ISSUE 03 | JUNE 2020

newfoodmagazine.com

Let industry be heard

The global pandemic has brought a number of issues to light,
including financial and safety concerns that will affect the British meat
sector as we know it – now is the time for industry to speak up and
government to listen.

Who is really paying the price Practical considerations for safe Understanding the risks
for low cost mince? and hygienic sampling associated with aerosol droplets
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 WELCOME

Stop and listen

I imagine that Dr Tim Leunig, the Economic Advisor to the
ISSUE 03 | JUNE 2020
Chancellor at HM Treasury, is eating his words right now.
After all, if we didn’t have our farming community, words
newfoodmagazine.com

might be the only thing to eat…I am, of course, referring to his

leaked email in March, in which he allegedly wrote that ‘the UK
doesn’t need farmers’.
Ironically, it wasn’t long after that the UK was swept
into a series of chaotic and unfamiliar events as a result of
Let industry be heard COVID-19. Suddenly, farmers were being deemed 'essential
The global pandemic has brought a number of issues to light,
including financial and safety concerns that will affect the British meat workers' by Government, as they realised the importance of Bethan Grylls Editor
sector as we know it – now is the time for industry to speak up and
government to listen.
local produce in a pandemic. But as more light is shed on bgrylls@russellpublishing.com
v

the current position of trade agreements, I fear unwise, hasty

Who is really paying the price Practical considerations for safe Understanding the risks

decisions will be taken by the UK in spite of the praise.

for low cost mince? and hygienic sampling associated with aerosol droplets

Vol 23 | Issue 03 | June 2020
Founder: Ian Russell
Managing Director: Josh Russell
Commercial Director: Nic Losardo
Business Development Director: Dan Birchmore
Business Development Executive: Beau Bailey
Editor: Bethan Grylls
Junior Editor: Sam Mehmet
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Right now, the UK and EU are in a back and forth over how they will trade in the future
– and the likelihood that either will continue to have a frictionless, free-trade agreement
(FTA) is looking rather bleak. At the same time, the UK is also having conversations with the
US, where chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated livestock is legal. There are, therefore,
justifiable worries that the UK food system could invite in lower quality produce from the
US. Research from Southampton University in fact, found that Listeria and Salmonella
remain active even after chlorine washing. The chlorine just masks the bacteria, making it
undetectable in the lab.1 Many experts believe this is why rates of food poisoning in the US
are much higher than the UK. If we allow these kinds of imports in to the UK, some believe
it may also negatively impact the UK-EU deal – a big worry among the farming community.
The rejected amendment to the Agriculture Bill, which sought to protect UK food
standards, has been a key driver for farmers’ concerns. Many MPs claimed they voted
against Neil Parish’s (British Conservative Party politician) revisions because it was a matter
Mecca Ibrahim
Women in Food Safety to be addressed in trade discussions. The problem is that trade agreements are negotiable,
Nikos Mavroudis
University of Reading so how far will No.10 compromise?
Gavin Milligan
William Jackson Food Group The most recent plans are said to be ‘dual-tariffs’ – in other words, foods such as
Sally-Ann Krzyzaniak
Tate & Lyle
Stephen Howe
chlorinated chicken would be allowed in the UK but subject to higher import tariffs. If this
Royal Agricultural
Societies/British Crop is confirmed, is Government truly delivering on its manifesto promise to ‘protect our
Production Council
Sylvain Charlebois food standards’? A leaked memo, seen by the Observer, would suggest not. According
Dalhousie University
Robert Verkerk
Alliance for Natural Health, USA
to reports, the note instructs UK ministers to have “no specific policy” on animal welfare
Gideon Ashworth
Head of Food Defence,
in US trade discussions.2 Meanwhile, the farming community is petitioning against such
Bart Ingredients
compromises and urging the focus to centre back on securing an EU-UK trade deal.
We have all been busy applauding the UK food sector on its response to keep the
nation fed throughout the pandemic, but could we have done this without our current
FTA with the EU? COVID-19 has highlighted a number of challenges (see p10), but it has
also re-established our sense of community and the importance of collaboration (the latter
of which is discussed in two articles - p30 and p47 - within this issue). It would be a shame
for Government who have been clapping for our key workers, not to listen to them now.
If we do not protect our standards in the UK, we are undermining the integrity that we
have taken generations to build.
References
1. https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2018/04/foodborne-illness-study.page
2. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jun/06/uk-accused-u-turn-animal-welfare-us-trade-talks

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1
06 26 33

Contents 23 WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS

51 HYGIENE
The aerosolisation
phenomenon
Understanding cannabis
01 WELCOME
Stop and listen
and CBD edible testing
In association with PerkinElmer.
Aerosol droplets and
cross-contamination risks in the
food industry. By Christine Faille and
Bethan Grylls, Editor, New Food. Erwan Billet.

33 Dynamic
LABELLING
07 labelling
The benefits of software when creating
55 How
WEBINAR PREVIEW
to choose the
compliant product labels. best‑adapted water
quality for your food
38 MICROBIOLOGY
Sampling: back to basics
and beverage tests
In association with MilliporeSigma.
Three experts offer practical

56 The
considerations for the food
industry when it comes to safe and QUALITY ASSURANCE
hygienic sampling. greatest
business strategy
32 Quality expert Gizem Kayar explains the
04 LEADERS’ SERIES
Brain food
role of a Quality Assurance manager and
the challenges industry face.
Exploring the cognitive benefits
of nootropic herbs.
38

14 ALMONDS
On the safe side
Tim Birmingham explains how the
California almond industry is leading
the way in food safety.

14 45 Complying
WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
with
ISO 16140-part 3
In association with Thermo Fisher. 59 Live
VIRTUAL PANEL PREVIEW
panel discussion:
46 Time
WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
to innovate
Challenges and
opportunities of the
In association with Infor. European baking sector

50 With
In association with DuPont.
WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
a trusted digital
signature, your wine 60 Life
LAB INSIGHT
in the lab
can go anywhere New Food learns about i2 FAST’s new UK
In association with Bruker. lab, including its ethos and process.

2 newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

57 60

19
IN-DEPTH FOCUS

Food Safety
20 The present and
future of ultra-high

05 homogenisation
AZTI researchers tell New Food
about the opportunities of an
emerging technology and the
work in progress to develop it
IN-DEPTH FOCUS for commercial use.

24 Afood safety
41
Meat smart era for
tests
06 Iscultivated meat?
the future Five experts offer insight on
how the smartphone could
change the face of allergen and
Dr Elliot Swartz explains the
pesticide testing.
process of lab-grown meat IN-DEPTH FOCUS

30 Ensuring
and why he believes we should
safe food for
embrace this technology.
all – why collaboration Ingredients
10 What’s the beef?
Nick Allen highlights a big challenge
is critical
Bob Baker of Mars Inc. highlights 42 Protein boost
Dr Loveleen Kaur Sarao
within the meat industry brought the importance of collaboration
on by COVID-19. across the food industry. and Dr Shruti Puri share how
microbial enzymes can enhance
the nutritional and functional
properties of rice flour.

Want to be published in New Food ?

47 Asuccessful innovation
recipe for
New Food is looking for authors for 2020 and 2021. If you are from a food manufacturer, Judith Moca and John Topinka
university, association or research institute and are interested in submitting an article on of Kraft Heinz outline new
food safety, ingredients, dairy, microbiology, mycotoxins, chemical analysis or infant nutrition, approaches to successful
please send a synopsis to: bgrylls@russellpublishing.com research collaborations.

@NewFoodMag
3
 LEADER’S SERIES
LEADERS’
New Food
SERIES 2020
Food processing engineer, Abhirami S. Kumar, outlines the cognitive benefits of nootropic herbs.
N
OOTROPIC herbs, which are
also referred to as ‘smart
drugs’ or ‘memory boosters’,
are a group of medicinal plants
that can enhance human cognitive skills.
The term ‘nootropics’ is derived from the
Greek words ‘noos’, meaning ‘mind’, and
‘tropein’, which translates as ‘towards’.
These herbs have the potential to alter the
availability of the brain’s neurochemicals
by improving oxygen supply and
stimulating nerve growth.
Memory is an ability of an individual
to encode data, store it for long or short
period of time, and decode or recall
it when needed. Poor memory, lower
retention of data, and slow recall are
common problems associated with
today’s stressful lifestyle. And, despite the
well-known therapeutic importance of
nootropic herbs, they are not often used.
Examples of some nootropic herbs:
1. Amla (Emblica officinalis): Possesses
memory enhancing properties and can be
used to help manage Alzheimer’s disease.
It also reduces brain cholinesterase activity.
2. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri): Can keep the
brain safe from free radical damage and
stimulates cognitive skills. Regular use
of brahmi can treat mental imbalances,
emotional disturbances and help with
several geriatric mental problems, including
Amnesia and Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Green tea (Camellia sinensis): Contains high
level of polyphenols and is an excellent
source of epigallocatechin gallate – an
antioxidant more powerful than vitamin E
in fighting against free radicals.
4 newfoodmagazine.com
Brain food
Age and stress are the two factors
which result in cognitive dysfunction;
it is believed that the regular intake of
nootropic herbs can enhance memory,
intellectual skills and attention.
Nootropics can act through various
mechanism, including:
„ Improving the blood circulation
to brain
„ Improve neural functions
„ Providing precursors to
neurotransmitters which can act as
chemical messengers in the brain
„ Preventing free radical and oxidative
damage to brain cells
„ Providing usable energy to the brain.
Plants like Celastrus panniculata,
Glycirrhiza glabra, Magnolia officinalis,
Benincasa hispida and Sesamum
Theanine content in the green tea is
converted into GABA a neurochemical inside
the brain which inhibits stress and anxiety.
4. Ginko Biloba: The leaves of the plant are
known for increasing blood flow to the brain
and greater amounts of oxygen brain tissue.
It helps in vasodilation in the capillaries
which accounts for increased blood flow
and enhance nerve transmission.
5. Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Improve learning
ability and memory. Ginger rhizome can
protect against focal cerebral ischemia.
The cognitive enhancing power is mainly
due to its antioxidant activity.
6. Cinnamon: It is a rich source of antioxidants
and phytochemicals which assist the brain
Abhirami S. Kumar
indicum, to name a few, also have
medicinal properties that can offer
cognitive improvements.
As plants do not have as many
side‑effects as traditional medicines, there
has been much research into their potential
medicinal qualities and how they can
boost cognitive function. Therefore, I would
suggest that food scientists explore the
avenue of incorporating these nootropic
herbs into new products. 
Abhirami S. Kumar
Abhirami works as an Assistant Professor
in Department of Food Processing and
Neutraceuticals, PIMS Bangalore. She completed
her M.Tech in Food Process Engineering from the
Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology,
under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries
during 2017-2019, and a B.Tech in Agricultural
Engineering. Her research focus is in edible
coating, non-thermal techniques and 3D printing.
in metabolising glucose – an essential form
of energy for mental functions.
7. Centella asiatica: It possesses CNS effects
such as stimulatory-nervine tonic,
rejuvenant, sedative, tranquiliser and
intelligence promoting property. It can
reduce adrenal corticosterone blood levels
during stress and is useful for cognitive and
nervous disorders as well as vascular
problems in the brain.
8. Rhodiola Rosea: It is a plant effective for
improving mood and alleviating depression.
It can improve physical and mental
performance and reduce fatigue. The effects
are potentially mediated by changes in
serotonin and dopamine levels.
 Meat
Animal-free ‘meat’ is on the rise, with more consumers
seeking meat alternatives than ever before.
Dr Elliot Swartz makes his case for cultivated meat
as a future consumer choice.
Nick Allen, CEO of BMPA, explains how a spike in
demand for beef mince during the coronavirus
pandemic could have lasting financial implications.

Sponsored by:
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | MEAT

Is the
future
cultivated
meat?
Bethan Grylls speaks to stem cell scientist,
Dr Elliot Swartz, about the process of
lab‑grown meat and why he believes
we should embrace this technology.

O
NCE THOUGHT the work of
science-fiction, cultivated meat is
quickly becoming a reality. Driven by
the advent of modern-day cell culture,
scientists are experimenting with the possibilities
of lab-grown meat using knowledge developed
in the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr Elliot Swartz, whose expertise lies in stem
cell biology, is a senior scientist at The Good Food
Institute (GFI), a non-profit looking to accelerate
the alternative protein industry.
What is cultivated meat?
You may be more familiar with cultivated meat via
its alternative names, ie, clean meat, in-vitro meat,
lab-grown meat. However, Dr Swartz and the team
prefer the use of ‘cultivated’ as they believe it most
accurately describes the process and is a more
inviting term. Whatever you call it, it is essentially
meat grown from animal cells that replicate the
sensory and nutritional profiles of conventionally
produced meat.
“We leverage animal cell culture and tissue
engineering technologies to create meat
products without having to slaughter an animal,”
Dr Swartz explained. “That’s one of the reasons
why I work in this area: there are so many
problems now associated with industrial animal
agriculture, especially in the context of a growing
population and a rise in meat demand. We need
to devise new technologies that are able to meet
this, and cultivated meat is a promising way of
doing just that.”
He elaborated: “The world population is due
to reach 9.5 billion by 2050 and we know that as
incomes rise in developing nations, diets tend to
become more meat-heavy. It is predicted that the
demand for meat is expected to rise somewhere

6 newfoodmagazine.com

between 70-100 percent by the middle of the
century. But our current levels are already having
a huge impact on the Earth and human health
in terms of the amount of land that's used,
greenhouse gas emissions, the risk of foodborne
illnesses and zoonotic disease, as well as driving
antibiotic resistance.
“We are walking down a precarious path if we
continue without making changes.”
How does cultivated meat work?
There are a lot of intricacies involved in the creation
of cultivated meat, but in very basic terms, the first
step is to start with a high-quality source of cells.
This can come from a tissue biopsy that is taken
under local anaesthesia from a living animal or
a tissue harvested from a recently slaughtered
animal where the tissue remains viable. In either
case, this very small piece of tissue is taken to the
lab and the desired stem cells separated.
“A stem cell has the ability to create different cell
types as well as renew and replicate itself, so ideally
you want to work with different types of stems cells
as the starting cell line that you are using in this
process,” Dr Swartz said. “You also want to work
with a large amount of stem cells so you can create
the amount of biomass that will be needed to
convert the meat tissue.”
He continued, “These cells are ‘grown’ in a nutrient
dense medium formulation that has everything
a cell needs to survive, such as glucose, amino
acids, vitamins, etc. This is done using a bio-reactor,
what we like to colloquially call a 'cultivator'.”
He compared it to a large fermentation tank
you’d see in a brewery – but instead of producing
a beverage it allows cells to grow into ‘meat’.
“Essentially, you are changing the composition
of the media and switching those cells to create
muscle tissue, fat tissue and connective tissues,”
he explained. “You can do that in the presence of
a scaffolding structure such that those cells will
align themselves and form the native architecture
as they would in an animal's body. From there, you
have to figure out a way to harvest, package and
sell that product.”
Maintaining quality
There is no legal regulatory framework for meat
cultivation, but discussions are taking place,
according Dr Swartz. Currently, those working in
lab‑grown meat are looking to safety precautions
and quality control regulations outlined in the
food and biopharmaceutical industries.
“You need to be able to ensure that the cells
being used are free of bacteria, viruses or other
pathogens that can remain or be present in cellular
tissue or from biopsy,” he noted. “To ensure this, all
connections between the bio-reactor systems we
use are sealed and sterilised.
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
“Additionally, you must ensure that any additives,
such as the scaffolding material, is food safe or
even biodegradable. Some are considering using
cellulose from plants or alginate from algae.”
It is noteworthy, he added, that as the cells
are being ingested rather than put into the
body for medicinal purposes, there is much less
risk to customers. “In our case, the cells are
dead when you are eating them, they do not
need to be functional. Rather, you just need to
replicate the sensory and organoleptic properties
of the meat tissue itself, and in doing so, there
is a lot less complication to worry about from
a product perspective.” Professor Mark Post, Chief
Scientific Officer at Mosa
Meat, presents company’s
Cell selection first cultured hamburger in
There are a variety of cell types that can be used London, UK conference.
Credit: Mosa Meat
in meat cultivation and the type that you choose
governs a lot of the bioprocess that you are
building, according to Dr Swartz.
For example, pluripotent stem cells have the
ability to transform into fat, muscle and connective
tissue, whereas other stem cell types come from
the adult tissue itself. What this means is that you
“We are
can take stem cell populations from a muscle tissue walking down
and those cells will exclusively create muscle. a precarious
“The stem cell’s type basically dictates the amount
and diversity of cells that you can produce,”
path if we
Dr Swartz said. continue
Interestingly, Swartz believes that the location without making
of biopsy can also produce different results.
“On an animal you have all these different
changes”
cuts of meat, different tastes and textures, and
I think there's some preliminary evidence in the
literature that suggests that, for example, taking
a biopsy from a region of fast twitch muscle fibres
Sausages grown in the lab.
Credit: New Age Meats under CC BY 4.0 license
7
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | MEAT
Cultured chicken being
prepared in kitchen.
Credit: JUST, Inc.
Dr Elliot Swartz
Elliot is a senior scientist
at The Good Food
Institute (GFI), a global
non-profit organisation
accelerating innovative
strategies toward creating
a sustainable, healthy,
and fair food supply via
plant-based and cultivated
meat, egg, and dairy
technologies. He focuses
on understanding how
cutting-edge science
disciplines feed into
cultivated meat, leading
key GFI-sponsored
research projects in
cultivated meat, educating
scientists and the public,
and expanding awareness
of career opportunities in
the cultivated meat field.
He also has experience
consulting for start-ups
in the biotech industry
related to drug discovery
for neurodegenerative
diseases. Swartz has
a PhD in neuroscience
from the University of
California, Los Angeles
(UCLA), where he worked
with induced pluripotent
stem cells to model
neuromuscular disease.
8 newfoodmagazine.com
versus slow twitch muscle fibres is more likely to
create a fast twitch muscle.” In other words, where
a biopsy is taken could determine whether the
meat is white or dark, but Dr Swartz admits more
data is needed to confirm this suspicion.
He added that other parameters also need
further investigation, for example does the
scaffolding material, length of time the cells are left
to grow, or how mature they are when ingested
impact the textures and flavours of the product?
The challenge
The current obstacle to overcome is the cost of
cultivated meat production and how it can be
scaled-up effectively.
The reason for the high cost is due primarily to
the added proteins, but also to the amino acids,
lipids and other components needed to grow the
cells. However, Swartz believes we are at a turning
point. “From a technological perspective, we are
able to produce those proteins, but there has been
no motivation to do so within our market. Now we
have the incentive and speculative volume in our
industry to drive protein manufacturers that use
recombinant technology to bring down the cost.
“We are on a good trajectory to lower the costs
precipitously now and in the next five years. If you
are a leader in this space, you have probably
figured out a way to reduce them significantly
already. In the coming years, I think the challenge
will lie more in how we can scale-up efficiently
and affordably. In doing so, you will get these
economies of scale by unlocking better efficiencies
afforded by large volumes and bolstered by new
supply chains that provide the raw materials.”
Healthier meat?
Heathier food is something which has been
witnessing a jump in popularity among consumers
in recent times, so what if we could tailor meat so it
had a higher nutritional profile? Dr Swartz believes
this is indeed possible.
“You can bias the metabolism of the cells
to create omega three fatty acids rather than
saturated or unsaturated fats that are prevalent
in meat,” he explained. “You could, theoretically,
also remove enzymes that are responsible for
certain sugars present in red meats. There is
a specific sugar called Neu5Gc that has been
associated with a higher risk of cancer, and if
regulations allowed, you could eliminate that sugar
through genetic engineering methods. There are
so many possibilities.”
Ethical and farming concerns
“There is a history of scepticism around scientists
messing around with people's food,” Dr Swartz
said. “I think genetically modified organisms
(GMO) is a good example of how that can go sour.
But I believe as consumers learn more about the
product and how it is created, they’ll warm up to
this technology.”
In terms of having a negative impact on livestock
farmers, Dr Swartz believes that this part of the
supply chain has already begun adapting to a new
audience. “We’re seeing more people consuming
plant-based milks and 'meats', and there are
several examples of farmers adapting to meet
these new trends. For example, by growing pea
protein or other crops used in these alternatives.
There is opportunity for farmers to use their land
in different ways and in some cases, that is better
for the soil and their bottom line. The same is true
for the dairy industry, which has seen some farmers
convert their operations to plant-based.”
That being said, Dr Swartz does not believe
the market for livestock and dairy will disappear.
In terms of the meat market, he foresees stem cell
scientists working with traditional farmers to create
meat together which does not involve the slaughter
of animals.
He also highlighted that the components needed
to feed the cells come from the crops used to feed
animals, so demand for this will remain. It will,
however, be lower as the process does not require
as much feed – a plus for sustainability targets.
“It will be a case of figuring out how they can adapt
to these new technologies, how they can leverage
their expertise and come out of this stronger,”
Dr Swartz contended. “We have already seen a lot
of big producers rebranding themselves as protein
companies rather than meat companies. In many
cases, these producers are in the process of, or have
already, released their own line of plant‑based
products, and they have also invested in
plant‑based meat and cultivated meat companies.”
He concluded: “Cultivated meat is a future that
will exist, it’s just a matter of when – and the GFI is
attempting to accelerate it.” 
Copyright © 2020 PerkinElmer, Inc. 90292 All rights reserved. PerkinElmer® is a registered trademark of PerkinElmer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ENSURING FOOD SAFETY

AND QUALITY COME FIRST

Meat processors the world over are busy providing a healthier, safer food supply for customers
everywhere. And we’re doing our part by facilitating better product development and optimization
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PerkinElmer: we’re innovating for a healthier, happier world.

Learn more at www.perkinelmer.com/food

 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | MEAT

What’s
the beef?

Nick Allen, CEO of BMPA, highlights a big challenge within the meat
industry and asks: Who’s really paying the price for low cost mince?

B
EEF MINCE is one of the staple foods in
the British diet. It is plentiful, economical
and easy to cook… but the current crisis
has exposed a problem with mince that
has been growing over the past 15 years.
Such is the challenge that, at the height of the
crisis, Defra convened a special Beef Forum group
as part of its Agriculture food chain engagement
work to tackle this issue.
This new forum will hopefully continue and
enable parties up and down the food supply chain
to conduct an open and constructive debate in
order to find a fair solution that works for everyone.
The problem
The problem is best explained by reviewing how
carcase balance is supposed to work. The main
types of fresh beef purchased in the UK are roasts,

10 newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

steaks and mince, and because mince is seen as immediately placed. Indeed, there was a point
an affordable staple, retailers want to be able to at which there was not sufficient UK mince in the
sell it at the lowest price they can as part of their system and demand had to be satisfied using both
‘everyday low-price’ strategies. UK and EU suppliers.
To achieve this, meat processors sell mince to That temporary squeeze in supply has since
retailers at, or even below, cost. To balance this corrected and, for now, supermarket ordering
out, processors are able to achieve higher profit has returned to a more commonsense, hands-on
margins on roasts and steaks, and it is those system of human intervention.
higher margins, along with the sale of other However, not all meat processing companies are
Nick Allen
parts of the carcase (such as skins, hides and able to simply divert capacity to increase supply to Nick has a deep
understanding of the
bones) that compensate for the lack of profit the supermarkets. British meat and livestock
on mince. Suppliers to the food service industry industries, having
However, the percentage of beef meat going into generally produce bulk packs. They do not have previously worked in
market development roles
mince has been steadily increasing over the years, the packaging and machinery to produce the kind for the Meat and Livestock
rising from approximately 45 percent in 2005 to of vacuum and modified atmosphere product Commission, AHDB, and
over 60 percent today. with the requisite nutrition labelling that the retail the English Beef and Lamb
Executive (EBLEX). As
Moreover, the spike in demand for mince during trade requires. CEO of the British Meat
the COVID-19 crisis – from an average 55 percent The pressure has therefore been on the Processors Association
to over 70 percent of all primary beef sold by remaining food processing plants that are set up (BMPA), he is able to pull
together his connections
retailers – coupled with a huge drop-off in orders for this. These retail suppliers have been working at from across farming,
from the out-of-home food service sector, has full capacity to meet this unprecedented demand the meat industry, retail
broken the pricing model entirely. for mince and cheaper cuts. and government to forge
a more collaborative
The graph (Figure 1) illustrates perfectly how However, there was a large build-up of meat approach to the UK’s food
a small increase in the amount of a carcase that is that was destined for the food service sector that challenges. As well as his
minced can have a big effect on profitability. cannot be sold to supermarkets, and much of this role with BMPA, Nick also
runs a farm in Hampshire.
In the first week, this spike in demand for mince has either had to be sold at hugely discounted
was partly caused by algorithmic ordering in prices to the wholesale market or has been
the supermarkets’ just-in-time systems. As the frozen and correspondingly devalued. This is
shelves were stripped of mince at an unusually partly because it is not packaged and labelled
fast pace, automatic orders for more mince were for the retail market, but mainly because there

EXPERT VIEW
PERKINELMER
Paul Morrison
Market Manager for Meat and
Seafood, and Integration Leader
at PerkinElmer
For further information, visit:
www.PerkinElmer.com/Food
Best practices for analysing veterinary
drugs and foodborne pathogens in the
global meat chain
For billions, meat products provide a significant source of
protein and contain many of the essential micronutrients
we need in our diets. As such, to ensure the manufacture
of safe and high-quality foods, accurate quality and
safety testing must occur throughout the global meat
supply chain, from farming to consumer products at the
supermarket and on the table.
Monitoring drug residues and foodborne pathogens
are two critical areas for meat analysis.
Veterinary drugs, including growth promoters and
antibiotics, are commonly used throughout the meat
industry. However, residues can be harmful to humans if
consumed consistently at high levels, causing increased
antibiotic resistance. PerkinElmer’s innovative MaxSignal
offering provides the industry with a comprehensive
range of ELISA kits to rapidly determine drug residues
levels. Additionally, in cases where low-level detection
is necessary, PerkinElmer’s sensitive QSight Triple Quad
LC/MS/MS technology allows for the quantification of
low ppt residue levels in meat tissues.
The occurrence of foodborne pathogens in meat is
also a serious health concern with global estimates
for Salmonella illnesses alone recorded at 17 million
per year by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cases of foodborne infections may be milder, such
as gastrointestinal symptoms, but they also may be
accompanied by severe complications, including fatigue
and convulsions. Traditional methods for food pathogen
detection are slow, costly and require highly-trained
personnel. Designed to overcome these challenges, the
easy-to-use Solus One immunoassay portfolio delivers
reliable, next-day results for detection of Salmonella,
Listeria species and E. coli O157.
The quality of finished meat products is often
dependent upon its chemical components: protein,
moisture, fat and ash. PerkinElmer’s cutting-edge
near infra-red (NIR) solutions provide processors with
a cost-efficient solution for monitoring compositional
content. Both on-line, using the DA 7440, or on the bench
with the DA 7250, these technologies provide accurate,
rapid and simple to understand measurements.
PerkinElmer provides the meat industry with advanced
technologies to control quality, safety and enhance product
development and optimisation.
For additional information about PerkinElmer’s testing
and analysis innovations across food safety and quality,
please visit: www.PerkinElmer.com/Food.

@NewFoodMag
11
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | MEAT

Figure 1 Of pressing concern is the need to keep the

movement of goods across borders both in the EU
Contribution of beef cuts towards volume and and further afield. Carcase balance also depends
retail value of the carcase meat on the ability of British processors to sell into
overseas markets where there is better demand for
80% £2,000
the products that UK consumers do not favour and
Fillet, £200 also for by-products like skins and hides.
Fillet, 2%
Striploin, 4%
However, these products are become harder
70%
to shift because all our regular trading partners
“D” rump (without tail), 4% Striploin, £258
are having the same problem. A stark illustration
Rump tail, 1%
Thick Flank, 4% is the hollowing out of the hides market.
60% £1,500 Whereas processors were achieving £28 per hide
“D” rump (without tail), £181
Topside, 7% a year ago, they are now, in some instances, having
Rump tail, £23
to pay around £7.50 to have them taken away.
Thick Flank, $104
50% Silverside, 6% Regardless of these short-term imbalances caused
Topside, £162 by the COVID-19 crisis, we still have the issue that
Flat Brisket, 4%
consumer buying habits have been changing over
40% £1,000 Silverside, £158 the longer term. It therefore makes sense that the
pricing model should also evolve to ensure better
Flat Brisket, £121 resilience across the whole supply chain for producers,
30% processors and retailers. In order to achieve this, any
new pricing model will rely on processors getting a
fair price for all parts of the cow, from steaks, roasts
Cuts typically
20% minced, 43% £500 and mince, through to hides and bones.
Cuts typically
minced, £783 How can we fix the broken pricing model?
One solution to this issue is to have some
10%
convergence between the price of mince and the
price of top cuts. If retailers were to buy mince at
a fair market value but be able to buy other cuts
0% £-
Contribution towards volume of the Contributions towards value of the slightly cheaper than they do currently, they would
carcase meat carcase meat have the flexibility to set their prices to customers
Retail prices are as of the week ending 11 April 2020 in several ways.
Source: AHDB They could lower the price of top cuts and slightly
The remaining 25% of the carcase is drip loss, fat and bone.
These also do have some value. increase the price of already cheap mince which,
according to research, would have little effect on
the amount of mince people buy. Alternatively, they
could keep mince at the current price and continue
to sell other cuts at the price they are now, but with
just is not the retail demand to replace the food a bigger margin.
service market. Either way, retailers would have the
To make matters worse, cold store capacities were opportunity to continue supplying a range of
“The percentage almost full, which meant in the absence of another meat at different price points with little impact

of beef meat market for this product, processors started reducing

the number of animals they buy. This can cause
going into mince potential issues that could seriously impact both
has been steadily farming and meat processing operations.
on their bottom line. Crucially, this new pricing
model would provide the resilience that is
currently lacking. Farmers could continue to
farm sustainably, processors could continue

increasing With processors unable to sell all parts of

the carcase at the right price, it is becoming
over the years, unprofitable to continue processing, unless, that
rising from is, the price of livestock is reduced. In this scenario,
to operate sustainably, and the public could
continue to enjoy a good selection of quality
British meat at fair prices.
Retailers naturally want to compete on price,

approximately the problem will end up at the farm gate, with

farmers struggling to sell their animals at a price
but when that price competition means that
suppliers are being forced to sell their products
45 percent in that covers their costs. at or below cost, then something is very wrong.
2005 to over It is worth noting that, by the time this article It suggests that a fundamental flaw exists

60 percent today” goes to press, a similar carcase balance problem

will be starting to play out in the sheep sector as
the spring lambs that are already in the fields
start to come to market.
in the current food supply chain; one that is
unsustainable. This is something any government
should take notice of because, ultimately, our food
security depends on it. 

12 newfoodmagazine.com
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 ALMONDS
On the
safe side
Tim Birmingham, Director of Quality Assurance and Industry Services,
Almond Board of California, explains how the California almond industry
is leading the way in food safety.
T
HERE WERE several high-profile food
recalls in the UK1,2 last year, as well as
outbreaks of Listeria recorded in Spain,
Germany and the Netherlands.3 These food
safety concerns have rightly resulted in increased
scrutiny from government agencies and consumer
groups globally, with pressure on manufacturers to
readdress the importance of a dedicated food safety
programme throughout their supply chain.
Food safety issues can have dangerous
consequences, so food manufacturers and suppliers
must remain vigilant in monitoring and preventing
contamination. Across the supply chain, the
producers, processors and handlers that comprise
the California almond farming community have
14
worked diligently for decades to develop processes
and procedures to prevent food safety issues.
Almonds hold the title of California’s number
one agricultural export with over 80 percent of
the world’s almonds coming from the region.
With such wide reach comes huge responsibility.
Thanks to the California almond industry’s
significant investment and commitment to food
safety and quality, manufacturers and their
consumers around the world can enjoy a consistent
supply of safe and high-quality California almonds.
Overcoming obstacles
As any industry develops and grows, there are
new challenges and hurdles to face. The California
newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

almond industry is no stranger to this and strives to

proactively counter current and developing issues
that could affect almonds.
Managing differing global tolerances to
aflatoxins is a good example of the industry’s
approach. Aflatoxins are naturally occurring
chemicals produced by certain moulds, mainly
Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.
Aflatoxin-producing moulds are common in nature
and can affect a number of crops, including
almonds. Because they are a potent carcinogen,
tolerances for aflatoxins have been established to
“Almonds
reduce the risk of exposure. However, these levels hold the title
are not uniform across the globe, with differing of California’s
levels for various countries.
One of the largest export markets for California
number one
almonds is the European Union (EU), which also agricultural
has one of the lowest allowable limits for aflatoxin export with
contamination on almonds. To tackle this issue and
to minimise the potential for aflatoxin development
over 80 percent
in the almond supply chain, the Almond Board of the world’s
of California – a non‑profit organisation that almonds
supports a grower-enacted Federal Marketing
Order under the supervision of the US Department
coming from
of Agriculture (USDA) – developed programmes the region”
and procedures to help growers and processors
minimise aflatoxins at every stage of production.
This starts with the orchard environment, where
aflatoxin can take hold, right through sampling,
testing and processing.
These procedures are continually updated as new
rulings are implemented, helping California almond
growers and processors to remain compliant
through changing regulatory environments.
For example, in 2007 the EU introduced ‘special

EXPERT VIEW
ALMOND BOARD Almond functionality and caloric value:
OF CALIFORNIA
Insights into the nutritional bottom line
Consumers’ mindful consumption habits continue to
drive demand for healthy and natural snacks that taste
and ‘do good’. As a result, manufacturers are continuing
to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of this
adventurous audience.
Product developers look to formulate with almonds for
their functionality, flavour, nutritional value and clean label
Dr Swati Kalgaonkar credentials; in fact, almonds were the most popular nut for
Associate Director Nutrition
product introductions in Europe in 2018.1
Research, Almond Board Beyond this, almonds are also extremely versatile,
of California available in a variety of forms. A 2016 study conducted
by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that
almonds, depending on their form, provided fewer calories
than originally thought. The research expanded upon the
traditional Atwater factors method for measuring calories
by comparing the measured energy value (number of
For further information, visit: calories actually digested and absorbed from almonds)
www.almonds.co.uk/ with the value calculated by the traditional method.
food-professionals The study found that whole unroasted almonds provided
25 percent less calories, while whole roasted almonds
and chopped roasted almonds provided 19 percent and
17 percent fewer calories respectively.2
Snack company, Kind, recently incorporated this
research into its labelling, updating the caloric values on
snack bar packets to show fewer calories from almonds,
despite no change in product ingredients. While the
nutritional value of almonds has long been a favourable
factor for developers, the reduced caloric value of
different almond forms builds upon this nut’s versatility
and cements their taste and health benefits. Ultimately,
almonds can be used to bolster the nutritional bottom line
and enhance product appeal to mindful consumers.
References
1. Innova Global New Product Introductions report 2018,
released May 2019
2. Gebauer SK, Novotny JA, Bornhorst GM and Baer DJ.
Food processing and structure impact the
metabolizable energy of almonds. Food & Function.
2016;7(10):4231-4238

@NewFoodMag
15
 ALMONDS
Almond harvesting in California, USA
measures’, which meant all almonds imported
from the US to EU member countries were subject
to mandatory testing. In order to manage this
new ruling, the Almond Board developed the
Voluntary Aflatoxin Sampling Plan (VASP), which
“The almond utilised sampling protocols and testing procedures
industry has comparable to the EU at USDA‑approved
become a laboratories prior to shipment. These procedures
were considered to provide sufficient assurances,
pioneer in meaning that almonds shipped with a VASP
low‑moisture certificate were subject to approximately five
food safety” percent testing upon import into Europe.
Comparably, without a VASP certificate, almonds
were subject to 100 percent testing. As a result of
the positive outcomes of the VASP programme, the
EU removed California almonds from special
measures in September 2014. The programme has
since evolved and upon removal from
special measures has
morphed into
the ‘pre-export
checks’
16
programme, which is in place today. California
almonds are one of two crops officially recognised
by the EU under regulation EC 2015/949 for
pre‑export checks.
Outbreaks of Salmonella in the early 2000s
were another important food safety challenge
faced by the California almond industry. This
issue led to the development of the Almond
Board’s Mandatory Pasteurisation Programme.
In creating this programme, the Almond Board
took a holistic approach to preventing Salmonella
contamination by engaging food safety experts, the
USDA and third-party research partners to identify
potential risks and develop strategies to control
and prevent outbreaks. Since then, the almond
industry has become a pioneer in low‑moisture
food safety and has funded considerable
amounts of research to understand how to
control potential pathogens, developing numerous
protocols and guidelines to validate processes
and protect the integrity of almonds.
Due to the board’s forward-thinking approach
to food safety, drive to get ahead of potential
problems, and hard work in creating resources to
help the industry produce the greatest possible
product, the California almond industry has
achieved 12 years without any Salmonella recalls
and outbreaks. To date, almonds are the only tree
nut with a mandatory pasteurisation programme
and defined performance criteria accepted by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
It is important to note that unpasteurised
almonds intended for further processing may be
shipped to markets outside of North America.
As a requirement, such almonds are clearly labelled
with the term ‘unpasteurised’ in ½ inch letters on
the outside of the bulk packaging. In addition, these
almonds should be subjected to an appropriate
pathogen reduction treatment prior to introduction
into retail/consumer channels.
Staying ahead
Since 2007, the Almond Board of California has
invested over $5 million into research on food
quality and safety. This research and its outcomes
has, and continues to be, communicated to
growers and processors through educational
toolkits, online tools and workshops. As the industry
continues to see demand rise in line with
established consumer trends and the
democratisation of plant-based diets,
food safety remains a key focus
for the almond community.
The Almond Board’s Food
Quality and Safety Programme
will continue to evolve to ensure
almonds are produced in a safe and
responsible manner throughout the
supply chain.
newfoodmagazine.com
YOU &
ALMONDS

CALIFORNIA ALMONDS.
OWN WHAT’S NEXT, RIGHT NOW.
Consumers are cognizant of healthy eating
now more than ever. They’re informed. And
when they think of healthy eating, they think
of almonds. Including California almonds in
your products—with their heart health* and
nutritional benefits—shows your company
is informed, too.

Almonds.com/food-professionals

*Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces of most nuts, such as
almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.
One serving of almonds (28g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.
© 2020 Almond Board of California. All rights reserved.
 ALMONDS
As part of this proactive approach, the Almond
Board encourages growers and handlers to
take a forward-looking role in developing their
knowledge of food safety hazards and common risk
factors. The board regularly educates growers on
a comprehensive set of Good Agricultural Practices
(GAPs) in the almond orchards and educates
handlers on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Tim Birmingham in processing plants. By adopting these practices,
Tim Birmingham is almond growers and handlers in California can
the Director of Quality
establish the highest standards of food safety.
Assurance and Industry
Services for the Almond The Almond Board has also enlisted a Food
Board of California. His Quality and Safety Committee as part of
efforts are focused on
the Food Quality and Safety Programme.
activities that address
emerging and existing The committee examines potential safety and
food safety issues and quality issues and makes recommendations on
ensure the ability to how to maintain and improve efforts to ensure
effectively react to and
identify issues that
a safe and nutritious supply of almonds for
impact almond quality. consumers and manufacturers. In addition to
He serves as the staff this, an annual one-day symposium highlights
liaison for the Food Quality
new advances in food safety technology covering
and Safety Committee
and provides direction everything from technologies in the orchard to
and oversight for the end processing. It represents a key opportunity for
food quality and safety growers and handlers to stay abreast of the food
programmes. In this
role, he has overseen safety issues affecting the industry.
the implementation The California almond industry’s investment and
of the mandatory focus on food safety long precedes the introduction
treatment programme for
of the FDA's Produce Safety Rule in 2016, which is
California almonds, the
development of validation part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
guidelines currently The rule established minimum standards for
used throughout the low
safety in the production and harvesting of fruits
moisture food industry,
and implementation and vegetables. In March 2019, the FDA issued
of the pre-export guidance to reflect the enhanced food safety
checks programme controls already in place in the California almond
for aflatoxin control.
industry. As a result, the FDA clarified that
almonds are no longer held to the requirements
of the Produce Safety Rule given the food safety
18
controls already in place. This recognition from the
FDA is testament to the long-standing and ongoing
commitment the Almond Board has placed on
ensuring growers and handlers are educated
on superior food safety practices.
Navigating the future
The Almond Board has proactively and voluntarily
created and implemented programmes that
are already in line with FSMA requirements.
Today, those initiatives are the reason that almond
growers and handlers can confidently manage
changing food safety regulations.
In addition to food safety, health and
environmental concerns continue to be top of
mind for consumers as they are increasingly
interested in knowing where their food comes from
and how it has been produced. California offers
a consistently safe and stable supply of almonds
for manufacturers, for use in driving innovation
in response to consumer trends and demands for
products that include clean-labels, plant‑based
ingredients and gluten-free formulations.
But importantly, manufacturers and consumers
alike can feel good about using and eating
California almonds as the industry is also heavily
invested in environmental stewardship and
the continuous improvement of farming
and processing practices.
The Almond Orchard 2025 Goals,4 launched in
January 2019, outlines the almond community’s
sustainability journey and lays out measurable
objectives in four key areas, with the goal of
growing almonds in better, safer and healthier
ways. The almond community has invested
$89 million into research since 1973 with
a goal to build a foundation of knowledge on
responsible farming practices, food quality
and safety, and almonds’ nutritional impact on
human health. The almond industry’s work does
not stop there; in December 2019, the board
announced a further investment of $5.9 million
dollars in 85 independent research projects
exploring next‑generation farming practices.
These commitments further the industry’s efforts
to ensure an ongoing sustainable, safe and stable
supply of California almonds for consumers and
manufacturers around the world. 
References
1. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1223951/tesco-asda-
sainsburys-aldi-waitrose-recall
2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50287243
3. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/12/a-look-back-on-
europes-2019-food-safety-record/
4. http://newsroom.almonds.com/content/focused-on-growing-
good-california-almond-community-commits-to-new-goals
newfoodmagazine.com
 Food Safety
AZTI researchers highlight the safety benefits of ultra-high
pressure homogenisation as a viable alternative to conventional
thermal pasteurisation and sterilisation in pumpable foods.
Could allergen and pesticide testing in food be carried out by a
smartphone – anywhere, by anyone? New Food finds out more.
Bob Baker of Mars, Inc. suggests why collaboration
across the entire food industry is essential in the
journey towards safe food for all.

Sponsored by:
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY
The present and future of ultra-high
pressure homogenisation
AZTI researchers tell New Food about the opportunities of an emerging technology and the work in
progress to develop it for commercial use.
U
LTRA-HIGH pressure homogenisation
(UHPH) is an emerging technology
with potential application as an
alternative to conventional thermal
pasteurisation and/or sterilisation in pumpable
foods, eg, milks, juices, sauces, etc. Beyond its
application to improve the safety of these goods,
the high magnitude of the applied forces can
lead to other useful applications such as enzyme
inactivation, physical stabilisation, texturisation,
“The UHPH functionalisation of some ingredients, or the
process is preservation and extraction of compounds of
mostly used interest. The combination of all these applications,
together with the advances on the scaling-up of this
in the positive technology for industrial necessities, puts this tech
displacement in a promising competitive position.
of a fluid at
UHPH, an overview of the technology
high pressure UHPH is an emerging technology for the treatment
through valves of fluid food products. Although its operation is
or nozzles based on the same principles as conventional
homogenisation (working pressures of up to
of small 50 MPa), the development of new designs and
diameters” more resistant materials has led to the creation of
equipment that can reach even higher pressures
(up to 400 MPa1).
The UHPH process is mostly used in the
positive displacement of a fluid at high pressure
through valves or nozzles of small diameters
(Figure 1). As a consequence of the after-valve
depressurisation, different homogenising forces
of great magnitude appear: shear, impact,
cavitation, turbulence, etc. These forces, whose
20
magnitude and effect will depend on the
characteristics of the fluid (eg, viscosity), processing
parameters (eg, pressure, inlet temperature) or
equipment (eg, valve design) are responsible for
particle size reduction and microbial inactivation,
among other effects. It should be noted that
although the occurrence of these forces results in
the dissipation of energy in the form of thermal
energy, due to the low retention times (<0.1 s),
it is considered a non-thermal technology.2
An alternative for conventional
pasteurisation and sterilisation
Foods are typically thermally processed in order
to reach the microbial reduction needed for
assuring appropriate safety and shelf life levels.
However, it is well-known that thermal processing
negatively affects the food quality and freshness,
since some relevant health and sensory related
compounds are thermolabile. Based on its
effects on microorganisms, UHPH technology has
been proposed as a non-thermal alternative for
preserving and homogenising pumpable foods,
such as vegetable juices, smoothies, egg-based
products, broths, sauces and dairy products.2,3
The applied pressure and the inlet temperature,
which both determine the temperature reached
in the UHPH valve/nozzle, have been considered
the main factors affecting the microbial
inactivation.2 However, the composition and
characteristics of food, for example pH, NaCl
concentration, viscosity, influence the obtained
microbial reductions.3
newfoodmagazine.com

Form a general point of view, pressures above
200 MPa allow the inactivation of vegetative
microbial cells.2,3 Applying inlet temperatures
below 25°C and pressures around 300 MPa,
five log reductions are typically reached for the
most relevant pathogenic and spoilage bacteria.3
These pressure-inlet temperature combinations did
not result in the appearance of heat indicators in
foods like milk, so it could be a good alternative to
thermal pasteurisation.3
UHPH is also a promising technology for sterilising
pumpable.3,4 Due to the homogenising forces,
the food temperature approximately increases
between 15 and 25°C per 100 MPa at the outlet
of the homogenisation valve/nozzle. This increase
varies in function of the valve/nozzle set-up and
the food characteristics. At inlet temperatures
between 60 and 85°C, pressures of 300 MPa allows
temperatures to reach at least 120°C in less than
0.1s. This pressure-temperature combination can
reduce the bacterial spores load present in the
product, based on both the thermal effect and
the homogenisation forces. As UHPH‑mediated
heating is extremely fast, the product suffers
less heat damage than in conventional thermal
sterilisation, improving the nutritional and sensory
characteristics with respect to thermal treatments.
Beyond food safety, other applications
Beyond its function to preserve food from
a microbiological perspective, UHPH technology
has proven to have many more functions of
interest to the food industry. Among others,
the application of UHPH forces can be used
for the following purposes:
„ Enzyme inactivation
Several studies have shown UHPH decreases
the activity of some enzymes, helping to
improve the product shelf life. For example,
in cow's milk a complete inactivation of
the lactoperoxidase has been described at
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
Figure 1
Schematic representation of a common UHPH device (piston-gap) and the main effects of this
technology on fluids.
300 MPa.5 Moreover, at this pressure, an
inactivation of polyphenoloxidase, responsible
for the deterioration of colour, flavours, etc.,
in apple juice has been detected.6
„ Physical stabilisation and texturisation
One of the main effects of the UHPH forces
is the significant reduction in fluid particle
size. In emulsions, these particles are mainly
fat droplets, while in other products more
Saioa Alvarez-
Sabatel
solid‑like particles are found (eg, fibres and
Saioa Alvarez-Sabatel is
cocoa particles). A reduction in their size leads
a PhD researcher at the
to an improvement in the physical stabilisation Food Research Division at
of the products, delaying or avoiding separation AZTI - Basque Research
and Technology Alliance
phenomena (eg, cremation, sedimentation).
(BRTA) in Spain. Her
Particularly in emulsions, this provokes an research is devoted to the
increase of the overall viscosity, allowing to impact of emerging food
processing technologies
decrease the final fat content while maintaining
on food microstructure,
the sensory properties of the full-fat with special focus on
counterparts.1 For a single formulation, different food emulsions and the
technological functionality
textures can be achieved with the application
of ingredients.
of different pressures.
„ Functionalisation of ingredients
The improved technological functionality
of some ingredients after UHPH has also
been described. In whey proteins, structural
changes can unmask buried hydrophobic
groups improving their foaming capacity.7
Inulin also significantly improves its gelling
behaviour due to an improved crystallisation.8
However, UHPH can negatively affect other
thickeners, including some starches, xanthan
Elena Santacruz
gum, etc., decreasing their thickening Elena Santacruz is a
Sociologist working as
properties. Therefore, specific formulations consumer researcher
are required for UHPH-processed products. at the Food Research
„ Preservation and/or extraction of Division at AZTI - Basque
Research and Technology
compounds of interest Alliance (BRTA) in
In contrast with thermal treatments, due Spain. Her research
to the lower impact of temperature, some interests include the
use of quantitative and
thermolabile compounds can be effectively qualitative methodologies
preserved with UHPH. For example, in to develop safe, healthier
UHPH‑processed apple juice, vitamin C content and more sustainable
innovative food products.
is similar to the raw samples.4 Regarding the
21
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY

Figure 2 (R&D) and demonstration purposes (Figure 2).

Example of a UHPH pilot unit (130 L/h) constructed by Ypsicon (Spain).
extraction of molecules, especially in vegetal
matrices, UHPH forces can provoke cell
disruption, facilitating the release of some
compounds of interest. In some algae, the
disruption of algal cell walls improves the oil
extraction.9 Furthermore, in some cases an
increased in vitro bioaccesibility of bioactive
compounds can be achieved, as demonstrated
Sonia Garcia with α- and β-Carotene in carrot emulsions.10
Sonia Garcia is a PhD
researcher at the Food
Research Division at Recent advances in the technology
AZTI - Basque Research and industrial accessibility
and Technology Alliance
Despite the good results obtained on a laboratory
(BRTA) in Spain. She has
a wide experience in the scale during the past century and the range of
control and validation possible applications, the industrial development
of new food prototypes,
especially from a  sensory
of the technology was limited for many years due
point of view. to the lack of sufficiently resistant and scalable
materials and components. During the last
decade, the first pilot units (up to 300 L/h) capable
of reaching pressures up to 350 MPa arrived on
the market. Currently, several units are installed
worldwide for food research and development
Based on these pilot developments, most scalability
problems have been solved, and several companies,
such as BEE international (USA) and Ypsicon
(Spain), have started to design the first industrial
systems. However, to the best of our knowledge,
no manufacturer has yet built industrial units for
producing foods for the market.
The most relevant remaining challenge of UHPH
scaling-up is to adapt the technology components
to high viscosity products, like sauces, creams or
some dairy products, reaching the flow necessities
of the industry (up to 10,000 L/h), without sacrificing
performance. At this point, it is necessary to remark
the work being conducted in the underPRESSURE
project, funded by EIT Food (European Institute
of Innovation and Technology, European Union).
In this project, a consortium of European
companies (AZTI, Puratos, Acesur, Fraunhofer and
Ypsicon) are working to adapt UHPH technology
to the requirements of the viscous foods
and to validate it in a close-to real operational
environment. This new generation of UHPH
technology is expected to be available by 2021,
opening new industrial possibilities.
Conclusions
UHPH has solid potential for the food industry,
not only for preserving pumpable foods, but
also for developing new food products and
applications. The reduction of the heat damage
respect to conventional thermal processes
represents a clear advantage for the food industry.
The initial industrialisation steps have been taken
and the first UHPH products are expected to be
on the market in the next few years. In any case,
due to the great influence of the food components
and its intrinsic characteristics in the process
efficiency, the industrial use of UHPH requires the
optimisation of the full process for each specific
product and application. 

References
1. Alvarez-Sabatel S. High pressure homogenisation for emulsion fat Gervilla R. Aseptically packaged UHPH-treated apple juice: Safety
Eduardo Puértolas reduction [Thesis dissertation]. Spain: University of the Basque
Country; 2016.
and quality parameters during storage. J Food Eng. September
2011. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.09.007
Eduardo Puértolas is 2. Zamora A, Guamis B. Opportunities for ultra-high-pressure 7. Bouaouina H, Desrumaux A, Loisel C, Legrand J. Functional
a PhD researcher at homogenisation (UHPH) for the food industry. Food Eng Rev. properties of whey proteins as affected by dynamic high-pressure
the Food Research 2015;7(2):130-142. doi:10.1007/s12393-014-9097-4 treatment. Int Dairy J. 2006;16(4):275-284. doi:10.1016/j.
Division of AZTI - Basque idairyj.2005.05.004
3. Patrignani F, Lanciotti R. Applications of high and ultra high
Research and Technology pressure homogenization for food safety. Front Microbiol. 8. Alvarez-Sabatel S, Marañón IM De, Arboleya JC. Impact of high
Alliance (BRTA) in 2016;7(August):1-13. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01132 pressure homogenisation (HPH) on inulin gelling properties,
Spain. His main area of stability and development during storage. Food Hydrocoll.
research is the study and 4. Suárez-Jacobo Á, Rüfer CE, Gervilla R, Guamis B, Roig-Sagués 2015;44:333-344. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2014.09.033
application of emerging AX, Saldo J. Influence of ultra-high pressure homogenisation on
9. Samarasinghe N, Fernando S, Lacey R, Faulkner WB. Algal cell
antioxidant capacity, polyphenol and vitamin content of clear
food technologies (eg, rupture using high pressure homogenization as a prelude to
apple juice. Food Chem. 2011;127(2):447-454. doi:10.1016/j.
ultra-high pressure oil extraction. Renew Energy. 2012;48:300-308. doi:10.1016/j.
foodchem.2010.12.152
homogenisation, high renene.2012.04.039
pressure processing) 5. Pereda J, Ferragut V, Quevedo JM, Guamis B, Trujillo AJ. Effects 10. Svelander CA, Lopez-Sanchez P, Pudney PDA, Schumm S,
for new food design, of Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization on Microbial and Alminger MAG. High Pressure Homogenization increases
food preservation, food Physicochemical Shelf Life of Milk. J Dairy Sci. 2007;90(3):1081- the in vitro bioaccessibility of α- and β-Carotene in carrot
quality improvement, 1093. doi:10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(07)71595-3 emulsions but not of lycopene in tomato emulsions. J Food Sci.
and process optimising. 6. Suárez-Jacobo Á, Saldo J, Rüfer CE, Guamis B, Roig-sagués AX, 2011;76(9):H215-H225. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02418.x

22 newfoodmagazine.com

Understanding cannabis
v
and CBD edible testing
In a recent webinar hosted by New Food, Ben Armstrong of Juniper Analytics, outlined
the current testing methods and resources available to support new users of cannabis
and CBD edibles.
WITH THE passing of the
2018 Farm Bill, the US
federal government legalised
hemp and hemp-derived
products. Coupled with the
expanding legalisation of
recreational cannabis, there
is now an abundance of
cannabis and CBD edibles
in the marketplace.
Dr Ben Armstrong,
Laboratory Director at
Juniper Analytics, recently led
a webinar in association with
PerkinElmer, that detailed the
differences and similarities
in hemp and recreational
cannabis products. He also
explained the current testing
methods available for these
products. Below, he answers
five key questions which arose
during the session.
Are terpenes levels tested
and do they really impact
the effects of edibles?
Yes, although it is not
a compliance requirement in
every state, many producers
have analytical labs perform
terpene profiling on their edible
products. There is substantial
WATCH NOW
@NewFoodMag
evidence that terpenes do
influence the effects you
experience when consuming
edibles. It is believed this is
due to the entourage effect,
a proposed mechanism by
which many of the compounds
inhaled or ingested from
cannabis interact to influence
the psychoactive response
in a consumer. However,
this area really needs more
research as much of that
evidence is anecdotal.
What is the difference
between consuming
edibles vs. other forms of
cannabis consumption?
Edibles will take significantly
longer to feel effects, usually
between 45 minutes to two
hours. Inhaling cannabis
through smoking or vaping will
result in a much faster onset
(within minutes), but the peak
will also come much quicker.
Edibles are processed
through your digestive
system, and while they both
result in the same metabolite
that provides psychotropic
effects, edibles will last longer.
newfoodmagazine.com/webinar
WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
The ‘high’ from THC edibles
is also usually more of a full
body feeling vs. smoking,
which is often more cerebral.
What are the testing
requirements for cannabis
and CBD edibles?
Recreational cannabis is
regulated at the state level
and each state has set its own
standards for compliance testing
of recreational cannabis edibles.
While they are different from
state to state, most require
potency testing for THC and
CBD levels, as well as analysis
of pesticide residues, residual
solvents, heavy metals, and
microbial impurities.
Importantly, at the
federal level, the only testing
requirement for hemp-derived
CBD edibles is to meet the
specified level of less than
0.3 percent THC.
Why do the effects
of edibles vary from
person to person?
This is something the scientific
community is actively working
to understand. In short, all
cannabinoids interact with
our CB1 and CB2 receptors
(endocannabinoid system),
but they have also been
implicated to bind or influence
binding at many other
receptors too. Each person’s
metabolism and bio-make up
are distinct, and because of
that, each person may have
a different experience.
What are the key
differences and similarities
between hemp and
recreational cannabis?
Recreational cannabis
and hemp are both part
of the cannabis family.
While recreational cannabis
is characterised by high
THC content, hemp is legally
defined as a strain of cannabis
that contains less than
0.3 percent THC. Both plants
also produce many minor
cannabinoids, such as CBN,
CBG, and CBC, as well as
terpenes and flavonoids.
In association with:
23
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY

A smart era for

food safety tests
Five experts offer insight on how the smartphone could change the face of testing
Michel Nielen
for food allergens and pesticides in the future.
Michel obtained his PhD

U
at the VU university
(Amsterdam, NL). After
NTIL RECENTLY, most people The food supply chain is informed of any recalls a career at TNO and in
believed ensuring food safety was by the Food Safety Agency (FSA) in the UK or the the chemical industry at
a job for governments and industry. Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) AkzoNobel, he became
program manager of
However, as consumers become more in Europe. Scientific developments that make veterinary drugs at RIKILT
aware about food safety and the associated risks, screening for trace allergens fool-proof, linked with Wageningen University
we are witnessing a rise in citizen-science-based ubiquitous technologies which allow data storage, & Research. In 2007, he
also assumed a professor
tests which will allow for affordable and sensitive interpretation and reporting, will likely further role at Wageningen
on-the-go food testing. increase the percentage of allergen-based recalls University, focusing on
Two significant problems which could be as more people are empowered to test their own research and development
of bioactivity-related
improved with portable, easy-to-use devices foods. Such smartphone-based tests for food multi‑methods for the
– such as the smartphone – are the presence of allergens have been comprehensively reviewed detection of chemical
undeclared allergens and high levels of pesticide by Ross et al.1 contaminants in the
food chain. Since 2012,
residues in foods. By comparison, pesticides are highly regulated he has been principal
using maximum residue limits (MRLs). scientist at Wageningen
Who regulates these issues? However, legislation differs internationally, Food Safety Research
(WFSR) and holds
The EU has a zero-tolerance policy for allergens; resulting in different MRLs for the same compound a part-time Special Chair
if any of the 14 legislated allergens (Figure 1) are or variances among unauthorised on Analytical Chemistry
used as ingredients in a food, they must be explicitly compounds. The purpose of MRLs is to legally define at Wageningen University.
In 2017, he became the
stated on the packaging. There is no provision for the maximum tolerated levels of different pesticides coordinator of the EU
allergens which may have been unintentionally residues in foods, with a default level of Marie Curie Innovative
introduced into foods by cross‑contamination, and 0.01 mg/kg (10 parts-per-billion) for unspecified Training Network
FoodSmartphone, which
therefore, these present the highest risks for allergic residues and infant food. aims for the development
consumers. Most food recalls in Europe are now The latest European Food Safety Agency of smartphone analysers
due to this issue and recent scandals have led to an report of pesticide residues found that just under for on-site testing of
food quality and safety.
increased instance of company-initiated recalls. 96 percent of tested foods were below the pesticide

24 newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

Figure 1 to measurement. Typically, sample preparation is

lab-based, requiring equipment that non-experts
would struggle to operate. To counter this problem,
3D-printing technology has been employed,
creating smart and portable prototype devices
able to automate lab-processes. For example,
a 3D-printed prototype able to deliver samples
and reagents without the need of any pipette
was recently published and used for a pesticide
Michele Suman
detection (Figure 2). Another example that shows Michele obtained his
Analytical Chemistry
that smartphone-based tests can be operated by Degree, Summa Cum
non-experts is the successful implementation of Laude, from the University
smartphones in medical testing.4 of Ferrara in 1997. He won
the National Prize for
Young Researchers
Where should these tests be used? promoted by the Italian
Although screening foods in the EU is Chemistry Federation
There are 14 allergens which must be declared, in accordance (Federchimica) in 1998.
with UK and EU law commonplace, some unsafe foods make it He then took a Masters in
into the mouths of consumers. In CIP plans, Science, Technology and
‘clean’ work surfaces must be ensured to Management, working
simultaneously at the
legislative limits.2 Thus, despite current pesticide prevent cross-contamination of allergenic and ‘Natta Research Center’ of
screening procedures, four percent of tested non-allergenic ingredients. It is customary to Shell-Montell Polyolefins.
foods contain residues at levels higher than are use lateral flow dipsticks to swab work surfaces Michele also has a PhD in
Science and Technology
legally permissible. to ensure they are allergen free. Workers can of Innovative Materials
determine the extent of the allergen contamination from University of Parma.
How are these issues currently screened? by looking at the intensity of the coloured line on In 2003, he assumed
the position of Food
Various testing methods have been developed the dipstick, with a more intense line equating to Safety & Authenticity
for the detection of both allergens and pesticide a more highly contaminated area. By integrating Research Manager at
residues; a critical review on these was also recently this testing with a smartphone, semi-quantitative Barilla Spa company.

published by Tsagkaris et al.3 Portable screening information can be collected and provide detailed
tests have been developed based on different insight into CIP practices.
principles, for example immunoassays in the A major benefit of smartphone-based tests
case of allergens and enzymatic biosensors is their portability, extending testing to on-site
for pesticide residues. at farms or borders. This could prevent a huge
Regardless of the test principle, a colour is socioeconomic loss from purchasing crops
produced. This colour response can be recorded containing unsafe pesticide levels, allowing growers
by a smartphone camera and correlated to to monitor the unintended spread of pesticides
a compound concertation in the tested sample. beyond the target field. Paradoxically, it is easy to
Semi-quantification of the results is feasible by imagine a scenario where a consumer purchases
using a smartphone app, providing one-click some organic fruit, tests it in store, finds it contains
results that can be shared online using Bluetooth pesticide residues and records and reports this
or WiFi, together with a time and location using their smartphone.
stamp. This allows geo-temporal mapping of any In practice, the next-generation of
emerging food scandal. smartphone-based tests should be so simple,
portable and rapid that they can be applied Georgina Ross
Why will smartphone analysis help? anywhere and everywhere. Georgina is studying
Smartphones will transform food analysis, allowing in the Netherlands
under the Marie Curie
consumers to test food in their kitchen and Figure 2 FoodSmartphone
producers to test crops in the field. It also has the project. She is working
potential to reduce laboratory costs, as high-end on developing consumer-
friendly food allergen
analytical instruments will be reserved for suspect detection tests which
samples which have been initially screened with can be linked with
a smartphone-based method. To perform such a smartphone for
readout and detection.
testing, all that is needed is a portable bioanalytical As well as antibody-
test able to detect a target compound or a specific based immunoassays,
class of compounds, a smartphone and, in some she is developing an
lab-on-a-chip system
cases, lightweight auxiliary parts for optimised which integrates
image capture. 3D-printed prototype (a. sketch and b. real-life) for integrated sample preparation,
sample handling. The device is able to deliver sample and extraction and detection
The most overlooked part of the analysis is reagent volumes on-demand for a pesticide screening. of food allergens.
often the sample handling and preparation prior More information at: /doi.org/10.3390/s19245579

@NewFoodMag
25
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY

Chris Elliott
Chris is currently Professor
of Food Safety and
Director of the Institute
for Global Food Security at
Queen’s University Belfast.
He has published around
300 peer review articles,
many of them relating to
the detection and control
of agriculture, food and
environmental related
contaminants. His main
research interests are Current technology tests is still at a very early stage. However, more
in the development of
innovative techniques Companies that sell food safety tests are breakthroughs are expected in the coming years.
to provide early warning attempting to stay ahead of the curve by
of toxin threats across developing smartphone attachments and apps Future perspectives
the agri-food chains.
Chris led the independent that can be used to read their established tests. With a growth in food safety testing, it is likely
review of Britain’s food However, the general public are unlikely to we will see a massive influx of smartphone tests
system following the order test kits from scientific suppliers and will coming to market which have not been properly
2013 horsemeat scandal.
turn to innovative consumer-focused devices validated.7 More effort needs to be devoted to
that can be easily purchased on sites such standardisation of the developed technologies
as Amazon. through consistent validation requirements, image
A small number of independently validated capturing conditions and result interpretation.
devices are available for purchase, but more Considering that the end-user will not have
often these devices are only self-validated the necessary knowledge to evaluate the results,
and leave consumers hungry for a more non-compliant results could result in generating
transparent approach.5 Considering pesticides, unwarranted food scares on social media
only one commercial device is, to the best platforms. Another significant bottleneck is the
of our knowledge, currently available on the inter-phone variation of the results, which restricts
market. This is OrganaDX,6 which can screen for the universal application of such tests since
38 different pesticides. It is worth noting that the specific smartphone models are necessary - even
limits of detection (LODs) provided in OrganaDX in available commercial tests. Tests that will be
website are rather high (mostly at the part per able to detect various compounds of interest within
million range) and there is not a clear mention one assay will further increase the usefulness of
in which food matrices testing can be applied to. smartphone-based methods.
Aristeidis
Moreover, it does not use a smartphone for the We must also consider that involving consumers
Tsagkaris
actual chemical/optical sensing, but instead, as in food testing will result in more comprehensive
Aristeidis obtained an
M.Sc. in Food Science at a user interface for displaying and sharing the testing and further issues may become apparent.
the Agricultural University obtained results. On a very positive note, big data science will be
of Athens and an M.Sc. Consequently, allergen and pesticide residue implemented, resulting in better and real-time
in Analytical Chemistry
at the University of screening in food using smartphone-based monitoring of food chains. 
Athens. He is focused on
analytical methods, both
sensors and instrumental, References
as well as food safety
1. Ross, G.M.S, et al. 2018. Consumer- screening and confirmatory analytical theverge.com/2019/4/1/18080666/
and authenticity. He is
friendly food allergen detection: methods for selected food contaminants nima-sensor-testing-fda-food-allergy-
a PhD candidate and moving towards smartphone based and allergens. Trends in Analytical gluten-peanut-transparency-data] [Date
Marie-Curie fellow at the immunoassays. Analytical and Chemistry. Vol 121, 115688, doi. accessed: 10-02-2020]
University of Chemistry Bioanalytical Chemistry. 410. 22. doi: org/10.1016/j.trac.2019.115688. 6. https://www.mydxlife.com/organa-
and Technology in Prague, 10.1007/s00216-018-0989-7 4. J.L.D. Nelis, et al. 2018. “The sensor-v2/ [Date accessed: 05-02-2020]
developing enzymatic 2. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Smartphone’s Guide to the Galaxy”: In 7. Nielen, M.W.F. 2019. Citizen science
paper-based sensors 2019. The 2017 European Union report Situ Analysis in Space. Biosensors, Vol and food safety. The Analytical
coupled to a smartphone on pesticide residues in food. EFSA 8.4, 96, doi.org/10.3390/bios8040096 Scientist. [Available from: https://
as the analytical detector Journal, doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5743 5. Schultz, A. 2019. The potentially perilous theanalyticalscientist.com/fields-
for acetylcholinesterase 3. Tsagkaris, A. S., et al. 2019. Critical promise of food allergen sensors. The applications/citizen-science-and-food-
inhibitors screening. assessment of recent trends related to Verge. [Available from: https://www. safety] [Date accessed: 05-02-2020]

26 newfoodmagazine.com

Selecting
the optimal
water
quality for
microbiology
TO ENSURE accurate results and prevent
false positives/negatives and contamination,
microbiologists must carefully select their
reagents, including water, when preparing
liquid or solid culture media.
Tap water may contain a range of impurities
that could have an impact on bacteria growth
or cause various abnormalities of the prepared
media, such as incorrect pH, wrong colour or
precipitation. Since water is the predominant
component of microbiology media formulations,
the removal of these contaminants from water is
of paramount importance for the preparation of
culture media.
The water quality recommended for
microbiology media preparation is well
described in the ISO 11133:2014 standard
(Microbiology of food, animal feed and
water – Preparation, production, storage
and performance testing of culture media).
The water selected should match the
following criteria:
„ The water should be purified, free from
traces of chlorine, ammonia or metal ions,
which are likely to inhibit the growth
of microorganisms
„ The conductivity of the water should be
< 25 μS/cm, preferably below 5 µS/cm
„ It is recommended that the water is freshly
purified or stored in a container free from
inhibiting substances
„ The microbial contamination of the water
should be < 103 cfu/mL.
By adhering to these pure water criteria when
preparing media, microbiologists can improve
the reliability and reproducibility of their
microbial cultures.
@NewFoodMag
ADVERTORIAL | MERCK
Milli-Q IX 7003/05/10/15 Water quality specifications for the
pure water system Milli-Q IX pure water system
The requirements for microbiology media
Pure, Type 2 water specifications1
preparation are supported by the Milli-Q IX
Resistivity at > 5 MΩ·cm;
water purification system, which provides 25°C2 typically 10–15 MΩ·cm
consistently high-quality Type 2 pure water Conductivity 0.2 µS/cm;
thanks to its combination of innovative at 25°C typically 0.1 µS/cm
purification technologies. In addition, water TOC ≤ 30 ppb
from this system can feed lab equipment,
From an E-POD dispenser with final
such as autoclaves or dishwashers, making it a filter, the following water quality
versatile solution for microbiology laboratories. specifications are achieved:1
No particles
Increases lab productivity Particulates3
with size > 0.22 µm
„ Easy to use and maintain
Bacteria4 ≤ 10 cfu/L
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DNases6 < 5 pg/mL
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Proteases 6
< 0.15 µg/mL
Pharmacopeia and ISO requirements
„ Continuous quality monitoring at dispense Flow rate Up to 2 L/min
„ Our best-ever protection of stored 1. These values are typical and may vary depending on the
nature and concentration of contaminants in the feed water
pure water. 2. Resistivity can also be displayed non-temperature-
compensated as required by USP
Simplifies traceability 3. With Millipak or Millipak Gold filter
4. With Millipak or Millipak Gold filters or Biopak polisher when
„ Automatic e-record archiving installed and used in a laminar flow hood
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The life science business of Merck operates as MilliporeSigma in the US and Canada.
© 2020 Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Merck, the vibrant M, Milli-Q, E-POD, Millipak and Biopak are trademarks
of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Detailed information on trademarks is
available via publicly accessible resources.
27
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY
Ensuring safe food
for all – why
collaboration
is critical
Bob Baker of Mars, Inc., highlights the importance of collaboration across the
food industry and how tackling today’s food safety challenges and preparing
for those of tomorrow is vital in the journey towards safe food for all.
F
OR ANY food manufacturer, ensuring
quality and food safety is a must. At Mars
we start with a robust Quality Management
Program (QMP), which is our global
approach to best practice in quality and food safety.
It underpins a universal commitment to rigorous,
everyday quality and food safety management
practices, as well as continuous improvement.
Our QMP is applied to all aspects of our supply
chain, from sourcing high quality ingredients, to
our manufacturing processes, product distribution
and measuring customer satisfaction.
Our commitment is based on The Mars Five
Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality,
Efficiency and Freedom. These guide the actions
we take every day and are present in our approach
to work, the decisions we make, and how we care
for the global communities in which we operate.
I am proud to work for an organisation that
dedicates itself continuously to the ethos of what
30
I would call, ‘doing the right thing’. This approach
also facilitates a culture that encourages people to
think beyond today and consider tomorrow.
Our commitment to rigorous operational quality
and food safety risk management is critical to our
business. It has also led us to take a lead in helping
to explore and address the long-term food safety
challenges affecting the broader food supply chain.
As a global food manufacturer, we believe we
have a clear responsibility to lead in food safety, but
we also realise that no one entity can tackle these
challenges alone.
We take a collaborative approach, one rooted
in fostering mutual sharing and it is the reason
why, in September 2015, we opened the Mars
Global Food Safety Center (GFSC). By leveraging
key collaborations and partnerships, alongside
breakthroughs in science and technology, we are
dedicated to addressing some of the world’s most
pressing food safety challenges.
newfoodmagazine.com

Global food safety challenges
Food safety risks are increasing at an
unprecedented rate, with new threats and hazards
constantly emerging as a result of changes to
the environment, agricultural practices and food
production. As they continue to exert pressure on
the food supply chain, there is an urgent need to
collaborate and share information to raise the bar
in global food safety.
Since I became a food scientist – over 30 years
ago – there has been a real focus on microbial risk
across the food industry and tackling pathogens
such as Salmonella and E. coli. Although great
scientific strides have been made in these areas,
these hazards still naturally exist today. There is
also the very real, related issue of food waste.
A study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)1 revealed that unsafe food is
a significant reason why a third of food annually
produced in the world for human consumption is
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
lost and/or wasted. If we can collectively move to
a predictive and preventative model of microbial
risk management, we believe it is possible to
reduce waste.
Food fraud is another key issue affecting the
global food supply chain. Work is under way to
protect the integrity of raw materials and finished
goods, but despite this, food adulteration and
fraudulently labelled imitations remain a risk
that is only likely to be exacerbated by the
anticipated economic ramifications of COVID-19.
Food fraud incidents, such as the Chinese
melamine milk incident of 20082 and the 2013
horse meat scandal, have led to a demand for
greater transparency on the origins of products.
As supply chains become more complex, the
need to openly share food safety knowledge
and work together to identify food integrity and
food fraud risks and solutions has never been
more important.
Mycotoxins are another area of concern.
More than 300 different types of mycotoxins
have been identified, with aflatoxins the biggest
concern for humans and animals. Each year
around 4.5 billion people are exposed to aflatoxins,
which are known to contaminate 25 percent of the
world’s crop area.
The health impacts are devastating; as well as
stunting growth, causing damage to the immune
system and maternal anaemia, aflatoxins are
estimated to play a part in up to 28 percent of
all liver cancers globally.3 Climate change and an
increasingly globalised food supply chain means
these challenges are likely to affect more areas
of the world over time.4
In my view, there is also a need to adopt
a holistic approach to assure safe food across the
global food supply chain. That is about having
the effective processes, regulation, governance
and training in place to protect the food
we eat and the supply chains in which we operate.
Technological innovation and
the future of food safety
Technology in microbial risk management has
come a long way in recent years. We are now
entering a new world of ‘omics’, genomics, gene
sequencing, informatics, even the application of
artificial intelligence. More than that, there is a lot
of data being generated across the food industry
right now. What if, in the future, we could come
together and develop a smart way to integrate this
data? We could predict risk, tailor interventions
and prevent contamination.
Together with partners we are exploring ways
to map out the entire environment or microbiome
of a factory and supply chains specifically to
understand potential changes and risks before
they happen. We believe this technology could
31
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | FOOD SAFETY
“There is more
to be done, and
we all have a
vested interest
in ensuring safe
food for all”
Bob Baker
Bob is Corporate Food
Safety Science and
Capabilities Director at
Mars. Prior to this role,
Bob was responsible for
the design, construction
and leadership of the
Mars Global Food Safety
Center (GFSC) in Beijing,
China. He received his B.S.
degree in microbiology
from Fairleigh Dickenson
University and MSc degree
in Food Science from
Rutgers University. He is
also a member of the
New Food advisory board.
32
help transform microbial food safety, enabling us
to predict – even prevent – food safety outbreaks
before they occur.
Additionally, whole genome sequencing (WGS) is
being explored to identify ways to enable quicker,
more effective identification of the foodborne
pathogens to enhance microbial risk management.
In the area of food integrity, new finger-printing
methods could make it more difficult for criminals
to adulterate food. This technology could be
a potential game-changer for ensuring food safety
and minimising food waste.
Overcoming global food safety challenges
Urgent and coordinated action is needed to
tackle mycotoxins and food fraud. Arguably, one
of the most effective ways to do this is by taking
a multipronged approach which aims to share
knowledge, build capability and expertise. This
should be done through collaboration with strategic
partners to develop practical solutions that can be
applied at points in the supply chain where they will
make the biggest difference.
The Mars GFSC has been collaborating
with several partners to establish a global,
multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder community
to support the integrity of the global food supply
chain and foster a harmonised framework to
support food fraud standards through FAO-WHO
Codex Alimentarius.
In 2018, we were honoured to support the Feed
the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of
Post-Harvest Loss, Kansas State University (PHLIL).
The goal was to help facilitate a state‑of-the-art
mycotoxin lab in Nepal, focused on understanding
the problem of increased levels of aflatoxin present
in breastmilk and blood serum levels. The facility
provides a unique opportunity to determine the
source of aflatoxin contamination in the food supply
chain, helping scientists and food producers develop
better detection and early intervention mechanisms.
With our partners, we are also developing and
delivering food safety education and training in
a range of areas, including process control, best
hygiene practices, risk assessment, mycotoxin
control and management.
Others in industry are doing the same, sharing
insights to help raise the bar where they can.
None of this would be possible without collaboration
or the dedication and commitment of leaders
across academia, regulators, non-governmental
organisations and partners in industry.
Ensuring safe food for all
Food security is not possible without food safety.
Over the past few years, food safety has come a long
way, but more needs to be done to overcome new
and emerging challenges impacting the global
food supply chain. Collaboration is critical, as is the
exchange of knowledge and insight, and a focus on
research and new technologies. It is encouraging
to see a growing spirit of collaboration emerging in
the food industry and a willingness among industry,
academia, regulators and others to share insights,
new approaches and best practice.
As always, there is more to be done, and we
all have a vested interest in ensuring safe food for
all. Let’s make a start today. 
References
1. http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_
scandal#cite_note-sick-2
3. Liu et al., 2012. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC5876122/#!po=37.5000
4. Cotty et al, 2007
newfoodmagazine.com
 LABELLING

Dynamic
labelling
BarTender software helps market leader reduce costs, increase efficiencies
and create compliant product labels for global market.

O
NE OF THE foremost Spanish
companies in the food sector and
a specialist in the manufacture
of coffee and powered milk
bags for vending machines, was faced with
a challenge. It needed to standardise, streamline
and automate its processes for the design,
management and printing of its labels.
Its aim was to respond to increasing demands,
owed to the rising number of countries (Europe, the
Middle East, Asia and America) to which it exported
its products.
The deployment of a new ERP, Microsoft
Dynamics Business Central, and the integration of
the BarTender solution in its Automation edition,
has allowed the company to respond to the new

@NewFoodMag
33
 LABELLING
Originally, label design had
been a manual task and once
products had been labelled,
they were stored in boxes
demands of business development in the foreign
market. In addition, the company has managed
to reduce the time and resources needed for the
development of labelling processes, as well as to
“Integration simultaneously ensure compliance with different
of BarTender food labelling legislation.
was extremely The challenge
easy. We did The company's main challenge was to comply
90 percent of with the different labelling regulations of each
country to which it exported its products, with
the integration the added challenge of the particularities of its
ourselves and labelling process in the manufacturing plant,
we had the whereby machines screen-print the label onto
the packaging.
effective and Originally, label design had been a manual
expert help task; after multiple intermediate processes, an
of its support operator provided the label information to the
packaging machine via USB. Once the containers
service to were labelled, they were stored in boxes and
complete the the boxes in pallets, all with their respective
remaining labels. The company's fleet of printers comprised
different types of equipment, including direct
10 percent” printers (Markem-Imaje) and label printers
(Zebra and Toshiba).
As the company’s export market grew, the
process of designing, managing and printing
34
the labels became more complicated and the
likelihood of errors also increased. It should be
noted that, in addition to the relevant logos
(own brand and private labels) and the ingredient
information on each product, the labels also
needed to include other information, such as those
related to allergens, which vary according to the
legislation of the destination country. All of this
needed to be done in the language(s) indicated.
In five years, the company went from handling
less than a dozen labels to managing several
hundred, such that when any update or change
was needed, the labelling became bottlenecked.
The company attempted to respond to the
challenge by increasing the number of operators
responsible for these tasks, which, in addition
to increasing costs and therefore the selling
price of the product, increased the risk of error.
Consequently, the possibility of the goods being
retained in customs for not complying with the
legislation and committing violations against
the food safety system of the importing country
was multiplied.
The solution
The complexity and resources involved in the
process and the risk of error grew to such a scale
newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

that it became essential to undergo a complete

transformation of operations. In order to do this,
and given that the management system used
by the company had also become obsolete, the
company had a new ERP - Microsoft Dynamics
Business Central - installed on-premise by PKTech.
In parallel, and fully integrated with the new
ERP, the company installed Seagull Scientific's
BarTender software in its Automation edition,
which allowed the labels to be produced in
a fully dynamic way and within the Microsoft
Dynamics Business Central environment itself.
For this integration, the BarTender's Integration
Platform module was used; a middleware
component that, through an SDK environment,
allows for very easy integration of the software
with any ERP.
“Integration of BarTender was extremely
easy. We did 90 percent of the integration
ourselves and we had the effective and expert help
of its support service to complete the remaining
10 percent,” said Antonio Checa, Practice Lead
in Dynamics NAV/Business Central of PKTech.
With the new solution, the company went
from manually managing between 300 and 400
labels, to managing only five templates, allowing
them to print between 5,000- 6,000 different
labels. Thanks to BarTender, these can easily be
customised in accordance with the requirements the fields and data that should appear on the label,
of each order; depending on the customer and as well as their layout on the label.
the type of shipment and destination, among The project was carried out in two phases –
other factors. deployment and adaptation – in a record time of
BarTender's Intelligent Template function allows two months and with an ROI of less than one year,
the user to establish fixed conditions or patterns helping to ensure the success of the company's
for each client's labelling and dynamically define international expansion strategy. In addition, the

EXPERT VIEW
SEAGULL SCIENTIFIC Automation technology for a transparent,
interoperable food supply chain
The food industry’s reliance on paper-based and other
manual methods of tracking puts it at risk.
The food supply chain is incredibly vast and complex and
is becoming increasingly global. As a result, it can be hard
to keep up with what happens between the ranch, fishery,
farm or processing plant as food makes its way to the
Katrina Cole consumer’s table.
General Manager, EMEA,
Current track and trace regulations require that any
Seagull Scientific company that handles, produces or processes food, can
track every ingredient back one node upstream in the food
supply chain, and every product that leaves their facility,
one node downstream. In the case of an audit or a recall,
these data must be produced within 24 hours.
If the food chain were binary, tracking a product would
be simple. But it’s not binary. The next stop for a single lot
of pollock fished out of the North Atlantic, for example,
could be any number of locations all over the world – it
For further information, visit: might end up as an ingredient in surimi, and in pet food,
www.seagullscientific.com and in frozen fish sticks, and in canned products processed
in Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
The 24-hour time window for one-up, one-down
traceability provides powerful incentive to transition
to automated supply chain data tracking, and the
benefits go far beyond achieving regulatory compliance
– your company can extract tremendous value from
a well-designed automated ID deployment.
Traceability regulations afford the opportunity to
evaluate and integrate existing systems, amplify present
efficiencies and gain new ones.
A well-deployed automation initiative provides the
opportunity to standardise methodologies, examine, and
perhaps, reorder master data, and implement a single
source of truth strategy. Automation enables a lean
supply chain, with well-curated, visible data and optimised
transportation planning and inventory management.
Automation technology providers have helped other
regulated industries, including medical device and pharma
manufacturing, meet traceability standards. Automating
traceability does not have to be complicated or expensive;
there is a right-size system for every company.

@NewFoodMag
35
 LABELLING

company has the added advantage that BarTender
is tested against Microsoft Dynamics Business
“With the Central platforms.
new system, The benefits
the company The standardisation and centralisation of labelling
decreased costs has allowed the company to raise the level of
compliance control with the labelling regulations
and reduced in all the countries to which it exports its products,
the possibility and to contribute to the effectiveness of the
of error to traceability system. With the implementation of
this new system, the situation changed radically
practically zero” to the point where a single person – the quality
manager – can handle the process, with full
guarantees that the labelling complies with the
regulatory requirements regarding food and
the corresponding language/s of each country.
The project represents a clear example of the
power and ease of integration of BarTender,
according to the professionals at PKTech,
a company which has 20 years of experience
in project coordination and execution, with the
implementation of business solutions (ERP and
CRM) from Microsoft.
With the new system, the company decreased
costs and reduced the possibility of error to
practically zero. It should be noted that, in the event
of any possible incident or need for consultation,
both the company and its service provider have the
24/7 multi-language support of BarTender. 

Overview
„ A leading manufacturer of coffee and
powdered milk bags for vending
machines needed to standardise,
streamline and automate the design,
management and printing processes
of its labels
„ As its global market expanded, the
company was faced with increased
demands for customised labelling and
the challenge of complying with
different regulations
„ The company underwent a complete
transformation of this environment and,
together with PKTech, on-premise
Microsoft Dynamics Business Central
and BarTender software was deployed,
fully integrated with the new ERP
„ The project was carried out in two
phases in a record time of two months
and with an ROI of less than one year,
helping to ensure the success of the
company's international
expansion strategy
„ With the new system, the company
went from operating manually with
300-400 labels to handling 5,000-6,000
automatically. It increased capacity,
decreased costs, and reduced the
possibility of error to practically zero
„ The standardisation and centralisation of
labelling has raised the level of labelling
compliance control, and contributes to
the effectiveness of the
traceability system.

36 newfoodmagazine.com
 BarTender® is the heart of your food
and beverage track and trace labeling solution.

CREATE, AUTOMATE AND MANAGE

LABELS, BARCODES, RFID TAGS AND MORE.

www.SeagullScientific.com
 MICROBIOLOGY
Sampling:
Back to Basics
Three experts offer practical considerations for the food industry
when it comes to safe and hygienic sampling.
W
HEN ONE refers to microbiological
testing, the point of statistical
representation and analytical
methods are often, if not the
only, debated topics. But what about the sample
itself? Although we have more and more efficient
standards and guidelines in place for validated
science-based methods, there is presently a gap
in addressing basic, yet essential questions about
the sample unit itself. For example, who took the
sample? Where and when was it made? How was
it taken? What training did the sampler receive?
Lack of guidelines and standardisation
The food sample is not a focus per se in the
numerous ISO standards detailing the food
microbiological analytical method.
38
General guidelines are provided for milk and milk
products (ISO 707:2008 – IDF50), and the primary
food-animal production stage (ISO 13307:2013).
Some general guidance for other foods is given
in ISO/TS 17728:2015 – sampling techniques for
microbiological analysis of food and feed samples.
It is, however, not case-specific enough to give
clearly defined processes and responsibilities for
taking samples along the process chain. The focus
is indeed on finished product testing, most recently
on processing environment sampling, but there is
not yet enough on in-process monitoring sampling.
Microbial risk assessment: How
are we sampling precisely?
The Codex Alimentarius proposed a definition of the
microbiological criterion1 first in 1981, updated in
newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

„ What do I need to know about my product?

„ What level of accuracy do I need from
my sample?
„ Does it need to be representative?

It is essential to ensure that the ‘sampler’ has

sufficient microbiological understanding and
knowledge to ensure that neither the sample nor
François
the process gets contaminated during the sampling
Bourdichon
procedures. Root cause analysis of non-metallic
François is the delegate for
foreign matter contaminations can occasionally
France at the International
lead to an accident during sampling caused Dairy Federation,
by the food sampler. (Do not always blame the elected Chair of the
standing committee on
maintenance engineers!)
microbiological hygiene
and Co-Leader of a
Aseptic and representative sampling dedicated action team
on hygienic sampling.
As previously mentioned, aseptic sampling is
He is also a Food Safety,
mandatory to manage the risk of contamination Microbiology and Hygiene
of the sample itself, and the process or container. Consultant for the food
industry, with a focus on
The process of taking the sample must not result in
In-process sampling requires dairy, infant nutrition and
aseptic technique using sterile contamination of the food processing equipment confectionery. With over
tools to ensure accuracy being samples, either by microorganisms, 20 years of experience, he
specialises in risk analysis,
chemicals, or physical material. The test result is
food safety and hygiene,
only as good as the sample. food microbiology,
1997 and 2013. The sample is indeed a component After the final control measure to mitigate the fermentation and
bio-preservation.
of the microbial criterion: “#46: Records such as hazard of concern along the process, food contact
test reports should give the information needed for surfaces are always (or should be at least) in a high
complete identification of the sample, the sampling hygiene zone. To ensure that the hygienic design
plan, the analytical method, the results and, if of the process is not compromised while sampling
appropriate, their interpretation.” The dedicated you should:
guideline of the Codex Alimentarius for sampling2
detail the role of the ‘Sampling Officer’ in charge „ Always follow aseptic sampling techniques
of taking the sample. The ‘how’ is neither defined „ Use sterile (and adequate) equipment
nor required. whenever possible.
The risk analysis framework specifies how
to carry out the assessment and identify During sampling, consideration has to ensure that
the microorganism of concern, and what the sample is representative of the ‘lot’ or ‘batch.’
decision should be taken by the risk manager. This may depend on which criterion is considered,
However, when it comes to sampling and testing, for example: Dr Roy Betts
the details of what to sample, where to sample,
Roy is Microbiology
and how to sample at the factory level can be lost „ Food product composition, eg, nutrient Ambassador for Campden
in a grey zone between production/operation and composition: If one expects a reproducible BRI. He is responsible for
quality/laboratory. This can lead to poor sampling production, the sample is representative of maintaining the business’
cutting-edge knowledge
choices and methods and, ultimately, incorrect the total food production of food microbiology and
results and poor decision making. „ Microbial contamination: Considering passing this on to BRI
The same point goes for third-party laboratories the expected heterogeneous distribution, members and clients.
Previously he headed the
that take great care of the ‘laboratory sample’ probabilistic laws to address total microbial microbiology department
and ensure a well-tracked and controlled distribution representativity. and managed a team of
history along the analytical process. Yet, almost up to 45 scientists. Roy
regularly lectures on
nothing may be known or even controlled for the The process sample needs a specific microbiological risks to
‘production sample’. Only ISO 18593:2018 for container and adequate transportation foods, microbiological test
swabbing surfaces provides clear guidance on After all these careful considerations to ensure methods, pathogens and
risk in food manufacture.
how the sample should be taken and preserved that the sample is accurately obtained, it still He will often visit and
until analysis. needs to reach the laboratory for further analysis assess laboratories
in the best possible condition. ISO standards, and production sites for
good operating practices,
Sampling considerations such as ISO 17025:2017 or ISO 7218:2007, detail and is frequently involved
Whoever has the responsibility to take the sample the responsibility of the laboratory in handling in troubleshooting
should always ask themselves (and document it) samples when they are received. But significant and microbiological
root cause analysis.
the following points: attention must be paid to the way samples are

@NewFoodMag
39
 MICROBIOLOGY

Anne Bigalke
Anne is the US delegate
at the International
Dairy Federation and
a specialises in developing
sampling, process
monitoring, and training
best practices with global
partners. Her focus is on
helping quality managers
find the right tools to
obtain representative
and accurate sample
data to improve process
monitoring. But more
importantly, she facilitates
collaboration in training
to improve sampling
education and culture.
She believes that with
increased communication When designing a sampling plan
among operators you must determine if you need a
responsible for sampling grab or a representative sample
and sharing best practices
between sites, we can
improve food safety,
hygiene and confidence
in our food production. handled in the factory and transported to the The training of the employees in charge of
laboratory, as is mentioned in ISO 7218:2007: the sampling is a significant, yet often forgotten
“Although extremely important for the investment that will ensure the global decision
interpretation of the results, sampling and sampling process is based on solid foundations.
plans are not a part of this International Standard.
The laboratory must receive a sample which is Conclusion
representative of the batch of product and has The pragmatic approach would be to use the
References not been damaged or changed during transport mantra: Always start with the basics.
and storage”. Microbial monitoring within the food
1. Codex Alimentarius
Commission. Principles Using sterile containers, and ensuring the industry is a crucial decision-making process.
and guidelines for
transportation time and the temperature does not The decisions taken are as right as the sample
the establishment
and application of interfere with the analysis by allowing organisms itself. While it is essential to know the limit
microbiological criteria
to grow or die, is critically important and requires of interpretation of a result due to microbial
related to foods. CAC
GL 21 1997 Modified another set of procedures to ensure that all distribution in the food type, as well as ensuring
2013.
requirements are respected. the most appropriate method, a fit-for-purpose
2. Codex Alimentarius
Commission. General It is essential to agree to these steps with decision first needs a fit-for-purpose process
Guidelines on Sampling. the laboratory. If the sample is potentially sample. Do not underestimate the importance of
CAC/GL 50-2004
compromised, it should not be tested, as having the right toolkit in place for the sampling
it would not be possible to interpret the approach, and how it needs to happen on the
results. To achieve high quality results, there is shop floor.
a need to define ‘what makes a non-compromised An inadequate microbial risk assessment leads
process sample’. to poor decisions and a false understanding of the
production process and product quality. One would
Take-home lessons not want to waste considerable investments in
Disclaimer
Defining the sampling scheme (n,c), the microbial state-of-the-art analytical tools, because they did
The present article
limit (m,M) and the analytical method takes a lot not put in enough effort (tools and training) when
represents the opinion
of the sole authors, of scientific work. obtaining the process sample.
and none of the Why? Who? Where? When? How? These are Make sure you have a thorough process outlined,
organisation bodies are essential questions that need to be considered, the right sample tools to ensure aseptic technique
represented through developed, documented and used once you begin and representative quality, and a good training
their mandates.
the sampling plan. program to maintain consistency. 

40 newfoodmagazine.com
 Ingredients
Dr Loveleen Kaur Sarao and Dr Shruti Puri discuss natural
alternatives to traditional processes that can enhance the
nutritional and functional properties of rice flour.
Two experts from Kraft Heinz outline recent
advancements that have transformed the company’s
collaborative research approaches.
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | INGREDIENTS
Protein
BOOST
Dr Loveleen Kaur Sarao and Dr Shruti Puri share how microbial enzymes can
enhance the nutritional and functional properties of rice flour.
R
ICE IS ONE of the world’s major staple
food grains. It is composed largely of
carbohydrates (80 percent), but it also
contains around six percent protein,
which is rich in the essential amino acid lysine.
In addition to this, some unique functional
properties of rice, such as its flavour-carrying
capability and low fat content, make it a suitable
grain for many value-added products. The inclusion
of rice in these types of products could afford
industry a new avenue for its use, thus increasing
its demand.
It is necessary, however, to study and improve
the quality and quantity of rice protein, and in
42
order to enhance its use, it is desirable to develop
effective methods to separate or concentrate the
protein component from these rice co-products.
Moreover, infants, small children and the elderly
are usually unable to consume a sufficient amount
of rice to obtain a satisfactory protein intake – the
protein concentration would need to increase
to approximately 20-25 percent to obtain the
required amount.
The traditional process for rice protein separation
from starch is tedious and costly. However, use of
artificial materials, such as sodium hydroxide, acids
and surfactants, are undesirable for use in food
production. The enzymatic process is an alternative
newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

During the milling

of rice, large
amounts of broken
rice and rice bran
are generated as
byproducts

Aspergillus species – probably due to its ubiquitous

nature and non-fastidious nutritional requirements.
The exclusive production of glucoamylases is
achieved by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus
oryzae in the enzyme industry. Aspergillus oryzae, “Current
approach, which uses only natural materials and a GRAS strain, is a filamentous fungus that does
is therefore advantageous for food production. not produce any toxins and its enzymes are
developments in
Enzymes are produced by various microorganisms, permitted for use in food products. This justifies its biotechnology
including bacteria, fungi and yeast, and are use for protein enrichment of agricultural wastes are yielding new
considered as important products obtained and by-products. It does not reveal any adverse
for human needs through microbial sources. effects based on its lack of toxicity and the fact
applications
The advantage of using microorganisms for the that the enzyme it produces is considered to be for enzymes”
production of enzymes is that bulk production is acceptable for use in food.
economical and microbes are easy to manipulate Current developments in biotechnology are
to obtain enzymes with desired characteristics. yielding new applications for enzymes. At industrial
Fungal enzymes are preferred over other microbial scale, most enzymes are manufactured by
sources owing to their widely accepted 'Generally
Regarded As Safe' (GRAS) status. A large number
of industrial processes pertaining to the industrial,
environmental and food biotechnology sectors
employ such enzymes at some stage or another.
Amylases are universally distributed throughout
the animal, plant and microbial kingdoms.
Among various extracellular enzymes, alpha
amylase ranks first in terms of commercial
exploitation. The spectrum of application of
amylases has widened in many sectors such
as clinical, medicinal and analytical chemistry.
Aside from their use in starch saccharification
they also find applications in the baking, brewing,
detergent, textile and paper industries and in
distilleries. Glucoamylases are industrially important
hydrolytic enzymes of biotechnological significance
and are currently used for dextrose production,
confectionery, baking and in pharmaceuticals.
Studies on fungal amylase, especially in
Fungus growing on rice
developing countries, have concentrated mainly on

@NewFoodMag
43
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | INGREDIENTS
Dr Loveleen Kaur
Sarao
Dr Loveleen Kaur Sarao
is an expert in food
microbiology. She works
as Senior Research
Fellow in Punjab
Agricultural University
in the Department
of Microbiology.
submerged fermentation (SmF) techniques.
However, in the last few decades there has been
an increasing trend towards utilising solid state
fermentation (SSF) to produce several enzymes
“Enzymatic from microorganisms. SSF holds tremendous
treatment potential for the production of enzymes. It has
of rice flour emerged as an appropriate technology for the
management of agro-industrial residues and for
improves the their value addition. The food, beverage and agro
quality of industries produce large quantities of residues
the flour in that pose serious problems of disposal, in spite
of them being sources of biomass and nutrients.
all aspects” These substrates are used for the production of
valuable compounds such as enzymes and various
secondary metabolites.
In an SSF process, the solid substrate not
only supplies the nutrients to the microbial
culture growing on it, but also serves as an
anchor for the cells. Agro-industrial residues
are generally considered the best substrates for
SSF processes and use of SSF for the production
of enzymes is no exception to that. The use of
a suitable low-cost fermentation medium for the
production of alpha amylase using agricultural
byproducts has been achieved. Cereal brans and
flours, potato residue and other starchy waste
materials have been utilised as fermentation
substrates for amylase and glucoamylase
production by filamentous fungi. Wheat bran,
paddy husk, rice processing waste and other
Dr Shruti Puri starch-containing wastes have gained importance
Dr Shruti Puri is an expert as supports for growth during enzyme production.
in food science and works
as an Assistant professor Wheat bran has been found to be the most
in the Department of Food promising substrate.
Science, MCM DAV College Large quantities of broken rice and rice bran
for Women, Chandigarh.
are generated as byproducts during the milling
44
of rice. Rice bran, and to a lesser extent broken
rice, are under-utilised. Production of amylase and
glucoamylase enzyme from various agricultural
byproducts by Aspergillus oryzae using SSF and its
process optimisation can be carried out.
The extraction and partial purification of enzymes
and estimation of their enzyme activity and usage
to enhance the nutritional and functional properties
of rice flour under optimised conditions is also
possible. Finally, the quality evaluation of treated
and untreated rice flour is also an option. As per
the lab studies conducted, it can be concluded
that utilisation of various agro-based residues for
solid state fermentation by Aspergillus oryzae is an
economical method for enzyme production.
Enzymatically treated rice flour was found to
have a higher protein content and ash content
compared to untreated rice flour. The mineral
content of enzymatically treated rice flour was also
enhanced compared to that of untreated. In vitro
protein digestibility increased in comparison to
raw rice flour and both the treated and untreated
rice flour was devoid of any harmful toxins
such as aflatoxin. Both the samples were found
to be microbiologically safe for consumption.
We conclude that solid state fermentation of rice
bran for the optimal production of enzymes is an
economical method. Enzymatic treatment of rice
flour improves the quality of the flour in all aspects;
the protein content of the treated flour increases by
two and a half times, while the essential minerals
also increase. This enriched rice flour can be used
in preparation of value-added products such as
designer foods for obese and diabetic people.
Furthermore, the high protein rice flour is suitable
for use in powdered infant formula. 
newfoodmagazine.com

Complying with
v
ISO 16140-part 3
In a webinar, in association with Thermo Fisher Scientific, experts explained how to efficiently
and successfully implement a new food testing method in accordance with ISO 16140-part 3.
THE ISO 16140 standard method covering
Microbiology of the food chain — Method
validation, currently consists of three
published standards:
„ ISO 16140-1:2016 which provides
the terminology
„ ISO 16140-2:2016 which describes
the ‘Protocol for the validation of
alternative (proprietary) methods
against a reference method’. This part
is the basic one and applies to
detection and enumeration methods
„ ISO 16140-6:2019 which gathers
the ‘Protocol for the validation of
alternative (proprietary) methods
for microbiological confirmation
and typing procedures’ and, in
that respect, complements the
ISO 16140-2:2016.
Now, three additional standards have
been developed to extend the ISO 16140
series, including the ISO 16140-3 on the
‘Verification of reference and validated
alternative methods implemented in
a single laboratory’. The ISO 16140-3 will
be published by the end of 2020; it is most
likely that Part 3 will become as known as
the Part 2.
In addition to the ISO 16140 series,
the ISO 17468:2016 provides the
‘Technical requirements and guidance
on establishment or revision of
a standardized reference’. A guidance
document regarding the application of the
ISO 16140-3 in the context of ISO 17025 is
available to ensure a smooth transition.
WATCH NOW newfoodmagazine.com/webinar
@NewFoodMag
In a recent webinar, three experts
provided the links between the different
standards on method validation and
verification, and illustrated how to
efficiently and successfully conduct
an in-house verification study.
Standards documents on
method validation and
verification: From A to Z
The first part of the webinar set the scene,
articulating between the ISO 16140 series,
the ISO 17468:2016, and the Guidance
document for the implementation of
ISO 16140-3. The link to the ISO 17025 on
‘General requirements for the competence
of testing and calibration laboratories’
was also explained. This specifies that
“the laboratory shall verify that it can
properly perform methods before
introducing them by ensuring that it
can achieve the required performance”.
Until the ISO 16140-3 development,
there was no ISO standard or technical
guideline internationally accepted for that
purpose. Of course, it is the responsibility of
the accreditation bodies to look upon the
ISO 16140-3 standard as normative. This is
very likely to happen for laboratories who
have an accreditation in food microbiology
as the ISO 16140-3 standard is specifically
developed to fill the gap.
A two-step approach for a proper
method implementation and
verification of detection methods
The scope specifies the (food) categories
for which the method can be applied,
WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
and therefore, different scopes
are distinguished:
1. Scope of the method gathers the
categories for which the method
is applicable
2. Scope of the method validation
gathers the categories for which the
applicability of the method is validated
3. Scope of laboratory application
gathers the categories for which the
method is used by the end-user within
the scope of the validation.
The method verification process according
to the ISO 16140:3 gathers two steps,
based on scopes ‘method validation’ and
‘laboratory application’. The first step,
the implementation verification, aims
to demonstrate the competence of the
end-user to perform the method. This is
achieved by their ability to obtain the
expected results on one (food) item.
The second step, the (food) item verification,
aims to demonstrate the competence of
the user laboratory to run the method with
(food) items that are routinely tested. In that
respect, the user laboratory shall select
challenging items.
The second part of the webinar
describes the various concepts for
all types of methods, standards and
proprietary methods, in order to
determine estimated limits of detection
(eLOD) and compare the generated data
to the defined acceptability limits.
Listen on-demand to find out more!
In association with:
45
 WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
Time to innovate
Infor offers six reasons to accelerate successful
product innovation with Product Lifecycle Management
in a New Food webinar. Here are the highlights...
FOOD AND beverage
manufacturers need to
take a fresh approach on
how they conduct business.
Why? Increasing consumer
demand for greater product
innovation and transparency,
ever-increasing quality and
compliance pressures, tighter
profit margins, new channel
opportunities, and a dynamic
workforce are just some of
the factors that are shifting
market dynamics.
New Food recently
hosted an Infor webinar
on how Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM) can
WATCH NOW
46
improve innovation. During
this virtual presentation,
Keurig Dr Pepper provided
a great customer case study;
the Senior Manager, R&D
Knowledge Management,
Bob Wimpfheimer, told Infor
how they needed a software
solution that could help
develop new products quickly,
produce these products
using the best possible
formulas, and maintain
full compliance with all
regulatory requirements.
Additionally, the webinar
highlighted several areas
where companies can find
newfoodmagazine.com/webinar
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
business evidence to justify
their interest in PLM, here
Maarten Hagen
listed as questions below: Maarten is Infor Solution Director
for Product Lifecycle Management
(PLM). He has more than 15 years of
„ How do you PLM experience. He is responsible
collaborate today? for PLM success in the Process,
Discrete & Fashion Industries.
„ How do you manage your
NPD projects data today?
„ How is your project
Inspired to improve
portfolio management?
innovation? Find out more
„ Where do you keep
via the free webinar,
product information?
available on demand here:
„ What regulatory
http://tiny.cc/87vfpz.
compliance/declaration
issues are there?
„ How do you get product
In association with:
data entered to an
ERP system?
newfoodmagazine.com
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | INGREDIENTS

A recipe
for successful
innovation
Judith Moca and John Topinka
of Kraft Heinz outline new
approaches to successful
research collaborations.

@NewFoodMag
47
 IN-DEPTH FOCUS | INGREDIENTS
F
OR DECADES, the separate Kraft and Heinz
companies were characterised by multiple
global megabrands, loyal consumers
and relatively stable consumer needs.
Researchers in both companies tended to be deep
technical experts in their core disciplines, which was
a successful strategy that allowed the companies
to support the needs of their consumers.
In recent years, however, the increasing pace
of change due to forces such as social media,
advancement in technologies, digitalisation
and e-commerce has transformed the research
approach of the now combined companies.
The Kraft Heinz Company has structured R&D
and its centralised research to be streamlined,
focused and efficient. This allows us to adapt
quickly to changing environments, while also
supporting long‑term projects to address future
consumer needs.
To develop truly innovative research programmes
that keep pace with consumer needs, the
Kraft Heinz R&D team had to strategically
change its approach to research. We made the
strategic decision to move from a mindset of
“the best research is born within our four walls by
our expert researchers”, to a more flexible and
collaborative approach with many different types
of partners.
The successful research collaboration at Kraft
Heinz is built upon transparency and shared
ownership of the outcome. It utilises every team
member’s strengths, and we believe it results in
happier and healthier consumers.
Successful collaboration
Building a successful research collaboration starts
with setting the stage, and contract development is
a critical first piece in determining how a relationship
is structured. Well-developed contracts are the key
to ensuring that everyone is on the same page
when it comes to goals, intellectual property and
inspired by the bluebird wing
48
financial terms. Kraft Heinz believes it is important
to train scientists to excel in partner management
in addition to developing fundamental technical
skills. Therefore, our R&D leads the negotiations
for research agreements, as ultimately R&D will be
the owner of the contracted relationship. Over the
last two years the company has prioritised this area
because, historically, we have found that ambiguous
contract language can be a project-killer.
One of the key things we try to avoid in
a contract is wording that puts off future
decision‑making, such as ‘to be fairly negotiated’.
We believe that if the parties are truly interested in
fostering a long-term relationship, they will be able
to decide upfront on a strategy to ensure that they
are at least in the right ballpark on aspects like
financial terms.
In some cases, we have gone to a more
complex, tiered royalty structure. This allows us
to have a lower royalty rate cap on lower‑margin
products, while also giving the research partner
the opportunity to earn more revenue with
a higher royalty as we launch into higher‑value
products. We find that featuring this type of
“Building defined flexibility and financial discipline upfront
a successful in our R&D contracts, creates a long-term
‘win‑together’ strategy.
research We fully recognise that at times, upfront
collaboration negotiations can be difficult, and this level of
starts with thoroughness can slow the contract negotiation.
However, in the end, we believe the process should
setting the stage, not be rushed or cut short because it is the right
and contract way to protect our long-term relationships and to
development be good stewards of our research partner investors.
Different types of organisations, each with
is a critical a unique style and culture, can work together
first piece in and complement each other to build a healthy,
determining how long‑term collaborative research relationship.
Within our ecosystem of research partners, Kraft
a relationship Heinz collaborates with consultants, fee-for-service
is structured” research institutions, research organisations
specialising in specific areas of interest such as
taste science, smaller startups, and traditional food
science universities. To stretch our thinking, we
One of Kraft Heinz’s colour
patent applications was also build external partnerships across a multitude
of disciplines not normally associated with food,
including physics, the energy industry, construction
engineering, biomimicry, medicine, medical device
development, psychology and other non-food
departments of top universities.
These types of partnerships are essential when
faced with newly emerging, fast-paced consumer
demands, often driven by social media platforms
that provide people with constant information
and which require the industry to adapt quickly
in response. For example, consumers love the
convenience of single serve items, but this can
lead to more plastic being put into our landfills.
This results to prioritising minimal packaging.
newfoodmagazine.com

The push and pull of consumer demands can create
complex challenges for R&D. Therefore, establishing
a multidisciplinary team that is passionate about
science and technology and that can approach an
issue from a variety of angles is a must.
When looking for new ways to tackle a particularly
hard problem through research, taking such
a multidisciplinary approach is essential in
creating a more successful research programme.
For example, we were challenged to develop
technology solutions for natural colours. As food
scientists, we thought about this in the context
of the chemistry of the colour. This paradigm
was challenged when we approached Harvard
University physics professor, Dr Vinny Manoharan
to collaborate on the project – one of the scientists
within our research collaboration ecosystem
who specialises in biomimicry. The philosophy of
biomimicry (copying or being inspired by nature)
can force you to look at a problem differently.
Dr Manoharan challenged us to look at how nature
approaches colour in a bluebird wing. It is essentially
a physical colour, created by refraction of light, and
has very little to do with any chemistry, meaning the
colour will not fade over time. This shift in thinking
forced us to reframe our problem and the questions
we asked and, ultimately, led to one of our natural
colour patent applications.
People who love science and have passion
for technology development are two key qualities
we look for in a researcher. We believe that
collaboration happens at higher levels and
the success rate is also higher if the two
engage equally.
Leveraging team members’ strengths and
differences makes all of us become more
open-minded, creates a myriad of potential
ways to achieve research goals, and drives
continuous learning.
We have numerous partnerships that span
across different university and industry experts,
all of whom are working on the same project.
This can work well when everyone is excited to learn
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
from each other. People who are passionate for
science and learning tend to approach projects as
a journey; when they hit a roadblock, the first thing
they ask themselves is: “What did I just learn and
what can I do with that knowledge?” This leads to
innovative problem solving and novel ideas for new
programmes. Even if the original objective cannot
be met, the team members’ shared passion creates
options for taking the project in a new direction.
Kraft Heinz is leveraging these new business
models and applying them extensively to enable
fast development of natural ingredient solutions
for our brands in the area of natural antimicrobials,
sweeteners, texturants and sustainable proteins.
The ingredient discovery programme was
strategically designed to explore spaces adjacent Judith Moca
to food such as personal care, biomedical,
Judith oversees the
industrial biotechnology, bio sciences, and marine Technology Platforms
ecosystems. Examples of partners include leading Group for Kraft Heinz
Company. She and her
research institutions such as the International Life
team look at developing
Sciences Institute (ILSI), the University of Wisconsin the technologies needed
Madison, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition to enable Kraft Heinz
business renovation,
(SPC), and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).
innovation, optimisation
These new approaches to successful research and efficiencies.
collaborations have helped our R&D group to
create and implement a strategic vision that
delivers on food products that are meaningful
to consumers. In the past two years, researchers
from Kraft Heinz have placed various investments
into multidisciplinary research projects that
will disrupt the food industry while creating
competitive advantages.
We take pride on how we challenge the status
quo by being adaptable in our thinking and in John Topinka
our approach to the problems we seek to solve. John works in the
When we work with our partners, our focus is Technology Platforms
Group for Kraft Heinz
always about our consumers’ needs and the Company. He is primarily
quality of our products. We think this mindset responsible for scouting
creates new opportunities for innovative research for new technologies that
can be applied across
and makes us competitive in this constantly multiple food categories.
changing marketplace. We love what we do, and He is continually inspired
we encourage anyone who wants to ‘nerd out’ by biomimicry, using it to
solve complex problems.
with us to give us a call. 
49
 WEBINAR HIGHLIGHTS
With a trusted
digital signature,
your wine can
go anywhere
Gordon Burns, ETS Laboratories, explained how you can use NMR for brand protection
and ensure supply chain integrity of wine in an insightful webinar. Read the highlights...
FOR MORE than 40 years,
ETS Labs has been a partner
to the wine industry. As an
independent analytical
laboratory, we offer a broad
selection of analytical
techniques specifically
developed for the unique
needs of winemaking and the
commerce of wine.
We pride ourselves upon
fostering the success of our
clients, who make some of
finest wines in the world, as
we set the industry standard
for analysis and verification
through techniques such as:
„ Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR) analysis
„ Liquid chromatography/
mass spectroscopy (LC/MS
and LC/MS/MS QQQ)
„ Gas chromatography/
mass spectroscopy (GC/MS
and GC/MS/MS QQQ)
„ High automated routine
analytical chemistries
„ High-throughput
multiplexed qPCR testing
„ Microbiological analysis
and testing.
As consumer demands
shift, the wine industry is
WATCH NOW
50
incorporating science and
technology to ensure the
integrity of its product through
the supply chain.
Today’s global wine
consumers demand more
transparency than ever before.
They want to trust the origin
and integrity of what they
buy, and their need for trust
extends from the point of sale
throughout the supply chain.
Meeting this growing need
will take a major change by the
industry. Verification creates
trust. To verify your products
and safeguard their value,
you can leverage the unique
information that identifies
a wine's region, variety, and
chain of custody at each point
in the journey from vineyard
to glass.
Supported by enabling
technologies such as
blockchain, these data points
create a complete verification
solution based in the product
itself – a wine’s unique
digital signature.
A wine’s digital signature
is the key to unlocking
tomorrow’s supply chain.
As wines travel through
a global supply chain, their
newfoodmagazine.com/webinar
unique digital signatures
can travel with them. A key
part of the signature is
the wine’s NMR (nuclear
magnetic resonance) profile,
which can be tested at any
point and linked back to
a central database.
NMR is one of the most
accurate analytical tools
in science. It uses a similar
detection technology to
that found in a medical
MRI to analyse the material
composition of a sample
through that sample’s
unique NMR spectra.
NMR’s unique qualities,
which makes it a perfect tool
for verifying authenticity of
wines, include:
„ Gold-standard analyticaltool
„ Each spectrum is unique
„ Highly accurate and
reproducible technique
„ Used and
recognised worldwide.
A wine’s NMR profile is stored
in a secure central database
which is always available
for additional verification
during each step of the wine
supply chain. These are:
„ Step one: When the wine
is produced, it is analysed
and its unique digital
signature established
„ Step two: During
transportation, the wine’s
digital signature follows
the product and can be
used to verify authenticity
„ Step three: Digital signature
verifies wine anywhere
along supply chain
„ Step four: As the wine
is distributed and sold,
its digital signature can
follow the product to the
customer
„ Step five: Wine's integrity
assured for producers,
distributors, retailers
and consumers.
Gordon Burns
President and Technical
Director, ETS Laboratories
In association with:
newfoodmagazine.com
 HYGIENE

The aerosolisation
phenomenon
Aerosol droplets and cross-contamination risks in the
food industry. By Christine Faille and Erwan Billet.

I
NDUSTRIAL FOOD contact surfaces are
now widely recognised as a main source of
food contamination. Surfaces can become
contaminated through direct food contact, but
also via splashes or aerosol droplets (bio-aerosols)
that contain food or sanitation product residues,
as well as bacteria, moulds, yeasts or viruses.
According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), aerosol transport occurs in droplet form
when >5 μm, and in airborne form when ≤5 μm.
This article focuses on contamination transmission
by droplets.
Washing raw poultry under running water
provides a good illustration of this aerosolisation
phenomenon. This common practice often results
in splashing and potential pathogen transmission
(eg, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella, Clostridium
perfringens) to nearby kitchen areas, with water
droplets capable of traveling more than 50cm in
every direction.

@NewFoodMag
51
 HYGIENE

During food processing, aerosols can be dispersed Holah et al. (1990) demonstrated the potential
by air or water flow and originate from a variety for Listeria to be spread around food production
“Newly formed of sources. One prime example is ventilation areas by a high‑pressure/low volume spray lance,

aerosols could systems; droplets containing microorganisms can or a low‑pressure/high-volume hose. This practice
be dispersed from condensate on the cooling fins of favours aerosol formation as it forces air out of
either be directly evaporative chillers.1 Viable aerosols are also often the drain as the liquid enters.
projected a by-product of cleaning or rinsing, the flooding or Aerosols can also form during processing, for

onto surfaces cleaning of drains is a frequent source of aerosol example during salad-washing in ‘jacuzzi-style’
formation and of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria, systems, where air bubbles bursting on the
or dispersed including Listeria monocytogenes. These aerosols wash water surface generate droplet aerosols
from high to would also increase airborne microflora for around containing microorganisms.4

low-pressure 40 minutes.2
High-pressure (40-60 psi) cleaning also Transport of aerosols
on air currents generates aerosols and promotes migration of Newly formed aerosols could be either directly
within the L. monocytogenes from contaminated drains to projected onto surfaces or dispersed from high to

processing area” food-surfaces or food.3 low-pressure on air currents within the processing
Other surfaces which could contribute area. As aerosols can remain suspended in the
towards cross-contamination include floor tiles. air for various periods, they can contaminate
new areas at different distances from the
Figure 1 droplet formation.
Not only is transport and ultimate settling
affected by the size, density and shape of the
aerosol particles,5 but also by environmental
parameters such as air currents, humidity and
temperature.6 For example, boot washer brushes
can disperse quite large droplets one to two
meters from source,1 while other floor-washing
procedures can disperse these droplets to
distances sometimes exceeding two meters in
height and five meters in length from the point of
impact.7 It has also been shown that hand‑washing
produces aerosols detectable more than
10 meters away.8
The main issue is that some microorganisms
are able to survive within droplets. For example,
L. monocytogenes can live up to 210 minutes in
aerosol suspensions.9 It would appear that biphasic
decay occurs within droplets in the first one to
two minutes, resulting in a rapid loss of viability,
followed by a second phase characterised by
a slow decrease. It has been suggested that the
initial decrease is related to evaporative cooling
and mass transfer processes within the droplets
until equilibrium is reached.10
Elsewhere, the bacterial survival is affected
by the droplet size; as shown on Pseudomonas
syringae and Erwinia herbicola, viability loss
decreased.11 As mentioned earlier, it is also highly
likely that many microorganisms within the droplets
will be injured due to the stress of aerosolisation
and, therefore, may not form any colonies
on culture media, making them very difficult
to detect.12
Even in the absence of water, some pathogens
have been proven to survive in the air when
associated with dust particles.13 Consequently, in
the presence of aerosols, it is probable that new
Deposition patterns of Bacillus spores (Bc 98/4 and Bs PY79) on different materials, surfaces will be contaminated with viable, if not
examined by epifluorescence (x50) cultivable, microorganisms.

52 newfoodmagazine.com
 New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03

Role of surface properties on the droplet

evaporation and deposition patterns
Materials contaminated by bio-aerosol can have
varying surface properties, whose physicochemical
and topographic differences impact the ease of
contamination control. When a sessile droplet
containing insoluble micro-particles evaporates,
various deposition patterns are observable.
The final deposit pattern is the result of the fluid
flow within evaporating droplets, which is affected
by numerous parameters, such as the properties
of the substratum and the particle, the suspending
medium, and the external environment. It can be
assumed that the structure of the final deposit
would affect the further bacterial survival and
resistance to cleaning and disinfection procedures.
Few articles have addressed these issues in
the context of bacterial contamination in the Washing chicken often results in splashes,
food environment. The only parameters still to with droplets capable of traveling more
than 50cm in every direction
be investigated in this context are substratum
wettability14 and topography.15 At INRAE-PIHM,
as part of a French National Research Agency
(ANR, FEFS project [ANR-18-CE21-0010]) varies depending on the process. Initially, we were
project, we investigated the effects of material unable to highlight any significant differences in
surface properties on the deposition of droplets the deposition patterns of either Bacillus spores
contaminated with Bacillus spores. We first as a function of temperature, within the 10-30°C
confirmed the main role of material hydrophobicity
on the diameter and pattern of the deposit after
Figure 2
droplet (1 µl) evaporation (Figure 2). The deposit
was small (+/- 1 mm diameter) on a hydrophobic
material (Teflon), much larger (2.5-3.5 mm
diameter) on hydrophilic glass, and intermediate
on stainless steels 316 with a 2B- or 2R-finish.
Furthermore, a ring surrounding the whole deposit
was observed, whatever the material. More
surprisingly, marked differences in the deposition
patterns were observed with hydrophilic (B. subtilis)
vs hydrophobic (B. cereus) spores, whether in the
size of the deposit (larger with hydrophobic spores),
or in the distribution of the spores within the ring.
When hydrophilic spores were used, the inner area
was unevenly covered with small zones covered
with numerous spores, the remaining area being
poorly contaminated. Conversely, with hydrophobic
spores, homogeneous distribution of spores
or spore clusters covered the whole inner area.
We also investigated the possible role of material
topography through the use of stainless steels
with different finishes. Figure 1 shows the surface
average roughness, ranging from 0.05 µm or
less (glass, polypropylene, stainless steel 2R) to
0.23 µm (stainless steel 2B), seemed to have little
or no effect on the distribution of spores over the
contaminated zone.
We then investigated the possible role of
temperature and particle size on the deposition
patterns. In food environments, contaminants
can range in size from less than 1 µm (bacteria) Deposition patterns of fluorescent microspheres (1 µm diameter) on different materials,
to more than 10 µm (yeast), and the temperature examined by epifluorescence (x50)

@NewFoodMag
53
 HYGIENE

consequences in terms of survival from desiccation

Erwan Billet
Erwan is a food engineer
and directs the French
HYDIAC organisation,
specialising in training
and consulting in hygiene
and cleaning in specific
environments. He helps
companies resolve
surface contamination
problems, supports in
the optimisation of their
cleaning techniques, and
helps improve the hygienic
design of their production
equipment. In addition,
he presides the French
regional section of the
EHEDG (European Hygienic
Engineering Design Group).
Floor washing procedures can
disperse contaminated droplets
across long distances
range (data not shown). In order to determine any
particle-size influence, we used differing diameter
polystyrene microspheres (1, 3 and 10 µm).
As shown in Figure 2, the microsphere distribution
over the surface is clearly affected by particle size,
the main differences being observed between
microspheres of 3-µm and 10-µm diameters.
This suggests that striking droplet behavioural
differences exist for bacteria or yeasts, with likely
and/or resistance to cleaning and disinfection.
Surface hygiene consequences
It is worth noting that these newly contaminated
surfaces are probably rarely cleaned promptly
after contamination. Unfortunately, many bacteria
are able to withstand periods of desiccation,
whether in the form of biofilms,16 or that of
adherent cells17 and, therefore, will remain capable
of cross‑contaminating food. One may wonder
whether this drying phase might influence the
further cleaning resistance of bacteria. Literature
on the drying of adherent microorganisms mainly
focuses on cross-contamination between foods
and surfaces.18
However, at INRAE-PIHM, we have recently
shown that the duration of an evaporation step,
as well as the temperature during this step, could
greatly affect the ease of removal of adherent
Bacillus spores.19 
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the ANR
(Agence Nationale de la Recherche) for funding the
FEFS project (ANR-18-CE21-0010) and
the Hauts-de-France region for funding the Interreg
Veg-I-Tec project (programme Interreg
V France-Wallonia-Flanders, GoToS3NuTeX).

Christine Faille
Christine is research
director at the French
National Research
Institute for Agriculture,
Food and Environment
(INRAE), and is the leader
of a research team
specialised in phenomena
occurring at interfaces
between bacteria (spores/
biofilms) and materials in
the agro-industrial sector.
She has a recognised
expertise on Bacillus
spores, biofilm formation
and phenomena occurring
during the cleaning of
contaminated surfaces.
Her activities are
currently focused on the
investigation of surface
properties of bacteria and
materials affecting surface
hygiene control and on
the role of evaporation
in interactions between
bacteria and materials.
References
1. Brown KL, Wray S. Control of airborne
contamination in food processing
[Internet]. Hygiene in Food Processing:
Principles and Practice: Second Edition.
Woodhead Publishing Limited; 2013.
174–202 p. Available from: http://dx.doi.
org/10.1533/9780857098634.2.174
2. Kang YJ, Frank JF. Characteristics
of Biological Aerosols in Dairy
Processing Plants. J Dairy Sci [Internet].
1990;73(3):621–6. Available from:
http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-
0302(90)78712-7
3. Saini K, Marsden L, Fung J, Crozier-
Dodson A. Evaluation of Potential for
Translocation of Listeria monocytogenes
from Floor Drains to Food Contact
Surfaces in the Surrounding Environment
Using Listeria innocua as a Surrogate.
Adv Microbiol. 2012;02(04):565–70.
4. Sawyer B, Elenbogen G, Rao KC, O’Brien
P, Zenz DR, Lue-Hing C. Bacterial
aerosol emission rates from municipal
wastewater aeration tanks. Appl Environ
Microbiol. 1993;59(10):3183–6.
5. Brandl H, Fricker-Feer C, Ziegler
D, Mandal J, Stephan R, Lehner A.
Distribution and identification of
culturable airborne microorganisms in a
Swiss milk processing facility. J Dairy Sci.
2014;97(1):240–6.
6. Chao HJ, Schwartz J, Milton DK, Burge
HA. Populations and determinants
of airborne fungi in large office
buildings. Environ Health Perspect.
2002;110(8):777–82.
7. Holah J. Cleaning and Disinfection
Objectives. Ref Modul Food Sci
[Internet]. 2018;1–7. Available from:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-
100596-5.21203-1
8. Burfoot T. Aerosols as a contamination
risk. In: Lelieveld H, Holah J, Gabric D,
editors. Handbook of Hygiene Control
in the Food Industry. 2nd ed. Woodhead
Publishing, Elsevier; 2016. p. 81–7.
9. Spurlock AT, Zottola EA. Growth and
attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to
cast iron. J Food Prot. 1991;54(12):925–9.
10. Fernandez MO, Thomas RJ, Garton NJ,
Hudson A, Haddrell A, Reid JP. Assessing
the airborne survival of bacteria in
populations of aerosol droplets with
a novel technology. J R Soc Interface.
2019;16(150).
11. Lighthart B, Shaffer BT. Increased
airborne bacterial survival as a function
of particle content and size. Aerosol Sci
Technol. 1997;27(3):439–46.
12. Kang Y-J, Frank JF. Biological Aerosols:
A Review of Airborne Contamination
and its Measurement in Dairy Processing
Plants. J Food Prot. 1989;52(7):512–24.
13. Mullane NR, Whyte P, Wall PG, Quinn T,
Fanning S. Application of pulsed-field gel
electrophoresis to characterise and trace
the prevalence of Enterobacter sakazakii
in an infant formula processing facility.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2007;116(1):73–81.
14. Baughman KF, Maier RM, Norris TA,
Beam BM, Mudalige A, Pemberton JE,
et al. Evaporative deposition patterns
of bacteria from a sessile drop: Effect of
changes in surface wettability due to
exposure to a laboratory atmosphere.
Langmuir. 2010;26(10):7293–8.
15. Susarrey-Arce A, Marin A, Massey
A, Oknianska A, Díaz-Fernandez
Y, Hernández-Sánchez JF, et al.
Pattern Formation by Staphylococcus
epidermidis via Droplet Evaporation
on Micropillars Arrays at a Surface.
Langmuir. 2016;32(28):7159–69.
16. Rodríguez A, McLandsborough LA.
Evaluation of the transfer of Listeria
monocytogenes from stainless steel and
high-density polyethylene to Bologna
and American cheese. J Food Prot.
2007;70(3):600–6.
17. Kusumaningrum HD, Riboldi G,
Hazeleger WC, Beumer RR. Survival
of foodborne pathogens on stainless
steel surfaces and cross-contamination
to foods. Int J Food Microbiol.
2003;85(3):227–36.
18. Jensen DA, Friedrich LM, Harris
LJ, Danyluk MD, Schaffner DW.
Quantifying transfer rates of Salmonella
and Escherichia coli O157:H7 between
fresh-cut produce and common kitchen
surfaces. J Food Prot. 2013;76(9):1530–8.
19. Faille C, Bihi I, Ronse A, Ronse G,
Baudoin M, Zoueshtiagh F. Increased
resistance to detachment of adherent
microspheres and Bacillus spores
subjected to a drying step. Colloids
Surfaces B Biointerfaces. 2016;
143:293–300.

54 newfoodmagazine.com
 WEBINAR PREVIEW

Date: 17 June 2020

Time: 15:00 (BST)

How to choose the

best-adapted water quality for
your food and beverage tests
In a New Food webinar, Dr Estelle Riche of MilliporeSigma* will offer KEYNOTE SPEAKER

expert guidance on water purity, including how to select the most

appropriate for microbiology media, the impacts it can have on
results, and how to overcome challenges.

PURIFIED WATER plays a critical role in In addition to ensuring the consistent

most of the analyses performed in modern
food and beverage testing laboratories.
Having consistently high-quality water on hand
is of paramount importance to obtain accurate
and reliable results.
In this MilliporeSigma sponsored webinar,
you will gain a deeper understanding about
the potential impact of water purity on your
laboratory results. You will receive practical
advice on how to select the most appropriate
water quality to prepare microbiology media,
especially as it refers to supporting compliance
with the ISO 11133 standard. The impact of
water quality on sensitive analytical techniques,
such as LC-MS, ICP-MS and molecular biology,
will also be discussed. Strategies for overcoming
quality of water, the benefits of other water
purification system features, including
user‑friendly design, data management
solutions and lower environmental impact,
will be highlighted.
Learning objectives:
„ Understand the potential impact of water
quality and purity on your laboratory’s
experimental results
„ Appreciate the importance of selecting the
right water quality for your work
„ Learn how water purification systems work
to deliver water adapted to each of your
laboratory’s applications
„ Receive advice on how to select a water
Estelle Riche, PhD
Dr Estelle Riche holds an
engineering degree in chemistry
from ESCOM (France) and a PhD in
chemistry from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA).
Prior to joining Millipore SAS
14 years ago, she was an assistant
professor in the School of Dentistry
at UNC for four years. She is
currently a Global Application
Specialist for Milli-Q Lab Water
Solutions, based in Guyancourt,
France. Her responsibilities include
understanding the potential impact
of water contaminants on the
results of laboratory tests and
providing support to scientists
regarding the optimal use of
purified water in their experiments.

the challenges posed by water contaminants purification system that answers the specific
In association with:
will be provided. needs of your laboratory.

REGISTER NOW newfoodmagazine.com/webinar *A business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

@NewFoodMag
55
 QUALITY ASSURANCE
The greatest
business strategy
Quality expert Gizem Kayar explains the role of a Quality
Assurance manager and the challenges industry face.
Q UALITY COMPRISES many elements
and is difficult to define. In the most
basic terms, it describes the value and
satisfactory state of a product, but it
is a complex concept that includes many facets,
most of which are subjective.
Quality considerations
When it comes to quality one must consider
the following:
„ Product characteristics and performance
„ Customer expectations
„ Value for money.
Product characteristics and performance, such
as physical, chemical and microbiological profiles
of the product, as well as compliance to the
product specification, are measurable features.
56
Whereas, customer expectations of smell, taste,
colour, texture and other eating characteristics of
a product vary infinitely, and meeting these can
be quite challenging.
The role of Quality Assurance
The main role of a Quality Assurance (QA)
department is to ensure all these quality aspects
meet with the necessary requirements (eg, legal,
customer, internal/external standards), along with
continuous maintenance and improvement of
quality, record keeping, reporting, problem hunting
and solving, and, ultimately, making sure a safe,
high quality product is delivered to the customer.
QA, which cannot be thought of as a separate
term from safety, includes different steps
and comprehensive control mechanisms.
First, establishing a plan according to a QA
management system is crucial. This plan is unique
newfoodmagazine.com

for each manufacturer, so it must be tailored
proficiently. It should include not only inspections,
testing and monitoring activities as the part of
quality control, but also additional activities to
prevent food safety hazards and quality defects.
The most common tool used in food
manufacturing is the HACCP system. This gives
QA managers a chance to recognise their processes
step-by-step, identify the critical points, prevent
the potential hazards before occurrence, and/or
when things go wrong, identify the action points.
Although the focus of the HACCP system is food
safety, it is also fundamental for product quality.
A comprehensive QA system enables better
control over your suppliers, raw materials,
processes and finished products’ quality and
safety. It is also possible to validate the methods
of control mechanisms that can mitigate
the hazard and verify them with different
monitoring approaches.
Some of the main steps a QA food
manufacturing site must take include regular GMP
audits to monitor site standards, microbiology
testing of materials and inspection of finished
products via sampling. Also, a thorough sanitation
process, with swabs taken to indicate cleanliness
and hygiene, and daily taste panels based on
sensory analysis.
QA is the backbone of food manufacturing; food
has a direct effect on health and can be lethal if
proper protocol is not followed. I strongly believe
that ‘you are what you eat’. Maintaining quality
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
means you can be confident that you are
delivering safe and consistent products that meet
consumer demands.
Building consumer trust through consistency is
key, it not only keeps you ahead of the competition,
but also helps to create a loyal relationship
between you and the customer.
A successful QA system should let companies
sell products with few worries, minimise economic
loss and enhance safety. With appropriate
QA, a business should have clear traceability,
empowering it to detect and, in some cases, “Responsibilities
prevent an incident before it occurs.
of the QA
Quality Assurance managers manager vary
Responsibilities of the QA manager vary business business to
to business and will depend on the scale of the
business and
company. In bigger organisations, a QA manager
generally focuses on writing guidance to assure will depend on
quality and make sure quality control tasks are the scale of the
being followed by the team.
company”
Whereas in SMEs, a QA manager’s role could
comprise hygiene, pest control, quality control,
food safety and defence, raw material/packaging
supplier quality and documentation,
regulatory compliance and responding to customer
complaints, among other responsibilities that are
assigned to them.
Challenges
The challenges of QA will vary depending on the
business, but I personally believe the two biggest
57
 QUALITY ASSURANCE
obstacles are continuous human error and lack of
commitment to the applications of QA.
Human error and commitment
Automated companies have the advantage of more
rigid processes and control mechanisms, meaning
there is less chance of human error. Unfortunately,
automation is not an option for a lot of SMEs,
due to restrictions such as space and cost, and
therefore, human error is inevitable.
Minimal investment in quality tools, resistance to
change, and lack of commitment by departments
to QA applications can be very challenging.
Commitment to quality and safety from
senior management is the first requirement
of the BRC standards. It is also important that
these teams remain open-minded about system
changes, as these can enhance both safety
and quality. The senior team needs to have
a clear plan for maintenance and improvement
of food safety and quality culture, provide
Gizem Kayar
the required human and financial resources,
Gizem is Quality
and ensure they are involved in meetings on
Assurance Manager at
Graze, a UK health foods a regular basis. If not fulfilled, the success of
company, which began the quality and safety systems can never reach
its journey with the
the high level of confidence that consumers
delivery of snack parcels
through letterboxes, expect and require.
and since has developed
several supermarket
Consumer driven
partnerships. Gizem has
extensive expertise in In the last year, QA has received more attention
quality management than ever, and as such, has started to evolve from
systems, HACCP,
a control mechanism to a systematic approach.
governmental audits and
legal compliance, as well Recently, globalisation and fast-changing
as research experience customer behaviours have led to an array of choice.
in food technology.
As a result, there is now stronger competition
She is qualified in Food
Engineering (BEng) in the food sector. Today, customers choose
and Food Science and their food according to trends (eg sustainability,
Nutrition (MSc).
vegan, healthy options, etc.), they are more aware
58
about the nutritional contents, and they have
specific dietary preferences and needs. There has
been a clear power shift, with savvy shoppers
dominating industry decisions.
Businesses have had to become more
personalised and ‘reliable’ to survive, in other words
be more attuned with shoppers’ wants and needs.
It has now become common for industry to work
closely with their customers and, consequently,
give much more attention to quality and safety
procedures than before.
Regulation
It is worth noting that the number of regulations
and governmental/third-party audits have recently
increased, which, in turn, has increased concern
among manufacturers to ensure systems comply.
There is also easier access to international
quality standards that specify the requirements
for implementation and maintenance of quality
systems. This means businesses can initiate
change more quickly in order to meet a new set
of regulations.
COVID-19
I must mention the very big challenge facing all of
us, namely COVID-19. We cannot underestimate
the future effects of this pandemic on QA.
Many food manufactures have already taken
precautions so to maintain food safety and quality,
and the well-being of their staff. Such measures
include temperature checks of every individual
before they enter the factory, restricted access
to sites, social distancing, stricter rules for PPE
use (including additional PPE), and virtual audits.
These are but a few examples of the ‘new normal’
and I do not doubt there will be even bigger
changes in QA and safety to come. 
newfoodmagazine.com
 VIRTUAL PANEL PREVIEW

LIVE PANEL DISCUSSION

Challenges and
opportunities of the
European baking sector Date: 24 June 2020
Time: 15:00 BST

Five experts come – virtually – together in a New Food panel discussion in association
with DuPont, to discuss key trends in the bakery industry.

WHILE THE baking industry is working
hard to meet the demands in fresh, frozen
and packaged baked goods, will trends
like ‘clean label’ remain?
This live panel discussion will focus
on the current and future challenges
and opportunities within the bakery
industry, exploring key and emerging
trends, such as clean label, frozen and
freshly baked produce, sustainability and
food waste, and health.
Through this virtual session, audience
members will gain an understanding
of how experts are overcoming current
obstacles and identify new and
exciting prospects for their businesses.
Attendees will also be able to pose live
questions to the five speakers.
Learning objectives:
„ To identify and understand the current
challenges facing the bakery market
„ To understand how you can overcome
such challenges
„ To recognise and understand bakery
trends – present and future
„ To identify and make use of the
current opportunities.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Andy Flounders Gordon Polson Alison Ordonez Leighton Byrom Jamie Crummie
Senior Applications Chief Executive, Innovation & Quality Master Baker & Co-Founder,
Specialist, DuPont Federation of Bakers Director, Roberts Bakery Free-From bakery Too Good To Go UK
Nutrition & Biosciences specialist, Genius Foods

In association with:

REGISTER NOW newfoodmagazine.com/webinar

@NewFoodMag
59
 LAB INSIGHTS
Life in the lab
Following a visit to i2 FAST’s new UK lab, New Food's Editor, Bethan Grylls, recaps her conversation with
its Chief Commercial Officer on the lab’s ethos and process.
I
N AN IDEAL WORLD, what would your
testing lab look like? How can we design
a facility with minimal risk of contamination,
that is specifically built to reduce hazards?
These were the questions i2 FAST asked during
the planning and launch of its new laboratory in
Hemel Hempstead, UK.
Custom-built
The Maxted House lab in Hemel Hempstead is
an impressive 27,000sq/ft building which takes
60
the company’s ethos of ‘transparency’ to a new
level with its largely glass structure. To further
reduce contamination risk within the microbiology
department, all external glass comprises two
layers to prevent environmental air from entering.
Each door is also labelled so that visiting customers
can understand the process better.
This level of understanding the entire lab
journey is a notion the company encourages
among its employees too. “We wanted to make
sure that i2 FAST workers see the whole lifecycle
newfoodmagazine.com

of the sample so that they understand what
the results mean, in relation to the product and the
customer,” the Chief Commercial Officer at i2 FAST
told New Food.
Understanding the benefits of each team
member being trained in all aspects of the process
is fundamental in ensuring a robust training
platform that provides maximum flexibility within
the laboratory, according to i2 FAST. It also creates
opportunities for staff to move around different
parts of the process, while continually furthering
their education of the industry.
The company found itself in a unique position.
Where many labs are historical buildings with little
room to grow, the space at i2 FAST has allowed
investment in newer innovations and provides
significant scope for expansion in the future.
How i2 FAST operates
The i2 FAST business model adopts a multi-site
business model – with one laboratory in the UK and
a second in Poland. The extremely time sensitive
work (eg, microbiology) is carried out in the UK
facility, while other testing, such as nutritional,
occurs in Poland.
Everything arrives at the UK lab and is received
and checked, and then forwarded to the relevant
testing department. A twice-a-day internal logistics
service carries samples to Poland overnight,
ensuring working time is not lost.
Booking-in
When building Maxted House, i2 FAST incorporated
a ‘continuous flow’ process; samples travel
fluidly from one stage to the next, and in
only one direction. This mitigates any risk of
cross contamination between processed and
non-processed samples.
The first stage of this flow is the sample reception
area, where samples are checked in to the lab.
As a UKAS accredited lab, i2 FAST provides full
traceability of the sample from receipt to report.
Samples are labelled on receipt with barcodes,
linked to the information held in the laboratory
data management system. This means there is
full data protection and samples are not treated
differently from one another in the laboratory.
Samples are batched in groups of 10, providing
confidence that samples are outside of their chilled
environment for the minimum amount of time,
reducing bacterial growth that can come from
a broken chill chain.
For example, bacteria can duplicate once every
20 minutes under 'ideal' situations. It is therefore
important that samples do not sit on the bench as
it can result in anomalous results at the final stage.
With vertical and horizontal traceability, auditing
a sample and looking at every other sample in that
batch can be completed very quickly. According to
@NewFoodMag
New Food  |  Volume 23, Issue 03
Outside the Maxted House lab, Hemel Hempstead, UK
i2 FAST, a lab unable to perform horizontal audits
cannot tell you with 100 percent certainty there is
not a chance of contamination.
Micro vs pesticides
Everything that arrives at the lab is scanned
using a barcode system, which reviews customer
details from the system and allocates the required
information for the next stage(s). This avoids
human error that can arise as a result of
handwritten labels or manual matching of samples.
The samples are then sent to the appropriate
area within the facility, eg, the microbiology or
pesticide lab. “The barcode
Waste is something i2 FAST considered as part tracking
of its laboratory functions and is in line with its
environmental policy. Utilising novel methodologies,
provides the
the amount of plastic and media is significantly laboratory
reduced, which in turn, reduces the amount of staff with the
waste that goes to landfill or clinical waste disposal
sites. As well as this, the organic food waste is
relevant test
disposed of using anaerobic digestion, creating information at
energy which can be used elsewhere. every stage”
The barcode tracking provides the laboratory
staff with the relevant test information at every
stage, removing the decision-making process
and increasing the accuracy of analysis in
the laboratory.
Confidence in the technical accuracy of results
is via significant and in-depth validation across
a multitude of different food types. Every food type
can interact with media and tests in different ways.
Inhibition and matrix effects need to be understood
and known to ensure false negatives, as well as
false positives, are not obtained. Extensive quality
control is undertaken to make sure that the
61
 LAB INSIGHTS
i2 FAST meeting room
available methods work for every kind of product.
Innovation and technology are key in creating
a high throughput laboratory with minimal errors.
i2 FAST invested in high spec equipment, from
pharmaceutical grade incubators to the most up
to date MALDI TOF equipment for confirmations.
Each item of equipment was selected for its ability
to meet the company’s requirement of rapid
turnaround, providing results to customers in the
“Homogeneity fastest possible time; from one-day Salmonella
of the and Listeria tests, to a three-day yeast and mould
sample and method, which is particularly useful to customers
who undertake positive release processes.
ensuring that In the analysis of pesticides, the company
a representative uses both high end LC MS/MS and GC-MS/MS to
sample is tested create a multi residue pesticide screen, as well as
a sizeable screen of single residues that cannot
is the key to be included within the routine analysis.
obtaining an The pesticide testing screen includes
accurate result” non-approved key actives and actives of concern
among retailers, as specified in the RAG lists, and
those monitored by the UK government and EU
surveillance schemes.
Accurate results
Homogeneity of the sample and ensuring that
a representative sample is tested is the key
to obtaining an accurate result, which is then
62
representative of the whole batch. Ideally, 1kg of
sample should be provided for homogenisation,
from which the testing will be carried out.
The pesticides laboratory holds flexible scope by
UKAS, allowing the business to react quickly and
flexibly to industry needs and new and emerging
issues. By following a defined set of guidelines
the laboratory is able to report as UKAS (Flexible
Scope), pending review during the annual audit.
Challenges and ethos
Price point has been a challenge for the
contract testing industry for around a decade.
Customers are constantly chasing lower prices,
whilst requiring greater levels of accuracy and
technical/consultancy input. The perception of
‘what a laboratory is’ needs to be addressed.
According to i2 Fast, a lot of people expect labs
“to churn out” samples as quickly as possible, but
that is not this lab’s ethos. Among i2 FAST’s core
business ethics is the maintainance of food integrity
and understanding what it is that its clients
want to achieve. “People have lost sight of what
labs are about – that they are there to maintain
safety and be honest, providing excellent quality
advice in the event of failed or anomalous results,
allowing the customer to make solid business
decisions based on good quality data,” i2 FAST
told New Food.
There is a box-ticking mentality in the UK, the
Chief Commercial Officer said. “Britain has very
stringent regulations, but if anything, people are
following these too closely and missing the wider
issues. They are testing for something because they
have been told to, or because it has been done that
way historically, but they have no understanding as
to why they need to test for it.”
Finding a lab partner
When looking for a lab partner, i2 FAST believes
it is crucial to understand why you are carrying
out an analysis. If your primary driver is cost, then
the customer will be looking for a laboratory to
undertake analysis as cheaply as possible. However,
if you are looking to have a business where you
can understand the risks and obtain value from
testing to advance your company, you need to have
partner that can advise you from a technical point
of view and provide value-adding testing solutions.
i2 FAST falls in the latter. “We can do all the
testing quickly and accurately, but we are really
here to be a game-changer, to help you understand
why you are testing and provide you with insight.
Why are you looking for Listeria…because you
have been told to, or because you are looking to
mitigate a risk?”
For i2 FAST the aim is to empower its partners, so
they understand the process, the data and what to
do next. 
newfoodmagazine.com
 Co-located with:

Innovation at the heart of Europe:

Revealing the trends
of tomorrow

1-3 December 2020

Frankfurt, Germany

30 November -
2 December 2021
Paris, France

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 Coming up in the next issue...

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Published August 2020

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