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

J une /J uly 2014
NZ’S AUTHORITY ON FOOD TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE:
NZIFST Conference Preview
Better nutrition for seniors
FRIENZ study tour report
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
Contents
NZ’S AUTHORITY ON FOOD TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING
10
JUNE/JULY 2014 | VOLUME 14, NO.3 ISSN 1175 – 4621
4
EDITORIALS
5
IN-BRIEF News, views and information
10
OILS AND FATS NEWS
A regular round-up of news and opinion from the Oils and Fats Group of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry
5
from around and about.
Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST
12
NUTRITION
Better nutrition for seniors – risks, barriers and opportunities for the food industry
Kaye Dennison, Optimize Health Solutions Ltd
15F-FILES
Food microbiology and food safety research at Massey University
Steve Flint and Jon Palmer
16
TRAVELLERS’ TALE
15
FRIENZ Study Tour: Connecting EU Food processing research expertise with New Zealand research and companies
18
LEGISLATION
Fresh produce and new health claims regulations
Carolyn Lister, Pland & Food Research
Contacts
Publisher and Managing Editor
Anne Scott, Peppermint Press Limited
[email protected]
Peppermint Press Ltd
5 Rupi Court, Mt Wellington
P O Box 11 530, Ellerslie, Auckland 1542, New Zealand
Phone/Fax 64 9 527 8449, www.foodnz.co.nz
Food NZ is mailed to 2800 individuals, all members of the NZIFST
and others, primarily in New Zealand, and overseas.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form by any means
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information retrieval systems, or otherwise) without the written permission of Peppermint
Press. The views expressed in this journal are those of the writers and do not necessarily
represent the view of the Publisher, the Scientific Review Board, NZIFST or MIA.
Director and Writer
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[email protected]
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Anne Scott
[email protected],
09 527 8449
Design and Layout
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[email protected]
Regular Contributors
Laurence Eyres, Ali Spencer, Owen McCarthy, Dave
Pooch, David Everett, Jenny Dee, Matt Golding
NZIFST Publications Committee
Matt Golding, Chair, Anne Scott, Owen McCarthy,
Tom Robertson, Marie Wong, Rosemary Hancock,
David Everett, Jay Tombleson, Namalie Jayasinha.
Published by Peppermint Press Limited
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ENDORSED BY THE MEAT INDUSTRY AS SOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND
2
Food New Zealand
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NZIFST 2014
CONFERENCE
HANDBOOK
Full programme
Exhibitor and Sponsor
previews
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IF
CONFERST 2014
ENCE
HANDBOOK
CHALLE
OPPORTNGES INTO
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21SYMPOSIUM
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28
June/July
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21
Norman Lodge, FNZIFST
22 NZIFST NEWS, INCLUDING:
NZIFST Industry Award Finalists
New Professional Members
New Members
Branch activities
30 NZIFST CAREERS ACTIVITIES
Professional learning and development for food technology and science teachers
18
34
31
MIA NEWS
Symposium: Raising awareness of iron deficiency
Red Meat Sector Conference preview
Ali Spencer, MIA
36
BOOK REVIEWS
Processing Contaminants in Edible Oils: MCPD and Glycidyl Esters
Whey to Go
38
EVENTS AND
CONFERENCE DIARY
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Features for August/September 2014
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Reports from NZIFST Conference
June/July 2014
3
EDITORIALS
From the Editor
The cycles of the year affect us all in different ways. Currently the avocado harvest is swinging into action and
citrus crops are nearing maturity. Our dairy industry is entering its off season, home gardeners are battening
down to await spring, and plantings of winter vegetables are maturing. The frenzy of canning/freezing and
otherwise preserving commercial fruit and vegetable crops is over for another summer.
NZIFST has it’s own cycles too. We elect our President and Executive biennially, and run an annual conference.
While Exec meets monthly, and Council two or three times each year, the work that continues behind the
scenes goes pretty much unnoticed. Council and Exec members undertake tasks for the benefit of our Institute.
Branch committees run regular meetings for local members.
Our administration staff, Executive Manager, Rosemary Hancock and Pamela Bryan are busy too. As well
as running our accounts our admin team manage our member lists, manage FIT Programme bookings and
registrations, and manage the Conference. (If you have been part of a Conference Programme Committee,
Anne Scott
you will have developed an idea of the complexity of this event.) So the Institute administration office is always busy, but
amazingly busy at this time of year, putting together the structure that ensures that those of us fortunate to attend enjoy a
smooth running Conference.
So please lend a thought to Rosemary and Pamela, who are the proverbial ducks, much of the time, and especially at
Conference time. Thank you ladies.
Anne Scott, FNZIFST, Publisher and Editor
From the NZIFST 2014 Conference Chair
It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a year since our last conference in the Hawkes Bay, and that Conference
in Christchurch is almost upon us again.
This year’s conference theme is ‘Challenges into Opportunities’. This was inspired by the earthquakes in
the region over the past 4 years. As any member of the Canterbury branch will be able to share through
their own stories, these events were tragic but also brought out some of the best in our communities. In
addition, as time has moved on it has been heartening to hear more and more people talking about the
future opportunities for change. The reality is that in business, research, and life in general our greatest
opportunities for growth often come from times of hardship and change.
As always the conference committee and myself have had the challenge of balancing the desires of our
diverse membership and developing a programme that contains a wide range of topics – all presented by
great speakers. Try and make a point of slipping into a couple of sessions which push you outside your
normal area of work. At the end of the day the most important function of this conference and the greatest
capability of our organisation is to grow your professional network.
Jonathan Cox, FNZIFST, Conference Chair 2014
4
Food New Zealand
Jonathan Cox
IN-BRIEF
In-Brief
In-Brief is Food New Zealand’s pick of the news stories about NZIFST members, about companies with relationships with
NZIFST, and other items that catch our interest.
Massey University 50th Celebrations and Techie Reunion
Massey University’s symposium celebrating 50 years of food
technology education on June 30 will be addressed by Janet Collins,
the President if the Institute of Food Technology. Janet Collins is a
senior manager at Dupont and will speak on the past, present and
future of food technology from an international perspective. She
took the role of IFT President last year and is looking forward to that
organisation’s jubilee celebrations in 2015.
Massey University Vice Chancellor, Steve Maharey, will open the
symposium and provide an update on the role of food technology
in building New Zealand’s agrifood economy. He will also comment
on progress with FoodHQ, New Zealand’s international centre for
collaborative food research. FoodHQ partners, including Massey
University are located within a one-kilometer radius in Palmerston
North.
Perspectives from some of the other speakers are expected to
challenge current thinking and provide updates on current science.
There’s also an excellent Food Technology history to view,
sponsored by the Dick & Diana Hubbard Foundation.
Register for the free Food Symposium at Massey University in
Palmerston North on Monday 30 June and for the Techie Reunion
on 29 June at: http://massey.ac.nz/foodtech50 – both events are
accessed from the REGISTER button.
Techie Reunion
A collaboration between Food Technology Faculty Alumni
members and the University staff has arranged a Techie
Reunion Day on 29th June. See page 38 for more information
and watch Nibbles and Alumni announcements for details.
W www.hawkinswatts.com P +64 9 622 2720 F +64 9 622 2725
Providing knowledge,
not just ingredients.
Acidulants | Antioxidants | Aromatics | Bulking Agents | Caramelised Sugars | Cocoa
Colours | Dehydrated Products | Emulsifiers | Flavours | Fibre | Hydrocolloids | Inclusions
Minerals | Nutraceuticals | Oleoresins & Essential Oils | Preservatives | Sweeteners
June/July 2014
5
IN-BRIEF
Who’s gone where?
Sam Heenan has recently changed
positions and is now working for Mars
Foods Europe C.V as a senior sensory
scientist.
Hill Laboratories develop three-in-one
Manuka honey test
New Zealand’s honey industry can now test manuka honey faster and more cost effectively
than ever before thanks to a new three-in-one test introduced by leading analytical testing
laboratory, Hill Laboratories.
The test, dubbed the Manuka Suite, is now available to producers and sellers of manuka
honey across the country and uses new technology and methodology to test the bioactive
components in manuka honey.
Hill Laboratories food and bioanalytical client services manager, Jill Rumney, said the new
technology and methodology used in the Manuka Suite allows them to group together three
of their most popular manuka honey tests.
“The Manuka Suite test combines the three vital compounds required for active manuka
honey tests; dihydroxyacetone (DHA), methylglyxol (MGO) and hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF), into one ground-breaking test,” Jill said.
“DHA and MGO testing work in partnership to indicate the level of activity present in manuka
honey and HMF testing assesses whether the honey has been heated or cooled. Previously
these tests were undertaken separately.
Well-known worldwide for its superior taste and medicinal purposes, manuka honey sells
for 10 to 20 times more than other types of honey and is estimated to earn New Zealand up
to $120 million a year in export dollars .
Hill Laboratories is a 100% privately owned New Zealand analytical testing laboratory and
has three major testing areas: agriculture, environmental and food. The organisation has
undertaken honey testing since 2006 and offers a complete range of tests for the apiculture
industry, beyond just honey.
In his new role Sam aims to provide
and deliver fundamental sensory and
consumer understanding that help R&D
projects to aim for international market
leadership by defining key categories in
product content and packages.
Katy Bluett has left her position as
Innovation Manager at Fonterra Brands
(Tip Top) Ltd and is now National
Network Manager Food at Callaghan
Innovation in Auckland.
Following restructuring, Pramod
Gopal left his position as Principal
Research Scientist at Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd and is now running
his own consultancy business, PG
Consulting, in Palmerston North.
Have you joined the
NZIFST
group yet?
Have your say in how NZIFST is run. All
members are eligible to join the Linkedin.com
group to discuss new ideas, find out about
upcoming events, and participate in polls. Go
to https://www.linkedin.com, log in and then
click on the pull-down menu at the top of the
page, select Groups, and search for NZIFST.
African food safety project awarded $8.8 million
Massey University food safety and epidemiology specialists will
lend their expertise to a global coalition of researchers that has
been awarded $8.8 million to help prevent the spread of zoonotic
infectious diseases between animals and humans among livestock
farmers in Tanzania.
Tanzania, one of the world’s poorest countries, is ranked the
number one hotspot for bacterial zoonotic diseases spread through
food by the United Kingdom’s Department for International
Development preparatory review. Non-typhoidal Salmonella is one
of the leading causes of preventable invasive bacterial disease in
sub-Saharan Africa, associated with fatality rates of 20%.
The funding is spread over three years between three grants awarded
by the Zoonoses in Emerging Livestock Systems programme,
funded by United Kingdom’s Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council and Department for International
Development. The programme is designed to improve the health of
poor farmers and their livestock through integrated human, animal
and environmental health research, an approach internationally
referred to as ‘One Health’.
The Massey University researchers involved are Professor of Food
Safety and Veterinary Public Health Nigel French, Senior Lecturer
6
Food New Zealand
in Molecular Epidemiology and Veterinary Public Health Dr
Jackie Benschop and Dr Gerard Prinsen who has worked with
development programmes in Africa for nearly 25 years.
They will join University of Otago Professor in Global Health, John
Crump in working on the Hazards Associated with Zoonotic Enteric
Pathogens in Emerging Livestock Systems grant. They will study
how bacteria that are leading causes of septicaemia and diarrhoea
in sub-Saharan African countries flow through meat pathways from
livestock to retail meat, and to humans.
he safety of livestock products is an increasingly critical issue in
Tanzania as food production is rapidly changing from meeting
the needs of individuals or villages to market-driven systems using
large-scale intensive production, centralised processing and wide
scale distribution.
Professor Nigel French, director of Massey’s Infectious Disease
Research Centre, says they’ll be researching the major food-borne
pathogens salmonella and campylobacter along the production
chains. “We’ll be helping identify the major risks associated with
food production and looking at how to improve the food supply
chains from farm through to consumers by putting measures in
place to reduce the risk.”
IN-BRIEF
Co-chair of WHO childhood
obesity commission elected
Tool for estimating potential
cost of food recalls
Sir Peter Gluckman FRSNZ, Chief Science
Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand,
and Dr Sania Nishtar, founder and President of
Heartfile, have been announced as co-chairs
of the World Health Organization Commission
on Ending Childhood Obesity.
In response to growing concerns over the financial impact of product
recalls for food and beverage businesses in New Zealand, insurance
giant AIG has launched NOVI, a web-based service to help companies
estimate the cost of recall incidents.
The Commission has been tasked with
producing a report specifying which
approaches and which combinations of
interventions are likely to be most effective
in different contexts around the world. The report is to arise from
consensus between a broad variety of experts.
Sir Peter will be a keynote speaker in the opening session of the NZIFST
Conference.
IFT Annual Meeting & Food
Expo®
June 21-24, New Orleans, LA
From its music to its museums, its rich cultural heritage to its
equally rich cuisine, New Orleans is the kind of city where
there’s always something to celebrate. And that makes it an
excellent place for the Institute of Food Technologists to mark a
major milestone: its 75th anniversary.
Of course, the Annual Meeting & Food Expo is always a
celebration—a celebration of ideas and insight—as well as a
destination for cementing long-time friendships and making
new professional contacts. That will be as true as ever this year.
About 18,000 food industry professionals from more than 100
countries will gather in New Orleans to participate in a wideranging Scientific Programme and innovation-packed Food
Expo trade show at the Morial Convention Center.
Register today at www.ift.org/ift14, if you can.
“NOVI helps food and beverage manufacturers understand their
exposure to a recall event, and make more informed decisions about
how to manage their risk,” said Nicky Alexandru, Vice President for
Crisis Management, Global Casualty, AIG. “While most companies are
generally aware of the frequency of product recalls, they are unsure of
the potential magnitude of the cost of a recall event.”
NOVI is a first-of-its-kind web-based service that can estimate a
company’s probable maximum recall loss in the event of an accidental
contamination..
The estimation process uses more than 80 data points and a proprietary
methodology based on AIG’s more than 25 years experience providing
contaminated product insurance, extensive analysis of thousands of
recall incidents, and input from a leading food safety consultant, NSF
International.
This free, confidential service is now available to food and beverages
manufacturers in New Zealand and can be accessed here: www.aig.
com/nz/novi.
“There are on average, five product recalls reported every month in the
food and beverage industry in Australasia with two to three incidents
occurring in New Zealand alone. Maintaining food safety standards
and managing recall risk are two pressing issues for New Zealand
companies. Through NOVI we can now offer help in quantifying a
potential threat to their business so that they can manage their risk
more effectively” said Suzanne Brown, Liabilities Senior Underwriter,
AIG New Zealand.
Notes
New Zealand and Australian product recall data is based on AIG
analysis of data collected from the New Zealand Ministry of Primary
Industries and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
and does not include trade recalls or withdrawals.
Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com
• Flavour specialists and designers
• Liquid and powder flavour manufacture
• Naturals
• New Zealand made
Formula Foods Corporation Limited
Phone 64 3 962 2960
www.formulafoods.co.nz
June/July 2014
7
IN-BRIEF
Vitamin E workshop
AIP Conference, June 17-18,
Sydney
Registrations now open for Australia’s leading packaging conference
Designed for both personal and professional development the AIP
National Conference offers networking opportunities with likeminded packaging experts and is open to both members and nonmembers.
Keynote speakers include Bryan McKay FAIP, Director Packaging
Development – Asia Pacific, Campbell Arnotts, Fran Bova FAIP,
Packaging Manager, Kimberly-Clark Australia, Nicolas Georges,
RD&Q Director, Premium Chocolate & Dairy, Asia Pacific, Mondelez
International, Craig Walker MAIP, National Packaging Manager – PET,
Coca-Cola Amatil, Bassam Hallak, Director, Innovation Discovery
& Insights, Avery Dennison, Nina Cleeve-Edwards MAIP, Packaging
Specialist, Nestle Oceania and Paul Horn, Strategic Procurement
Director – Technical, LION.
Photo: Wayne Barrar
For further information on attending or exhibiting at the 2014 AIP
National Conference please contact the AIP on +61 7 3278 4490 or
email [email protected] or visit www.aipack.com.au
Food TesTing
ENSurING yOur PrOduCtS’ INtEGrIty ANd QuALIty
• Method development
and validation team
• Label claims
• IANZ (ISO)
accreditation
• Shelf life testing
• GMP certified for
Nutraceuticals
• Export certification
• Food safety
• Vitamin testing
Cawthron Institute
Ph: +64 3 548 2319
[email protected]
www.cawthron.org.nz
8
Food New Zealand
Leading scientists recently attended a workshop
hosted by global health, nutrition and material
company Royal DSM, where the group discussed
emerging research as well as approaches to
defining appropriate dietary requirements for
vitamin E. The initiative is part of DSM’s ongoing
work to highlight the decline in vitamin E intake
globally, as it encourages food manufacturers,
healthcare professionals and the scientific
community to understand the health benefits of the
micronutrient.
Topics highlighted included a major study which
found that vitamin E can slow the progression of
Alzheimer’s disease, and research to indicate that
vitamin E can reduce the risk of cardiovascular
events in a group of diabetic patients, in particular
those which have a specific genotype. With 1.4
billion people now affected by obesity worldwide,
there is also evidence to demonstrate that vitamin
E supplementation can limit the negative health
implications of fatty liver disease before it becomes
a key public health concern on a global scale.
Experts attending the workshop included Dr.
Maret Traber, Principal Investigator and Professor,
Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
She comments: “People should consume at least
15mg alpha-tocopherol daily – whether from
multi-vitamins or dietary sources – to meet a level
that is associated with decreased risk of mortality
and all chronic diseases. In the United States, less
than 93% of the population currently achieves
sufficient intake. DSM’s latest workshop served to
highlight how far we still have to go to improve
evaluation markers of vitamin E adequacy, in order
to effectively demonstrate the health benefits of
vitamin E.”
Manfred Eggersdorfer, Senior Vice President,
Nutrition Science & Advocacy at DSM and Professor
of Healthy Aging at the University of Groningen
added: “The workshop provided a stimulus for a
number of promising approaches to address the
inadequate intake of vitamin E in many population
groups and we took the opportunity to discuss
emerging science on important health benefits.
There is a growing body of science to demonstrate
that the benefits of vitamin E extend beyond its
well known function as a fat soluble antioxidant.
The ongoing partnership between DSM and key
members of the scientific community will advance
our understanding of the role of vitamin E in
supporting human health.”
Royal DSM is a global science-based company
active in health, nutrition and materials. More
information can be found at www.dsm.com.
For more information and to access the latest
research on vitamin E, visit www.dsm.com/
vitamin-e.
Introducing
IN-BRIEF
A point of
difference in today’s
busy FMCG market.
The new Food Act: what it means for you
After more than 10 years of development, the Food Bill became an act in June. It has
been written with you – the food industry – in mind, and is intended to make it easier
and less costly for many food businesses, while ensuring the food produced is safe.
The new Food Act aims to give food businesses the tools to manage food safety
themselves based on the level of risk associated with the kinds of food produced and in
a way that suits their business.
The central feature of the new Act is a sliding scale where businesses that are higher
risk from a food safety point of view will operate under more stringent food safety
requirements and checks than lower risk food businesses.
The new law recognises that each business is different and is a positive step forward
from the old Food Act 1981 and its one-size-fits-all approach to food safety.
Higher-risk food businesses – that prepare and sell meals or sell raw meat or seafood,
for example – will operate under a written Food Control Plan (FCP) where businesses
identify food safety risks and the steps they need to take to manage these risks. The FCP
can be based on a template or businesses can tailor their plan to suit their individual
business.
Businesses that produce or sell medium risk foods – like non-alcoholic beverages, for
example – will come under National Programmes. There are three levels of National
Programmes, which are based on the level of food safety risk. They won’t have to
register a written plan, but will have to make sure they are following the requirements
for producing safe food that will be set out in regulations. This includes having to
register their business details, keep minimal records and have periodic checks.
Unlike the old Act, the new Act provides a clear exemption to allow Kiwi traditions like
fundraising sausage sizzles or home baking at school fairs to take place. The only rule
will be that food that is sold must be safe.
Developed by AsureQuality,
inSight™ provides shoppers
with independently verified
information about the products
they are about to buy.
After a successful application
process, producers can place the
inSight™ logo and a QR code on
their product packaging.
When shoppers scan the QR
code at the point of sale they can
access information about the
product, including:
•
•
•
•
•
Environmental sustainability
Social and ethical concerns
Nutritional information
Safety and quality
Origin
Growing food for personal use and sharing it with others, including ‘Bring a plate’ to a
club committee meeting or a lunch for a visiting sports team or social group, is outside
the scope of the Food Act. The Act only covers food that is sold or traded.
To make the process easier for businesses to know where they fit, MPI is also developing
a web-based tool where business owners can get tailored information about how the
new Act will affect them.
Under the new law, individual operators will be able to influence their own compliance
costs. Those businesses that are performing well will be rewarded with less frequent
checks, while businesses not managing food safety well will receive extra attention.
Businesses do not need to make any immediate changes yet. Over the next 21 months,
MPI will be developing regulations, tools and guidance. There will be extensive
consultation during the development time giving people the opportunity to have their
say on the detail of the new food safety system.
The period of formal public consultation is likely to be at the end of the year or early
2015 and will be open for around three months.
When the new Act comes fully into force, which will be 1 March 2016 at the latest, it
will replace the Food Act 1981. After this time, food businesses will transition in groups
into the new rules over a staggered three year period.
A new innovation taking product
assurances into the 21st Century
Further information is available on our website.
www.foodsafety.govt.nz
Call us now on 0508 00 11 22
to find out how inSight™ can
add value to your business.
June/July 2014
www.aqinsight.com
9
OILS & FATS
Oils and fats news
Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST
A regular round-up of news and opinion from the Oils and Fats
Group of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry
Annual dinner and AGM
This will be held at Grand Harbour Chinese restaurant at the Viaduct
in Auckland. The date to book in diaries is Tuesday, 24 June. A very
tasty banquet is planned and as usual excellent wines will be provided
in a private room. We hope as many people as possible will attend
this informal evening. The booking form is on the new website. www.
oilsfats.org.nz
The new website
Now a correction has been made to the paper reporting that an intake
of omega-3 is in fact associated with a reduction in the risk of heart
disease. Surprise, surprise the same media that wrote about the paper
with the erroneous reporting has generally not covered the correction
of the paper, nor the resulting changes in the analysis.
Contributions, comments, additions and suggestions are welcomed by
members. To delve into the website and leave comments or queries
one must first access the members’ area and use a login and password.
Membership is a mere $25.00 for 5 years and this gets new members a
free electronic copy of The Handbook of Australasian Edible oils.
www.oilsfats.org.nz
AOCS/ AAOCS new publications
AOCS have recently released their new comprehensive catalogue of
technical books.
A new book of relevance to Australasia and its export of nutritional
formulae containing vegetable oils is the publication Processing
Contaminants in Edible Oils. This book is reviewed on page 36.
There was an excellent November 2013 AAOCS-O3C in Australia last
year and now three of the papers are on line at - http://www.mdpi.
com/journal/nutrients/special_issues/omega-3_conference
Omega-3 and cardiovascular
disease
Saturated fat – the latest
controversy
Recent TV programmes and the wonderful media have now trumpeted
the new hypothesis that it’s fine to eat as much total fat and saturated
fat as one wants. One consequence is that in cutting back on fats,
people ate lot more carbohydrates – at least 25% more since the early
1970s. Consumption of saturated fat, meanwhile, has dropped by 11%,
according to the best available government data. Translation: Instead
of meat, eggs and cheese, we’re eating more pasta, grains, fruit and
starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Even seemingly healthy low-fat
foods, such as yoghurt, are stealth carbohydrate-delivery systems,
since removing the fat often requires the addition of fillers to make up
for lost texture — and these are usually carbohydrate-based.
This led to a media frenzy – the press love anything controversial like
this.
The problem is that carbohydrates break down into glucose, which
causes the body to release insulin—a hormone that is fantastically
efficient at storing fat. Meanwhile, fructose, the main sugar in fruit, causes
the liver to generate triglycerides and other lipids in the blood that are
altogether bad news. Excessive carbohydrates lead not only to obesity
but also, over time, to Type 2 diabetes and, very likely, heart disease.
Senior nutrition scientists like Walter Willett from Harvard have been
calling on the authors to retract the paper because the media coverage
that followed its publication has caused serious harm.
Respected and authoritative nutrition experts in New Zealand see no
reason to abandon the last 30 years and to go back to eating a diet high
in saturated fat. The caveat is do not replace with carbohydrates
In recent months the publication of an article in Annals of Internal
Medicine reported no correlation between omega-3 intake and the
reduction in cardiovascular disease.
10
In the original publication, the relative risk for coronary outcomes
in prospective cohort studies of total long-chain omega-3 fatty acids
was reported as statistically non-significant [0.93 (0.84-1.02)], but
the corrected article reports it as SIGNIFICANT [0.87 (0.78-0.97)]. It
appears that this was the result of incorrectly entering data from the
Danish National Birth Cohort study.
Food New Zealand
OILS & FATS
Freshly cold-pressed
olive oil, bright green
and glorious
New Zealand olive oil
If only we were all polar bears!
There’s new proof that olive oil is good for you. But you get what
you pay for, with high-quality extra virgin varieties far more likely to
prevent heart attacks and stroke than cheaper processed types. Fifty
grams or 3.5 tablespoons a day are ideal for a person at high risk of
cardiovascular disease, says Spanish dietician Marta Guasch-Ferre,
who is in Australia to present the findings of a major research project.
Polar bears may hold the answer to the obesity crisis in their genes,
new research has shown. A study of the animals’ DNA reveals polar
bears are uniquely evolved to cope with a high fat diet that would prove
disastrous to a human. The bears prey on blubber-rich seals, and also
scavenge the fatty carcasses of whales. Half their body weight consists
of fat and their cholesterol levels are sky high, yet they are untroubled
by heart disease. Now scientists believe they know the polar bear’s
secret – several mutated genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and
cardiovascular function. The study was collaboration between Danish
researchers and scientists at Berkeley.
The risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 10% for every two
teaspoons, according to her study, which was published on Wednesday
in the journal BMC Medicine. The oil should make up around 10% of
the calories in a diet rich in legumes, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish
and unprocessed white meat. Low-fat dairy, nuts and fruit can be used
for a healthy dessert, but sugar, refined carbohydrates and animal fats
should be limited.
Extra virgin or virgin oil is extracted gently from ripe olives and is far
more protective than processed types. When olive oil is processed
refined and deodorized, it loses some of its beneficial properties.
This refined and pale coloured oil is the major oil unfortunately on
Australasian supermarket shelves and in NZ is labelled “Light”.
The findings suggest people who have a high risk of heart disease can
improve their health by making small dietary and lifestyle changes.
New Zealand chemical analysis
of olive oils
A paper recently published in Chemistry in New Zealand utilising
advanced analytical techniques has showed that NZ olive oil has much
lower levels of undesirable flavours than imported oils. Sensory panels
and Consumer Magazine have been noting this for years. Chemistry in
New Zealand, (2014) April, p. 64
Interesting DVD on diet and
nutrition
We recently watched a DVD based on the BBC programme by Michael
Mosley. There were two fascinating items in the programme which are
of great relevance to the current issues surrounding obesity and diet.
These items were the philosophy of calorific restriction, in practice, two
days a week seems to work. The other interesting concept was that a
couple of minutes of intense physical activity every week sufficed for
positive changes in blood biochemistry as opposed to long sustained
exercise. This philosophy will appeal to people who are time rationed.
Only in the USA
The recent dieticians conference in the USA was virtually sponsored
in its entirety by the fast food, confectionery and sugary drinks
manufacturers. There is nothing wrong with some sponsorship
balanced with subscriptions but to dominate the papers and to preach
that there is nothing wrong with over consumption of sugary, fatty
foods is a bit dubious to say the least.
Freephone 0800 932 652
www.nzvo.co.nz
June/July 2014
11
NUTRITION
Better nutrition for seniors —
risks, barriers and opportunities for the food industry.
Kaye Dennison, Optimize Health Solutions Ltd
Introduction
The recent census confirms that New Zealand’s senior population is
increasing in proportion to other age groups with the fastest growing
being the 85-plus group. A government strategy supports positive
ageing and where possible “ageing in place” for seniors who wish
to remain in their own homes or similar accommodation. This
means that increasing numbers of older people are supported to live
independently for longer than in previous decades, when residential
care was an earlier option for them.
I believe it is the responsibility of all sectors to support this change
in living environments for seniors. The responsibility extends to food
producers and packagers to ensure that food and fluids suitable for the
needs of older people are appropriate, available and accessible.
Background
Seniors are no longer considered to be a homogenous group; some
older people are now working in paid employment through into
their seventies and eighties, while due to the onset of chronic disease
others are withdrawing from the workforce well before they reach 65.
While it is now common for some older people to take up a range
of endurance sports in their later lives there will be others who are
housebound with the onset of chronic disease and related physical
disability, and unable to shop for and prepare their meals.
A subset of older men who find themselves living alone later in life
often do not have the skills to prepare nutritionally adequate meals and
rely heavily on ready prepared food products.
While New Zealanders today are focused on the obesogenic
environment we live in, what is not widely known is that a high
proportion of older people in New Zealand communities are at risk
or suffering from malnutrition. Research in hospital and community
settings internationally has identified that upwards of 25% of people
over 65 years can have malnutrition or be at risk of malnutrition. A
study conducted in Christchurch (Watson et al 2009) showed that 31%
of community dwelling older people visiting the medical centre for
support in falls prevention programmes were “at high risk” of poor
nutrition. A further 23% were “at risk” of poor nutrition and without
nutrition interventions would experience unintended weight loss and
risk losing their long term independence. Similar New Zealand studies
of hospital inpatients confirm that a high percentage of older people
admitted for hospital care have malnutrition or are at high risk of
developing malnutrition.
Health Economics researchers in the United Kingdom have put the
cost related to the treatment of people with malnutrition as high as
£13 billion (BAPEN 2008). Given that New Zealand studies in a range
of settings have identified significant numbers of older people at risk of
or already malnourished, it is likely that treatment costs of this cohort
will also be rising.
... a high proportion of older people in New Zealand communities are at risk or suffering from malnutrition.
12
Food New Zealand
NUTRITION
Older people require more
nutrients that younger adults
The New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines for healthy older
people released in January 2013 highlight the increased nutrient
requirements for older people, particularly in relation to protein,
calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
Weight loss is seen by many as a normal occurrence in ageing; this
is not necessarily the case and unintended weight loss puts older
individuals at risk of poor health outcomes, including increased risk
of infection due to a lower immune response and increased falls risk
due to muscle wasting. Other effects of malnutrition include impaired
wound healing, increased morbidity and mortality and decreased
quality of life.
Malnutrition and seniors
Research confirms that one of the trends seen in the health of seniors is
the increasing number of older people identified at risk of malnutrition or
who are already malnourished. There are many reasons for this, including
multiple medical problems, some with inflammatory symptoms that
require additional energy intake to meet increased demands.
Many older people develop chronic disease, such as respiratory disease,
Parkinson’s Disease, neurological conditions, swallowing impairment,
and chronic pain, especially for those people awaiting hip and knee
joint replacements. Individuals with these medical problems require
additional energy to prevent unnecessary weight loss and keep up with
normal activities of daily life required for maintaining independence.
Kaye Dennison is a registered
Dietitian and Nutritionist with thirty
years of clinical and foodservice
management experience in New
Zealand and internationally. In her
recent dietetic leadership roles
she has supported innovation
projects to improve the care of
community dwelling seniors.
Her experience as a Community
Dietitian working with high
risk older people led her to
develop a special interest in the
identification and treatment of
older people with malnutrition
and to explore ways to improve
nutritional status in the senior
population.
Kaye is now working as a consultant nutrition advisor
in senior nutrition, project management and service
reviews. Kayes email is [email protected]
Sarcopenia
Risks
Sarcopenia, also described as muscle wasting, is common in older
people and is one of the causes of increased falls risk amongst this
age group. Helping older people to ensure that they have adequate
dietary protein will support the formation of muscle protein. Many
older people may have a reduced intake of protein for several reasons:
they believe their needs are less than they need to be, their appetites
have diminished, poor dentition may result in difficulty chewing or
there may be physiological problems /changes resulting in impaired
swallowing. These may be compounded by a lack of motivation or skill
to prepare and cook protein rich foods such as meat.
Anorexia
Depression
Anorexia of ageing is commonly seen in older people and is essentially
a loss of appetite and associated weight. Treatment for older individuals
with appetite loss is intensive and relies on a regular intake of nutrient
and energy dense food and fluids, with up to six small meals and
snacks during the day. The provision of large meals for this group is
unacceptable and the preparation of a frozen meal is often beyond the
energy and motivation of the unwell older person.
Research indicates that depression is common in the older population
and is closely associated with other chronic disease such as heart
disease, stroke and cancer as well as social issues of grief, loss –
spouse/partner, driver’s licence and/or maybe the family home. Sideeffects of depression in older people are reduced interest in food,
decreased intake, decreased socialisation, and an overall decrease in
health-related quality of life.
Another group of seniors at risk are those with various levels of
dementia who continue to live independently with spouse/partner or
family support. This cohort is at high risk for malnutrition and weight
loss can occur as individuals move through the various stages of
dementia.
Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy describes the use of multiple medications often seen in
the treatment of seniors with a range of comorbidities. It is not unusual
for older people to be on more than 10 medications a day. Multiple
medications can affect nutritional intake and other issues related to
an individual’s health. Polypharmacy can also affect the appetites of
seniors with some medications causing nausea, and food and drug
interactions affecting overall appetite. Some medications produce side
effects of dry mouth which can further impair swallow and make the
inclusion of moist foods and sauces essential meal items to support
adequate intake.
Orthorexia
The Meals-on-Wheels service is used across Australasia
for older community dwelling and disabled people who
need support in meal preparation
Orthorexia: another trend dietitians are seeing in older people is their
desire to strictly follow the current healthy diet guidelines for adults,
focusing on very low fat, low sugar and high fibre diets. While this diet
is appropriate for most of the population, for older adults with many
medical problems a more liberal diet may be required.
June/July 2014
13
NUTRITION
Barriers to adequate nutrition
Package design
High energy and high protein food and fluids are seen as therapeutic and
restorative nutrition interventions to support recovery post-acute illness
or surgery. However, access to these items can be difficult for seniors.
One of the most common complaints I heard in my clinical dietetic
community role(s) was the ongoing problems with for older people
with opening food packaging. While the importance of tamperproof
packaging is acknowledged, there are many cases where older people
with disabilities are actually unable to get into commercially packaged
food items. One of the effects of normal ageing is a loss of muscle
mass, decreased grip strength and fine motor skills, which means that
some food items are inaccessible. One older person I worked with
reported that she needed a pair of scissors “strapped to her” so that
she could always open packaged food items.
One of the most common complaints of hospital patients is their
inability to open single portion food/fluids items supplied on food meal
trays. Given that one has to be increasingly acutely ill to be admitted
to hospitals, there is significant risk that these patients cannot obtain
adequate food required for their rehabilitation and recovery. Nursing
staff have limited time and may not be able to support patients to open
portion packs; observation studies show that these items are often
returned to hospital kitchens unopened.
Sensory changes
Sensory changes occur with ageing and the taste of food items which
may be acceptable for young people will not necessarily meet the taste
expectations of the older person. It is interesting to note a 75-year old
has only about a third of the taste buds of a 25-year old, so taste acuity
is diminished.
Frozen and canned foods meet the needs of many older people.
However when a person has a very poor appetite, defrosting a frozen
meal may be beyond the will and ability of fatigued, unwell older
people. Chilled meals do appear to be well accepted by those with
poor appetites who require restorative nutrition. Energy required to
reconstitute powdered products – drinks, sauces, desserts, soups and
milk products can be more than the older fatigued person can spare.
However, ready-to-drink/eat products are better received such as
fortified milk products in ready-to-drink cartons with straws attached.
What food companies can do to
help
• Development of new varieties of ready made meals focused
on the needs of frail older people and their carers/families. It is
recognized that many families continue to support older people
to maintain their independence. This support can be made
easier with the use of commercially prepared products that can
be purchased and left for older people to reheat as required.
The “sandwich generation” of middle aged people are currently
not only supporting their parents to stay well and independent
but at the same time are taking increased responsibilities in
caring roles for grandchildren. Some vulnerable older people
at high risk of malnutrition are dependent on frozen meals for
their main meal of the day. A number of clients I worked with in
supporting restorative nutrition therapy relied solely on a frozen
meal for their main meal of the day. Unfortunately while the meal
looked adequate on the product packaging photo the protein
content was in fact very low with the bulk of the meal made up
of vegetables. There is a market opportunity here for restorative,
ready prepared meals aimed at people (of all ages) recovering
from acute illness, recent surgery, and in particular, requiring the
additional protein and energy to optimise wound healing.
14
Food New Zealand
• Development of meals suitable for delivery by home care support
organisations: The Meals-on-Wheels service is used across
Australasia for older community dwelling and disabled people
who need support in meal preparation. This service relies on
volunteers for delivery and the trend is a decline in volunteers
available to deliver these meals. I am aware that new options are
required to provide easier access to regular nutrition support for
vulnerable, at risk, community dwelling older people.
• Functional Foods:– A UK report: Older people and Functional
Foods: The Importance of diet in supporting older peoples’
health; what role for Functional Foods (www.ilcuk.org.uk/files/
pdfpdf152.pdf) gives a comprehensive summary of the role of
functional foods in helping older people to age well. A review of
this report published in the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation’s
Committee for Healthy Ageing Newsletter (April 2013) and
available online, highlights three case histories on different
nutrients where the development of functional foods may support
older people to improve their health-related quality of life.
• Senior-friendly Packaging: There are opportunities for marketing
food for small households in single portion packs. Packaging
is often described by older people as a disenabler to achieving
good nutrition. I am aware that some companies are working on
packing medicinal items to support easy opening by people with
poorer/decreasing fine motor skills or general disability. Trialling
the opening of new packages with consumer representatives
from disabled support groups e.g. arthritis support group would
increase the chances of providing packages that can be easily
opened.
• Consumer panels: I often wonder how many older people are
invited to join consumer panels in the development of new
products/packaging. The needs of, in particular, very old people
(those over 85) are often overlooked. One study investigating
taste changes in older people found that sweetness of products
was a factor in acceptability of oral nutritional supplements.
This study recommended the reformulation of these products
to reduce the sweetness with the aim of making products more
acceptable and at the same time reduce waste. (Kennedy 2010)
Next steps –where to find more
information
With increased numbers of seniors requiring specialist nutrition
support there are a number of resource groups where corporates,
food product developers and packaging specialists can seek guidance
including
• Dietitians New Zealand Special Interest Group for Nutrition in
Gerontology
• New Zealand Nutrition Foundation’s Committee for Healthy
Ageing
• Senior Chef and Age Concern consumers representatives.
References
Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Older people - a background paper
January 2013 www.health.govt.nz
Older People and Functional Foods NEW ZEALAND Nutrition Foundation
Committee for Healthy Ageing Bulletin 13, March 2013
Elia M, Russell C A. Combatting malnutrition recommendations for action.
BAPEN 2008
Watson S, Zhang Z, Wilkinson TJ. Nutrition risk screening in community-living
older people. J Nutr Diet 2010; 67: 84-89
Kennedy O et al. Investigating age-related changes in taste and affects on sensory
perceptions of oral nutritional supplements Age Ageing. 2010 Nov;39(6):733-8
F-FILES
F-files
Food microbiology and food safety research at Massey
Steve Flint and Jon Palmer
Since our last report on the food microbiology and safety research at
Massey University, a number of new projects have commenced. In
this issue of the F-files we highlight some of these.
Biofilms on ultrafiltration
membrane systems
Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis are techniques increasingly used
in food manufacture, particularly in the dairy industry. The surface
area of these membrane filtration systems provides a huge area for
the development of biofilms that can block the passage of permeate
through the membranes and contaminate retentate. Baizura Zane
is studying the potential for bacteria isolated from the dairy industry
to colonise ultrafiltration membrane surfaces and exploring some
novel methods for the control of biofilms that develop during food
processing. To date, the predominant isolate from dairy products,
processed using ultrafiltration is B. licheniformis. As a consequence
of this, the role this bacterium plays in the colonisation of dairy
ultrafiltration membrane surfaces will be an important part of this
study.
Yersinia enterocolitica isolation
and ecology
Yersinia enterocolitica is a foodborne pathogen associated with
pork meat. We know that this bacterium is endemic in pigs between
the age of 2-5 months and residual infection can last for many more
months in some animals. Contamination of pork meat is most likely
during slaughter and/or the processing of meat. Foodborne illness
is likely to result from the consumption of undercooked meat or
handling raw meat. The bacterium appears to compete poorly with
other microbial contaminants but it is a psychrotrophic bacterium
so it will grow under refrigeration temperatures. Haoran Wang is
studying the routes by which this pathogen causes food poisoning.
She is also exploring new methods of detection to isolate this
pathogen from foods and studying the roll of biofilm formation in
the persistence of Y. enterocolitica on meat and meat processing
surfaces.
Listeria monocytogenes:
mechanisms of attachment
Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread foodborne pathogen
found in many general environments. It is a particularly serious,
psychrotrophic pathogen that has caused foodborne illness
through the contamination of cheese, chilled meats and vegetable
products. Persistence of this organism in the food processing
Jessica Norwark’s study aims to determine the factors
that make L. monocytogenes a persistent coloniser
environment is attributed to biofilm development and this can
occur on food processing surfaces as well as on the surface of the
food itself. This project involves comparing an adhesion-competent
L. monocytogenes strain with an adhesion-incompetent strain.
Jessica Norwalk will examine the genetic composition of each
strain to determine the reason for the different phenotypes. This will
determine the factors that make this pathogen a persistent coloniser
and assist in developing procedures to prevent biofilms of this
bacterium being a major source of food contamination.
Biofilms forming in waste water
treatment systems
Biofilm accumulation in pipes used to transport treated waste water
can result in the blockage and, in severe cases, corrosion of pipes.
Michael Dixon aims to identify the mixed microflora colonising
dairy waste treatment pipelines and model the conditions that
promote biofilm formation. Nutrient availability, pH, flow rate and
temperature are likely to have some effect on biofilm development
which will be made more complex by the microbial composition
and the interactions that occur between the different species. The
aim of Michael’s study is to identify conditions that will minimise
biofilm development and prevent blockages and corrosion in dairy
waste treatment systems.
June/July 2014
15
TRAVELLERS’ TALE
Travellers’ Tale
Max Kennedy, National Manager Biological
Industries, MBIE, [email protected]
FRIENZ Study Tour
New Zealand has a food-based economy, and is a long way from
markets and international research centres. Connectivity and
collaboration with the centres of research excellence throughout
the world is vital to New Zealand’s ability to innovate and stay
attuned to best practice. We do very little (<0.5%) of the world’s
total research output so why not utilise the best of what is done
elsewhere? Due to our areas of specialisation, particularly food,
we also have a lot to offer other countries. What is needed is a
mechanism to connect and collaborate - technology and expertise
scouting or exchange.
To this end, the Science, Skills and Innovation Group of The Ministry
of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has worked with
counterparts in the European Union to set up FRIENZ (Facilitating
Research and Innovation co-operation between Europe and New
Zealand) with the European Commission (EC). The FRIENZ project
aims to facilitate new and deeper strategic research, science and
innovation partnerships between Europe and New Zealand. In practical
terms, this allowed a MBIE, FRIENZ and EU partners-organised mission
of key New Zealand researchers and industry representatives to travel
to visit some of the best research institutes in Europe. The focus of the
visit was food processing as it is a key way for New Zealand to add
value to our commodity exports.
The membership of the travel group included participants from Crown
owned research institutes, universities, New Zealand companies,
the New Zealand Food Innovation Network and MBIE. This mix of
government, research community, networks and industry allowed
considerable engagement both with EU counterparts and within the
tour group.
First stop: Cambridge University
We started the tour by attending the Fouling & Cleaning in Food
Processing 2014: ‘Green Cleaning’ Conference at Cambridge University.
This is an infrequent conference and was an excellent chance to meet
with the world’s best engineers and microbiologists in this area of
crucial importance to food safety in New Zealand. Another excellent
opportunity was that some members of the group were invited to
give a presentation to the Food and Beverage Special Interest Group
of the Institution of Chemical Engineers in London. The interest in the
New Zealand group was such that the meeting went on for over 2
hours with lots of questions, followed by time to engage with chemical
engineers from the UK food industry and academia. It was particularly
pleasing to meet with IChemE members who had taken their evening
to travel, often quite long distances, to meet with the group.
16
Food New Zealand
Tour members photographed in the Netherlands, (lr) Graham Fletcher, Sarita Males, Max Kennedy, Leah
Davey, Amanda Suddes, Janis Swan, Chris Insley, Megan
Howard, Stefan Clerens, John Morgan. Not in phograph:
Jonathan Cox, Richard Archer
Significant outcomes
Organisations visited included;
• Institute of Food Research, Norwich
• University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Nottingham
• The French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA),
Microbiology and Food Process Engineering Unit, Grignon
• AgroParisTech UMR, Genial, Massy
• SEPAREX, Champigneulles
• The Food Valley, Wageningen
• Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), Wageningen
• FeyeCon D&I B.V., Weesp
• Technical University Munich, Freising
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV,
Freising
What came out of all this? MBIE has provided funding of up to $100K
each for up to 5 of the best collaborations that come out of the tour.
Many research collaborations are expected to develop over the
coming months. Prioritisation of the opportunities was a greater issue
for participants than finding something relevant to engage on. The
participants offer the best description of the value of the connections
generated:
Stefan Clerens, AgResearch: “Especially in France and
Germany, AgResearch identified a number of research teams with
capabilities and facilities complementary to its own expertise. New
collaborative opportunities are currently under development with
INRA and the Fraunhofer institute include staff exchanges, a joint PhD
programme and development of industry-targeted tools for managing
food processing efficiency.”
Janis Swan, Waikato University: “...there are large
collaborative projects, across the EU. This allows for diversity as well
as interaction and sharing of facilities. New Zealand researchers and
developers can leverage off the contact. It is pleasing to see there are
funding opportunities for short exchanges (both ways) to exchange
TRAVELLERS’ TALE
expertise and have the use of some excellent resources and facilities. It
is also pleasant to appreciate that New Zealand researchers are often
much closer to industry than their counterparts in European research
institutes.”
Richard Archer, Massey University: “There is a higher
emphasis in Europe on replacing calorific physically functional
ingredients with non-calorific substitutes – e.g. particles which behave
in baked systems as starch granules would but are really structured
cellulose or xanthan. Combining the waste-reduction goals and the
reduced calorie intake goals is leading to projects to convert various
wastes into foods (including chaff, straw, root vegetable tops, peel and
skin). I found the Europeans welded high tech and food industries
together better than we do. The European mind-set is more mature on
this score – they understand that food manufacturing is their biggest
single manufacturing industry sector so a big user of modern capital
goods. They understand better than we do the evolution of agriculture
through food to wellness to life-sciences: the evolution undergone by
companies, technologies, industries and economies. They make much
deliberate use of the triple helix – government, research and industry
being increasingly intertwined within institutions, consortia and
programmes of activity. We are doing it, but they are really doing it.”
John Morgan, New Zealand Food Innovation Network:
“The trip provided some useful insight into how major European
Research Institutes work with Industry. I was particularly impressed
with the integration in Holland with Wageningen UR working on
exciting new technology linked through the facilitation of Food Valley
to firms raring to adopt the results. This was also very evident at the
Fraunhofer in Germany. There are some good lessons for New Zealand
but in many areas we are right up with the pace.”
Chris Insley, 37 Degrees South Ltd: “The 2010 Maori economy
analysis measured the Maori economy at an estimated $NZ37 billion
and growing rapidly, with interests concentrated in the primary sectors
of fishing, farming, forestry and increasingly in energy. These assets are
very large with Maori owning half the New Zealand fishing industry
and holding dominant and growing interests in the other sectors. The
study concluded that while the Maori ownership interests are very
large in these sectors, the productivity of these assets is nowhere near
its potential or that of peer non-Maori asset owners.
Further and more recent government analysis has identified 1.2 million
hectares of under-utilised Maori-owned lands. The conclusion I have
long-held is that in order to lift productivity of these assets, as Maori we
must seek out the best available technologies and research partners in
the world with a focus on bringing existing technologies quickly into
play in Maori businesses, Trusts and Incorporations.
The FRIENZ Europe study tour is an incredible opportunity to
understand and seek out existing technologies from across the leading
institutes in Europe and practically engage these with our Maori
businesses. I now have a relationship with Wageningen Institute in
the Netherlands where I lead a project to bring the best greenhouse
technology to Kawerau to connect to our geothermal resource towards
large scale food production as part of a larger 5 Year Maori-owned
Innovative Foods strategy that will involve other leading European
Research Institutes like Fraunhofer in Germany with their robotics and
automation capabilities and Separex in France with their extractives
and super critical CO2 capabilities.
I am also exploring opportunities with my contacts at both Wageningen
and Fraunhofer Institutes to send our young Maori research and
business commercialisation students to study and learn in these
institutes as part of much longer strategy towards building resilience
into our research and Maori business organisations. Because as Maori
we take a long term intergenerational view, growing our young people
through these strategic partnerships will ensure our strategy will be
durable not just for us as Maori, but indeed for all New Zealanders.”
Conclusion
The results have been so positive that the FREINZ group will organise
a mission in which European food processing experts come to New
Zealand later in the year. The important message is that connecting
internationally has never been more important for New Zealand to
enhance our innovation system to boost the export value from food,
just ask any of the participants.
Participants:
• Amanda Suddes, PhD, PMP research and development head,
Manuka Health New Zealand
• Chris (Karamea) Insley, managing director, 37 Degrees South
Limited
• Graham Fletcher, research team leader, food safety and
preservation, seafood technologies, the New Zealand Institute for
Plant & Food Research Limited
• Prof. Janis Swan, Associate Dean – engineering at the University
of Waikato, Hamilton
• John Morgan, South Island manager, New Zealand Food
Innovation Network
• Jonathan Cox, Innovation Centre manager – ANZCO Foods Ltd
• Leah Davey, business manager for process cleaning technologies
at Orica New Zealand
• Megan Howard, new product development management J.H.
Whittaker and Sons Ltd
• Richard Archer, Professor and Head of Institute of Food, Nutrition
and Human Health, Massey University
• Sarita Males, chief executive officer at N.Z. Food Innovation
Auckland (The FoodBowl, Callaghan Innovation)
• Dr Stefan Clerens, science team leader of the proteins &
biomaterials team, AgResearch
• Max Kennedy, national manager biological industries, MBIE
• Bruce McCallum, science counsellor Brussels, MBIE
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June/July 2014
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LEGISLATION
Each product
in the
vitalvegetables™
range was
developed to
meet a specific
health claim
Fresh produce and new health claims
regulations
Carolyn Lister, Plant & Food Research
Global consumers are becoming more conscious of the food they
eat, and products that promote health and wellbeing can command
a premium in the marketplace. Consumers are particularly
interested in functional foods that are based on fruits, vegetables
and other natural produce.
The Nutrition, Health and
Related Claims standard
The introduction of FSANZ Standard 1.2.7 (Nutrition, Health and
Related Claims) in January 2013 has opened new opportunities for
promotion of the health benefits of foods. The new food standard
regulates both nutritional content claims and health claims on food
labels and in advertisements. Nutrient content claims were allowed
under previous regulation but the new standard sets out the conditions
for their use and ensures alignment with health claims. Health claims
will be permitted only on foods that meet the nutrient profiling scoring
criterion (NPSC). For example, health claims will not be allowed on
foods high in saturated fats, sugar or salt.
A ‘general level’ health claim may be used for a food that contains a
nutrient that has been scientifically proven to be of benefit to health
when it is present in a single serve of the food at amounts set out in the
Standard (typically greater than or equal to 10% of the Recommended
Dietary Intake, RDI). The claim cannot be therapeutic but rather that
the nutrient or combination of nutrients ‘supports’ wellness, i.e. has an
effect on a health function rather than a disease.
Over 200 general level health claims have been pre-approved by
FSANZ; for example, “vitamin A is necessary for normal vision”. Carrots
contain large concentrations of carotenoids which are converted to
vitamin A in our bodies, and so producers can now claim “carrots
are a good source of vitamin A, which supports eye health”. Another
example would be the high concentrations of vitamin C naturally
present in green and gold kiwifruit, which means that Zespri Group
Limited can claim that “kiwifruit contribute to the normal function of
the immune system”.
18
Food New Zealand
General level claims
If a food manufacturer believes their product to have a health benefit
that is not covered by the pre-approved general level health claims – for
example, is not linked to a specific nutrient with an official RDI or has
a different health functionality – they can develop a self-substantiated
claim, a dossier of scientific evidence to support the claim. This
evidence remains confidential to the food manufacturer but must be
available to enforcement agencies (e.g. MPI in New Zealand) to review.
The list of self-substantiated claims appears on the FSANZ website. The
first New Zealand-based self-substantiated health claim has just been
lodged by Zespri for their green kiwifruit. This process is relatively
quick as once the self-substantiation dossier is completed, lodging on
the FSANZ website takes only 5 working days and the claim can then
be used. However, the claim can be withdrawn if an enforcing agency
reviews the dossier and finds the evidence does not stack up.
High level claims
The ‘high level’ health claims can be used when a food group or
nutrient present in the food can be linked to the modulation of
a serious disease or a biomarker of a serious disease, for example:
“calcium reduces the risk of osteoporosis” or “phytosterols may reduce
blood cholesterol”. These claims cannot be therapeutic, i.e. must not
refer to the prevention, diagnosis, cure or alleviation of a disease (e.g.
can’t claim to cure or prevent cancer). New high level claims require
application to FSANZ and, when approved by the High Level Health
Claims Committee, these are made available to the wider industry
via the pre-approved list. This will be a much longer process, taking
around 9-12 months.
There are currently 13 approved high level claims; however, few are
applicable to fruits and vegetables, all are very general and don’t
discriminate between different vegetables. The main claim relevant to
fresh produce is “a diet rich in both fruits and vegetables may reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease”. Fruits and vegetables are also
naturally low in fats and sodium, so some claims may be made in a
LEGISLATION
dietary context. Whilst there is a high level health claim for folic acid,
there is no claim for folate, the form found in vegetables.
Health claims for vegetables
For the fresh produce industry, diets with high fruit and vegetable intake
have been successfully linked to health benefits, supported through
marketing campaigns such as 5+ in New Zealand and the NHS’ 5 A
Day programme in the UK. The introduction of the new health claims
standard means that fresh produce, known to be high in a number of
beneficial nutrients, can begin to be marketed in a new, more targeted
way, meeting consumer demands for products that meet their personal
requirements for health.
The introduction of the vitalvegetables™ range, with each product
developed to meet a specific health claim, is the first step in
introducing this type of marketing into New Zealand. The vitalbones™
slaw product, for example, is marketed with the claim “Designed with
your bone health in mind – a good source of vitamin K and vitamin C
to support bone structure”. Similarly, the veggycation™ programme,
developed for the Australian market, has started the conversation with
the Australian fresh produce industry. Over the next few years, we can
expect to see more and more products released into the market with
health claims, and the fresh produce industry needs to take advantage
of this marketing opportunity to meet its full potential.
Vegetables New Zealand has already begun categorising vegetables
based on vitamin and mineral composition and how these may relate
to approved general claims. New Zealand-grown vegetables can be
classified into eight health categories; balanced brain, healthy sight,
sustained energy/high fibre, immunity, health digestion, hydration,
healthy bones and joints, and healthy skin. Producers could begin to
market their products using these claims, depending on the amounts
of key nutrients found in the cultivars grown and sold to consumers.
For example, many vegetables are high in a number of nutrients,
including vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C and iron, which, under Standard
1.2.7, contribute to normal psychological or neurological function if a
product is a source of at least three of these nutrients at higher than
10% RDI. Under the Standard, capsicums, Brussels sprouts, peas and
silverbeet could be marked as important for brain function.
Similarly, vegetables that contain selected carotenoids, which are
converted to vitamin A in the human body, can be classified as
important for normal vision if they provide more than 10% of the RDI
of vitamin A. Pumpkin, butternut squash, orange kumara, carrots,
watercress, spinach and kale would all fall into this category.
The truth about potatoes
The nutritional value of New Zealand’s favourite vegetable, the potato,
is often underestimated. Not only are potatoes high energy foods but, if
appropriately prepared, they are rich sources of nutrients. Plant & Food
Research, commissioned by Potatoes New Zealand, has reviewed the
nutritional composition of potatoes and potential health benefits under
Standard 1.2.7.
A single serving of potatoes delivers the required intake for content
claims for fibre, folate, niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin
B5), potassium and vitamin C. This means that potato nutritional
content could be linked to a variety of pre-approved health claims,
June/July 2014
19
LEGISLATION
including benefits for digestive health, supporting normal immune
function, reducing tiredness and fatigue, contributing to normal
growth and development in children, contributing to normal collagen
formation needed for cartilage and bones, and maintaining normal
water and electrolyte balance. These claims could therefore be used
for potato marketing, including on the pack, although they would be
applicable only when related to nutrient content.
Although there has been considerable new research on the health
benefits of potato, for example, its antioxidant properties, that it lowers
blood pressure and cholesterol, or its anti-inflammatory properties,
there is insufficient evidence at present to make health claims.
Kiwifruit - New Zealand’s first
self-substantiated health claim
Zespri is already able to use nutrient content claims for their products;
for example, kiwifruit are a good source of vitamin C, since both green
and gold kiwifruit contain greater than 25% of the RDI in a single serve.
It is also already able to use a range of the pre-approved health claims
based on achieving this concentration of vitamin C, such as: “green
kiwifruit is a good source of vitamin C which contributes to normal
functioning of the immune system”.
In May 2014, Zespri lodged the first self-substantiated health claim in
New Zealand, relating to green kiwifruit and its contribution to normal
bowel function. This claim doesn’t relate to a specific component or
components although it is believed that fibre, actinidin and polyphenols
may all contribute to the functional effect.
The process of self-substantiation was achieved through Zespri’s
commissioning of independent scientists from Plant & Food Research
(Dr Carolyn Lister) and Drummond Food Science Advisory (Lynley
Drummond) to carry out a systematic review of published and
unpublished data on the effects of kiwifruit on bowel habit or laxation.
Once assembled, the evidence was peer reviewed by an expert panel
in consultation with representatives from MPI. The data consisted
predominantly of human clinical trials, with supporting data from
animal and in vitro studies, and weighting was given to data based on
many qualitative criteria set out by FSANZ.
Zespri has thus compiled a dossier of evidence demonstrating that
green kiwifruit supports normal bowel function, measured using
bowel habit as an accepted biomarker of gut function. This selfsubstantiated health claim has been lodged with FSANZ and now is
able to be used by Zespri in Australia and New Zealand.
Identifying biomarkers for health
claims
To submit self-substantiated health claims, companies must
demonstrate strong evidence from human clinical trials of the ability
of the food to reduce disease or disease risk. Measuring disease endpoints can have a large time and financial cost, so biomarkers are often
used as surrogates. These may include everything from blood pressure
through to basic chemistry, such as cholesterol or sugar in the blood,
to complex laboratory tests of body tissue.
To support companies in developing clinical trials that present the
best scientific evidence for health claims, Plant & Food Research, in
association with researchers from the University of Auckland and
AgResearch, is developing a database of key biomarkers covering a
range of diseases and health conditions. This database will include
20
Food New Zealand
Zespri Group Limited can claim that green kiwifruit is a
good source of vitamin C which contributes to normal
functioning of the immune system
information for more than 100 biomarkers, as well as case studies for
how these may be used in the development of food claim applications
and how to avoid those that, although cited in scientific literature, may
not meet regulatory approval.
The future for fresh produce
For the fresh produce industry, there are immediate opportunities
to implement marketing strategies around the new health claim
Standards, and vast potential for science to add value.
For the future, investigating the specific health benefits of fruits and
vegetables may provide access to additional health claims. Many
health benefits of fruits and vegetables are likely to be due to the mix
of components, rather than to a single compound. There are also
a number of components, such as phytochemicals, which do not
have a recognised RDI and require more evidence to develop health
claims. Developing clinical data and self-substantiated claims for fresh
produce, either for a category, for individual components or specific
cultivars, provides a wealth of opportunity for the sector.
THE NZIFST 2014
CONFERENCE
HANDBOOK
CHALLENGES INTO
OPPORTUNITIES
CHRISTCHURCH
1-3 July 2014
Air Force Museum of New Zealand,
Wigram, Christchurch
www.nzifst.org.nz
June/July 2014
21
22 Conference
Food New Handbook
Zealand
July2014
2013 23
27
June/July
Bob Olayo
Theatre
Awards Dinner in the Aircraft Hall
4.30 pm - 5.00 pm
7.00 pm - 11.30 pm
Sarah Yanez, Tasti Products Ltd,
Julian Heyes, Massey University, Post harvest Totally wrapped! The value of
changes in phytochemicals to affect value of packaging Innovation
fresh products for human health
Matt Golding, Massey University, Biochemical Paul Kilmartin, University of
and biophysical environment effects on Auckland, Antioxidant packaging structure dynamics of lipid emulsions during based on conducting polymers
infant digestion – a gastric in-­‐vitro approach
4.00 pm - 4.30 pm
Keith Cunningham, Newby Foods,
Desinewed Meat Production
Lamb processing automation and
manual processing assist devices
Rob Archibald
Morrison
Session H3: Harvesting of
valuable red, poultry, and fish
meats
Laurie Melton
Brevet
Session H4: Reporting PhD
Research
Vijayalekshmi Sarojini, University of Auckland A biomarker based approach for meat quality grading
Lemuel Diamante, Lincoln University, Response surface methodology for food product/process optimisation Mikhail Vyssotski Callaghan Innovation, High value lipids, future dietary supplements, and advanced lipid analysis
Norliza Julmohammad, University of Otago, Lactose phosphate as a potential compound for whey protein conjugation. Ali Rashidinejad, University of Otago, Cheese with encapsulated antioxidants in liposomes
Sze Ying Leong University of Otago, Cold maceration of wine grapes using PEF
Keith Cunningham, Technical
Director, Newby Foods UK, UK and EU Amin Shavandia University of Otago, Synthesis of Law on Harvested Meat
nano-­‐hydroxyapatite from waste mussel shells
Roger America, International Sales
Director, Lima, France, Modern
technologies and equipment for MDM
and 3 mm meat production
Allan Hardacre, Massey University, Functional Julian Fairlie, Fairleigh Enterprises Ltd Mike Boland, Riddet Institute Digestion and Richard George, -Barkers Fruit
digestibility of meat: and investigation of the effects fibres: will they reduce carbohydrate The harvesting of red, poultry, and
Processors, A war story involving MAP
digestion?
fish meats using Beehive Separators. of processing and preparation
Richard Archer
Chair
3.30 pm - 4.00 pm
Events Hall
Room:
Session H1: Food for health Session H2: Advances in
reports from Massey University packaging
3.30 pm - 5.00 pm
Charles Brennan
Brevet
Session G4: Fundamental
discoveries build knowledge
Laurie Melton University of Auckland, Pectin Andrew Arnold, Scott Automation Ltd, methylesterase acts as a small motor
Rob Archibald
Morrison
Session G3: Harvesting of
valuable red, poultry, and fish
meats
Naomi Campbell, Ministry for Primary
Guus Heijnen, Marel, Optimising the
Industries, The Food Safety Research
value of residual meat
Centre
AFTERNOON TEA
Angus Brown, Food Innovation
Network, What did Anuga teach us?
Peter Cressey, ESR, Risk Analysis tools
Leigh Henderson, FSANZ, The
Regulator's perspective
Craig Houston
Theatre
3.00 pm - 3.30 pm
2.30 pm - 3.00 pm
2.00 pm - 2.30 pm
Andrew McCallum, MBIE,Coriolis Latest reports on New Zealand's food
resources
Augusta van Wijk
Chair
1.30 pm - 2.00 pm
Events Hall
Room:
Session G1: Drilling down into
our food industry
1.30 pm - 3:00 pm
Session G2: Evaluating the
safety of new food resources
EXHIBITION OPEN TO THE FOOD PUBLIC
1.00 pm - 4.30 pm
AFTERNOON SESSIONS: Day 2
24
28
Conference
Food New Zealand
Handbook
Andrew Clayton, Champion Milling
Roger Harker, Plant and Food Research, Measuring
temporal changes in perception of sensory attributes
that occur during chewing
2.30 pm - 2.45 pm
1.15 pm - 1.45 pm
1.45 - 2.30pm
LUNCH
12.30 pm - 1.15 pm
CONFERENCE CLOSING
Chair David Everett, President, NZIFST
J C Andrews Address
Closing Address - Janet Collins, President IFT
Room Events Hall
Kevin Sutton, Plant and Food Research, Lifestyle foods Humphrey Foote Senior Associate, AJ Park
for appetite control
Paul Rose, Callaghan Innovation, Pressurised solvent
processing for functional food products
12.00 pm - 12.30 pm
Carl Massarotto Business Support Manager, Food
Innovation, Plant & Food Research
Mark Hargreaves, Commercial Partner, AJ Park
David Cameron Smith, University of Auckland, The
National Science Challenge – High value nutrition –
Defining function, purpose and practice
Nigel Hosking, Midland Seeds, Hemp Farm to Fork “
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”
11.30 am - 12.00 am
Megan Howard New Product Development Manager,
Whittaker's
Geoff Simmons, Morgan Foundation Appetite for
destruction, an economist's perspective.
Mark Hargreaves
Grant McDonald, McDonald and Associates, Freeze
Drying Techniques
Barbara Thomson
Theatre
Session J3: Kiwifruit and chocolate:
Innovation in the food sector
Morrison
Jonny Schwass, Harlequin Public House
Kevin Kantono Auckland University of Technology,
The influence of music on taste perception and
emotions evoked during consumption of chocolate
gelato
Session J2: Food, Innovation and Health
Zac Cassels, CBD/Cassels Brewery
Craig Houston
Morrison
Session I3 : Challenges into
Opportunities - Case Studies
Graham Eyres, University of Otago, Opportunities for
understanding dynamic flavour perception
Hester Cooper
Theatre
Session I2: Advances in Sensory
techniques
11.00 am - 11.30 am
Gemma Martin
Chair
11.00 am - 12.30 pm
Events Hall
Session J1: Capturing the value
10.30 am - 11.00 am
Room
MORNING TEA
10.00 am - 10.30 am
Hamish Conway, Goodman Fielder New Zealand
Limited, Hiring, inspiring and rewiring
Megan Howard
Chair
Saskia van der Geest, Van der Geest Consulting, My
boss wants us to deliver NPD faster, better and
cheaper, and I’d like to do that too, but we’re already
working 60hrs/week and I don’t know how I can go any
faster. I’d love to do things better!
9.30 am - 10.00 am
9.00 am - 9.30 am
Events Hall
Session I1: Product Development in
practice
9.00 am - 10.30 am
Room
Registration Opens
8.00 am
DAY DAY
THREE
3rd
July 2014
THREE: 3rd
July 2014
PROGRAMME
CONFERENCE
13th Annual Food Safety Summit
Norman Lodge, FNZIFST
In mid-April, the 13th Annual Food Safety Summit was held in
Auckland at the Sudima Hotel, Mangere. The organiser, Conferenz,
played host to 90 professionals from the food industry, academia,
R&D, legislative organisations and trade representatives. Sally
Hasell competently chaired the 2-day proceedings.
The meeting was jolted into activity by an address from the Honourable
Damien O’Connor, Labour Party Spokesperson for Food Safety.
Damien looked at the way forward in Food Safety, while briefly setting
the Labour Party’s policy in this area. This is based on 3 platforms; the
establishment of an independent Food Safety Authority, the enactment
of the Food Bill and “Country of Origin” labelling of foodstuffs. New
Zealand’s strong position as a food producer with our ability to feed 40
million people in terms of protein and 20 million in terms of calories
places a heavy responsibility on our commitment to produce safe
products.
Jacqueline Rowarth, Professor of Agribusiness at the
University of Waikato gave a fact-filled address on identifying and
planning for future food safety risks. Within New Zealand, consumers
spend 12.5% of income on food. Their food choices are predominantly
based on price with food safety as a secondary consideration. However,
export is the livelihood of the nation, with our food exports currently
standing at NZ$36 million. Jacqueline cited recent food safety issues
across the globe, speaking of the need for ever-increasing vigilance.
The increasing popularity of Farmers’ Markets and “Organic” options
must be ameliorated with due concern for the safety of the foods.
A number of speakers gave presentations on handling food safety
issues from a practical perspective. These included the effective
management of recalls (Paul Thompson, Frucor) in which he
went through the process from start to finish; traceability (Kelly Cox,
Taura Natural Ingredients); risk management from a retailer’s
point of view (Kate Syers, Nosh Food Market); quality control
on the shop floor (Paula Hewer, Westland Milk Products) on
the food safety culture at Westland; and perspective from the factory
floor (Carlinda Roberts, Food Safety Online).
Sarah Salmond of Russell McVeagh gave a legal insight into
the important aspect of food labelling. Nutrition and health claims were
a major topic in 2013 and this year focus is on enforcing the listing of
the name and address of New Zealand businesses. Sarah ably covered
the laws under the Fair Trading Act 1986 and how the Commerce
Commission is the enforcing agency. It was noted that ComCom tends
to enforce the FTA more vigilantly than MPI enforces the Food Safety
Code, although this is likely to change when the Food Bill comes into
effect. In future, companies will need to substantiate a health claim
rather than the present system where ComCom must disprove it. Sarah
rounded up her address with a useful update on front-of-pack labelling
(FoPL).
Mark Browning of Sealed Air spoke on intelligent packaging
of foodstuffs to extend shelf-life and enhance food safety. Some of
these are complex, specifically targeted, and may contain up to 9 coextruded laminates.
Norman Lodge is a
Professional Teaching Fellow
at the University of Auckland,
where he has taught Food
Safety for more than a decade.
In 1988, he was awarded the
Institute’s J.C. Andrews award
(the youngest recipient on
record) and is holder of the
Queen’s Commemoration
Medal in recognition of
services to New Zealand in
the area of International Aid
Development.
Allergen management was addressed by Vincent Crump, an allergy
specialist from Allergy Clinic. Vincent’s delivery showed how essential it
is to obtain true professional identification of an allergy rather than rely
on what may be a psychosomatic, undiagnosed response. However,
it was noted that 33% of anaphylaxis in children is due to food. The
mechanism of food allergy sensitisation was explained and several
case studies presented. Vincent’s paper was nicely complemented by
one from Nigel Burrows, Director of Burwater Pacific who
gave a straightforward description of the VITAL system of allergen risk
assessment. To illustrate a point on the variability of our brain’s ability
to analyse situations, he had delegates moving across the conference
hall in response to questions about their feelings and beliefs. By the
end of his presentation, he had illustrated a common-sense approach
to allergy labelling by means of the VITAL system.
A very practical case study was presented by Craig Cooper,
national compliance officer for Open Country Dairy. This
highlighted the challenges of putting a HACCP scheme in place and
getting staff buy-in to the process. The importance of appreciating the
need for HACCP cannot be underestimated and Craig showed how his
company gained involvement from staff wherever possible.
The final presentation of the Summit was, perhaps, the one likely to
have most impact on all of the delegates present – the long-awaited
Food Bill. Kristin Bradley of Bell Gully covered the situation as seen by
a solicitor. Once the Bill has had its second reading, it is scheduled to
come into force in 2016; the introductory period will last 3 years. Kristen
discussed the three risk categories in which foods will be placed and
how the highest risk foods will be subjected to a Food Control Plan.
It was interesting to note the allowance for increased penalties that
will be brought into force for offences under the Act. These include
$500,000 for corporations and up to $100,000 for individuals and up to
5 years imprisonment. It is comforting to see that food safety and the
health of consumers is to be considered very seriously.
June/July 2014
21
25
NZIFST
NZIFST – news, happenings and events
Geoff Suvalko
David Irving
Ralph Walker
2014 Conference
Amid the usual blood, sweat and tears (only occasionally) the
conference programme is now finalised. Your Conference Handbook
starts opposite page 20 with the programme towards the end.
The conference committee have risen to the challenge of balancing the
desires of our diverse membership with available speakers and budget
and developed a programme containing a wide range of topics, all
presented by great speakers.
Our opening Plenary on Day two promises to inspire. Opening with
Geoff Suvalko, on Design integration for desirable products , followed
by David Irving, founder of University of Auckland’s business incubator,
Icehouse, on A culture of innovation and rounded off by Ralph Walker,
Director of Onemata with a paper entitled Building brand value for
New Zealand food products. You should expect to leave this session
with your head bursting with ideas.
NZIFST Directory
EXECUTIVE MANAGER Rosemary Hancock
P O Box 5574, Terrace End,
Palmerston North, 4441
Ph (06) 356 1686
Fax (06) 356 1687
Mob 021 217 8298
[email protected]
PRESIDENT
David Everett
034797545
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Anne Scott
021 901 884
[email protected]
TREASURER
Margot Buick
[email protected]
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CONTACTS
22
26
DAIRY DIVISION
Don Otter
[email protected]
FOOD SAFETY
David Lowry
[email protected]
PACKAGING
Tom Robertson
[email protected]
SENSORY
Hester Cooper
[email protected]
NUTRITION
Ann Hayman
[email protected]
Food New Zealand
As a member of NZIFST you will
benefit from
Professional development programmes
Networking at regular branch meetings,
seminars and the Annual Conference
and gain
Information through ‘Food New Zealand’,
‘Nibbles’ and our website
Recognition through awards, scholarships
and travel grants
JOIN NZIFST NOW!
http://www.nzifst.org.nz/join/
NZIFST
New members
PThe NZIFST welcomes the following new members and congratulates those upgrading to Professional. Congratulations also to the
new Graduate members on finishing their degrees.
New Professional Members
Graham Eyres
Claire McKay
Lecturer
Food Safety Manager
University of Otago
J H Whittaker & Sons Ltd
Dunedin
Porirua
Members Upgrading to Professional
Gavin Jacobson
Karen Lusk
Pat Silcock
Rachna Singh
Food Safety Consultant
Lecturer
Manager, Product Development Research Centre
Senior R & D Technologist
Foodsafe 360 Limited
University of Otago
University of Otago
Heinz Wattie’s Ltd
Former members rejoining and upgrading to Professional
Kelly Eastwood
Ximenita Trejo Araya
New members
NPD Manager
Technical Client Manager Food Pilot
Hakim Prof Dr Adam Abdul Gafoor Physician Scientist
Sharmaine Allison
R & D Technologist
Iris Bai
Regulatory Affairs Technologist
Audrey Barrett
Recruitment Consultant
Evelyne Baumgartner
Technical Bakery Advisor
Stacey Bowden
Product Development Technologist
Michaela Bramwell
Jnr Food Tech & NPD Tech Support
Fiona Breed
Quality Manager
Dave Burgess
NPD Manager - Bread & Baked Goods
Daniela Byrne
National Accounts Manager
Theresa Calman
Account Manager
Anne Del Rosario
Product and Process Technologist
Ciska de Rijk
Associate Lawyer
Wijekoon Devika Priyadharshanie Assistant Director (Technical)
Arie Febrianto Mulyadi
Lecturer
Mark Hazeldine
Client Manager - Agribusiness
Nigel Hosking
Sales & Marketing Manager
Victor Ikini
Environmental Health Officer
Rene Jekel
NPD Technologist
Erin Lee
Assistant Food Technologist
Ryan Lu
Food Technician
Louise Marovitch
Account Manager
Rachel Melrose
Lab Technician
Kelly Meuli
Consumer Kitchen Mgr and Dietician
Kevin Moloney
Sales Engineer
Linh Nguyen
Ruben Nijjar
Food Service Technologist
Daphne Pai
R & D Technologist
Ross Pearson
Account Manager
Carlie Preece
Quality Advisor
Shyamala Raja Segar
Director
Chito Ramirez
Pilot Plant Technologist
Beth Shanahan
Quality Manager
Irene Smith
Group Marketing Manager
Peter Stubbs
Partner
Divya Suvarna
Microbiology Technician
Amit Taneja
Senior Technologist
Kris Tong
Process Food Technologist/Engineer
Fei Wang
R & D Technologist
Albrecht von Wallmoden
Business Manager
Yukiki Yamaguchi
Junior Food Technician
Yuan Zhang
QA Technician
Fan Zhu
Lecturer
Prolife Foods Ltd
Massey University
Auckland
Dunedin
Dunedin
Auckland
Hamilton
Palmerston North
Adam Science Technology & Research International Singapore
Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Ltd
Auckland
Kerry Ingredients (NZ) Ltd
Auckland
Scientific and Technical Recruitment
Auckland
Baker Boys Ltd
Christchurch
Heinz Wattie’s Ltd
Hastings
Sutton Group
Auckland
Tasti Products Ltd
Auckland
Goodman Fielder NZ Ltd
Auckland
Packaging House
Auckland
G S Hall and Company Ltd
Auckland
ANZCO Foods Ltd
Waitara
Simpson Grierson
Auckland
Sri Lanka Standards Institution
“Homagama, Sri Lanka”
Brawijaya University
“Malang, East Java”
Canterbury Development Corporation
Christchurch
Oil Seed Extractions Ltd
Ashburton
Ashburton District Council
Ashburton
Prolife Foods Ltd
Hamilton
Goodman Fielder NZ Ltd
Christchurch
New Image Group
Auckland
Kerry Ingredients (NZ) Ltd
Auckland
PVS
Auckland
Nestle New Zealand Ltd
Auckland
Pall New Zealand Ltd
Hamilton
Seeking work
Auckland
The Tatua Co-operative Dairy Co Ltd
Morrinsville
Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Ltd
Auckland
AsureQuality Ltd
Lower Hutt
Tegel Foods Ltd
Auckland
WSH Hub Pte Ltd
Singapore
Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Ltd
Auckland
Fonterra Brands (NZ) Ltd
Palmerston North
XPO Exhibitions
Auckland
Simpson Grierson
Auckland
AsureQuality Ltd
Auckland
Frucor Beverages Ltd
Auckland
NZ Food Innovation Ltd (The Foodbowl) Auckland
ANZCO Foods Ltd
Christchurch
Alchemy Agencies Ltd
Auckland
Lincoln University
Christchurch
Kerry Ingredients (NZ) Ltd
Auckland
University of Auckland
Auckland
June/July 2014
23
27
NZIFST
Former members rejoining
Lara Arderne
Jou Cheng
Jaslyn Chow
Roberto Coetzee
Esther Hutchinson
Julie Ilagan
Ansam Karem
Chris Morgan
Jane Petrie
Debbie Sherriff
Ben Sutherland
Janine Taylor
Account Manager
R & D Technologist
Quality Assurance Co-ordinator
Quality Assurance Manager
Technical Officer
Product Development Technologist
Technical & Marketing Co-ordinator
General Manager - Processing
Food Consultant
Food Systems Co-ordinator
Food Technologist
Junior Food Technologist
New Graduate members
Tom Freeman
R & D Graduate
Ankeet Hindocha
Ramesh Kumar
Rachel Yek
Yuki Wadamori
Sensient Techologies NZ
ANZCO Foods Ltd
Alchemy Agencies Ltd
Goodman Fielder New Zealand Ltd
Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd
J C Sherratt & Co Ltd
Invita NZ Ltd
Tetra Pak (NZ) Ltd
Orange Associates
Romano’s Food Group Ltd
BLIS Technologies Ltd
Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing
Auckland
Christchurch
Auckland
Auckland
Palmerston North
Auckland
Auckland
Auckland
Lincoln
Christchurch
Dunedin
Auckland
Goodman Fielder NZ Ltd
Seeking Work
Seeking Work
Seeking Work
Seeking Work
Auckland
Auckland
Singapore
Auckland
Christchurch
Student members upgrading to graduate
Sarah Beaton
Food Technologist
Esraa El Shall
Research and Development Technologist
Jonathan Fanning
Cassandra Johnson
Food Scientist
Marianna McEwan
Technical Graduate
Juliet Macias Clarke
Technical Officer - Customer Support
Gemma Martin
Food Scientist
Ari Penberthy
Laboratory Technician
Steffi Supangkat
Neala Ye
FBI Contractor (Technical Support)
Hawkins Watts Ltd
Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) NZ Ltd
Seeking Work
Formula Foods Corporation Ltd
Frucor Beverages Ltd
Open Country Dairy
Formula Foods Corporation Ltd
Westland Milk Products Ltd
Seeking Work
Frucor Beverages Ltd
Auckland
Auckland
Wellington
Christchurch
Auckland
Auckland
Christchurch
Hokitika
Auckland
New Professional members
The Institute welcomes and congratulates the following members who have recently become Professional Members
Gavin Jacobsen
Gavin Jacobson owns, and is the principal Food Safety Specialist for Foodsafe 360 Ltd; a Northland based Food Safety
Consultancy. Gavin is also a Professional Teaching Fellow at Auckland University currently teaching two post graduate
food safety papers.
Gavin completed a BSc. in Chemistry at Otago University before entering the food industry in a technical role with Weddel
Crown. After returning from his OE he worked for various food and chemical companies in a variety of technical and
commercial roles. These roles included production management at Bluebird Foods, Country Manager for Bronson and
Jacobs and National Sales Manager for Orica Chemicals.
Following this Gavin completed a Masters in Food Safety at Auckland University and started Foodsafe 360 Ltd. In his work
for Foodsafe 360 Gavin has a mixture of direct regular clients where he manages their food safety programmes (FSP,
RMP, WQA8 and YUM) and sub-contracts to Assured Food Safety providing internal auditing and assessment services. In
addition to this regular work Gavin takes on a variety of projects; FSP/RMP development, Programme reviews, Internal
Auditing, training, labelling compliance, trouble-shooting and other general consulting work.
Graham Eyres
Dr Graham Eyres completed a PhD in Food Science at the University of Otago (2007), focusing on the identification of
aroma-active compounds in hop essential oils.
He worked in the Sensory and Consumer Science research group at CSIRO (North Ryde, Australia) from 2008-2013. At
CSIRO, Graham’s research focused on investigating the effect of food composition and structure on the breakdown of
food during mastication, the release of aroma volatiles during consumption, and the impact on sensory perception of
flavour.
As of December 2013, Dr Eyres took up an academic position as Lecturer of Flavour Science in the Department of Food
Science at the University of Otago. The focus of his research is to investigate and understand the physico-chemical factors
that influence the sensory perception of flavour.
24
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26
Food New Zealand
NZIFST
NZIFST Food Industry Excellence
Awards finalists
The NZIFST Food Industry Excellence Awards are established as the premiere peer recognition of high performing people in the New
Zealand food industry, this being their fifth year of operation.
The Awards recognise and reward excellent performance within our industry in four specified fields, Leadership, Innovation, Eco-efficiency and
Supply/Service, and aim to foster these qualities throughout our Industry. Each award is framed to recognise excellent people behind notable
outputs/outcomes.
Finalists have now been selected for each category by the judging panel comprising three senior NZIFST members, and these are summarised in
the citations that follow. Award Winners and Highly Commended entrants will be announced and presented on Wednesday 2 July at the NZIFST
Awards Dinner during the Annual NZIFST Conference in Christchurch.
Here are the Finalists.
Waste Management (NZ) Award for Excellence in LEADERSHIP
Keith Neylon (Blue River Dairy LP)
Blue River Dairy LP nominated their “leader and mentor” Keith Neylon for Excellence in Leadership for his approach to transforming a failing
Southland sheep dairy company into a successful niche FMCG company in ten years. During this period the success of Blue River has seen the
number of milking sheep increase ten-fold and milk volumes increase 20-fold.
Keith came to this business as a serial entrepreneur in agri-bio business with proven ability to help a company reach its full potential. Previously
he was involved in establishing deer, salmon and mussel farming enterprises. He intended retiring after the success of his mussel operation, but
could not pass up the challenge of rescuing the struggling Blue River Dairy Co-Op.
Keith identified a gap in the New Zealand market for sheep milk products and started converting his own farms to sheep milking, showing his full
commitment to developing Blue River Dairy. Keith is an extremely self-motivated and a driven individual, passionate about everything he does. He
is a true leader; he supports, encourages and believes in his team to ensure it performs to the best of its capabilities. Blue River’s state-of-the-art
facilities and systems for sheep milk have enabled Blue River Dairy’s team to become the leading sheep milk specialists in New Zealand under
Keith’s inspiring leadership.
Karen Staples (Pure Delish Ltd)
Pure Delish is a flourishing company that grew from Karen Staples’ home kitchen Christmas-cake project fifteen years ago. Since then her
dynamism has led to the growth of a thriving business, delivering hand-crafted bakery goods to the market.
Karen started selling seasonal festive cakes at markets and to local businesses. She then took up the challenge of developing a homemade cereal
and other products for a specialised market niche. As her product range and volume grew, Karen increased her staff and turnover, year on year.
Pure Delish has overcome many challenges and is now a team of over 17 permanent staff. The company’s success is due to Karen’s attention to
high quality and standards through the company and the passion she has for her team. That care extends to providing healthy-choice breakfasts
and lunches for staff served in a family setting at a nominal price. Her leadership abilities and passion have helped people grow. In return, her staff
shows a real sense of care and commitment to the business and to Karen. Karen has demonstrated she strives to create a ‘happy place’ where
staff can come to work, enjoy what they do, and feel valued.
NZFIN Award for Excellence in INNOVATION
NZ Dairy Brands (Neil Cullen)
NZ Dairy Brands is the consumer product subsidiary of the contract blender/packer Wimpex. This nomination is for the
team involved in developing “Go Milk”, a healthy choice children’s beverage solution launched through New Zealand
food retail channels in March 2014. The product concept was driven by health professionals’ (and consumers’) concern
about health consequences of excess sugar consumption and “empty calories” from youngsters’ beverage habits. Thus
NZ Dairy Brands have created a range of healthy, nutritious “just add water” beverages for children. The product is
sweetened with stevia, making “Go Milk” an early adopter of this novel sweetener ingredient in the FMCG dairy category. The resultant product
resolves the NZMoH objection to flavoured milk as a beverage choice for children aged 2-18, namely that they contain excessive amounts of added
sugar.
The product shows care in all stages of the process from concept, to creation through delivery and safety.
Blue River Dairy LP (R&D Team)
Blue River Dairy LP presented its development of a diverse FMCG sheep-milk dairy business in this category. Under a rescue plan devised by Blue
River Dairy’s entrepreneurial owner, the company has used innovation throughout its farm-to-market business model to bring the company from
the brink of demise to a niche leader in the supermarket dairy case, a challenging consumer market sector. Over ten years, the company has
diversified its product offerings from a single product, sheep-milk feta, to an extensive set of dairy products – cheeses, ice creams, milk powders –
June/July 2014
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NZIFST
derived from sheep milk. Similar innovation efforts have been directed to the unfamiliar challenges of breeding and milking a herd of dairy sheep.
Blue River Dairy is a worthy finalist. An effective innovator needs to have a nose for opportunity, vision to shape and guide, tenacity to overcome
obstacles and quality management to create value. The Blue River story exhibits all these, having built a strong domestic brand through awardwinning cheese and ice cream; in recent years they have started exporting milk powder now a major part of their business, demonstrating a
continuing commitment to innovation as a business enabler.
Springbrook Foods (Jono Au-Young)
Springbrook Foods is another company that has grown out from a farming base adding value to primary produce by further processing. This
nomination by Springbrook Foods management is for the company food technologist, Jono Au-Young, who has transformed Springbrook Foods’
ability to deliver new products through bringing a structured product development process and technical knowledge to the company.
As a small Marlborough company with limited resources, Springbrook Foods found themselves hampered in their ambition to diversify through
innovation, that is until they recruited and appointed their graduate food technologist Jono Au-Young. Since his appointment, Jono has brought
a can-do, customer focussed attitude to Springbrook Foods, and an inclusive collaborative process to product innovation. This has enabled
Springbrook to deliver some exciting new products to their customers, such as a Mexican-driven combined sauce/marinade/salsa, and a nut-free
satay sauce for a leading fast-food chain, enabling them to offer an allergen-free chicken satay dish.
ECOLAB Award for Excellence in ECO-EFFICIENCY.
Inghams Enterprises (NZ) Pty Ltd (Boram Keam)
Inghams Enterprises nominated its Environment Management System team for the Excellence in Eco-efficiency category. This initiative is led from
the highest level of management and performs in through on-site Sustainability Teams. Environmental sustainability is one of Ingham’s three
driving business priorities (along with animal welfare and food safety). The focus on eco-efficiency spans all resource inputs and includes staff
education through training. Inghams are clearly champions of Eco-efficiency. The company culture, management structure, and meaningful goals
set across all facets of their operation now ensure that resource utilisation improvements are an integral part of the business. Activities, from feed
production, right through to waste management, are all driven by a well co-ordinated human resources team. Excellence in each of the individuals’
own performances has resulted in clearly measureable improvements in overall natural resource utilisation.
Eurofins Award for Excellence in Service
and Supply.
Gerald Hope and Mark Ward
(Marlborough Research Centre/Riddet Institute)
This nomination is for the leaders of an industry regional initiative to create a collaborative support network to develop local companies. Its focus
is to further the technical development of the food industry in Marlborough driven by their shared needs.
Gerald Hope (Marlborough Research Centre) and Mark Ward (The Riddet Institute) lead a network of dedicated individuals striving to lift innovation
in New Zealand food and beverage companies. Their strenuous efforts with this cluster of companies in the Marlborough region models the cando attitude which will set New Zealand apart from other food exporting countries. Their attention to their clients – addressing the needs of the
small group within the food cluster – again typifies a service attitude well above the norm. We believe these two people from totally different
organisations set a good example for practical yet novel approaches to collaborative innovation in this industry.
Peter Bailey (Food Tech Solutions)
Peter Bailey is Managing Director at Food Tech Solutions, an agency business servicing aspects of analytical and quality support for the New
Zealand Food Industry. Peter was nominated by staff and customers for his total dedication to his clients and their driving needs.
Peter has been servicing national food companies with equipment and technical services from his base in Auckland for many years. He combines
a wealth of technical experience and expertise with a genuine desire to help people, above and beyond the call of duty. Several case studies were
provided by customers, of Peter working to ensure they were provided with everything possible through exceptional service. These case studies
made it evident that Peter takes good service as a personal performance requisite, driven by a passion for people. The voice of the delighted
customer was loud in this nomination.
Vladen Vukovic and Neil Cullen (Wimpex Ltd)
Vladen Vukovic and Neil Cullen are Directors of a recently established (2008) contract manufacturing business specialising in processing of dry
powder and granulated foods based in Christchurch. This nomination was made by an Australian customer who came to Wimpex with an urgent
need for a replacement supplier after their local supplier became capacity constrained. The Wimpex Directors showed an impressive “can-do”
approach to an opportunity that necessitated significant new capital equipment be selected and obtained from overseas, a new environmentallycontrolled processing area be built and unfamiliar sourcing channels be established. Even then, the lead time from client approach to commercial
supply by Wimpex was just 5 months.
This finalist shows what it takes to operate in the challenging international food contract manufacturing environment. The company has shown
excellence in dealing with equipment suppliers, contract customer and its own staff and in successfully producing products for its major customer
which has in turn led to a successful launch of their own brands. They again set an example for other contract manufacturers in this type of
business.
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Food New Zealand
NZIFST
Branch News
the blithe reply, “I’ll have a sample to you tomorrow.” Dick then had
to create a sample, from the family store cupboards, and ingredients at
the factory (a careful pricing calculation came later). Hubbard Foods,
got the contract. It isn’t any where that easy now, but in the early 90’s
the authority to make a decision, based on trust and belief, was still
in play.
Over the years Dick has maintained his personal touch with Hubbards
Foods. The relationship with Outward Bound started when he did the
course as a teenager. Through his career, and the tough days, Dick
drew on what he had learned on that course of determination and
commitment.
Hubbards Foods is now a national, much loved brand. They have
moved strongly into the muesli, nutrition focussed areas and continue
to stand by the mission: to make good food, then make a difference. In
closing he thanked Diana for all her support.
AGM and presentation by Lynn Ferguson
Dick Hubbard told a fascinating story of the early days of
Hubbards Foods
Auckland
Hubbards Foods: The inside story
A noticeably high number of Auckland branch members – seventytwo is the official count – turned out to learn the story of how Dick
Hubbard created Hubbard Foods: a story of innovation, cooperation
and, as is often the case when starting a company with insufficient
capital, sheer grit and determination.
Dick Hubbard started his tale reminiscing about his university days,
1965 -1969. He was one of the early graduates from the Massey
University Faculty of Food Science and Technology.
Professor Lynnette Ferguson is programme leader for the
multidisciplinary, multi-organisation group, Nutrigenomics New
Zealand. She spoke to members on the topic: Does what we eat affect
how our bodies deal with disease. The answer is a resounding yes –
and our bodies’ responses are controlled by our own gene profiles.
After her presentation Lynn spent some time chatting on the topic with
those present over a glass of wine.
Auckland Branch had an early AGM this year. Auckland branch
member total has exceeded 500, and branch funds are very healthy.
The committee are actively subsidising some meeting costs to make
good use of these funds. The complete committee list is Joanne
Gibson (Chairman), Nick Parker (Vice-Chairman), Esraa El Shall,
(Secretary), Neala Ye (Treasurer), Nurul Kusumaningrum, Hayden
Pohio, Dave Pooch, Adam Rowe and Carlinda Roberts. David Anstice
and Juliet Clarke are new committee members and Vic Chiang and
Nicole Chen are student representatives.
After graduation, he started working in the dairy industry, sharing a
lab with Dave Pooch, one of his classmates and a lifetime friend, in
the Hamilton Laboratories of the New Zealand Co-op Dairy Company.
Anne Scott, FNZIFST
He then spotted an opportunity to live in a tropical paradise for a while,
running a fruit processing plant on Nuie.
KITCHEN &
BAR MATS
Having got that out of his system he returned to New Zealand and
joined Tasti Products, rising to the position of technical manager before
the entrepreneurial bug finally got him in its grip.
So it was that in 1988 Winner Foods was born. Initially Ed Franken was
Dick’s partner. With very little capital but sufficient equipment to enter
the cereals market they began production. The reality of paying bills
and dwindling cashflow hit hard fairly quickly, but Dick soldiered on,
picking up “own brand” contracts where he could, making whatever
products would “make a buck”. Out of financial necessity, Ed left the
partnership. The company changed it’s name to Hubbards Foods in
1990.
Dick told a delightful story of “How it used to be”. A supermarket chain
boss called Dick in and said, “Can you make muesli?” “Of course,” was
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June/July 2014
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NZIFST
We were lucky to have talks from Andrew Legg
and Abby Thompson about their experiences
during and after studying food technology at
Massey. It was interesting to hear about their
careers and how they got to where they are
now.
The quiz provided a chance to see how much
we really knew about food, with questions
about food companies, food brands, dairy and
fermented foods. The Novel Zany Incredible
Food Superstars Team did well and took out
first place. Best team name went to Corn Chip
Congregation Conglomeration and Just Google
It won the award for the most outrageous
answer.
It was great to see everyone getting involved
in the quiz and of course the well-cooked
sausages, snacks and assortment of cheeses
plus beer from the Massey micro brewery went
down very well with our Food Tech students.
Overall it was a very good night.
Peter Verkerk as he demonstrated salami making at the Toscana Home
Salami Making Course in May
Canterbury Branch
Salami making
The branch was fortunate to have access for members to a Toscana
Home Salami Making Course on Sat 3rd May. The instructor, Peter
Verkerk, is well-known in Canterbury, with over forty years of
experience making European salamis, sausages and dried cured meats
during his involvement with the family business, Verkerks. There was
a lot of interest but numbers were limited and seven people attended.
If Peter Verkerk is available we hope to run a second course later in
the year.
Heinz Wattie’s visit
We joined with NZOQ on 13 May for a site visit to the Heinz Wattie’s
factory in Hornby, hosted by their quality manager, Lisa Hoskin.
We will hold our AGM on 20th May at ESR with presentations by Dr
Ken Morison, University of Canterbury and John Morgan, NZ Food
Innovation Network.
The branch has been pleased to have twenty-one Lincoln University
students recently join NZIFST as student members. This has been
thanks to the dedicated efforts of several members.
NZIFST Conference 2014, 1st - 3rd July, Challenges into Opportunities,
will be held in Christchurch this year and planning for this is keeping a
dedicated team busy.
Winna Harvey (FNZIFST)
Central
Student “Welcome Back” sausage sizzle and quiz
On March 19th the NZIFST Central branch held a BBQ, Beer & Quiz
night at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health (IFNHH).
This was our first event of the year, providing a good chance to catch
up and also to welcome new and returning food technology students
to the NZIFST.
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Food New Zealand
Hayley Stewart
(Branch Student Liaison)
Branch AGM
May 20th saw our first AGM as “Central
Branch”, a year on from our decision to simplify our moniker from
the “Manawatu-Wellington” adopted on the amalgamation of the two
separate branches. That amalgamation causes Central Branch to hold
a special character within the context of NZIFST branches, having two
substantial hubs of membership separated by a couple of hours drive.
We manage that apparent negative by a range of strategies, foremost
amongst these being use of point-to-point video conferencing between
venues at each of the branch hubs. The AGM was typical in that regard,
with the Wellington cluster assembling at the video conferencing suite
in the CBD offices of FSANZ, and the Palmerston North cluster meeting
in the presentation suite of Massey University’s IFNHH.
Twenty-one members were present for the AGM and for the
presentation on New Zealand’s trade agreement negotiations that
followed. Branch Chair, Prof Richard Archer, noted the challenges of
our distributed population base and reported a successful year with
ten events spanning a diverse range of activities. There are also many
concepts “in the pipeline” for the coming year so the branch is in good
operational health.
The Treasurer’s Report, presented by three-term outgoing Treasurer
Jerry Wellington, showed the Branch to also be in very fine financial
health, with substantial reserves. The meeting agreed with the
Treasurer’s recommendation that these reserves provide an excellent
opportunity to invest in regional projects that support development
and standing of our profession. Several excellent ideas were raised
as prospective projects, but rather than make ill-considered decisions
at the meeting, it was agreed that an ex-officio panel be established
under Jerry Wellington’s stewardship to bring projects to the members
for investment consideration. Jerry accepted the challenge offered and
will convene a small group of long-term NZIFST members from the
branch to develop investment options during the year.
And so to the election of branch officers and committee positions.
The situation was fortuitous (suspicious people may say constructively
devised) such that there were no competing nominations for any
NZIFST
positions, and so nominees were accordingly elected without
need for a Returns Officer. There is a lot of continuity with the new
committee but also enough new blood to provide fresh thinking.
The new committee comprises: Prof Richard Archer (Chair), Grant
Boston (Vice-Chair), Craig Honoré (Secretary), Don Otter (Treasurer),
Hayley Browne (Student Liaison), Namalie Jayasinha (Council Rep),
with committee positions taken by Andrew Legg, Allan Main, Dennis
Thomas, Euan Cant, Lara Matia-Merino, Ann Hayman, Sally Hassell,
John van den Beuken and Xemenita Trejo Araya.
Reflecting the geographic distribution of the committee there was
an appeal from elected members to better use remote-meeting
technologies (e.g. Skype) for committee meetings.
The AGM business complete, our guest speaker, Catherine Graham of
Fonterra’s Trade Policy Group, addressed the assembled members on
the fascinating topic “Trade Agreements – Why they Matter”. In order
to do this justice, we will review Catherine’s presentation in the next
Branch Report.
Allan J Main (MNZIFST)
Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay
In April, Natalie How, a Research Associate at Plant & Food Research
(PFR) in Havelock North, talked to the branch about the pipfruit
breeding programme. The primary goal of the breeding programme is
to develop new apple and pear cultivars that meet consumer demand
for novel, fresh, great tasting, healthy and convenient fruit varieties and
products.
Natalie How from Plant & Food Research in Havelock
North talking about their pipfruit breeding programme,
images of varieties in the programme, below
Natalie described the processes they go through to create new
cultivars. They start with the research scientist deciding what crosses
to do in a season, based on the results of previous work. Then Natalie
and colleagues hand-pollinate the maternal parent (before the bees
have a chance to pollinate the flowers) with pollen collected from the
paternal parent. The resultant fruit is harvested and the seeds collected.
These are planted in the greenhouse; the seedlings are assessed for
disease resistance and a sample of a leaf sent to their Palmerston North
site for DNA analysis to look for desirable genetic markers, like pest
resistance and eating quality. It used to take up to 20 years to breed
and commercialise a new pipfruit cultivar: the aim is to reduce that
to around seven years, by using DNA analysis to select trees with
desirable attributes.
Once they have established that the tree and fruit have desirable
attributes, the seedling is planted out in the orchard. Two years later it
produces fruit; this is harvested, and put into cold storage for 10 weeks
and stored at ambient for one week, to mimic the treatment export
fruit receives before it is consumed. Then detailed sensory evaluation
of fruit is done, assessing a total of fifty attributes, including shape, size,
skin colour, flavour, texture, flesh colour, juiciness and crispness.
Once they have a tree producing desirable fruit, the tree is then assessed
for several years for growing characteristics, like yield, disease resistance
and resistance to wind damage. When PFR believe they have a winner,
a small number of trees are planted in a commercial orchard, for the
orchardist to assess their performance over several seasons. Once
PFR and the orchardists are happy, the new variety is released to
Prevar, which is responsible for managing the intellectual property and
commercialising it.
Natalie also outlined the pear breeding programme, where they are
crossing European pears with Asian pears, to produce fruit with better
shelf life, improved eating quality and novel colours and flavours.
bred at PFR, Jazz and Smitten, and several which have not been
commercialised because they did not make the grade. We also tasted
a selection of red fleshed apples still under development, and some of
the new pear crosses. We now understand why new varieties like Jazz
are twice the price of varieties that have been around for many years
– it takes decades of research before a new variety is commercially
available. We were astonished to hear that Jazz apples are all progeny
of one seed from one Braeburn/Royal Gala cross done in the 1980s.
We tasted and compared two commercial varieties of apples
Jenny Dee, FNZIFST
June/July 2014
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NZIFST CAREERS
Teachers at the professional learning and development course at Massey.
NZIFST Careers report
Professional learning and development for food technology
and science teachers
In April, Massey, Lincoln and Otago Universities ran professional
learning and development courses for the teachers involved in the
2014 NZIFST/CREST Student Product Development Challenge.
Those attending included teachers doing the Challenge for the first time
and those who had attended previous courses run by the universities
for Challenge teachers. In addition to the 22 Challenge teachers, 10
science and food technology teachers from other schools, who wanted
to learn more about food science and technology, also attended.
The one day course covered
• The product development process
• Product formulation
• Processing to ensure food safety
• An introduction to functional food ingredients
• Nutrition information panels and nutrition claims
The teachers also had the opportunity to tour the food science/
technology department at the university.
At Massey, during the session on functional food ingredients, the
teachers used the alginate MUFTI kit to make cola “caviar”. Two fourth
year food technology students who had done the Challenge, Hannah
Easton and Kate Morris, joined the teachers for lunch, to discuss their
experiences doing the Challenge. One of the teachers who attended
the Massey course had this feedback: “Thank you so much for Tuesday.
It was a wonderful experience. It was great to see the use of MUFTI kits
in action. We are making olive oil caviar next week.”
At Otago, the teachers did a crash course in developing a novel
yoghurt. They started with an exercise in yoghurt benchmarking, and
learnt about the vocabulary for expressing product characteristics, to
assist their students to think, and describe attributes beyond ‘nice’,
‘yuk’ or ‘yum’. They learnt about ingredients, the functional role of the
starches, pectins and gums, and processing methods for yoghurt, and
how these influence product texture, mouthfeel and stability against
syneresis. The teachers also compared nutrition information panels of
commercial yoghurts.
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Food New Zealand
This was followed by an ‘accelerated’ one hour NPD exercise, where
they worked in pairs to design a yoghurt with berry fruit, targeted at
teenagers. They were given some ingredient choices, asked to visualise
three alternative yoghurt products and select one for development.
In the lab, they prepared the fruit mix, improvising as they went. The
teachers found out that formulation takes time, care and attention.
Then they developed some prototypes, testing combinations of fruit
and yoghurt, varying the ratios and appearance (layered vs. mixed
through). Having settled on a final formulation, they ‘scaled up’ their
product, making 12 x 30g samples and coding them for sensory
evaluation purposes. All this was done within a strict 60 minute time
limit!
The group learned how to write an ingredient label and calculate a
NIP, and entered their final product into the FSANZ Nutrient profiling
scoring calculator to determine if their product would be eligible to
carry a claim under the new Standard 1.2.7. The result, to their surprise,
was yes!
The final session was a controlled sensory evaluation exercise,
mimicking a consumer acceptance test. Using the sensory booths, the
teachers rated their yoghurts and one commercial sample for overall
liking, appearance, texture and flavour. Although their yogurts were
moderately well liked, they discovered that the product most well
liked was the commercial one! Never forget the first rule of product
development – ‘always taste your own products’.
The teachers also caught up with Sarah Adam, a second year student
who had done the Challenge in 2010, to discuss her experience; she
mentioned that one of her key learnings was the importance of setting
milestones for the stages in the project work, and ensuring deadlines
were met.
NZIFST wishes to thank John Grigor, Steve Flint, Charles Brennan,
Phil Bremer and their colleagues for running these courses; this is the
sixth year we have organised professional development for Challenge
teachers, and they obviously value it.
Jenny Dee, FNZIFST
MIA NEWS
Meat Industry
Association
News
IRON AWARENESS
WEEK 7-13 APRIL
Symposium: Raising
awareness of iron deficiency
Fact: 8 out of 10 toddlers don’t meet
the recommended daily intake of
dietary iron
1
Five leading New Zealand experts in the field of nutrition
recently spoke at a half-day scientific symposium focusing on
iron in the diet, as part of Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) Inc’s
inaugural Iron Awareness Week in May.
At 7 months, a baby needs more
iron than her dad. Iron is crucial
for brain development in babies
and toddlers.
The symposium – Iron: the issue of deficiency in a land of
plenty – was held in conjunction with the University of
Auckland’s Food and Health Programme. About 100 health
professionals attended.
Speakers included Bob Stewart, Massey University researcher
and lecturer who talked about manipulating the bioavailability
of dietary iron. He highlighted that whilst haem iron (found
in red meat) contributes to 10-20% of iron in the diet, it
makes up 50% of our iron stores. He also made reference to
the ‘meat factor’ which enhances iron uptake and reminded
the audience of iron inhibitors, noting that the tannins in tea,
coffee, cocoa and red wine can inhibit iron absorption, so it’s
best to wait a couple of hours before or after the meal before
drinking these if possible..
Dr Kathryn Beck, human nutrition and dietetics lecturer, also
from Massey, made the audience aware of the groups in
the New Zealand population most at risk of iron deficiency
(babies, toddlers, teenagers, women
and athletes). She addressed the
negative health consequences on
cognitive performance, behaviour
and physical growth in children and
decreased physical capacity and work
performance in all ages.
14%
of children under
the age of 2 are
iron deficient
2
1 in 14
1
2
New Zealand women
are low in iron
over a third
3
of teenage girls don’t achieve
3
their daily iron requirements
Symptoms of iron deficiency are commonly associated with a busy lifestyle or a bug. If you can tick any of the
following symptoms you may be suffering from low iron levels.
tiredness
grumpy and irritable
frequent infections
difficulty concentrating
feeling the cold
To find out more visit the website or your GP
ironweek.co.nz I #IronWeekNZ
1: Wall, CR et al. (2008). Ethnic variance in iron status: is it related to dietary intake? Public Health Nutr 12 (9):1413-1421. 2: Grant, CC et al. (2007). Population prevalence and risk factors for iron
deficiency in Auckland, New Zealand. J Paediatr Child Health 43: 532-538. 3. University of Otago and Ministry of Health. (2011). A Focus on Nutrition: Key findings of the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult
Nutrition Survey. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
red meat ingestion and the rising
prevalence of anaemia in older adults
and subsequent adverse health
consequences. Iron metabolism is
altered with aging but there is no
convincing evidence of its link with
cognitive decline. He emphasised
that dietary habits do matter over
the long-term and that iron is part
of the mix when it comes to today’s
lifestyle patterns of being sedentary
and the outcomes such as obesity.
The University of Auckland’s Dr Clare
Wall, associate professor nutrition
and dietetics in the School of Medical
Sciences, discussed the iron status of
Symposium speakers (from left): Alex Popple,
New Zealand’s young children. Given
Clare Wall, Professor David Cameron-Smith, Bob
the life-long permanent effects of
Stewart and Dr Kathryn Beck
iron deficiency, particularly on brain
“B+LNZ Inc facilitated the inaugural
development, Dr Wall recommended
Iron Awareness Week providing an opportunity to highlight the
that iron-rich red meat should be one of baby’s first foods and also
disturbing iron deficiency statistics in a land of plenty,” explains B+LNZ
made reference to the emerging research of the gut microbiome and
Inc’s nutrition manager Fiona Greig.
how ‘gut bugs’ may have an effect on iron status.
“The week-long ‘Are you getting enough?’ campaign posed the
Alex Popple, senior performance nutritionist for High Performance
question to get the general public thinking about their dietary iron
Sport New Zealand, works with elite athletes in rowing, cycling and
intake, as the symptoms of deficiency often go unnoticed and are
rugby. He talked about the importance of working with athletes as
attributed to a busy lifestyle (tiredness and lack of concentration to
individuals, because a population approach is not always applicable
name a few),” she says.
when it comes to sports nutrition. He expressed his concern with
The website www.ironweek.co.nz and hashtag #IronWeekNZ were
how common iron deficiency is amongst athletes, in both men and
established to provide information and tips to boost iron intake,
women, and how this ultimately impacts on athletic performance.
recipes and free resources.
This is due, in part, to increased secretion of the iron homeostasis
hormone, hepcidin during exercise. He looked at timing of iron intake,
highlighting an iron-rich breakfast and dinner at opposite ends of the
active day, and recovery days to help alleviate low iron stores.
Finally, David Cameron-Smith, professor of nutrition at the University
of Auckland, presented a paper on the inverse correlation between
To view the full symposium presentations, check out B+LNZ’s You
Tube channel www.youtube.co.nz/BeefandLamb
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc hopes to run Iron Awareness Week
next year. If you have any questions or comments, please contact
Fiona Greig [email protected].
June/July 2014
31
35
MIA NEWS
‘Getting more from the carcase’
at NZIFST Conference
Rob Archibald,
coordinator and chair
for meat sessions
at the NZIFST 2014
conference
Speaking on MDM
meat production and
UK and EU legislation
is Keith Cunningham,
founder and technical
director of Newby
Foods, UK
Optimising the value
of residual meat: Guus
Heijnen, sales director
for Marel
Modern technologies
for MDM and 3mm
meat production:
Roger America, Lima’s
international sales
director
These days achieving maximum yield from a carcase, and efficiently using every piece of available meat to produce safe and wholesome
products, is essential. For that reason, the New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology’s (NZIFST) annual conference this year is
bringing international experts together with Kiwi knowledge for a session looking at ‘Harvesting Residual Red, Poultry and Fish Meats’.
Three international speakers are already confirmed amongst the
line-up in two sessions, the first giving an overview of the principal
methods used and the second looking at the equipment involved and
the UK and European Union laws on harvested meat.
For the first session, Newby Foods’ technical director Keith Cunningham
is flying over from the UK to give an overview of desinewed meat
(MDM) production and what products can be made, while Marel sales
director Guus Heijnen is travelling from the Netherlands to talk about
‘Optimising the value of residual meat’. In addition, lamb processing
automation and manual processing support devices will be covered
by Andrew Arnold, general manager for New Zealand company, Scott
Technology Ltd.
Modern technologies and equipment for MDM and 3 mm meat
production will be covered in the second session by Roger America,
international sales director for French manufacturing company Lima,
which specialises in separating, deboning and desinewing equipment.
In the same session, Keith Cunningham will outline the changes to
UK and EU legislation covering harvested meat and how they impact
on meat production. Another speaker from New Zealand company,
Fairleigh Enterprises Ltd, Julian Fairleigh, will talk about the harvesting
of red, poultry and fish meats using his company’s Beehive Separators.
The meat session runs from 1.30pm to 5pm on Tuesday 2 July. The
coordinator and chair of the meat session, Rob Archibald, says that
both NZIFST and non-NZIFST member staff from meat processing
and research companies are welcome to register and attend the meat
session (for the cost of a day’s registration) which will be followed by
the annual NZIFST conference dinner.
The NZIFST ‘Challenges into Opportunities’ conference will take place
1-3 July 2014 at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Wigram,
Christchurch. More information is available at http://www.nzifst.org.
nz/conference.asp, where you can also register.
32
36
Food New Zealand
MIA NEWS
Rendering training
Rendering will be the focus of a four-day comprehensive workshop
to be held in Hamilton in June.
The aim of the comprehensive New Zealand Renders Group (NZRG)
workshop is to provide participants with in-depth knowledge of the
rendering and associated processes, says Meat Industry Association
technical executive Kevin Cresswell, the workshop organiser.
Experienced rendering operators, supervisors, managers, service
staff and suppliers to the industry will benefit from the workshop’s
combination of presentations. The agenda will include an overview
of rendering in New Zealand, raw materials, cooking, separation,
tallow, meal, markets, services, yields/mass balances and hygiene.
The course serves as a base for the National Certificate in Meat
Processing (Rendering) – Level Four and offers an assessment of at
least one unit standard of the National Certificate.
Included in the workshop, which will be held at the AgResearch
Ruakura campus from 23-26 June 2014, is participation at the NZRG
seminar and dinner on Thursday 26 June.
The NZRG is a semi-autonomous committee of the Meat Industry
Association (MIA). Membership consists of all members of the MIA,
together with independent processor or exporter renderers and
associate members.
Register at www.mia.co.nz/renderers_gro/training/training_
workshops_2014.htm. For further information please contact Kevin
Cresswell on 04 495 8375 or [email protected].
Lorneville rendering plant
commissioned
Leading meat processor and exporter Alliance Group recently
commissioned the second stage of its $25 million new rendering
plant at Lorneville near Invercargill.
The rendering plant produces high quality meat meal sought by
animal food manufacturers, as well as tallow for use in a range of
applications from cosmetics to biofuels. The products are exported
to international markets such as China, North America, Europe and
Asia.
The plant incorporates the latest technology, including a Press
Dewatering System, which uses less energy and produces high
quality products. The process is virtually ‘zero waste’, resulting in
high product yields and low wastewater output. It also represents
the largest single investment at the Lorneville plant for more than
a decade.
The cooperative is expected to save 9,000 tonnes of lignite and
more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year (enough
to power 170 homes) from use of the new plant.
Raw material from Alliance’s Lorneville, Mataura and Makarewa
processing sites will be processed through the plant which also
uses innovative Rendertech continuous throughput technology,
further reducing energy and handling requirements.
June/July 2014
33
37
MIA NEWS
Red Meat Sector Conference Preview
Professor Shaun Hendy FRNZ will talk about innovation
China, innovation and
competitive challenges: Fourth
Red Meat Sector Conference,
Wellington, 28 July 2014
Mary Boyd, the corporate network director
in Shanghai for the Economist Intelligence
Unit (EIU) will provide insights on China
from her in-market perspective. As well as
writing and co-authoring a number of EIU
publications on China, she has undertaken
consultancy work for the World Bank
and other international institutions and
multinational companies.
The meat industry’s major event of the year is coming up.
Sponsors and speakers are lining up to be included in the fourth
Red Meat Sector Conference (RMSC), which is being held this
year on 28 July 2014 at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa
Tongarewa, Wellington.
Jointly organised by the Meat Industry Association (MIA) and Beef +
Lamb NZ Ltd (B+LNZ), the annual event is expected to attract about
350 delegates who will review the past year, discuss new ideas and
also network.
Its focus is to continue building on the core themes outlined in the
Red Meat Sector Strategy (RMSS): coordinated in-market behaviour,
efficient and aligned procurement; and sector best practice. The RMSS
was released in 2011 and clearly defines the opportunities for the
sector to realise its full potential and continue to be a principal driver of
New Zealand’s economy.
A major theme for the industry over the last few years has been the
major growth in exports to China.
At the year-end March 2014, China took exports worth a combined
total of $1.3 billion from the industry and is now New Zealand’s top
market for sheepmeat and co-products and the second largest market
for beef.
38
34
Food New Zealand
Corporate
network director
in Shanghai for
the Economist
Intelligence Unit
(EIU), Mary Boyd
will provide
insights on China
Other confirmed speakers will cover
innovation, competitive challenges and
give the latest updates on the industry’s
export and domestic markets.
Hear from:
• Professor Shaun Hendy FRNZ. The well
known science communicator, University
of Auckland physics professor and coauthor with the late Sir Paul Callaghan
of ‘Get off the Grass: Kick-starting
New Zealand’s Innovation Economy’,
will talk about innovation, explaining his thinking behind the
pair’s encouragement to overcome geography and diversify the
economy.
• Luke Chandler, Rabobank’s general manager for food and
agribusiness research and advisory in Oceania, will be speaking
about ‘Competitive Challenges – Land and Water, Market Access.
He said recently that “while the rising demand for growth for
MIA NEWS
Major sponsors for 2014 Red Meat Sector
Conference are: Maersk (gala dinner); Hamburg Sud
(welcome cocktails), Rabobank (delegate bags), OSPRI New
Zealand (conference lunch) and Ballance Agri-Nutrients
(pre-Gala dinner networking drinks).
Silver sponsors are: Ecolab, Sealed Air, SATO and
Transform Solutions.
Other sponsors include Hally Labels, Aus-Meat, Triton,
Callaghan Innovation, Allflex, B+LNZ Inc (Ambassador
Chef), ESR, Food Processing Equipment Pty, Marel New
Zealand, Milmeq, Orica, Ports of Auckland and Port of
Tauranga.
Rabobank’s Luke Chandler will be speaking about
‘Competitive challenges – land and water, market access
food from Asia, remains a golden opportunity, New Zealand
and Australia both risk missing the boat without a more coordinated effort from industry and government” to address
the factors which threaten to impact future competitiveness in
world markets. The growing need for new capital to rationalise
and revitalise industry supply chains is a priority in lifting the
competitiveness of New Zealand’s agricultural sector, he believes.
Other speakers include Richard Brown from international consultancy,
Gira and B+LNZ’s chief economist, Andrew Burtt, who will give
overviews of international and domestic trends.
Delegates will be welcomed at the Hamburg Sud Welcome Cocktail
function on the evening of Sunday 27 July 2014, while the main
conference business will take place on the Monday. Networking and
conversation will flow on into the Maersk Gala dinner to be held that
evening at Te Papa.
For details of the programme and for registration see the MIA’s website
www.mia.co.nz, or the conference website www.redmeatsector.co.nz.
Breathe Easy. Ship Hamburg Süd.
With our eco-friendly construction, propulsion and refrigeration practises,
we make it our business to make a difference.
For hands on help call our local experts:
Outbound: 0503 222 444 Inbound: 0508 333 666
No matter what.
www.hamburgsud-line.com
June/July 2014
35
39
NEW BOOKS
Book Review
Processing Contaminants in
Edible Oils: MCPD and Glycidyl
Esters
Edited by Shaun MacMahon
AOCS press, Illinois, 2014
www.aocs.org
ISBN 978-0-9888565-0-9. 230
pages. Hardback. $110.00 USD
Amazon electronic version $85.00
USD
Industry, academia and legislators have
awaited the publication of a book such as this
for quite some time. Heightened awareness
around the presence of fatty acid esters of
monochloropropanediol in refined edible oils
began in 2006 with a publication by Zelinkova.
This book was published following a key seminar
to address this issue at an AOCS conference
in 2011. The issue attracted intense scrutiny
because of its occurrence in infant formulae
with the source being the deodorised vegetable
oils utilised in the blends. Compiler and editor,
Dr. Shaun MacMahon, is a research chemist with
the USFDA.
3-Monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) esters,
2-monochloropropanediol (2-MCPD) esters and
glycidyl esters (GEs) are contaminants that are not present in virgin
unrefined oils but can be produced during processing, specifically
during high temperature deodorisation.
Where did the chlorine atoms
come from?
The book consists of 7 chapters, 10 authors and comprises 230 pages
of extremely useful information. When the topic of these contaminants
emerged a key question arose as to the source of chlorine atoms.
Hypotheses and proposals which seem logical are proposed in the first
chapter.
Chlorine atoms are sourced either from chlorides in the soil, from
marine origins, or from added fertilisers or pesticides. While the
mechanisms of the formation of these contaminants have not been
conclusively elucidated, there is evidence suggesting that 3-MCPD
esters are formed from iron chloride in the soil and/or natural
organochlorine compounds.
Before an accurate risk assessment of these contaminants in food
can be made, detailed, accurate, and repeatable analyses must be
established.
Analytical methods for
contaminants
About 50% of the book is dedicated to a systematic and very detailed
description of these different analytical methods. They fall into two
categories: indirect and direct methods. In the early years of these
contaminant analyses, trial indirect methods of transesterification
were used and results were ambiguous and distrusted by industry.
36
40
Food New Zealand
The chapters on direct methods, by both MacMahon and German
researchers Alice Thürer and Michael Granvogl, summarise the
current techniques utilising liquid chromatography and time-of-flight
mass spectrometry. Following accurate direct methods, a great deal
of work has subsequently occurred to validate indirect techniques.
The establishment of standard AOCS methods (AOCS, 2014) greatly
assists in this development. Ranges of levels found in vegetable oils,
from 0.5 µg/g (ppm) to 40 µg/g, are presented.
Deodorised palm and grape seed oils appear to
have the highest levels recorded.
Management of
contaminants
Mitigation strategies that have been used
successfully to decrease the concentrations of
these contaminants in edible oils are discussed
in the second chapter. These include removing
precursor molecules before processing, using
alkaline additives before deodorising, adding
ethanol to the oil, and using selective adsorbents.
The fact that MCPD esters begin forming at
temperatures exceeding 200°C makes mitigation
difficult because deodorisations with physical
refining are generally run at temperatures greater
than 200°C.
It is a small oversight, probably due to timing of
the compilation, that the book does not have any
extra reported work from edible oil practitioners who have experience
in changing process conditions to observe changes in contaminant
levels. Such work was presented at AOCS seminars in 2012 and
2013 (De Greyt, 2012). Practical economic techniques, suggested by
process suppliers such as Desmet, are assisting the edible oil industry
in reducing levels to acceptable amounts. This practical work will no
doubt be presented at future AOCS conferences and seminars.
Toxicology
The toxicology of glycidyl esters and of the MCPD fatty acid esters
is dealt with in two chapters reporting work on the two classes of
compound separately. Any toxic effects are due to the products after
metabolism in the gut.
Free 3-MCPD and glycidol have been shown to be carcinogenic in
rats, with demonstrated effects on kidneys and reproductive systems.
Glycidol is well characterised due to its use in the chemical industry.
3-MCPD and glycidol were classified by the European Scientific
Committee on Food in 2001 as a non-genotoxic threshold carcinogen.
Toxicology is dealt with in a detailed way in the last two chapters of the
book by researchers at Nestlé and at BfR, the Federal Institute for Risk
Assessment.
Areas of interest for the future
There is no separate chapter on legislation, either by the US FDA or
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and one may assume that
legislators are still working through key issues such as the breakdown
rate of the esters by gut lipases into free MCPD and glycidol plus arriving
at sensible maximum allowable levels in oils and foods containing
them. The final chapter in the book, on toxicology, summarises the
NEW BOOKS
Book Preview: Whey to Go
Edited by John MacGibbon
Chapter authors: Ken Kirkpatrick, Kevin
Marshall, Dave Woodhams, Mike Matthews,
Peter Hobman, Lee Huffman, Jim Harper, Robin
Fenwick, John MacGibbon, Arthur Wilson.
Ngaio Press, see below for prices.
In 1995 Ken Kirkpatrick was awarded the
J C Andrews Award, the New Zealand
Institute of Food Science and Technology’s
most prestigious award, for a substantial
contribution to science and technology
and leadership in the food industry. In his
acceptance address he reflected on the
future directions for food technology in New
Zealand. He expressed pride at having “the
great good fortune at the start of my career
to be in on the ground floor of the application
of a new technology, namely ultrafiltration,
and have been given the opportunity to
follow it through the various stages of its
commercialisation over the succeeding 20
years.”
Eleven years later, one of this book’s chapter
authors, Kevin Marshall, received the same
award. He devoted his address to innovation
in the New Zealand dairy industry, using
the story of whey protein concentrate and the development of
ultrafiltration technology in the 1960’s and 70’s as his case study.
Whey protein concentrate, or WPC as it is generally known, is a
soluble form of whey protein used in a variety of foods and beverages
including cakes, protein shakes, sports drinks, infant formulae and
processed meats.
In the early 1970’s, Britain was about to join the EEC and New
Zealand’s dairy industry was desperate for new markets and new
products. They were found through the efforts of a group of talented
young technologists, scientists and marketers, a multi-national
beverage company and a transformational new technology called
ultrafiltration.
At the time, casein products were seen as an important part of the
diversification push. But there was a problem: how to deal with
the potentially polluting whey by-product
from large new casein plants? One answer
came through ultrafiltration, a technique
that enabled the production of whey protein
concentrates. They could be tailored as
specialised food ingredients and were so
valuable that processing highly dilute liquid
whey could be profitable. These concentrates,
along with other whey products, are now an
established industry and almost no whey is
wasted. It is New Zealand’s biggest waste to
riches story.
Whey to Go is the story of the early decades
of development, written by several of the
pioneers.
Fonterra chief technology officer, Jeremy Hill
had this to say about this book:
A fascinating story about how industrial
innovation really works in practice. It
takes time, it’s often not linear, it takes
collaboration across disciplines and across organisations, but most
of all, it works because of the confidence, imagination, passion and
perseverance of individuals. The New Zealand dairy industry has
grown to global leadership through a number of technologically
based phases of innovation. Whey to Go describes one of the most
important of them.
Whey to Go will be available at the NZIFST conference for a special cash and carry introductory price of $25.
It can also be ordered from the publisher (www.ngaiopress.com/Whey.htm) for an introductory price until 15 July of $29.95 including New Zealand postage. After that, it will
be $39.95 including New Zealand postage. Postage to Australia $15, rest of the world, $25.
situation by stating that several important questions remain to be
resolved such as the rate of hydrolysis of MCPD esters in humans. Risk
assessment can only be done and legislative standards established
when analyses become totally reliable and well established in multiple
laboratories around the world. Current trading standards, especially for
palm oil, are for total glycidyl and MCPD esters to be <2 ppm with <1
ppm for oils destined for infant formulae.
Conclusion
The book is well presented and laid out with a comprehensive index
and extensive references with each chapter, and no errors were
detected. It is good value for money and should be a foundation work
for anyone in this area. The information in this book is rapidly being
updated with other reported material in this vital area for edible oil
processors and food manufacturers alike (EFSA, 2013).
Useful references
Zelinková, Z., B. Svejkovská, J. Velíšek, and M. Doležal, Fatty acid esters of
3-chloropropane-1,2-diol in edible oils, Food Addit. Contam. 23:1290–1298
(2006).
Analysis of occurrence of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in food
in Europe in the years 2009–2011 and preliminary exposure assessment,
European Food Safety Authority Journal 11(9):3381 [45 pp.], 2013. http://dx.doi.
org/10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3381.
De Greyt, W., How to minimize 3-MCPD- and Glycidyl Esters during Edible Oil
Processing, Paper presented to AOCS seminar, Korea, May 11-12th (2012)
AOCS Standard Methods Cd 29a-13 (2- and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters and glycidol
fatty acid esters in edible oils and fats by acid transesterification),
Cd 29b-13 Determination of bound monochloropropanediol- (MCPD) and bound
2,3-epoxy-1-propanol (glycidol-) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry),
Cd 29c-13 (Fatty-acid-bound 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and 2,3-epoxypropane-1-ol (glycidol), Determination in oils and fats by GC/MS (differential
measurement)), 2014.
Reviewer, Dr Laurence Eyres, FNZIFST, runs his own contracting/consulting business for the Food and Dietary Supplements Industries specialising in dairy,
oils and fats and related lipids, product and business development. He has been a member of AOCS since 2002. [email protected]
June/July 2014
37
41
EVENTS
Australasian Courses
and Conferences
Techie Reunion
June 22-25, 2014
Fine Food New Zealand, International Trade Exhibition for
Foodservice, Hospitality and Retail
Auckland
Sunday 29 June, Massey University
[email protected]
On the 29th June, members of the Food Science department will
run a day of activities organised so you have plenty of time to fill
in the 10, 30 or even 40 years since you last saw members of your
year at Massey.
June 19-20, 2014
Australasian Packaging and Industrial Paper Market Outlook
Forum
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
www.appita.com/packagingforum
June 22-25, 2014
47th Annual AIFST Convention
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Come to Palmy and catch up with your old classmates on the day
before the Tech 50 Symposium.
The day will be planned, but casual, with time for chat, over coffee,
lunch or a beer from the faculty brewery.
Guests of Honour, Mary and Dick Earle will talk briefly
about their time at Massey, before an Open Mike session. We
expect lots of laughter and maybe a few tears.
You can register at http://massey.ac.nz/foodtech50, and for the
Food Tech 50 Symposium on 30 June, at the same time.
www.aifst.com.au
June 22-25, 2014
Foodpro Australia
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
www.foodproexh.com
Lincoln University, 23-27 June 2014
June 30, 2014
Symposium celebrating 50 Years of Food Technology
Massey University
http://massey.ac.nz/foodtech50
CHALLENGES INTO
OPPORTUNITIES
The workshop will feature talks from world-class researchers in
the probiotic sector, drawn from the Asia-Pacific region. There
will be a panel discussion with ample opportunity for audience
participation, poster presentations from emerging New Zealand
researchers, and field visits to learn more about the use of probiotic
technology in agricultural and human health applications.
July 1 - 3, 2014
Please visit the workshop web page:
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/Research-at-Lincoln/Researchcentres/Centre-for-Food-Research-and-Innovation/ProbioticsWorkshop-2014/
NZIFST Conference 2014
Challenges into Opportunities
For further information visit (http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/cfri) or
contact Malik A Hussain ([email protected])
CHRISTCHURCH
1-3 July 2014
Wigram, Christchurch
www.nzifst.org.nz
August 21, 2014
Nutrigenomics Symposium
Towards Personalised Nutrition: Bioactive foods for health
Auckland
Contact Greg Pringle, [email protected]
September 23-25, 2014
Foodtech Packtech
ASB Showgrounds, Auckland
www.foodtechpacktech.co.nz
October 20 - 21, 20143
Asia Pacific Probiotic Workshop 2014
Lincoln University
Contact Malik A Hussain, [email protected]
February 2015
Functionality of Food Ingredients Course
Massey University
Contact Michael Parker, [email protected] or Allan Hardacre,
[email protected]
42
38
Asia Pacific Probiotic
Workshop 2014
Food New Zealand
AIP 2014 National Conference
17th - 18th June, Sydney
Chemical migration from packaging to
food, Innovative responsible packaging,
Chain of Custody Certification and
sustainable fibre sourcing, the latest
generation in metallocene polyethylene
products, zero waste at events and venues
and the use of polybutene-1 based products in flexible packaging
are just some of the topics of papers that will be presented at
Australia’s leading packaging conference in June.
The AIP National Conference will be held at the SOFITEL
Wentworth, Sydney and will bring together ten international
speakers from seven countries and forty four speakers over twodays.
For further information on attending the 2014 AIP National
Conference please contact the AIP on +61 7 3278 4490 or email
[email protected] or visit www.aipack.com.au
EVENTS
International Conference Diary
List compiled by David Everett, FNZIFST, University of Otago
2014
August 3-6, 2014
IAFP 2014
International Association for
Food Protection
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
www.foodprotection.org
August 17-21, 2014
IUFoST 17th World Congress
Montréal, Québec, Canada
iufost2014.org
August 24-27, 2014
Korean Society of Food
Science and Technology
meeting
Korea
August 29-31, 2014
BIT 3rd World Congress of
Food-2014
Changchun, China
www.bitcongress.com/Food2014
August 31 – September 4,
2014
7th International Congress
on Biocatalysis - biocat2014
Hamburg, Germany
September 7-10, 2014
October 27-31, 2014
6th European Conference
on Sensory and Consumer
Research
Copenhagen, Denmark
IDF World Dairy Summit
Tel Aviv, Israel
www.eurosense.elsevier.com
October 29-30, 2014
September 14-17, 2014
Food Analysis Congress
Barcelona, Spain
selectbiosciences.com/
conferences/index.
aspx?conf=FAC2014
12th Euro Fed Lipid
Congress
Montpellier, France
www.eurofedlipid.org/meetings/
montpellier2014/index.htm
September 22-24, 2014
3rd International
Conference and Exhibition
on Probiotics & Functional
Foods
Naples, Italy
omicsonline.co/
re?l=D0ItrpppsI8a1vvkwI0
September 23-25, 2014
VIV China
Beijing, China
www.vivchina.nl/en/Bezoeker.
aspx
October 15-17, 2014
Food Micro 2014
Nantes, France
1st Congress on Food
Structure Design
Porto, Portugal
www.skyros-congressos.pt/
foodstructure/
www.foodmicro2014.org/
October 24-26, 2014
biocatconference.de/2012/
September 1-4, 2014
www.iwc2014.com
BIT’s 2nd Annual World
Congress of Nutrition &
Health 2014 (WCNH-2014)
Taiyuan, China
www.bitlifesciences.com/
wcnh2014/
September 7-10, 2014
October 26-28, 2014
128th AOAC Annual Meeting
& Exposition
Boca Raton, Florida, USA
www.aoac.org/meetings1/
future_meetings.htm
2014 Symposium on
Agriculture and Food
Engineering (AFE2014)
Wuhan, China
September 7-9, 2014
7th International Whey
Conference
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
www.engii.org/cet2014/
www.idfwds2014.com
November 5-7, 2014
2015
March 23-25, 2015
IDF International
Symposium on Sheep, Goat
and other non-Cow Milk
Limassol, Cyprus
www.fil-idf.org
June/July, 2015
IDF International Mastitis
Conference
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
2nd International Congress
on Food Technology
Kuşadasi, Turkey
www.fil-idf.org
www.intfoodtechno2014.org
IFT Annual Meeting
Chicago, Illinois, USA
November 19-21, 2014
Joint FAO/WHO Second
International Conference on
Nutrition (ICN2)
July 11-14, 2015
www.ift.org
August 23-27, 2015
Rome, Italy
Pangborn
Gothenburg, Sweden
www.fao.org/ICN2
www.pangborn2015.com
November 25-28, 2014
September 20-24, 2015
28th EFFoST International
Conference
7th International Conference
on the Food Factory for
the Future: Innovations in
Attractive and Sustainable
Food for Health
Uppsala, Sweden
www.effostconference.com
December 1-3, 2014
2nd International
Conference on Agricultural
and Food Engineering
(CAFEi2014)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.cafei2014.org
December 1-5, 2014
IDF World Dairy Summit
Vilnius, Lithuania
www.fil-idf.org
September 27-30, 2015
13th Euro Fed Lipid
Congress
Florence, Italy
www.eurofedlipid.org/meetings/
florence2015/index.htm
September 27-30, 2015
129th AOAC Annual Meeting
& Exposition
Los Angeles, California, USA
www.aoac.org/meetings1/
future_meetings.htm
Biotechnology Havana
2014: Ag-Biotech for food
sustainability
Havana, Cuba
bh2014.cigb.edu.cu/index.php/
en/
Full listing at www.cheese.gen.nz/conferences. If you would like us to include your course or
conference in this listing contact David Everett, [email protected]
June/July 2014
39
43
COME AND
JOIN US!
NZIFST
CONFERENCE
2014
CHALLENGES INTO
OPPORTUNITIES
CHRISTCHURCH
1-3 July 2014
Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Wigram
www.nzifst.org.nz
44
Food New Zealand