1 and 0.2 mL/100 g) on shelf life extension of fresh ground chicken stored at 4 C.All the microbiological changes (total viable count, Pseudomonads, Lactic

acid bacteria, Enterobac-teriaceae, and Clostridium spp.), physico-chemical changes (pH, total volatile nitrogen, and colour), and sensory changes (colour, odour, and taste) were monitored as a function of treatment and storage time (14 days). Aerobically pack-aged ground chicken meat stored at 4 C was taken as the control sample.On day 6 of storage total vi-

able count was reduced by 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 log cfu/g by the citrus extract (0.2 mL/100 g), the O2 absorber and the combination of the O2 absorber plus citrus ex-tract (0.2 mL/100 g), respec-tively (p < 0.05). Initial pH (6.38) showed an increase (6.73) or decrease (5.83) depending on specific treat-ment. Total volatile nitrogen ranged between 42.5 and 57.5 mg/kg at the time of sensory rejection. Colour parameters remained unaf-fected in samples contain-ing the O2 absorber and/or citrus extract.

The citrus extract had a small preservative effect extending ground chicken meat shelf life by ca. 2 days. The O2 absorber resulted to a shelf life extension of ca. 3 days as compared to the control sample. The combined use of citrus extract (0.1 mL/100 g) and O2 absorber resulted to a shelf life extension by ca. 5 days.The results suggest that combined use of citrus extract and O2 absorber is the best choice to extend a shelf life of ground chicken meat.


FOODPROCESSING

Slicing and packaging machine

Specialized on the slicing and packaging of oven-baked products, Brevetti Gasparin has oriented its production range to the development of industrial plants more and more au-tomated, according to the different customer require-ments.One of the latest innova-tions introduced with suc-cess in the market is the slicing and packaging line for rolls, buns, hamburg-ers, and hot-dogs. The line consists of a new slicer ma-chine with disks combined

in exit with an automatic feeder with the purpose to feed the packaging ma-chine, in this case of flow-pack type.The cutting head mounted on the conveyor allows to get a partial incision, hinge or web type on the product, with the possibility to be excluded if the product has not to be sliced and placed side by side with a continu-ous cutting head for the to-tal cut of the products. After the cutting phase, the products are accumu-lated and equalized for the

phasing with the automatic feeder in line or turned of 90°, loading the packaging machine.

Is also possible the com-bination in line with ap-propriate loading system for the bagging machine or even in the version in mul-tiple packaging on bulk-packer.Developed for medium in-dustrial purpose, the line can be combined with the cooling tower for a contin-uous cycle of work at high production productive ef-ficiency, grouping together in small space an unique system of automatic slicing and packaging.(Brevetti Gasparin - Via I Maggio 19 Z.A. - Marano Vicentino - VI - Italy - Tel. +39 0445 560065 - Fax +39 0445 622484 - email: [email protected])

The slicer machine with disks (Brevetti Gasparin).

Slicing and packaging line for rolls, buns, hamburgers, and hot-dogs (Brevetti Gasparin).


Plants for food industry

Brambati is a leading manu-facturer of handling systems for the food industries. In particular, it is specialized in the first part of the pro-cessing, where all the ingre-dients are properly handled and prepared to feed differ-ent processing machines.The company has a history of 60 years in the bakery, baking, confectionery, baby food, pasta and biscuit in-dustries. It supplies turnkey plants up to the feeding of eventual mixing machines or other utilization points, storage, weighing, clean-ing, transportation, dosing machines for both powder and liquid raw materials (flour, sugar, water, oil, etc.).Brambati also develops complete systems for

crystal and inverted sugar processing and turnkey plants for the coffee indus-try, from the receiving of the green coffee up to the feeding of the packing ma-chines through the different stages of cleaning, stor-age, weighing, blending, roasting, conveying (with traditional mechanical transport or with the new generation ones at high density low-speed), milling and degassing.The capacity of all the Brambati systems varies according to the specific customer requirements, thus having a great process-ing flexibility.Roasting machines can be of different sizes, from 5-7,5 kg per batch (20 kg/hour) to 360 kg per

batch (1,440 kg/hour) with traditional or high automa-tion concept, allowing a complete controlling of the coffee roasting process, adapting the roasting char-acteristics to the different customer requirements. For each roaster, Brambati supplies the after-burner for fumes emission in the atmosphere mod. “ECO” and the catalyst.Grinders can be of dif-ferent sizes and type, the traditional ones with pro-duction from 100 to 1,600 kg/hour for Espresso, Moka and filter coffee, and the special ones with produc-

tion from 450 to 700 kg/hour for Turkish and Greek coffee. The company has also developed a sample roaster mod. BRM-200 with production of max 200 g of coffee and a plate grinder K1 mod.B ramba t i a l so o f f e r s control panels, hardware and software, so that all the systems can be com-pletely computerized and automatic.(Brambati - Via Strada Nuo-va 37 - 27050 Codevilla - PV - Italy - Tel. +39 0383 373100 - Fax +39 0383 373078 - email: [email protected])

Laboratory homogenizer

Homolab is a laboratory homogenizer developed by FBF Italia, equipped with two pumping pistons; it can handle about 10 litres of product per hour, with homogenization pres-sures up to 1,500 bar. This important feature results in a far greater product stability and more reliable results than can be ex-pected from single piston machines.Options include single and two-stage homogenisation valves, that makes it pos-sible to closely replicate the same homogenization conditions in the labora-tory, as can be expected in the real production process.

(FBF Italia - Via Are 2 - 43038 Sala Baganza - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 548211 - Fax +39 0521 835179 - email: [email protected])

Homolab laboratory homogenizer (FBF Italia)


Continuous spiral freezer

PiGo Food Processing Sys-tems develops complete processing solutions for fruit and vegetables. The produc-tion covers Easy Freeze & Easy Freeze Spyro, stain-less steel fluidized bed and spiral freezers, cooling/pas-teurization spiral solution, Easy Cook Vacuum cooking

plants and deaeration plants, as preparation for freezing and producing fruit cubes.A spiral conveyor and a freezing system, which pro-vides a well-distributed air-flow, basically compose the Easy Freeze Spyro freezer.Regarding the technical de-sign, the drum is without

lateral openings in order to improve the air guidance and to minimize the pos-sibility to accumulate dirt.In order to obtain a quick freezing process, Easy Freeze Spyro is designed for the high-speed circula-tion (4-10 m/sec) of cold air in contact with the product on the whole length of the spiral conveyor. In this way, products suffer a very low weight loss (two times less than with vertical air-flow). Hitting the incoming prod-uct with the coldest air, the product is therefore imme-diately “crusted” reducing the snow formation. The increase of temperature of air that passes through the product is very low, thus avoiding the increase in humidity content.Cold air passes directly from the evaporator to the prod-uct, not through fan motors,

thus providing the coldest air and the most uniform air distribution (otherwise there are losses of 2°C). The lateral aprons to guide the airflow on the opposite side of the evaporators are of easy ac-cess design (such as opening or sliding doors).There is the possibility to have bi-directional airflow and speed on the product adjusting the by-pass and fans.Finally, the high speed of air in Easy Freeze Spyro in-creases a good exchange on the surface of the product, the speed of cold penetra-tion, and the quality of the freezing process, and long running time with very low frost forming.(PiGo - Via Pontaron 30 - 36030 Caldogno - VI - Italy – Tel. +39 0444 905709 - Fax +39 0444 909778 - email: [email protected])

Semiautomatic volumetric doser (Telm).

Volumetric dosers

The semiautomatic volu-metric dosers developed by Telm represent the perfect solution to dose liquids, creamy and dense products even if with pieces, in a very precise and quick way.Built completely in stain-less steel, they are useful for both small sets of sam-ples and medium or high productions. Simple to use and easy to install, these dosers are characterized by a compact structure and a

minimum size and weight. Moreover, tri-clamp connec-tions allow simple cleaning and maintenance opera-tions, without any tools.Several possibilities to cus-tomize the machine accord-ing to the specific working necessities are guaranteed by the company.(Telm - Via G. Galilei 6 - 42027 Montecchio E. - RE - I taly - Tel. +39 0522 866116 - Fax +39 0522 866084 - email: [email protected])


system

For an old process as sau-sage seasoning, “time” is an essential pre-requisite for an innovative treatment. Time is the key-word strategy of the Ghizzoni D. “time-sav-ing” method.All those who process meat into sausages know perfect-ly that time is the secret of the incomparable taste of each and any genuine prod-uct, but it brings about con-siderable restrictions in the early production capaci-ty of every cold meat pro-cessing plant. A reduction of the timing, with savings of up to 5 fold lower than the

time required by traditional dryers, is what can be ob-tained with the special pat-ented equipment Ghizzoni D., through the application of the process within a con-trolled and standardized en-vironment.Without doubt, the first ad-vantage is a considerable energy saving. This solu-tion removes and replaces the traditional dehumidifi-cation equipment with heat convector and refrigera-tor condensers, which are necessary in this process-ing stage. In the same way, time reduction also has an

impact on the pre-season-ing and seasoning stage, by drastically reducing them.The Ghizzoni D. “time-sav-ing” method also becomes a real “space-saving” meth-od because the quicker ro-tation of products reduces the allocated space needed for the same during the sea-soning period. This is an un-deniable advantage from an economical point of view. Another winning aspect, in this delicate process, con-cerns a second key point of the process, quality. The meat pieces seasoned with this new method are perfect-ly compact in the centre and show no separation and in-ternal infiltrations, whereas the outer appearance, tex-ture, colour and uniformi-

ty of the pieces are identical to those obtained with the traditional process. Further-more, the bacterial prolifer-ation is inhibited during the initial stage, whereas the de-humidification subsequent-ly turns out to be uniform in the whole processed meat piece.The new Ghizzoni D. “time-saving” method in the pro-duction of sausages leads to economical advantag-es in terms of volumes and hence of sales, at the same time safeguarding the qual-ity and authenticity of prod-ucts.(Ghizzoni D. - Via Aldo Moro 13/A - 43035 Felino - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 835509 - Fax +39 0521 834498 - email: [email protected])


FRUIT ANDVEGETABLE

Extraction

Boema presents the extrac-tion and refining group Mod. PR410 for fruit and vegetables puree with ad-justable rotor. For this mod-el, the production program foresees the construction of three kinds of machines, individual or double, and different only for the rotor length.Each machine is composed of an Aisi 304 stainless steel rotor with adjustable pad-dles that can be adjusted by varying 1) the distance from the static filter (radial setting) or 2) the slope as to the machine axis. The rotor, with its support, and the mo-tor are installed on a slide, which enables them to be

moved. In this way, during the cleaning or maintenance operations, the machine can be easily inspected in all its parts. The perforated sheet baskets with reinforced rings and filter with perforation to be defined and casing with a quick opening front door are both made of Aisi 304 stainless steel.Other features of the ex-traction and refining group PR410 are the follow-ing: DN80 product inlet connection, manifold for washing water distribution, product collecting hopper, electrical motor with fre-quency changer in order to control the rotation speed of the rotor, flat screw for

scrap evacuation powered by electrical motorized-gearbox, machine body in stainless steel developed by means of cast iron fusion, which contains the trans-mission shaft, n. 2 bearings with oil bath lubrication, elastic joint and a support-

ing frame made of Aisi 304 stainless steel closed tubu-lars.(Boema - C.so Romano Scagliola 197 - 12052 Neive - CN - Italy - Tel. +39 0173 678711 - Fax +39 0173 67626 - email: [email protected])

Extraction and refining group Mod. PR410 for fruit and vegetables pu-ree (Boema).

Buscetto is a dynamic Ital-ian company which pro-duces industrial machinery and complete lines for the canning industry.The company presents the dicer machine mod. GB-X297. The machine can be supplied with equipment

for the production of dice with sides of 10, 12, 14, and 20 mm. The product is introduced into the feeding section. The centrifugal ac-tion of the endorser shovels forces the same product to move towards the outskirts of the endorser where the

first cut is performed. The second cut is performed by means of a series of longitudinal knives trans-versally prepared, giving fillet pieces. Finally, the third cut is performed by means of rotating circular knives, thus getting the end product cut into dice. All the parts in contact with the product are built in stainless steel, such as the carrying

structure (in tubular inox).But the Buscetto flagship product is the thermo-physical Alfaterna peeler, which represents an evolu-tion of the project peeler designed for the first time in the world more than 60 years ago. Thanks to the company experience and modern technologies, this machine has today become an advanced product that


combines reliability, speed, and ease of use.The peeler machine under vacuum Alfaterna 25-45-60 consists of a stainless porter elevator, a star valve for product introduction, a chute for product advance-ment, an intermediate star valve, a star valve for the product discharge, a vacu-um creation plant, a cen-tralized lubrication plant, a stainless steel tank, and a structure in stainless steel.The stainless porter eleva-tor has a structure in tubu-lar stainless steel Aisi 304, which provides the tomato feeding of the inlet big valve and is synchronized with the introduction big valve through the transmis-sion chain.The star valve for product in-troduction is driven by a 4.0 kW variable-speed motor-unit with inverter, flanged to the valve body. The inner tights consist of bronze leaf-spring bars, while the lat-eral tights consist of bronze bands in contact with each other and opportunely lubri-cated. The tights of the rota-tion shaft consist of packing with bronze stuffing box. In order to extract these bronze bars, Buscetto proposes an appropriate bronze stop-per on the lateral surface of the valve, which guarantees bar change in a few min-utes. On the surface there are two flanges to recuper-ate the steam that naturally comes out. This steam is sent (by a 4” pipeline) to a stain-less steel tank Aisi 304 to

extract the condensate. The valve axis is chromate on the length in order to have a greater resistance to cor-rosion.The chute for product ad-vancement for the direct steam burn phase is driven by a 4.0 kW variable-speed motor-unit with inverter, flanged to the cylindri-cal body of the chute. The cylinder is tested on steam pressure 2 bar. On the up-per side there are three flanges of 2” (connected with a 3” principal pipe) to introduce the steam into this section. The steam pipe-line has a pneumatic valve to regulate the exact steam quantity into the machine. On the lower side there is a 2” flange to the washing system.The intermediate star valve, driven by a motor-unit of 4.0 kW, transports the toma-to from the burn section to the under-vacuum section. The chute transporter for the tomato peeling under-vac-uum is driven by a 3.0 kW variable-speed motor-unit with inverter. A star valve for the product discharge is connected to the vacuum creation plant and driven with a motor-unit of 4.0 kW.The vacuum creation plant consists of a tube-nest con-denser of stainless steel Aisi 304, with pipes for washing. It is composed of a cylin-drical external tube-nest of stainless steel Aisi 304, and some stainless steel tubes are mounted inside it. The vacuum is given by two wa-

ter ring pumps with high ca-pacity each with an engine of 15 kW. The cooling wa-ter circulation is given by a centrifugal pump of 3.0 kW.A centralized lubrication plant with switch-board and a pump of 0.37 kW and distribution blocks for 18 points is controlled by a PLC mounted inside the electric panel to regulate the On-Off times.A stainless steel tank is mounted on the bottom part of the supporting structure, for the condensate collec-tion. Finally, there is a struc-ture in tubular stainless steel Aisi 304 with two floors and with stainless steel stairs.(Buscetto - Via Atzori 16 - 84014 Nocera Inferiore - SA

- Italy - Tel. 081 5176122 - Fax +39 081 5176011 - email: [email protected])

Crusher-Kneader-Feeder for olives

Officine Meccaniche Tos-cane develops machines and complete installations for the extraction of oil from olives. Recently, it has pre-sented the Crusher-Knead-er-Feeder Group 3/C-20. It is made up of three over-lapped bins entirely made of stainless steel, with a cof-ferdam for the circulation of thermo-regulated hot water. The capacity of each bin is 700 kg and temperature of the water is thermo-regu-lated.The shovels are made of stainless steel and are con-

Dicer machine mod. GB-X297 for fruits and tomatoes (Buscetto).

Crusher-Kneader-Feeder group 3/C-20 (OMT).


trolled by single gear elec-tric motor groups. Their geometry allows a perfect mixing of the paste. The kneaded paste is conveyed to the decanter by means

of a variable revolution monopump with a stator made of alimentary rubber, which is located under the inferior bin.The crusher is entirely made

of stainless steel. Its design guarantees the lowest heat-ing of the paste during the crushing and the best qual-ity of the product.(Officine Meccaniche To-

scane - Via di Scolivigne 58 - Loc. Grassina - 50012 Bagno a Ripoli - FI - Italy - Tel. +39 055 6499389 - Fax +39 055 6499317 - email: [email protected])

The Camel system was de-veloped in 2007 by Turatti, the creator of the first flota-tion washer, the dewatering system, the air dryer and sev-eral other pieces of equip-ment that have changed the way in which fresh-cut prod-ucts are processed.This year Turatti presents the evolution of the Camel model, the third generation of the system. Now operating in several companies world-wide, this system gently transports the most delicate products (fruit and vegeta-bles) while maintaining high quality levels within the most stringent specifications.

The 2012 version fully epit-omizes the years of experi-ence handling the most dis-parate products with differ-ent applications. This revo-lutionary design utilizes the proven technology of the closed pipe flume concept without the use of a centrifu-gal pump for product move-ment. In this closed flume, the contact time with the sanitizing water solution is accurately controlled, thus guaranteeing a full submer-sion and precise treatment time. Its compact design makes it easy to retrofit ex-isting operations with limited space, while improving the

washing operations and min-imizing water requirements.(Turatti - Viale Regina Mar-gherita 52 - 30014 Cavar-

zere - VE - Italy - Tel. +39 0426 310731 - Fax +39 0426 310500 - email: [email protected])

For the small sized extra-virgin oil olive producer, Toscana Enologica Mori has developed the small oil mill Frantoino Profy.The operation of this oil mill is very easy. Once the olives have been properly cleaned and washed, they are poured into the receiv-

ing hopper. Here a screw feeds the crusher that is equipped with fix grate and hollow knife impeller. The paste falls into the lower mixer, where a helicoidally shaped stirrer prepares it. A pump with a speed change gear sends the paste to the decanter where the sepa-

ration takes place, oil from the front and waste mixed with water from the back of the machine. Frantoino Profy is made of Aisi 304 stainless steel and food-grade material.(Toscana Enologica Mori - Via Cimabue 4-6 - Taver-nelle Val di Pesa - FI - Italy - Tel. +39 055 8071568 - Fax +39 055 8071293 - email: [email protected])

Camel washing unit for fresh-cut products (Turatti).

Profy olive oil mill (Toscana Eno-logica Mori).


CONFECTIONERYAND CHOCOLATE

The “Open House Day” at Tecno 3

Tecno 3 is specialized in the design of machinery and lines for the choco-late and confectionery in-dustry.During the Open House Day June edition, the company met Italian and foreign technicians and showed them some in-novative plants confirm-ing, once again, the Tec-no 3 modus operandi: a rigorous selection of ma-terials, the technological know-how in machinery design, the accuracy and

manufacturing precision down to the smallest de-tails, the utmost attention paid to safety and hygiene aspects.The event was also joined by some University teach-ers of the Degree Course in Food Science of the Mi-lan University and Chem-ical Engineering of the Genoa University, who showed great interest in the technological solu-tions offered by Tecno 3 in the chocolate field. Here some of the machinery.

Multifunctional robotic operator

The multifunctional ro-botic operator is a mobile robotic station equipped with all the electrical, electronic and pneumatic devices necessary. The innovative column struc-ture upon wheels makes it easy to move the ma-chine between the differ-ent work positions. The connections between the machines and lines to be served are also very quick, as they are carried out by means of industrial modular connectors. The accessory devices of the station, such as the belts, the vibrating hoppers, the rotary tables, the load-ers or the dispensers, are interchangeable depend-ing on the operation to be carried out and are direct-ly hooked to the column. The station is equipped with a multi-camera vi-sion system for tracking products at inlet-outlet that can also perform product compliance mon-itoring. The LCD touch-screen panel integrated

into the column allows to supervise the station processing and to moni-tor the vision system. The machine is easy to be set-up in a very short time.

Transfer and palletizing robot

This machine allows com-bining two production jobs in a single robotized sta-tion, which optimizes the room and costs. The first function is the handling of items that are at the output of the production lines, in order to transfer, orient, stack or box the products. The palletizing is made together with the first function, exploiting the waiting time. The pallets move through the work-ing area of the robot on a roller conveyor, that can be fed by hand or a pal-let dispenser. On the op-erator panel, the user can select the palletizing lay-out. The clamping device, equipped with a suction cups matrix, is developed to fit the different items to handle, with a fully auto-matic setup.The Tecno 3 factory.


Partial view of the assembly department (Tecno 3).

Robotic station for controlling and depositing

pieces in-line

The machine was devel-oped for adding missing pieces (such as hazelnuts, almonds, cherries etc.) into moulding and coating lines by means of a double vision system, one camera for the line and the other one for the feeder belt. The product is deposited by tracking the step that means a continu-ous translation movement of the production flow. It is possible to implement dif-ferent configurations as well as integration into already existing lines.

Mould vision system Shell Inspector

The Shell Inspector is equipped with a camera that detects all the moulds still containing chocolate prod-ucts or part of them, reject-ing them from the moulding process. Thanks to the high-est reliability and the ex-tremely easy configuration, this system distinguishes itself from the other similar ones present in the market.

Multilayer Cremino chocolate processing line

Tecno 3 develops the most traditional complete mul-tilayer chocolate process-ing line, Cremino. This line foresees the depositing of 4 layers; each product layer passes through a compart-ment composed of a pre-

heater, a levelling device, and a cooling tunnel. The last operation consists in cutting the product longi-tudinally and transversally, by means of a system that is specially conceived to grant the utmost precision of chocolate dimensions. Thanks to an efficient mix-ing and metering unit that can be integrated alongside each levelling machine, in order to add solid ingre-dients by guaranteeing an accurate and homogeneous depositing, Cremino line can be used for processing different products (such as the classic chocolate nougat with hazelnuts inside).

Vertical roaster for dried fruit

Just entering the show room, the costumer could smell a nice roasted hazelnut fra-grance coming from the small continuous roaster Tecno 3 (200 kg/h), which is located in the trial area. In fact some continuous roast-ing tests were carried out with Piemonte hazelnuts, in order to show customers the efficiency and performances of the machine.Two other roasting plants (400 and 800 kg/h, respec-tively) were available to be seen in their advanced as-sembly phase.The machine is composed of two different heating compartments, respec-tively for drying and roast-ing, followed by a cooling compartment and by a final

and very effective peeling device.

The test area

In the Tecno 3 test area the customer can find a roast-er, a cocoa bin winnower (for separating the peel of roasted cocoa beans), a continuous grinding unit – that can be also adjusted for cocoa nibs, for hazelnuts and for chocolate or creme

blends processing –, and a rapid concha for choco-late conching. This labora-tory is available for all the customers who would like to test the efficiency of Tec-no 3 machinery with their products.(Tecno 3 - Via Mastri Ce-stai 2 - 12040 Corneliano D’Alba - CN - Italy - Tel. +39 0173 610564 - Fax +39 0173 619494 - email: [email protected])


PACKAGINGEQUIPMENT

Packaging solutions for a complex market

Saving space, energy and material – these are the is-sues that currently concern the packaging industry. The driving forces for constant innovations are complex: general economic condi-tions, political regulations and technological progress. The packaging industry is facing these challenges for the further development of its products. Ultimately, the sparing use of resources also ensures more efficiency in the value chain.

Packaging: smart films for fast food

Meat places special de-mands on industrial pack-aging because the juice runs out. A soft film vacuum package with two chambers ensures dry storage in the package. Here the separate active vacuum chamber ab-sorbs the meat juice and ox-ygen in the air from the edg-es of the product. The meat keeps the red colour which is appreciated by consum-ers. The second chamber in the package avoids con-tact with the escaped meat juice on opening the pack-

age – the system prevents this flowing back into the meat. The new concept also saves production costs. The vacuum system of the sec-ond chamber eliminates the need for absorbent pads. A special composition is not necessary for the film. The standard film solutions are suitable for a broad spec-trum of products.Promising packaging so-lutions help to keep food containing fat, food coated in breadcrumbs or bread products crispy and tasty when prepared in the mi-crowave. Moisture and fat run off through a perforated sealing film during cooking and are absorbed by an in-termediate layer. Food not coated with breadcrumbs, such as bacon, can also be prepared much crispier in the microwave. The package also has thermal insulation properties. These reduce the outside temperature of the package after cooking in the microwave, so it is possible to touch the bag without problems. This combined with easily inte-grated, convenient opening mechanisms makes it easy

to remove the cooked food quickly. An additional steam valve label permits particu-larly gentle steaming, which preserves the natural taste and vitamins. The flexible package can be pressed completely flat and has an attractive design with a win-dow to see the product. It is processed on conventional form-fill-and-seal systems and can replace a bag-in-box susceptor package. Sus-ceptors consist of a vapour-deposited metal layer on a film which radiate heat to brown the food. The new microwave package does not require these materials and is made partly from re-newable raw materials.

Technology: flexible machines package

at top speed

Sealed tray packages are popular as industrial pack-ages for fresh products or frozen meals. Products packaged in this way offer a high degree of conveni-ence, can be kept for longer thanks to the modified at-mosphere and are quickly prepared. The machine manufacturers offer space-saving machines with a du-al-track arrangement for the tray sealer for fully automat-ic packaging of large and

medium-size batches. A tray sealer with two independent sealing tracks can simulta-neously process different products with different sizes and filling weights at different speeds with a pro-tective atmosphere adapted to each of these products. Down times are reduced because each track can be stopped independently to change the product, while production continues on the other track. Film rolls with a diameter of up to 450 mm guarantee longer production cycles. All tray sizes and types of film can be processed. Modern servo technology ensures con-trolled tray transport and film feed at high speed. The integrated checkweigher eliminates trays with the wrong weight before the sealing stage. The sealing heads switch off automati-cally in the event of faults so the tray sealer can carry on running and automati-cally control the tray feed. Tool changes are complet-ed quickly and simply. The open design provides good accessibility for cleaning. Other dual-track tray sealer concepts automatically opti-mize speed and movements for the desired output and set new standards for pro-cess safety, efficiency and


hygiene design. The pack-aging line is equipped with a 4-axis robot for cartoning the finished tray packages. The handling module has three degrees of freedom of movement and an optional rotation axis.

Processing: smart and safe – low-migration printing

inks

Since 2011, EU Regulation no. 10/2011 has applied to plastic packages that come into contact with food. Companies processing or using such plastics have to check whether their prod-ucts also conform to the new regulation. The new standard also limits the use of various materials after functional barriers. Whereas this regulation applies European-wide, the so-called Printing Inks Regulation is currently be-ing drawn up in Germany. This covers materials that can be contained uninten-tionally in the intermediates from which food packaging is manufactured or in the aids used in the production process, which includes mi-gration of printing inks and coatings. The range of low-migration coatings that meet the legislative requirements is growing all the time. These coatings offer safety in printing and processing packages. A whole series of UV and dispersion coat-ings are available covering the widely varying require-ments for manufacturing

packages that conform to food package standards. These give the manufactur-ers of packaging supplies new possibilities in terms of the functionality and design of their products. The manufacturer of coat-ings always uses the highest quality raw materials, which are carefully selected, com-bined and produced using the most modern manu-facturing technology. The new coatings stand out in production for their good printability and foam-free processing. Excellent wet-ting minimizes the build-up on coating blankets and reduces the washing stops.

Other important functional properties are fast drying and high abrasion and wet block resistance.

Logistics: mobile racking systems, robots,

reliable data transfer

Almost every product fin-ishes up in the warehouse after production. The im-portant aspects of ware-house logistics are safe transport, packaging and clear identification. Full-range suppliers of ware-house logistics manufacture racking systems as well as containers. Heavy-duty plastic containers for loads

up to 500 kilograms are robust, flexible in use and appreciably lighter than wire mesh crates or sheet steel containers. This means they meet all the require-ments of lean production and the lean logistics prin-ciple. Heavy-duty racking with shuttle systems, i.e. battery-powered, remote-controlled shuttle vehicles, and mobile racking systems enable efficient use of space. In this way, pressure-sensitive products and une-venly loaded pallets can be stacked safely and without damage. Even widely differ-ing types of pallets can be placed in storage without problems. Also suitable for narrow spaces are new line-ar robots. A low-cost starter model can take care of pal-leting film containers, car-tons, sacks, standard con-tainers and packages. The robots are equipped with clamp, suction or fork grip-pers. They can handle all kinds of intermediate layers, empty and full pallets up to a height of 2,800 mm. The design reduces the installa-tion time to a minimum and enables the robot location in the plant to be changed without any difficulty. For homogeneous pallet loads like reusable containers or individual containers and boxes, strapping remains the most economic method of securing for transport in terms of material saved. A new product is a strapping machine that uses ultrasonic welding and dispenses with

ABOUT FACHPACK 2012

With around 1,400 exhibitors and a good 35,000 visi-tors, FachPack is one of the most noted packaging ex-hibitions in Europe. FachPack in the Exhibition Centre, Nuremberg from 25th-27th September 2012 presents a comprehensive range of products and services in the segments of packaging (about one-third packaging materials, supplies and ancillaries), technology (another one-third packaging machinery, labelling and marking equipment, packaging recycling and package testing), processing (package and label printing, design, packag-ing supplies production), and logistics (conveying, load-ing, storage and order-picking systems, including the associated software and transport logistics). The visitors come mainly from industries such as food/beverages, pharmaceuticals/cosmetics, chemicals, printing/paper/cardboard, packaging- and logistics-related services, plastics, automotive engineering and components, and electrical equipment/components. FachPack impresses again in 2012 with its creative working atmosphere, in which information and the cultivation of contacts are just as important as answering specific technical questions.


the hot wedge. Ultrasonic units are faster, more cost-effective and produce less emission, with a distinctly longer life. The ultrasonic unit welds the ends of the strap using ultrasonic en-ergy and no longer ther-mal energy. It operates exclusively with brushless, wear-free DC direct drives. The necessary control elec-tronics is already integrated into the motors.Labelling data must nor-mally be transferred to new printing solutions manu-ally. A new solution that harmonizes with any user database transfers all data to be printed quickly, reli-ably and automatically to a laser printer, which pro-cesses these immediately without further settings. No

manual inputs are needed, which makes data transfer more reliable. The system is based on laser-activated labels with a special fin-ish that enables the CO2 laser to “write” in black in the intended places. The characters are clearly fo-cused, whether plain text, graphics or codes. Since the laser does not remove any material, no blurring particles occur and the la-bel is not damaged in any way. Extraction of foreign particles is not required. As this printing system op-erates without wear, neither expendable materials nor readjustment are necessary and there are no production interruptions, therefore ef-ficiency is improved.

www.fachpack.de

Xtra shelf life project

The objective of increas-ing the shelf life of a prod-uct represents a basic add-ed value for those food com-panies who need to ensure

a sufficient conservation to comply with the rules of the supply chain for cheese, meat, fresh pasta, sweets and many bakery products.

The aim to preserve food has developed highly sophisti-cated techniques and many solutions have already been successfully applied to the production processes. How-ever, once products are pro-duced they start an inexora-ble deterioration. MAP can counteract these effects by slowing the deterioration of flavor, aroma and color. Its effectiveness depends on many other factors, first of all respecting a careful prophylaxis throughout the production process.In the last few years Delfin has followed closely the evo-lution of MAP making an im-portant contribution to antici-pate market needs of extend-ed shelf life. This attention is at the core of the corpo-rate strategies as evidenced by the recent acquisition of Thermoforming and Vacu-um Division from a histori-cal company. This is an ac-quisition that “has closed the loop” allowing Delfin to of-fer a wide range of solutions.The “Xtra Life Project” is the result of the work of the R&D and engineering de-partment. “Take xtra-care

of your produce” is the slo-gan at the bottom of the hor-izontal flow-pack machines, vacuum and thermoform-ing machines especially de-signed for MAP.It’s not just a matter of the “machine” and for this rea-son Delfin adopts a systems approach, which is partic-ularly necessary when the customer is looking for a horizontal flow-pack ma-chine. Although vacu-um technology provides a great guarantee of success this is not the same for the gas flushing technology ap-plied to flow-pack.The approach takes the dis-cussion beyond the simple packaging (translating, inter-mittent or Long Dwell) be-cause the modified atmos-phere is not only a ques-tion of hermetic sealing, it is a matter of process. Delf-in is able to bring together all the conditions for an ef-ficient modified atmosphere packaging. The machine is no doubt one of the essen-tial factors and the choice must be made very carefully. It is necessary to pay atten-tion to the wrapping mate-

Vela 600 horizontal flow-pack machine, the best price in its category (Delfin).Tucano 600 horizontal flow-pack machine for MAP packaging (Delfin).


rial and gas (which gas and which quantities). Moreover, it is necessary to do an ap-propriate analysis of the en-vironment because the en-vironmental contamination can neutralize the effects of MAP. Finally, it is necessary to control its evolution with the appropriate tools (ana-lyzers).Thanks to a year long rela-tionship with the world lead-ers in gas technologies and films, Delfin is able to offer the services of technical op-erators in every Country with an excellent network of con-tacts around the world. This is what “designing the mod-

ified atmosphere” means. The service also includes the packaging tests and tri-als and the controls tools (in-line or stand-alone).The most important advan-tage associated with this approach is the incredible amount of data that Delf-in and its partners can pro-vide “designing the atmos-phere” for the products of a new customer. The data is the natural outcome of shared experience, in short it is a technical literature. Of course each product is a world apart but the ac-quired knowledge can pro-vide guidelines and reduce

the margin for error.(Delfin - Via G. Keplero 18 - 36034 Malo - VI - Italy - Tel.

+39 342 5402650 - Fax +39 0445 580766 - email: [email protected])

Detail of the cut&seal “box-motion” designed for the new translating models (Delfin).

Up gradingof existing plants

to ATEX


Self-levelling filling valves with anti-burst device mounted on the SV filler (Alfatek).

Filler with vacuum sealed system

Alfatek presents the SV fill-ing unit, with vacuum sealed system in the bottle and in-ert gas pressure in the tank, available with 6 up to 90 valves. This type of process is suitable for bottling dense products such as olive oil, seed oil, syrups, etc. because it employs specific technical solutions that are well suited to the complex chemical and physical characteristics of these products.The filling system is designed to prevent the mixing of the product with air, thus dra-matically reducing the risks of oxidation. Self-levelling filling valves with an anti-

burst device to prevent the leakage of the product in case of a faulty bottle. The collection tank for recycla-ble or waste products is posi-tioned underneath the work surface of the machine.Bottles in both PET and PVC can be used.The filling system in detail: The product, after feeding into the resting bowl, flows inside the annular tank thanks to the communicat-ing vessel principle. The bottle is self-levelling filled and the surplus is brought to the recycling tank, which is set in the inferior part of the shaft, by gravity. An adapted

volumetric pump can send back the surplus in the fill-ing tank, or drain the whole quantity of product inside the machine.The Alfatek self-levelling valve is the most innovative aspect of the hyperbaric filler with light vacuum, allowing to get continuous and pre-cise levels. The valves can be set with an automatic device of adjustment, in order to proceed with the simultaneous adjustment of the level from the control panel or with a specific pro-gram in the PLC. The valves totally avoid the emulsion of the product with oxygen (position of the recycling bowl) and the high pressure vacuum. They allow also a quick and complete drain-ing of the product. There is a

cleaning and washing device in the machine.(Alfatek - Via Cancelliera 11/A - 00041 Albano La-ziale - RM - Italy - Tel. +39 06 9345424 - Fax +39 06 9345427 - email: [email protected])

Two companies as one supplier

P.E. Labellers and PackLab propose themselves to-gether to better satisfy the application requirements of all production fields.PackLab, specialized in self-adhesive labelling systems, produces groups from 20 to 120 m/min, stands for spe-cial applications on one side and on the upper and lower part of the product, linear self-adhesive labellers for all kinds of cylindrical and shaped containers of different sizes, from phials to kegs, passing through to

jars and bottles, front and rear applications, wrap-around, top-down, non-stop and linerless applications, keg ribbon and ribbon re-moval machines, as well as print-apply systems for product traceability. All of these are available for speeds from 800 to 24,000 bph (special application performance up to 48,000 bph). No specific equip-ment required for different formats is a considerable advantage of PackLab lin-ear labellers that guarantee

customers a remarkable time saving in labelling containers of different size and shape.

P.E. Labellers offers modu-lar labellers with a machine body which is perfectly adjustable to all labelling

PackLab self-adhesive station (P.E. Labellers).


systems today available on the market (cold-glue, hot-melt, self-adhesive, roll-fed). In 2009 the new Adhesleeve Technology, the most economical and eco-logical solution for roll-fed labeling, was introduced. Models for speeds from 60 to 1,300 bpm are avail-able. P.E. also proposes Ergonomic safety guards allowing greater acces-sibility for all the main-tenance and change over operations and guarantee-ing total levels of safety for the operators, servomotors with integrated drive for the rotation of the bottle plates, optical centring systems of the containers by means of cameras and photocells, programmable changeovers and so on.The main advantage of hav-ing two companies of the same group as your supplier comes from the same tech-nical training and in-stock spare parts suitable for both kinds of machines pro-duced. Due to a complete spare part inventory, both companies can guarantee a higher part availability,

which results in timely sup-plies.The great importance of PackLab self-adhesive sta-tions lies in their low, medi-um and high speed versions which provide both linear and P.E. Labellers rotary labelling machines with a full flexibility of applica-tion. Moreover these sta-tions can also be equipped with a “No-Stop system” to reduce machine downtimes and guarantee maximum operativeness.Another strong point of the two companies, supported by an after-sale service spread worldwide, is the ability to pay attention to the customer requirements and suggestions and, there-fore, to design customized technical solutions.(P.E. Labellers - Via Europa 25 - 46047 Porto Mantova-no - Mantova - Italy - Tel. +39 0376 389311 - Fax +39 0376 389411 - email: [email protected])(PackLab - Via Volta 16 - 46030 San Giorgio - MN - Italy - Tel. +39 0376 372300 - Fax +39 0376 372445 - email: [email protected])

Automatic packaging machines

M.F. has a considerable experience in the packag-ing sector and carries out on-going technological re-search. Reliability, safe-ty and the guarantee of af-

ter-sales service are the key qualities of this company.It develops automatic ma-chines for packaging gran-ules, powders, liquids, creams, single units, in flex-

ible packs with 1-300 mL dosages, using 4-sided heat-sealed sachets and stick-packs sealed on 3 sides.The advanced technolo-gy employed by M.F. is es-pecially appreciated in the brushless motors with touch-screen operator inter-face. In fact they are char-acterized by the simplic-ity with which work pro-grammes can be changed and adjusted during pro-duction.The company proposes the Stick and 4S models. The first is a stick/pack 3-seal vertical packaging ma-

chine, produced in differ-ent versions from 2 to 16 lanes, reel band 750 mm max. The other model is a 4 seal vertical packaging ma-chine, produced in versions from 2 to 12 lanes with a reel band of 1,200 mm max, and up to two-tracks which allow the regulation of the sachet width. Both these machines offer the possibil-ity to install different types of dosing units.In detail, M.F. offers the auger filler doser for non flowing powdery products, gravity dosing system for liquid products, pneumatic

Dean’s Decree n. 87/12 - 04/07/2012

Dean's Decree proclaiming the international call for AGR/15 - Alimentary Science and Technology

THE DEAN

- given the Charter of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, issued by Dean’s Decree n. 1/05dated 5/05/2005, published in the Official Gazette n. 106 of 9/05/2005 - Ordinary supplement n. 84,subsequently modified by Dean’s Decree n. 33/07 of 18/04/2007, published in the Official Gazetten. 104 of 7/05/2007;- given the “Faculty recruitment plan” included in the 2012/2014 Triennial Plan and approved bythe Board of Directors on 20 March 2012;- given the necessity of recruiting faculty members for the scientific sector identified as AGR/15 - Al-imentary Science and Technology;

HEREBY DECREES

Art. 1 - The opening of an international call The international call is intended for applicants who possess the following qualifications.

A background of teaching and research experience is required in the following two areas:- Food Technology (Fundamentals (Unit Operations) and Processes). Food Chains.- Food Quality and Safety Management Systems. Process and Product Certification

Emphasize lecturer profile and the following curriculum aspects:- Research notes in International Refereed Journals- Patents- Invited speaker in International Congresses- Organizer of International meetings- Coordination of National or International Research Projects- Recipient of public or private funds for studies and research

Art. 2 - Submission of applicationsAll applications for the available positions must:- be addressed to the Dean of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Office of ComparativeEvaluations - Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 9 - Loc. Pollenzo - 12042 BRA, or sent by e-mail tothe following address: [email protected];

- include a Curriculum vitae, a scientific Curriculum, a list of research activities, studies andteaching posts held and a letter describing the applicant's reasons for applying for the post.

Art 3 - Time limits for the submission of applicationsApplications for consideration must be submitted on or before 15/10/2012.Letters, academic titles, documents and publications received by the University after the deadlineindicated above will not be taken into consideration.

Pollenzo 04/07/2012The Dean

Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi


pump doser for creams and gels, and finally reciprocat-ing & oscillating filler for free flowing products. All these dosers are character-ized by 1-10 lanes for doses

from 1 to 300 mL.(M.F. - Via Pirano 10/A - 61010 Tavullia - PU - Ita-ly - Tel. +39 0721 476688 - Fax +39 0721 476482 - email: [email protected])

Automatic stick-pack machine

Since 1965, Universal Pack is a leading manufacturer of continuous and inter-

mittent-motion packaging machines, in particular for single-dose sachets, heat-

The automatic multilane stick-pack machine (Universal Pack).

sealed on four sides or shaped, stick-packs, and complete sachet cartoning lines.Universal Pack machines are renowned for their reli-ability, quality and efficien-cy thanks to the experience gained in over 45 years. State-of-the-art engineering, solid mechanics and mini-mum maintenance provide the basis for the success of the machines in all market sectors such as food, cos-metic, chemical, and phar-maceutical.Universal Pack presents ALFA, a range of auto-matic multilane stick-pack machines and complete lines. These machines are equipped with patented systems that allow easy in-sertion and folding of the wrapping material around the forming tubes. They are suitable for single portion from 0,1 to 200 cm3.The automatic multilane stick-pack machine is char-acterized by a compact footprint and ergonomic de-sign. Its main technical fea-tures are, main drive system powered by synchronized servomotors (brushless), on-line check-weighing of

the produced sticks with automatic doser regulation (feedback) and rejection of those sticks which are out of range, coding devices for variable data, InkJet, Ther-mo Transfer or Laser, and automatic reel alignment and film tension control.An HMI colour touch-screen makes the use of the recipe module easy. It is possible to memorize all working programs. All the machines are monitored in tele-assistance mode and are conform to cGMP cri-teria and EC regulations.The available accessories are dosers for powders, granules, pastes, liquids, tablets, pills, capsules; al-ternative systems for an easy opening of the sticks; dust extraction devices; collation units to link with carton forming machines, carton erecting machines, etc.; devices for collation of finished sticks and/or auto-matic filling into cartons, of programmable quantity.(Universal Pack - Via Vivare 425 - 47482 San Giovanni in Marignano - RN - Italy - Tel. +39 0541 955276 - Fax +39 0541 955400 - email: [email protected])

Continuous vertical packaging machine

Through its natural corpo-rate evolution matured in a forty-year experience, Miele is today a strong,

reliable company in the packaging sector, in both home and foreign markets. Its compact and motivated

Vertical packaging machine mod. M.F. Stick for stick/pack 3-seal (M.F.).


teamwork of engineering experts, designers and qualified professionals continuously plans and researches innovative technical solutions.Miele has the primary objective of quality, cul-tivated with care in every company process, from design to the finished product, from internal or-ganisation through to sales and after-sale services. It has also developed a strong and highly neces-sary customer-directed orientation where the ass is tance and af ter-sales presence make the customer the privileged interlocutor, with whom to measure company strengths in order to con-stantly improve the stand-ard of the product.Miele presents Maxima, a continuous vertical packaging machine. It is a powerful industrial instru-ment for large volumes in a

short time, combined with multi-heads or volumetric dosing system. Latest elec-tronics, high speed, and quality of materials, these and other are the reasons why to choose it.Easy to use and clean, Maxima guarantees an easy access to internal parts. Sealing times can be adapted to difficult work films, such as poly-propylene, laminates and coupled materials in general, barrier film, water-soluble film, film of biological origin, etc. Limited maintenance and servicing are required be-cause this machine exploits the use of an automatic lubrication control unit and a climate control unit for the electrical panel. Its production speed is up to 180 packages per minute.Regarding the mechanical characteristics, Maxima consists of a basic structure made of painted steel or Aisi 304 stainless steel. The parts in contact with the product are made of Aisi 304/316 stainless steel, and a forming tube in very thick stainless steel. Sealing bars are activated by means of the latest gen-eration servomotor, plus integrated axes control. The film drive has an independ-ent motorisation.(Miele - Via Farniole 2/a - 52045 Foiano della Chiana - AR - Italy - Tel. +39 0575 640444 - Fax +39 0575 649073 - email: [email protected])

Maxima BC, continuous vertical packaging machine (Miele).

MINI MOTOR - Via Enrico Fermi, 5 - 42011 Bagnolo in Piano (RE) - ITALY MINI MOTOR USA - 24-25 46th Street - Long Island City, NY 11103 - USA

MINI MOTOR Aandrijftechniek - Wagenmakersweg 8A - 3449 HV WOERDEN (NL)MINI MOTOR GERMANY - Alter Kirchpfad 6 - 32657 Lemgo (DL)

www.minimotor.com - [email protected]

MINI IP 67 GEARED MOTORSWITH POWER FROM 31 TO 130 W.

High performance with low fuelconsumption.

Maximum hygiene is provided by:

Basic ingredients for excellent production.


ANCILLARYEQUIPMENT

The right pump for the right processing

CSF Inox, a company based in Montecchio Emilia, was established in 1970. It is currently a leading compa-ny in its field and is strong-ly expanding in Europe and worldwide.The entire production range includes centrifu-gal pumps, displacement pumps and self-priming pumps; moreover, a range of marketed stainless steel

accessories, such as valves, fittings, filters and other adjustment devices, com-pletes the range.For each production phase of food products, the pump model suitable to meet the high-performance required can be detected, in order to minimise energy con-sumption.For the process phases where hygiene require-ments of the systems are higher, certified pumps are available according to the EHEDG and 3-A criteria, such as the CSA series cen-trifugal pumps, lobe pumps and the ASH self-priming pumps, available with 3-A certification.The CN series centrifugal pumps and SN sinusoi-dal disc rotary displace-ment pumps are the latest products developed by CSF Inox.

CN seriesThe new single-stage cen-trifugal pump series (made of Aisi 316L) is designed according to the latest hy-gienic design standards, such as EN 13951 and EHEDG guidelines. The pumps are available in the

single-block version, with open impeller and IEC standard motor in compli-ance with the new regula-tions on performance. The optimised design ensures high hygiene levels, ease of cleaning in the CIP/SIP processes, no stagnation points, high-performance and high suction capaci-ty to facilitate installation conditions.Thanks to these character-istics, energy consumption is reduced as well as that of the sanitising products, in order to helping reduc-ing environment pollution.The casing pump is made of thick printed metal sheet, whilst the impel-ler is made by means of the microfusion technique and electro-chemical pol-ishing treatment, in order to ensure a perfect surface finish. Finishes with 0.5 μm RA and in 3-A certified ver-sion can be provided upon request.The range is available in 3 sizes for capacity up to 70 m3/h and discharge head up to 60 metres. The me-chanical seals used are the same of CS/CSA and AS/ASH.

Maintenance is extreme-ly easy, thanks to the sim-ple construction, reduced number of components and design with clamp and internal mechanical seal.

SN seriesThe new displacement ro-tary pump range is the CSF Inox latest product, which are entirely made of stainless steel, both the parts contacting the Aisi 316 product and the Aisi 304 support. The inner parts that make the pump-ing chamber are made of technical plastic materi-als, developed by CSF in cooperation with strategic suppliers in this sector.Thanks to the special ge-ometry of the rotor and operation principle, the SN pumps can pump liq-uids and viscous products with a maximum care and no pulsations, thus pre-venting damaging any suspended solids. They are also self-priming and maintenance is simple, as it can be carried out without disconnecting the pump pipes.The range is about to be completed and currently SN-80 pump (CSF Inox).

CN-2 Shroud pump (CSF Inox).


3 models with capacity up to 36 m3/h and pressures up to 15 bar are available; new models with high-er capacity will be intro-duced soon.

ASH seriesASH self-priming centrif-ugal pumps are approved according to the 3-A san-itary standards. They are equipped with internal me-chanical seal and the in-ternal finishes of the parts contacting the pumped product are equal to Ra 0.5 μm standard.Designed for several uses, they represent a top prod-uct, thanks to the project characteristics, materials

and technologies used. They can run with liquids and air/gas or suction pipe only partially filled. They are mainly used during the washing recovery phases and tank discharge.

CSA seriesCSA Centrifugal pumps have been designed, test-ed and approved according to the EHEDG guidelines and 3-A sanitary standards to meet the highest hygiene requirements. The CSA ver-sions derive from the well-known CS series, which they share the hydraulic and structural design and bearing support.Open propeller with great

performance and low NPSH values, high-effi-cient volute body made by using the microfusion tech-nique are the main charac-teristics of the range. The surface finish of the parts contacting the pumped product meets the requi-sites of the pharmaceutical 3-A standards and is equal to 0.5 μm.Recently, the test series for the EHEDG certification have been completed even in the internal seal version.(CSF Inox - Strada per Bib-biano 7 - 42027 Montec-chio Emilia - RE - Italy - Tel. +39 0522 869911 - Fax +39 0522 865454 - email: [email protected]) CSA 3A-EHEDG pump (CSF Inox).

Water-bath chiller for bagsTo increase the shelf life of cooked foods beyond the five days of an ordinary re-frigerated product, by pre-venting the proliferation of bacteria which takes place between 65° and 8°C after cooking, it is essential to quickly reduce the tem-perature of foods to below 8°C. This is not enough for soups, sauces, ragouts, mashed potato, béchamel sauce, and stews.Nilma develops an innova-tive water-bath bag chiller, the Fastercold, which repre-sents the essential technol-ogy in a modern, innova-tive Cook & Chill system.

After cooking in the Mix Matic or Salsamat univer-sal cookers, a connected

pumping system transfers the product to the bag fill-ing machine at over 90°C. The airtight bags, produced in different weights as re-quired, are then soaked in the Fastercold chiller. The

bag chilling time varies depending on their weight and the type of product. The Fastercold is automati-cally filled with refrigerated water at 2°C from a remote water cooler connected to

The Fastercold water-bath bag chiller (Nilma).

ASH pump (CSF Inox)


it. Once the chilling time has been programmed, the bags are placed in the drum. The water vortex with adjustable intensity allows the product to cool quickly and evenly. The ac-tion of the water whirlpool facilitates heat exchange between the cold water and the bags. It also moves the food around within the bag, thus enabling it gradu-ally to reduce its heat. This provides a much higher rate of heat exchange than with the ordinary blast chiller techniques.The foods processed by the Nilma Cook & Chill method and stored at 0°C maintain their organolep-tic characteristics virtually unchanged for more than

20 days. This provides a large number of practical benefits, including, pro-duction can be scheduled throughout the day and on more than one shift, stocks of food can be kept ready for use, the product char-acteristics can be preserved for a long time without the need of freezing, and the product can be convenient-ly transported to multiple distribution points.Product, energy, time, space and labour savings are added to the advan-tages of shelf life of over 20 days.(Nilma - Via E. Zacconi 24/A - 43122 Parma - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 785241 - Fax +39 0521 774642 - email: [email protected])

3-view X-ray inspection system

The X-ray inspection sys-tem Rayon X3 represents the latest development of the ScanVision technology. It uses a unique 3-beam X-ray technique that allows contaminant detection in the most difficult container sizes and shapes, as well as in the presence of prod-uct density variations.The combination of 1 to 3 beams is based on the ScanVision point of view (central beam) in line with the container fill level. It is automatically adjustable to the size of the container

without operator assistance for the best possible detec-tion accuracy.Up to 2 additional side beams are fixed and in line with the conveyor level. At speeds of up to 60 m/min, the Rayon X3 can inspect any size of glass jars, bottles and cans, and up to 4,250 mL jars and 5 kg cans. The system has been developed in order to increase detection perfor-mances of foreign bodies that are large but also thin-ner than 3 mm, regardless of their orientation, even

in very big containers and in cases of strongly dishomogeneous contents. Detection accuracy is also improved for contaminants that are hidden by the side-wall areas of square and multi-edge containers.Interferences in the pro-cessed image, caused by thickness and shape vari-ations of the glass contain-ers, as well as by product density variations like air bubbles, will be minimized thanks to the possibility of processing the information from 3 different images, therefore significantly re-ducing the number of false rejects.The Rayon X3 can guar-antee detection of for-eign bodies such as glass shards, s tones, metal (including iron, stainless steel, and copper), and bones, as well as high den-sity plastics and ceramics. It is also suitable for check-ing the fill level with a very high accuracy.The s tandard sys tem

consists of 1 to 3 X-ray heads, in-feed, inspection and out-feed conveyors, pneumatic reject unit, and closed circuit water-cooling.Latest software develop-ments provide new tools for an easier operator use and product set-up (win-dows type GUI), including remote access for on-line technical support, data exchange with the lo-cal network, storage and management of production statistics and of machine events (type of inspected product, production date and time, counters of in-spected/rejected products, images of rejects, list of commands activated by the operator).Rayon X3 enhances qual-ity, safety and productivity of the production lines.(Rayonics Italia - Str. Nizza 48 - 10040 La Loggia - TO - Italy - Tel. +39 011 9629122 - Fax +39 011 9937496 - email: commerciale@ rayonics.it)

The enhanced inspection system (right) of the Rayon X3 allows to de-tect thin contaminants (Rayonics).


Electromechanical lubrication systems

With 50 years experience in sales and technical advice on chain moving products, Ognibene has developed the compact and economical L1, L2 and L3 electromechanical lubrica-tion systems. The company offers analysis and advice on the systems (station + batch and cleaning sys-tems) in order to create an automatic lubrication al-ways on the cutting edge of innovation and its well-ad-vanced technical solutions improve and increase the productivity, and fully sat-isfy the customer requests.L1, L2 and L3 lubrication systems are developed to batch a minimum quantity of lubricant (starting from 10 mm3) at high pressure. The lack of compressed air avoids the traditional fog nozzle system, thus guar-anteeing compliance with all the regulations con-cerning the food industry and environmental norms. Moreover, the high-pres-sure process eliminates any piping obstructions, while the motion sensor guaran-tees batching only when the mechanical system is running.Ognibene stations are the best solution for a dry and clean lubrication. Connect-ed to suction systems, they improve the lubrication performance and reduce

oily residues in all tools. With these lubricants, the product is applied with accuracy where required, such as pivots, chain links, bearings, and moving tools.CLC (Chain Life Control) by Ognibene is a wireless monitoring system that continuously or periodi-cally provides an automatic control of transmission and conveyor chains used in in-dustrial environments. The system consists of a wire-less vibration transmitter (sensor), a wireless USB receiver, and a data pro-cessing software unit.The wireless vibration transmitter can be applied to a pinion or a chain link (when the chain has the correct dimension). In the first case the sensor detects

vibrations produced by the mating between the chain and pinion teeth, in the second, it detects vibrations due to the running of the chain itself on slide-ways. Acquired data are wireless-ly transmitted in real-time.The wireless USB receiver collects data transmitted by one or more sensors. The maximum communication range is about 15 m in a free space, however the presence of obstacles or shielding surfaces can re-duce this distance. There-fore it is a good practice to place the receiver as close as possible to the transmit-ters.Finally, a data process-ing software unit analy-ses the vibration outputs, on the basis of a specific algorithm. The overcom-ing of one or more pre-set thresholds will generate an alarm that can be man-aged in different ways up to

a possible blocking of the line. The wireless receiver has to be connected to a pc Usb port, directly or via extension (maximum length of 5 m with Usb passive ca-ble, about 25 m with Usb repeater cable).Thanks to a vibration analy-sis it is possible to highlight eventual trouble and/or chain wear. The tests per-formed have shown that progressive wear, as well as insufficient chain lu-brication, hardening of its joints, presence of dirt and debris between link com-ponents, are all directly in-volved in a change in the vibrational behaviour of the chain, consequent to a worse working with other plant parts.(Ognibene - Via del Tipo-grafo 6 - 40138 Bologna Italy - Tel.+39 051 534225 - Fax +39 051 535083 - email: [email protected])

CLC wireless monitoring system for transmission and conveyor chains (Ognibene).


Spiral conveyor

For over thirty years, Zen-nato has designed and de-veloped machines for the transport and sealing of food. Launched initially as a manu-facturer of conveyor belts, in a few years it has become a major production company, acquiring skills and experi-ence for developing technol-ogies and solutions for both horizontal and vertical trans-portation.The strength of Zennato is the attention to detail in the de-sign. The continuous work-ing relationship with the cus-tomer leads to build applica-tions based on specific cus-tomer requirements in rela-tion to the product. The com-pany distinguishes itself by the ability to analyse and find engineering solutions, and the willingness to ac-cept challenges for the de-velopment of new applica-tions, and timely delivery. It has a production, pre-assem-

bly and testing area of over 1,000 square meters, flanked by offices for the technical realization of three-dimen-sional design using the latest software. The product range varies from classical convey-or belts for the accumulation or the combination with au-tomatic packaging machines to the spiral conveyor, from machines for sealing to turn-key systems for end users in areas such as food, pharma-ceutical, chemical, and cos-metics.Zennato presents the spiral modularbelt, a compact and extremely reliable system for the vertical transport of all packaged and unwrapped products such as boxes, bags, bottles, jars, crates (for fruits and vegetables, meat or fish, etc.), news-papers, magazines, books, etc. No controls are need-ed, as the spiral provides a continuous flow of prod-

ucts in a simple and relia-ble way like a normal con-veyor belt. Its winding com-pact and spiral shape is the key that allows to save val-uable space and to achieve great steps in elevation. It can convey loads up to 15 kg/mL at a speed of 50 m/min. The spiral conveyor can be equipped with a single or

multiple lane and it does not require any maintenance.The machines are tailor-made to meet the requirements of every single customer de-pending on the product.(Zennato - Via A. Urbani 6 - 35042 Este - PD - Italy - Tel. +39 0429 611001 - Fax +39 0429 59001 - email: [email protected])

Smart lobe pumps

Omac introduces three new lobe pumps, the C110, C115 and C270 models. These pumps present a vol-umetric capacity of 0,17, 0,21 and 0,38 l/rev. respec-tively, for maximum pres-sure from 5 to 13 bars with increased clearances rotors.C110 and C115 models are provided with DN40 con-

nections, while the C270 model is provided with DN50 connections.In order to achieve the highest hygienic standard, the lobe pumps are as eas-ily fully cleanable as to en-able hot water consump-tion and reduce the use of chemical products for their cleaning.

Modularbelt spiral conveyor (Zennato).

New smart lobe pump model C115 with bi-lobe rotors (Omac).


The materials used, surface finishing and all the charac-teristics of the design have enabled to get the European Hygienic Engineering & De-sign Group - EHEDG certifi-cation. Alike all other mod-els Series C, the C100, C220 and C570 featured new de-sign with new front loading seals for easier and quick servicing. In addition, main-tenance is also simplified by means of a new external ax-ial adjustment system.All the parts in contact with the product are made of stainless steel 1.4404, pump body is cast with integral connections without weld-

ing. The rotors have been designed as to reach the best efficiency and cause less damage to the product at the same time.The pumps of the Series C offer further energy saving, less power thanks to less in-ternal friction and efficien-cy improvement thanks to the possibility of selecting three different tolerances of the rotors accordingly the working pressure. Two kinds of rotors are proposed, four-lobes and dual wing (bi-lobes) with new design.The bearing housing is made of nickel-plated cast iron, sturdy and compact

with roundish profile and equipped with feet for hori-zontal or vertical (self-drain-

ing) installation. As the other Omac lobe pump series B and BF, ap-

Section pump mod. C220 (Omac).


preciated all over the world for stoutness and perfor-mances, new C Series con-firms their reliability and safety having obtained the Atex certification depositing technical file at TÜV. They can be supplied in Atex ex-ecution with classification II 2G kc T4, for the installation in areas with presence of at-mosphere potentially explo-

sive caused by gas/vapour and inflammable liquids.All Omac lobe pumps are available also in special materials such as Titanium, Hastelloy, and Monel.(Omac Pompe - Via Gio-vanni Falcone 8 - 42048 Rubiera - RE - Italy - Tel. +39 0522 629371 - Fax +39 0522 628980 - email: [email protected])

Solutions for analysis laboratories

RG Strumenti is a new com-mercial reality born from the experience of young and dy-namic professionals in the field of scientific instrumen-tation. The company designs and develops complete lab-oratories. It is a distributor of laboratory equipment and accessories for research cen-tres and quality control labo-ratories, and supplies equip-ment for industrial process verification.The strengths of RG Strumen-ti are in-depth knowledge of the proposed instrumenta-tion, the extreme attention to customer needs and the abil-ity to provide the most ap-propriate equipment to spe-cific analyst needs. The com-pany relies on their knowl-edge of different industri-al processes and direct di-alogue with the customer. The staff is involved in sev-eral update missions abroad in order to identify such new equipment that can comply

with the analytical problems encountered.The products offered are carefully selected as well as the suppliers, which must en-sure adequate delivery time, technical accuracy and speed in after-sale service, as re-quired by the modern market. For this reasons RG Strumen-ti has made some distribution agreements with leading Ital-ian and foreign companies in instrument production.RG Strumenti provides mo-bile laboratories, ready-to-use laboratories, pilot plants, and professional cooking for R&D.Producing mobile labora-tories, the company wants to help accredited or insti-tutional entities in reaching inaccessible areas or small companies where internal quality control is particu-larly difficult or too expen-sive. This kind of laboratory is also useful in the environ-mental sector to perform the

analysis directly at the sam-pling point.Turn-key laboratories in pre-fabricated containers, which are insulated and complete with what equipment is nec-essary to do the analysis are useful to all production com-panies who need to preform a quality control of their products but have no space in the building and to those who do not want to carry out expensive building work.RG Strumenti can also de-sign and implement pre-in-stalled systems for small pro-ductions and on-line learn-ing of food technologies. They are very flexible and have a complete control in-strumentation. These systems are suitable in canning (fruit and vegetables), milk and dairy products, meat and fish, pasta and baked prod-ucts. They can also be pro-vided in containers.Professional kitchens for the R&D department of food in-dustry consist of cooking ar-eas, ovens, worktables made of stainless steel, exhaust systems, and all necessary accessories for preparing new recipes.

RG Strumenti manufactures and distributes the sensorial cabinet “Sensibox” to check the result. Its modularity al-lows it to be adapted to the space available, and to pre-pare a taste room (Panel Test) for rating new products or for comparison with products al-ready on the market.RG Strumenti provides equipment to preform anal-ysis on raw materials, pack-aging, and finished products. The company wants to be a reliable ally in the choice of instrumentation for the type of analysis to be performed. In fact the specialized tech-nicians constantly attend re-fresher courses in order to be able to suggest the best so-lutions for chemical and mi-crobiological analysis, anal-ysis of food packaging, phys-ical and structural analysis, process controls, and mon-itoring of hygiene during the production process and in the work places.(RG Strumenti - Via Monte Aquila 24/A - 43124 Cor-cagnano - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 631188 - Fax +39 0521 630929 - email: [email protected])


FOODSAFETY

Fresh to the consumer: Safety throughout the food supply chain

Nutrition consciousness is becoming more and more widespread. When shop-ping for groceries, many consumers are no longer focused only on low prices. Instead, they are making high quality their top prior-ity. Today’s consumers make better use of their rights and are demanding to know ex-actly which ingredients are in a food product and what its point of origin is. In a re-cent study by the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE) and the So-ciety for Consumer Research (GfK), 96 percent of the Ger-man consumers surveyed said that taste and flavour

continue to be their decisive criteria for determining qual-ity, followed by food safety and health considerations, which were cited by 93 per-cent of the respondents. The consumers therefore demand that food producers offer products that meet the high-est standards for food safety.

HACCP - five letters for food safety

HACCP, a quality assurance system that is mandatory for all food industry companies in the European Union, is designed to guarantee food safety. HACCP stands for “Hazard Analysis and Critical

Control Points”. A HACCP system monitors the entire food production process, and particularly phases in which errors could lead to health hazards for consumers. The aim is to identify dangers related to the food produc-tion process and to assess the resulting risks. Once the factors that can affect food safety, and therefore also the consumer’s health, are identified, measures can be taken to eliminate these risk factors. The risk factors that must be eliminated include, for example, foreign bod-ies such as tiny pebbles in a mixed salad or glass splin-ters in a jar of jam. The job of finding such foreign bod-ies is handled by inspection systems featuring the latest metal detection, X-ray and camera technologies. Special scanners are used to detect glass, ceramic, stone or plas-tic, but also bone splinters, for example. These systems can also identify product de-fects such as cracks or splits, trapped air or lumps.Food packaging is also a fundamental element when it comes to safety - especially with perishable food. Meat

and chilled food are often vacuum packed or packaged in a modified atmosphere, a mixture of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. This inhibits the growth of bacte-ria and mould and prevents undesirable reactions with oxygen that can give fresh meat a grey colour.

Where do you come from? - Tracing thanks to ERP

Traceability, another means of ensuring food safety, is a tool that is required by law throughout Europe. The main objective here is to enable producers to immediately re-move unsafe food and raw materials from circulation in the event of a health hazard. This requires that the food product can be traced back through all steps in the pro-duction and sales processes, starting from the point that the consumer takes pos-session of it and going all the way back to its point of origin. The key to tracing a specific batch or unit of a food product is compre-hensive batch management. This means that each of the individual batches or units


of the food product, which have been produced and packaged under practically identical conditions, is as-signed a number by which it can be identified with cer-tainty. In addition, the batch or unit is labelled with a “best before date”. Should it become impossible at any point to ensure the safety of a food product en route to the consumer, this infor-mation makes it possible to determine which batch is affected. The basis needed for this is provided by busi-ness software in the form of an ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning). This software displays all move-ments of all goods within a company, including the individual batches or units - from the receipt of incom-ing goods to production and storage to picking and deliv-ery. The ERP software is able to do this because all data along the flow of materials are recorded right at the lo-cation where they are gen-erated and entered into the system. Sausage production serves as a good example to illustrate how the principle works: Upon receipt of the raw product, the software automatically assigns a batch number that applies to all subsequent process steps, including butchering, weighing, filling, smoking and packaging. Various por-tions of the delivered fresh meat become intermediate products, which are assigned their own batch numbers, making it possible to de-

termine at any time which individual portions a newly produced sausage product consists of, for example. In addition, many product variants are not made until the packaging stage. Here a 150 gram package of salami for self service, for example, is assigned a different batch number than that of the en-tire, unsliced salami sealed in a casing.

Clear information - the label as a digital ID

The end results of every production process in the food industry are consumer-appropriate packing units that have to be given labels on which all required in-formation is clearly stated. This also involves assign-ing a “best before date” to each individual package and ensuring that it can be traced by means of a printed batch number. In the past this was done by means of simple designation systems and stick-on labels. Labels were initially conceived to inform consumers about the contents, origin, price and proper use or preparation of a product, but today they can do much more than that. Many food items are sensi-tive products whose quality can be diminished by even slight deviations from prop-er refrigeration and storage temperatures. This is why labels also serve a valuable function as signalling devices (Time Temperature Indica-tors) that indicate improper

storage and transport tem-peratures. These labels work on the basis of a colour that is activated using UV light. The colour then continu-ally changes until the “best before date” is reached. The colour of the label changes from deep blue to colourless; and the higher the ambient temperature, the less time this process takes. The con-sumer can then determine whether or not the product is still fresh by checking the degree of colour saturation. A UV filter makes it impos-sible to reset the label.In the future we may also see increasing use of small, inconspicuous RFID chips that will accompany food products as they make their way to the consumer. The radio technology RFID (Ra-dio Frequency Identifica-tion) makes it possible to transmit data by means of radio waves. “Transponders” are attached to the reverse side of labels. Stored on the transponder is the Electronic Product Code (EPC), which contains general informa-

tion about the product and links this data with individ-ual pieces of information, for example an item’s serial number, date of production and origin. The EPC, which is to replace the European Article Number (EAN) in the future, serves as the basis for a product designation that is unique worldwide. The data can then be read over radio waves by means of a reader device, without visual or physical contact, and saved to a database. And every stop in the value chain can au-tonomously save information to the transponder. In addi-tion to allowing more effec-tive tracing of a product to its origin, this also makes it possible to detect and reli-ably prove illegal relabelling.

www.anugafoodtec.com


EFSA’s activities in 2011

High-quality science, core strategic developments and crisis response are the key aspects of EFSA’s activities in 2011, as highlighted in the Authority’s Annual Report. During 2011, EFSA delivered 658 scientific opinions, reports, guidance documents and statements. The adoption of EFSA’s Sci-ence Strategy 2012-2016 by the Management Board was also an important milestone for the Author-ity, laying out its vision for scientific development over the coming years.EFSA Executive Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, commented: “Europe faced several food safety challenges during 2011, none more so than the E. coli outbreaks in Germany and France. EFSA’s role in

responding to this crisis together with its partners underlined categorically the high value that we add in terms of public health protection in Europe. In addition to the advice we gave on this and many other scientific issues, EFSA took time to further strengthen its internal systems and procedures in relation to independence and governance and to look forward, establishing its scientific priorities over the next five years. Both EFSA’s Policy on Inde-pendence and Scientific Decision-Making and its landmark Science Strategy 2012-2016 will contribute to ensuring that we con-tinue to provide the highest quality scientific advice to European risk managers”.

In 2011, EFSA’s procedures for responding in a crisis were tested to the full when the European Commission (EC) asked the Authority for immediate scientific assistance in the face of two E. coli outbreaks that struck Germany and France. Working closely with the national authorities and with the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, EFSA provided urgent scientific advice and technical assistance to support the EC and German and French authorities. Its staff also worked alongside colleagues in Germany to help trace the source of the outbreak, concluding that imported fenugreek seeds probably caused outbreaks.Of the 658 scientific out-puts EFSA adopted in 2011, 58% were related to regu-lated products, an indicator of the high importance of this activity to EFSA. A significant body of work in this area was the comple-tion of the evaluation of the final series of “general function” health claims. These are claims made for products that relate to growth, development and the functions of the body, psychological and behav-ioural functions and slim-ming and weight control. It brings the total number of “general function” health claims assessed by EFSA since 2008 to 2,758 and marks the culmination of more than three years’ work by EFSA’s experts.

Among the other scientific highlights of 2011 were outputs on welfare risks to animals during transport, the safety of artificial sweet-eners, the risk assessment of food and feed derived from GM plants, meat in-spection, and the safety of bisphenol A, used in food contact materials.The year 2011 was also marked by the adoption of EFSA’s Policy on Independ-ence and Scientific Deci-sion-Making Processes. The new policy outlines EFSA’s approach to safeguarding independence and integrity in its work and integrates in one document the wide range of initiatives EFSA has put in place to uphold its core values of scientific excellence, openness, in-dependence, transparency and responsiveness.EFSA’s approach to safe-guarding independence and integrity in its work can be seen in the related actions and decisions it took in 2011. In total, the Authority screened more than 8,000 Declarations of Interest from external experts and EFSA staff and scrutinised more than 40,000 specific declara-tions linked to agenda i tems. By doing so i t prevented 356 potential conflicts. EFSA also initi-ated two “breach of trust” procedures.The Communications Strat-egy 2010-2013 began to be implemented last year, following its adoption in


December 2010. In line with the strategy’s focus on a thematic approach to communications, the aim of which is to give con-text and further meaning to the Authority’s scientific work, a suite of outputs was rolled-out to support its work in the area of zoon-oses, including comprehen-sive content on the EFSA website and the publication of a series of factsheets to coincide with a high-level meeting on zoonoses in the European Parliament.EFSA also began work on

a wide-reaching internal re-organisation programme in 2011, with the objective of making better use of its resources, strengthening effi-ciency and providing a high-er-quality service to its cli-ents. The re-structuring took place gradually throughout 2011 and is due to be com-pleted in 2012. Already in 2011, EFSA made structural savings of € 1.98 million as a result of overall efficiency gains, particularly in specific areas such as interpretation, translation and meeting or-ganisation.

US demand for food safety products

“Food safety products”, a s tudy by Freedonia Group, explained how the US demand for food safety products is forecast to increase 7.3% annu-ally to $4.5 billion in 2016.The increased public aware-ness following recent highly

publicized multistate out-breaks of foodborne illness-es, the need to comply with provisions of the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and industry initiatives that will provide a strong impetus for companies to improve their food safety

practices will lead to solid gains. Additionally, growth will be driven by challenges arising from the increasing-ly global nature of the food supply, which adds complex-ity and the potential for the introduction of new patho-gens from different regions.Among major food safety product segments, smart labels and tags, and soft-ware and tracking systems are expected to experience the fastest gains, reflecting a heightened emphasis on traceability in the food sup-ply chain. Smart label and tag demand will be boosted by traceability advantages along with expanded usage in food packaging to reduce losses in perishable foods. Opportunities will also ex-ist in the livestock market as a result of the need for improved traceability of animals to their point of origin. Gains for software and tracking systems will be supported by increased US Food and Drug Administra-tion recordkeeping require-ments.Food processing plants en-

compass the largest market by far, accounting for 60% of total food safety product demand in the US in 2011. Meat applications account for the largest share of de-mand in this segment. Ro-bust growth is anticipated for diagnostic products in meat applications based on microbiological testing ne-cessitated by HACCP regu-lations and implementation of a new US Department of Agriculture policy that will expand routine sampling of beef to include six addition-al E. coli strains. The smaller fresh prepared food market will log rapid advances, supported by increases in production and consumer demand for convenient meal options.Among other food safety markets, the farm market will present the strongest opportunities, the result of expanded disinfection and pathogen-testing activities among produce growers following several multistate outbreaks of foodborne ill-nesses in the past several years.

Food safety product demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group).

% Annual growth

Item 2006 2011 2016 2006-2011 2011-2016

Food safety product demand 2,294 3,170 4,500 6.7 7.3

Disinfection products 875 1,180 1,620 6.2 6.5

Diagnostic products 596 850 1,245 7.4 7.9

Disposable gloves 495 675 940 6.4 6.8

Smart labels & tags 141 210 330 8.3 9.5

Software & tracking systems 87 130 200 8.4 9.0

Other 100 125 165 4.6 5.7

NUTRITION


EFSA sets population reference intakesfor protein

EFSA completed its work on dietary reference values (DRVs). DRVs comprise a complete set of quantitative values, including average requirements, population reference intakes, adequate intakes, reference intake ranges, lower thresholds and tolerable upper intake levels. They can be used as a basis for food labelling and for establishing food-based dietary guidelines.A PRI indicates the amount of an individual nutrient that the majority of people in a population need for good health depending on their age and sex.Following a request from the European Commission for EFSA to update previous European advice on DRVs, taking into account new sci-entific evidence and recent recommendations issued at national and international level, EFSA’s Panel on Die-tetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies set PRIs for pro-tein for adults, infants and children, and pregnant and breast-feeding women; pre-viously the Panel has pub-lished opinions establishing

DRVs for carbohydrates, di-etary fibre, fats, and water.The Panel used the nitrogen balance approach to set PRIs for protein. Nitrogen balance is the difference between ni-trogen intake through food and the amount of nitrogen lost in body waste. In healthy adults the protein require-ment is the amount needed to achieve zero nitrogen bal-ance (maintenance). The fac-torial method is used to cal-culate protein requirements for physiological conditions such as growth, pregnancy or lactation. In these cases nitrogen is needed not only for maintenance but for the deposition of protein in new-ly formed tissue and milk. In children, nitrogen balance has to be positive to allow for growth.EFSA sets set PRIs for protein as follows. Adults (including older adults) - 0.83 g/kg of body weight per day;Infants, children and ado-lescents - between 0.83 and 1.31 g/kg of body weight per day depending on age;Pregnant women - additional intake of 1, 9 and 28 g per

day for the first, second and third trimesters respectively;Breast-feeding women - ad-ditional intake of 19 g per day during the first 6 months of lactation and 13 g per day thereafter. The Panel also looked at several health outcomes that may be associated with protein intake, such as bone health, body weight, muscle mass and kidney function, but concluded that the avail-able data were insufficient to derive PRIs based on these health outcomes.The Panel considers protein intake in the European pop-ulation to be adequate for all population groups. Ac-cording to collated national food consumption surveys, the average protein intake of adults in Europe is often at or above the PRI of 0.83 g per kg of body weight per day (between 67 and 114 g per day for men and be-

tween 59 and 102 g per day for women). The PRIs apply to mixed dietary protein from both animal and plant sources. The Panel notes that EFSA’s Comprehensive Food Con-sumption Database shows that the main sources of pro-tein in European adult diets are meat and meat products, followed by grains/grain-based products and milk/dairy products. The Scien-tific Opinion on protein published today. This and earlier opinions on DRVs have been adopted by the Panel after consultation with Member States, the sci-entific community and other stakeholders. The consulta-tions ensure that EFSA ben-efits from the widest range of information, data and views to finalise the work and provide the most up-to-date, comprehensive advice to EU decision-makers.


Folic acid supplements and child’s speech development

A study of a Norwegian co-hort, published by a team of European and North Amer-ican researchers, suggests that the benefits of taking folic acid supplements be-fore and during pregnancy may extend beyond birth defects and influence child language development.Women of childbearing age are advised to take fo-lic acid supplements (400 micrograms per day) con-tinued to the 12th week of pregnancy, to reduce the risk of the baby being born with a neural tube defect (such as spina bifida). Fur-ther effects of folic acid on neurodevelopment af-ter birth had not yet been investigated. This study looked at severe language delay at 3 years of age, us-ing the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.Mothers completed ques-tionnaires, ranking their child’s level of language de-velopment on a 6-category scale (ranging from no word production to full sentences with complete grammatical markings).Children of three years, not able to speak more than 1 word or unintelligible utter-ances, were defined as hav-ing severe language delay. The study excluded chil-dren with no word produc-tion. The analysis involved

38,954 children, of which 204 (0.5%) had severe lan-guage delay.Women were asked about their supplement use be-tween 4 weeks before conception to 8 weeks after conception, and cat-egorised as using folic acid only, folic acid in combi-nation with other supple-ments, or supplements not containing folic acid, or none at all.Compared to women who did not take any supple-ments, taking folic acid on its own, or with other supplements was associ-ated with a 45% reduced risk (odds ratio 0.55) of the child having severe lan-guage delay at 3 years of age.This was after adjustment to account for (confound-ing) factors that could be responsible, the mother’s education and weight (given as Body Mass In-dex, i.e. body weight in kg divided by height in me-tres squared), parity and whether or not they were married. Furthermore the associations remained af-ter adjustment for other po-tential confounders (father’s education, age of parents, whether the pregnancy was planned, if the mother smoked during pregnancy, or used alcohol in the first

trimester, mother’s height in meters, breastfeeding at 6 months), missing data, children born before ges-tational week 32, <2.5 kg or with hearing problems, or with no word production at age 3 years.The risks appeared reduced for women who initiated supplement use before week 8, but this conclu-sion is impeded by the small number of women who started taking supple-ments after this time (12.5% of children).The attainment of gross mo-tor skills was also assessed,

by for example asking mothers whether their child could hold a large ball with both hands. Delay in gross motor skills was found in 2.5% of children, howev-er, no association with folic acid intake was found.Severe language delay is a rare condition, but has profound social and clini-cal implications. This study is not proof that folic acid prevents language delay but does bring new thoughts to research aiming to under-stand the role of nutrients in neurodevelopment.

EUFIC


MARKETINGREPORTS

World demand for nutraceutical ingredients grows

The Freedonia Group presents the study “World nutraceutical ingredi-ents” in which explains that world demand for nutraceutical ingredients is projected to increase 7.2% annu-ally to $23.7 billion in 2015.Substances with clinically confirmed health benefits and broad applica-tions in foods, beverages, dietary supplements, and adult and pediatric nutritional preparations will provide the best growth opportunities.Global trends in nutraceutical in-gredients will result in developing regions achieving much faster growth in both consumption and production than developed regions. Increasing economic prosperity will enable Countries, such as the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as Mexico, Poland and South Korea, to expand and diversify their

food and beverage, processing, and pharmaceutical industries. Based on projected investment levels in these industries and rising consumer in-comes, China will evolve into the largest global producer and con-sumer of nutraceutical ingredients by 2020, surpassing the United States and Western Europe.Because of maturing markets, the supply and demand of nutraceutical ingredients in the developed Coun-tries will increase more slowly than the average pace of the developing world. Nonetheless, food, beverage and drug makers in the developed economies will continue to pursue opportunities in conventional and specialty nutritional products and natural medicines. As a result, they will remain major customers for nu-traceutical ingredients.

Nutrients, including proteins, fibers and various specialized functional additives, will remain the top-selling group of nutraceutical ingredients. Proteins will post the fastest gains as food and beverage makers through-out the world introduce new high value-added nutritional preparations. Functional additives and fiber nutri-ents will also fare well in the global marketplace. Naturally derived sub-stances, consisting of herbal and botanical extracts and animal- and marine-based derivatives, will com-mand the fastest growth among the three major groups of nutraceutical ingredients. World demand for min-erals and vitamin ingredients con-sumed in nutraceutical applications is forecast to reach $6.0 billion in 2015, up 6.2% annually from 2010.

www.freedoniagroup.com

World nutraceutical ingredient demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth

Item 2005 2010 2015 2005-2010 2010-2015

Nutraceutical ingredient demand 11,140 16,750 23,700 8.5 7.2

North America 2,792 4,130 5,670 8.1 6.5

Western Europe 2,892 3,875 4,960 6.0 5.1

Asia/Pacific 4,081 6,610 10,010 10.1 8.7

Other regions 1,375 2,135 3,060 9.2 7.5


US demand for alternative sweeteners

Entitled “Alternative Sweeteners”, the new study from The Freedonia Group presents the latest data about the US demand for alternative sweetenersIt is expected to advance 3.3% an-nually through 2015 to $1.4 billion. Gains will be led by continuing mar-ket penetration of relatively new en-trants to the industry, including the stevia extract rebaudioside-A (reb-A). The more mature segments of the market – high intensity sweeteners (such as aspartame) and polyols (in-cluding sorbitol) – will see more re-strained, though still healthy, increas-es in demand. Market trends favoring less processed ingredients will drive well-publicized usage of sweeteners that can be marketed as being “natu-ral”. However, continuing consumer preference for reduced-calorie foods and beverages will ensure the on-going use of ubiquitous sweeteners such as aspartame.Despite the drag of a declining soft drink market, high intensity sweeten-ers will remain the largest product category among alternative sweet-eners, a leadership position rooted in their continuing domination of

the large diet soft drink and table-top sweetener markets. Aspartame will remain the leader in diet soft drinks, while the table-top market will continue to be dominated by su-cralose. Growth in other markets will be healthy, although high intensity sweeteners are used in much lower quantities outside of their two main-stay applications. Though expected to remain a fairly small share of the overall market, newer alternative sweeteners will register by far the fastest growth and generate the most interest among food and beverage processors, as well as among consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ap-proval of reb-A in late 2008 led to high-profile introductions of stevia-based products, such as table-top sweeteners (e.g., Cargill’s Truvia), juice beverages, fruit drinks, fla-vored waters and soft drinks, many of which have met with consumer favor. In 2010, the FDA approved luo han guo (monk fruit) for use as a sweetener in the US; while this prod-uct’s potential remains to be seen, its natural profile is on trend with

current consumer purchasing deci-sions. Furthermore, full-calorie agave nectar is gaining traction due to its natural positioning as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup.

www.freedoniagroup.com

US alternative sweetener demand in million dollars (The Freedonia Group).

% Annual growth

Item 2005 2010 2015 2005-2010 2010-2015

Alternative sweetener demand 926 1,193 1,405 5.2 3.3

High intensity 560 665 735 3.5 2.0

Polyols 356 471 570 5.8 3.9

Other 10 57 100 41.6 11.9


Global demand for salt still raising

The Freedonia Group presents the study “World Salt” which points out the global demand for salt. This is projected to climb 2.9% annu-ally through 2015 to 327 million metric tons, valued at $13.4 bil-lion. Increased salt consumption in most parts of the world will more than offset expected contractions of demand in Western Europe and Japan. Growth in chemical manufacturing output will fuel the majority of additional demand between 2010 and 2015. Salt suppliers will also benefit from the shale gas drilling boom cur-rently underway in North America, which will boost chloralkali output in the US and Canada.In 2010, China was the largest consumer of salt, primarily due to the huge size of its chemical industry, although food processing and livestock salt use are also sub-

stantial. This Country accounted for one-fourth of global salt demand in 2010 and is projected to be the fastest growing national market through 2015.Salt consumption in India is also forecast to grow well above the world average. Here the chemical output by facilities is forecast to rise faster than in any other major producing Country through 2015, leading to sizable increases in as-sociated salt demand.Chemical manufacturing is by far the largest market for salt, ac-counting for nearly 55% of global demand in 2010. The vast majority of demand in this market is gener-ated by chloralkali and synthetic soda ash producers, which use salt as their primary feedstock. The Asia/Pacific region accounts for over one-half of the salt consumed by the chemical industry. Western

Europe and North America also have sizable chemical industries, and in 2010 they accounted for 18 and 15%, respectively, of chemical manufacturing salt use.Solar evaporation is the most prevalent method of producing salt, accounting for 38% of 2010 industry shipments. It is the most economical method of produc-ing salt in areas with favorable weather conditions, which include a number of nations in the Africa/Mideast and Asia/Pacific regions. In these regions, salt production is forecast to grow fastest, and as a result solar evaporation will account for an increasing share of global salt output through 2015. Rock salt and brine production will also post moderate increases through 2015, although their respective rates of growth will lag that of solar evaporation.

World salt demand in million metric tons (The Freedonia Group). % Annual growth

Item 2005 2010 2015 2005-2010 2010-2015

World salt demand 245.0 283.5 327.0 3.0 2.9

North America 65.8 67.4 71.5 0.5 1.2

Western Europe 44.0 44.0 43.1 -- -0.4

Asia/Pacific 88.7 118.0 152.0 5.9 5.2

Central & South America 10.8 12.3 13.6 2.6 2.1

Eastern Europe 24.5 28.0 30.8 2.7 1.9

Africa/Mideast 11.2 13.9 16.1 4.4 2.9


Thin walled packaging industry consolidates

A report from the industry consult-ants AMI Consulting pinpoints that in recent years thin walled packaging has become a space of dynamic structural changes in the rigid plastics market.Large participants of this 2.8 mil-lion tonne market have been in the vanguard of change as they fight to secure profitability in the face of the price and innovation requirements of their customers. Particularly within thermoforming applications, profit erosion has been a symptom of overcapacity and the standardisation of packag-ing. In response, the industry is evolving to satisfy market needs more profitably, characterised by: greater throughput across a re-duced number of converting sites; focused investment in core sites; investment in integrated extrusion thermoforming; exit from unprofit-

able business, and emphasis on differential advantage.In 2011, the top 10 converters accounted for over 40% of the mar-ket. Outside of the leader base, thin wall packaging supply in Europe remains relatively fragmented and more consolidation is expected. The ranking has changed dramati-

cally in the past few years as the industry actively consolidated.Paccor International is the new market leader. The company was created in 2011 by the acquisition and full-scale integration of three of Huhtamaki’s sites, Veriplast’s rigid plastics sites across Europe and Pannunion’s sites in Central and East Europe. RPC Containers has also increased its market share thanks to the acquisition of a lead-ing injection moulder, Superfos A/S in 2011. Following a number of previous acquisitions, Groupe Guil-lin bought Sharp Interpack in 2010, which strengthened its position in the European fruit and vegetable sector and develop relationships for meat and fish products. The Italian extruder I.L.P.A. invested in AMP Films & Packaging, which assured the company space in the rPET supply chain, as well as expanded its extrusion and thermoforming capacity. The Danish Faerch Plast has expanded outside continental Europe through acquisition of ex-Veriplast site in the UK in 2011.

www.amiplastics.comThe competitive thin wall packaging landscape, 2011 (AMI Consulting).

CONSUMERTRENDS


Indulgence and health polarizethe biscuit market

According to Innova Mar-ket Insights, two opposing forces within the sweet

biscuits market are at work globally. The treat image of biscuits is driving the pre-mium sector forward, while rising health concerns have also raised interest in better-for-you products.Chocolate biscuits have been one of the main beneficiaries of rising in-terest in the treat image of biscuits and the market has continued to see growth in most Countries despite on-going financial and health concerns. This is probably attributable to the ongo-ing demand for everyday treats and the continuing tendency to “trade off,” by mainly choosing healthy options but then having an indulgent product as a reward. Biscuits with some

sort of chocolate content accounted for a significant 48% of the global sweet biscuits launches recorded by Innova Market Insights in 2011, although this was down from over 60% five years previously, perhaps ref lect ing the greater choice of biscuits varieties and flavours now on offer.Whi le indu lgence i s keeping the market for chocolate biscuits buoyant, health can still be a factor in purchasing decisions, although not to the same extent as for some other food and drinks products. Companies have been endeavouring to improve the nutritional profile of their standard products in many instances and this

may have inhibited growth in the specific healthier or better-for-you biscuits market. Nearly 30% of global biscuits launches in 2011 were positioned on a health platform of some kind, rising to over 40% for savoury biscuits and falling to just over a quarter for sweet biscuits.The most popular health claims were those relating to naturalness and the lack of artificial additives and/or preservatives, reflecting rising levels of interest in clean labelling. Over 30% of launches carrying health claims used this type of positioning, equivalent to 12% of biscuits launches as a whole.

www.innovadatabase.com

Lactose-free niche targets the mainstream

According to Innova Market Insights data, global launch numbers for lactose-free dairy products more than

tripled in the five-year pe-riod to the beginning of 2012. The share of total tracked dairy introductions

featuring a lactose-free positioning rose from less than 2.5 to 4.5% over the same period. Levels of inter-est and consequently new product activity have been particularly high in the US and Western Europe, which saw products marketed as

lactose-free account for 10 and 6% of total dairy launches, respectively, in the 12 months to the end of March 2012.Interest in dairy alternatives, improved labelling, growing awareness of the potential problems associated with


lactose intolerance and technological developments that have allowed the pro-duction of better-tasting products have combined to boost the availability of lactose-free dairy products in recent years.The Innova Research Man-ager LuAnn Williams ex-plains how the sector is now trying to emerge from a specialist niche position-ing to increase its appeal to a wider audience in the mass market.The highest share of lactose-free products tends to be in sectors where there are already established dairy alternatives, particularly drinks, where the share of products marketed as lac-tose free was over 30%. Creamers, many of which already have non-dairy in-gredients, such as vegetable fats, can also relatively eas-

ily be formulated as lactose-free, and this type of prod-uct accounted for over 9% of introductions in the sub-sector. In more traditional dairy markets, such as milk drinks, yogurt and cheese, penetration of lactose-free launches tended to be be-tween 2 and 4%.There have been specialist lactose-free ranges avail-able for some time, but un-til recently these tended to focus more on the special-ist dietetic market. Recent product activity recorded by Innova Market Insights indicates that some of these brands are now moving more mainstream and ex-tending into new product sectors both within and outside the dairy category. These include OBM Omi-ra’s Minus L range in Ger-many, Arla’s Lactofree in the UK, Valio’s Zero Lactose in

Scandinavia, and McNeil’s Lactaid in the US. The de-velopment of own-brand ranges by the leading retail-ers has also driven aware-ness in the market, with most of the major multiple chains, including discount-ers, in many countries now having their own free-from ranges, including lactose-free options, which are rap-idly increasing in number and scope.Most significant in terms of market development, how-ever, has been the arrival of lactose-free options from mainstream brands. In the US, General Mills’ market-leading Yoplait yogurt brand was extended with four Lactose-Free variants in early 2012, while Danone’s market-leading Activia yo-gurt brand has now been extended with a lactose-free option in a number of Eu-

ropean markets, including Germany and Scandinavia. Likewise, in New Zealand, the Anchor dairy brand has been extended in the milks market, with two lactose-free alternatives under the Zero Lacto Blue and Zero Lacto Trim ranges.


Authenticity, health and quality add to ready meals success

A recent review of tracked global launch activity in ready meals over the past year has identified some key trends, including on-going interest in healthy options and more authen-tic-style ethnic recipes. Ac-cording to market research-er Innova Market Insights, there is also more emphasis

on natural, organic and lo-cally sourced ingredients and more interest in res-taurant-style products for in-home dining or home entertaining as an alterna-tive to eating out.The convenience continues to be the key positioning for ready meals and pre-pared foods, but over 36%

of introductions tracked used a health positioning of some kind.Low-calorie, natural, or-ganic are the typical pas-sive claims that dominat-ed. But also more active claims, such as vitamin- and mineral-forti f ied, weight management, heart health, etc., were reported. The highest levels of health claim usage were among ready meals and meal components, at nearly 50% of total launches, falling to less than 25% for catego-ries generally much less

widely associated with health concerns, particu-larly meal kits, pizza and sandwiches.Rising interest in “natural-ness” and clean labeling has been a feature of the food and drinks market as a whole in recent years, and ready meals is no excep-tion, despite the challenges presented by its inherently “processed” image. Over 17% of launches recorded by Innova Market Insights were positioned as addi-tive- and/or preservative-free, over 5% as natural


and nearly 6% as organic, resulting in nearly 25% of introductions using ei-ther one or more of these claims.The next most popular

health-related claims re-lated to free-from or low and light products, with over 6% using a gluten-free positioning and just under 6% a low fat claim. A significant number is also specifically positioned on a vegetarian platform, equiv-alent to over 10% of global launches in 2011.In conclusion, despite diffi-culties in some parts of the market, product activity in ready meals is continu-ing as a result of ongoing

demand for convenient meal solutions among time-pressed consumers. “The downturn in con-sumer spending in many Countries and increasing concerns over the health aspects of convenience foods may have a nega-tive effect on the market in some Countries over the next few years – Lu Ann Williams, Research Manager at Innova, con-curs –, but product activ-ity is increasingly focusing

on health issues as well as adding value”.The sector is generally well placed to take advantage of the reduction in eating out, with a growing range of in-home options. These include meal centers, complete meals and meal kits as individual portions or family or sharing packs, including higher-value added choices for in-home meals and even formal entertaining.


Sauce manufacturers look to health and spice

New product activity is heating up in the large and diverse prepared sauces market, which covers a wide range of different product types, including pasta sauces, cooking sauces, bottled and table sauces and condiments, and salad sauces and dressings. Innova Market

Insights has recorded consistently rising numbers of launches globally over the past five years or so, probably reflecting the increasing variety of meals and cuisines now being discovered by consumers.Increasing interest in for-eign cuisines has been par-ticularly significant for the cooking sauces category, which alone accounted for half of tracked global sauces launches in 2011, well ahead of bottled table sauces with over a quarter and mayonnaise and dress-ings with about a fifth.Despite the strong conveni-ence image of the sauces market, there has been ongoing interest in health in evidence. Nearly 45% of 2011 global launches

recorded by Innova Mar-ket Insights feature health claims of some kind, rising to over 50% for salad sauces and dressings, compared with 45% for cooking sauces and 38% for table sauces. The sec-tor has also taken interest in clean-label products on board, with 2011 launches featuring “natural” recipes and “no additives/preserva-tives” one of the key areas for product positioning, used by nearly 30% of total sector introductions.The table and cooking sauces markets are both dominated by tomato-based products and are also seeing moves to spicier and more complex flavorings. The table sauces market has started to see more in the way of limited edition products with more unusual flavors, or to fea-ture premium ingredients, such as balsamic vinegar,

or to use a particular type of tomato. The range of barbecue sauces is also growing in many markets, with new variants typically introduced for the summer season, but all-year-round use also promoted. In-creasing use of unusual ingredients has already been in evidence for 2012, including wasabi and tequila, following on from 2011 launches featuring flavorings such as raspberry vodka, bourbon whiskey, and blackberries.The move to spicier flavors has also been in evidence in the cooking sauces market. A greater variety of pack formats, includ-ing single-serve products for smaller households, as well as sachets and pouches in place of the more traditional glass jars, has also been reported in this sector.


NEWS


In Europe nutrition labelling becames mandatory

After 8 years of negotia-tion, a new food labelling law come on the scene. With the aims to empower consumers to make more informed dietary decisions, the European Commission has replaced the old Di-rective 90/496/EC of 1990 and Directive 2000/13/EC with a new regulation. The challenge is to generate and promote interest in and motivation for healthy eat-ing among consumers and provision of consistent infor-mation across food products will hopefully aid in achiev-ing greater awareness and use of nutrition information.All pre-packed food prod-

ucts sold within the EU must display nutrition information in accordance with the new rules within three years of their formal adoption where this is already provided, i.e. by December 2014. How-ever, if no nutrition informa-tion has been provided, the obligation to meet the new legal requirements will not become mandatory until five years after the formal adoption, i.e. December 2016.The new regulation instructs food manufacturers to pro-vide information on the en-ergy value and fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, pro-tein and salt, exactly in this

order and expressed per 100 g or per 100 mL of product; further nutrients (i.e. mon-ounsaturates, polyunsatu-rates, polyols, starch, libre, vitamins, and minerals) can be included voluntarily.This information should be presented in a nutrition table in the same field of vision, commonly on the “back of pack”, and may in addition be expressed on a per portion basis.The regulation only man-dates nutrition labelling in the same field of vision, labelling in the principal field of vision (e.g. “front-of-pack”) remains voluntary.If information is repeated on the front of the pack, which can be the content of ener-gy alone or in combination with fat, saturates, sugar and salt, the new rules stipulate that the energy value must be presented in absolute amounts per 100 g (mL) and additionally may be expressed per portion.The new regulation main-tains the requirement to display energy in both kilo-joules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal) per 100 g (mL) (there are 4.2 kJ in each kcal). When this information is de-clared for a portion or unit (e.g. amount per biscuit), the size of a portion/unit must be indicated, in con-

junction with the number of portions or units contained in the package.Regarding the font size, for the majority of food packag-ing labels, for all mandatory food information, a mini-mum font size of 1.2 mm is required. Smaller packaging (with a largest surface below 80 cm2) has a smaller mini-mum font size requirement (0.9 mm). Additionally, voluntary slogans or claims must not be presented in a manner that impinges on the presentation of manda-tory information.Specific and important rules regarding the allergens are stipulated. The foods, which have been established as re-sponsible for the majority of allergic reactions to foods, must be clearly displayed and highlighted in the list of ingredients. Require-ments on the provision of this type of information also cover non-pre-packed foods, including those sold in restaurants and café.In order to achieve greater awareness and use of nutri-tion information, the man-datory food information will be required to appear in a language easily understood by consumers. Additionally, the Member States in which a food is marketed may stipulate that the informa-


tion is given in one or more languages from among the official EU languages.There also requirements in all those cases when food is sold by means of “distance communication” (e.g. in-ternet or catalogues). The mandatory information present on the label must be made available before the purchase is concluded and must also be displayed on any material supporting the distance selling or pro-vided through other appro-priate means (e.g. webpage or catalogue).

Certain food categories are exempt from the new labelling law. Exemptions include unprocessed foods or items for which nutrition information is not consid-ered a determining factor for consumers’ purchasing decisions, or for which the packaging is too small to accommodate the manda-tory labelling requirements. Within three years after the entry into force of the Regu-lation, the EC will examine alcoholic beverages and, if necessary, propose amend-ments.

Perception of health claims

Previous studies have inves-tigated consumer responses to health claims; however very few have attempted to measure how consumers understand claims. This is the starting point of the pa-per published in Food Qual-ity and Preference by Liisa Lahteenmaki. The paper ex-plores previous studies car-ried out in this area, noting that for the food sector the increased health concern offers possibilities but also creates challenges.Three major categories influencing consumer re-sponses are considered, claim structure and con-tent, product category, and consumer-related factors. In brief, Lahteeenmaki states

that a number of previous studies have found that add-ing health claims to prod-ucts increases the perceived healthiness, however this impact has been found to be small or moderate.The paper states that claims are based on three compo-nents: compound/compo-nent that triggers the func-tion, function as such, and benefit. It notes that the EU often seems to favour long claims which contain all three components, whereas short claims containing only one component can often leave consumers to fill in the blanks. The preference of long vs short is suggested to be Country related. Also health claim response seems

to be different according to Country, with Italians prefer-ring no health claim, Finnish consumers liking risk reduc-tion claims, and in the UK benefit claims attract the higher interest.The report states that fa-miliarity with claims and functional foods increase perceived healthiness and acceptance of these prod-ucts. Health claims are more accepted on products that are already perceived as having a healthy image, with it being easier to ac-cept health claims on prod-ucts with previous health claim labelling.Lathteenmaki reports that several studies show that consumers are unwilling to compromise taste for health benefits, with taste being the top reason for a product be-ing consumed. There has been conflicting evidence on whether women have a

higher preference for health claims.Some studies suggest they do however some find no gender differences. Con-sumers who have family members suffering a disease are more likely to accept the concept of functional food. The researcher notes that fa-miliarity with a compound, health claims or product category is a factor linked to consumer responses. Health claims can only be given value if a consumer recognises the benefit and perceive it as being impor-tant; however consumers may not understand wheth-er the benefit is relevant to them.The future studies need to focus on consumer un-derstanding of claims, and whether they make con-sumers make a better food choice.

RSSL

NEWS


Cimbria acquires the Italian enterprise Sea

Cimbria and Sea are the protagonists in the latest acquisition in the food industry.Cimbria is one of the world leading manufacturers for the processing, handling and storage of grain and seed and, to an increasing extent, other products. Founded in 1947, the company provides project design and process control, as well as the develop-ment, manufacture and installation of individual machines, customised sys-tems and complete turnkey plants. Its solid market po-sition is a result of innova-tion which is deeply rooted in specialist knowledge and experience achieved through decades of inten-sive research and develop-ment. With approximately 600 employees, Cimbria has production facilities in Denmark, Austria and the Czech Republic, in

addition to sales offices in Europe, Asia, and Africa.In 1970, Sea launched the first prototype for the optical electronic colour sorting of rice and became one of the true pioneers within the field. More than 40 years of on-going research and development has established the com-pany as a technological market leader. It primar-ily sells its equipment in Europe. With around 35 employees at its factory in Imola (Northern Italy), in 2011 Sea had a turnover of approximately 10 million Euro and a profit ratio of approximately 20% and it expects to see an increase in both sales and earnings this year.Cimbria has reached an agreement with the group of owners behind the Italian company Sea to acquire 100% of the shares in the company.

With the acquisition of Sea, Cimbria broadens its range of mechanical sort-ing equipment with optical colour sorting and other electronic solutions, thus completing the company’s product l ine-up. This acquisition is in line with Cimbria’s strategy aimed at strengthening the com-pany’s product and market position via organic and acquisitive initiatives. It is the company’s first acquisi-tion since Axcel became the majority shareholder at Cimbria in August 2011.“I’m convinced that we can develop and boost Sea’s activities significantly by becoming a member of the Cimbria group, for the benefit of both custom-ers and suppliers,” says Antonio Uzzo, managing director of Sea and the company’s founder. “We now have the potential to grow and attract new customers by means of the strong market position of the combined company,” he adds.“With more than 40 years’

experience in the market, Sea is recognised today for its excellent quality in the field of optical sorting and other electronic sorting technologies, and the com-pany represents a good fit in relation to Cimbria’s aim to supply high-quality products and full-line so-lutions within seed corn plants and other industrial products,” says Karsten Larsen, managing director of Cimbria. “At the same time, we’re convinced that in years to come Sea prod-ucts will meet a growing demand driven by stricter requirements in terms of quality and documentation within precision sorting,” concludes Karsten Larsen.(Cimbria Heid Italia - Via Ronzani 5/3 - 40033 Casalecchio di Reno - BO - Italy - Tel. +39 051 575635 - Fax +39 051 576910 - email: [email protected])(Sea - Via Ercolani 30 - 40026 Imola - BO - Italy - Tel. +39 0542 361423 Fax +39 0542 643567 - email: [email protected])

All the solutions for industrial automation

The 6th edition of SAVE, the Italian event for vertical so-lutions and applications of automation, instrumenta-tion and sensors organized by EIOM (Ente Italiano

Organizzazione Mostre), will take place in Verona on 24th and 25th October 2012.Unique Italian event in the field of industrial vertical

solutions, this exhibition represents the reference point for all specialized op-erators, such as designers, technical managers, engi-neers, plant engineers and managers, production and maintenance managers, and instrumentation tech-nicians. The 2012 Edition will host the best solutions

and applications specific to industrial markets, such as energy, environment, food & beverage, pharmaceuti-cals and cosmetics, auto-motive, chemistry, rubber and plastic, paper and wood.According to tradition, the next SAVE will cover two days full of meetings, news,


discussions, updates, semi-nars and training sessions, and will see the participa-tion of prestigious compa-nies and famous experts in the field, as well as making use of the scientific support provided by the most im-portant associations which will bring to Verona impor-tant contributions of a tech-nical-applicative nature.“The role of system integra-tors in automation projects” is the title of the conference organized by ANIPLA (Ital-ian Association for Automa-tion), in which system inte-grators will be discussed fo-cusing on their role, as flex-ible companies, within the

interpretation of the final client particular needs: the experience gained in specif-ic fields by these companies translates into an additional asset which makes the au-tomation process more ef-ficient and advanced. The examples provided and discussed by guest system integrators will focus on the various application process-es in which the technical and/or relational coopera-tion of these companies is essential to obtain the best possible outcome in auto-motive projects.ANIPLA will also organ-ize the morning session of the day dedicated to “Sys-

tems of artificial vision in industrial processes” (on 24th October), an event focused on systems of ar-tificial vision and systems of identification, which are increasingly important in industrial processes. Top-ics discussed will include the status of technological development, market and technology perspectives, ex-amples of multidisciplinary approaches in the applica-tion of machine vision, and examples of problems and trends regarding 3D vision in the industrial field.AIS/ISA ItalySection (Ital-ian Instrumentation Asso-ciation) will focus on the

topic of “Virtual environ-ments”, a method which is attracting more and more attention in the industrial sector and which is used to improve the engineering and the speed of integration of the different development phases, facilitating mainte-nance procedures and train-ing activities.Also GISI (Italian Asso-ciation of Instrumentation Companies) will take part in the event and will hold an important conference; the committee is deciding top-ics of which.Lab#ID (Carlo Cattaneo University - LIUC) will pro-pose an interesting analysis


of “RFID solutions for auto-mation of production and management systems”, in which topics ranging from tracing to monitoring of the logistics and production components will be dealt with.

Assoautomazione (Italian Automation and Meas-urement Association) will present the seminar “De-velopment of systems for advanced motion control and mechatronics: presen-tations, standards, and en-

ergy efficiency”, in which central topics of industrial management will be dis-cussed as an ideal com-pletion of the Verona days.The second day of SAVE will be dedicated to Food Technologies, during which

the participants will focus on the most advanced ap-plication solutions in the field of automation for the food industry, and on the latest innovations in the field of food & beverage.

www.eiomfiere.it

CHIRIOTTI EDITORIwww.chiriottieditori.com

First processing and packaging exhibition to be held in East Africa in 2014

The East African Commu-nity (EAC), the United Na-tions Industrial Develop-ment Organization (UNI-DO) and Ipack-Ima, Italy’s

leading organizer of exhi-bitions for the processing and packaging technology industries, will hold a first of its kind exhibition in East

Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2014.An agreement to organize a major processing and packaging exhibition was signed last week in Vienna by the Secretary General of EAC, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera, the Director Gen-eral of UNIDO, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, and the Chief

Executive Officer of Ipack-Ima, Dr. Guido Corbella.“The event marks a major milestone in addressing one of the key challenges of the agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and other strategic sectors of our in-dustrial policy. We antici-pate that a good number of companies, including SMEs


INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN ITALY

26 - 28 September 2012 - Cesena (Fc): Macfrut, int. fruit processing show. Cesena Fi-era - Via Dismano 3845 - 47023 Cesena - FC - Italy - Tel. +39 0547 317435 - Fax +39 0547 318431 e-mail: [email protected]

23 - 24 October 2012 - Verona: Save, int. show on automation and instrumentation. E.I.O.M. Ente Italiano Organizzazione Mostre - Viale Premuda 2 - 20129 Milano - Tel. +39 02 55181842 - Fax +39 02 55184161 - e-mail: [email protected]

19 - 23 January 2013 - Rimini: A.B.Tech Expo, int. baking industry show. Rimini Fi-era - Via Emilia 155 - Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: [email protected]

16 - 19 February 2013 - Rimini: Sapore, int. food show. Rimini Fiera - Via Emilia 155 - Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: [email protected]

7 - 10 April 2013 - Verona: VinItaly+Enolitech, int. wine show. Veronafiere - Viale del Lavoro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: [email protected]

7 - 10 April 2013 - Verona: SOL, int. olive oil show. Veronafiere - Viale del Lavoro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: [email protected]

19 - 22 May 2013 - Rho-Pero (Mi): TuttoFood, int. food show. Fiera di Milano - S.S. Sempione 28 - Rho - MI - Italy - Tel. +39 02 49976610 - Fax +39 02 49976587 - e-mail: [email protected]

25 - 29 May 2013 - Verona: Siab, int. baking industry show. Veronafiere - Viale del La-voro 8 - 37135 Verona - Tel. +39 045 8298111 - Fax +39 045 8298288 - e-mail: [email protected]

11 - 14 June 2013 - Rimini: Packology, int. packaging industry show. Rimini Fiera - Via Emilia 155 - Rimini - Tel. +39 0541 744111 - Fax +39 0541 744255 - e-mail: [email protected]

12 - 16 November 2013 - Rho (MI): Simei, int. beverage and wine industry show. Simei - Via San Vittore al Teatro 3 - 20123 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 7222281 - Fax +39 02 866226 - e-mail: [email protected]

26 - 28 November 2013 - Bologna: Fruitech, int. fruit processing show. Ipack-Ima - Corso Sempione 4 - 20154 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 3191091 - Fax +39 02 33619826 - e-mail: [email protected]

21 - 24 October 2014 - Parma: CibusTec, int. food equipment show. Fiere di Parma - Via Rizzi 67/A - 43031 Baganzola - PR - Italy - Tel. +39 0521 9961 - Fax +39 0521 996235 - e-mail: [email protected]

19 - 23 May 2015 - Rho-Pero (Mi): Ipack-Ima, int. packaging, food processing and pasta exhibition. Ipack-Ima - Corso Sempione 4 - 20154 Milano - Italy - Tel. +39 02 3191091 - Fax +39 02 33619826 - e-mail: [email protected]

will have the opportunity to access appropriate packag-ing and processing technol-ogies”, said Dr. Sezibera.“This partnership will bring new processing and pack-aging technologies closer to industries, particularly small and medium scale enterprises in East Africa”, said Dr. Yumkella. “It will also help analyse the cur-rent situation of different technologies in the field of processing and packaging in the EAC Partner States and identify potential op-portunities for industrial development.”“The signing of this agree-ment is an impressive re-sult for our company,” says Ipack-Ima spa CEO. “The packaging industry is a key sector of the world’s economy, and can make a substantial contribu-tion to providing healthy and more plentiful food for everyone. As much as 60% of the total food pro-duced globally deteriorates, or goes wasted, due to the lack of proper processing and packaging. The fact that UNIDO and EAC have chosen Ipack-Ima as their partner in this ambitious project is the result of our continuous commitment to promoting processing and packaging technologies. The planned exhibition will be the first event of its kind to bring to the EAC region processing and packaging technologies best suited to the needs of the region”.

www.ipack-ima.com

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28066 Galliate (NO) - Italia - Via A. Grandi, 25 - Zona Industriale Peco - tel (+39) 0321 806564 - fax (+39) 0321 861187 - e-mail: [email protected] - www.trivisrl.com

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