Manufacturing and Supply
New technologies for food manufacturing
Campden BRI project 119166 (January 2010 - December 2012)
Member Subscription Funded
The industrial need for timely, accurate and concise information on developments in manufacturing technologies has never been greater, and knowledge on the sustainability of such developments is particularly important. This project has provided a 'snapshot' of food processing innovations for 20 years via the New Technologies Bulletin. Since 1995 it has also carried out a large number of practical evaluations of commercially relevant technologies. The new project will continue to produce technical bulletins, and investigate further web-based delivery methods. The project will again also undertake feasibility studies on different new technologies in response to developments that occur over the life of the project. More near-market technologies will be included in this project than in previous years.
Contact: Craig Leadley
+44(0)1386 842059
e-mail: c.leadley@campden.co.uk
Dough handling club
Campden BRI project 120101 (April 2010 - October 2014)
Club Funded
Dough stickiness is a major problem in large mechanised bakeries as sticky dough cannot be processed, leading to process disruption and product loss. There is no universal measure for stickiness within the food industry and stickiness is usually determined subjectively based on the results of manually handling the dough. The aim of this project is to develop a test to quantitatively measure stickiness and to then investigate the causes of stickiness in bread dough.
Contact: Dr. Charles Speirs
+44(0)1386 842284
e-mail: c.speirs@campden.co.uk
Reduction of food and packaging waste within the supply chain
Campden BRI project 122022 (January 2011 - December 2012)
Member Subscription Funded
Food waste in the UK is estimated by WRAP to be 18-20 million tonnes a year. One third of this is believed to be generated from producers and the supply chain, and can be attributed to pack damage or food damage during storage and distribution. Choosing the correct packaging is key to ensuring safe delivery. Implementing sustainable strategies will contribute to reducing food waste generated in the supply chain. By establishing where the most damage occurs within the supply chain, a simple set of tests can be devised to 'pass' packaging, giving a level of certainty to the performance of the packaging. Implementation of lab based tests will provide a cost effective tool to reduce food waste in the supply chain.
Contact: Lynneric Potter
+44(0)1386 842237
e-mail: l.potter@campden.co.uk
Novel approaches to developing clean label products
Campden BRI project 122023 (January 2011 - December 2013)
Member Subscription Funded
With consumers becoming more aware of what is in their diet, there is a growing interest in 'clean label' products free from additives. The UK food industry is under increased pressure to simplify ingredient lists and remove 'artificial' additives from foods. The aim of this project is to demonstrate NPD approaches using clean label ingredients in combination with emerging processing technologies (where necessary) to develop high quality products with adequate shelf-life. The hypothesis being tested is that minimal processes can facilitate the use of otherwise unstable 'clean label' anti-oxidants and colours. This will result in information and methods for increased usage of clean label ingredients in combination with emerging processing technologies where appropriate, as well as tools to help with NPD and reformulation of more clean label products using emerging processing technologies.
Contact: Craig Leadley
+44(0)1386 842059
e-mail: c.leadley@campden.co.uk
Antimicrobial surfaces to improve food quality, safety and shelf life and reduce waste
Campden BRI project 122457 (January 2011 - December 2013)
Member Subscription Funded
Surfaces can be impregnated or coated with a biocide or technology that generates a biocide, or with substances that make the removal of micro-organisms easier. All these surfaces can be termed 'antimicrobial'. A number of surface antimicrobial technologies are already commercially available and some are still under development. The efficacy of surface antimicrobial technologies in the food manufacturing environment has still not been established and, as such, their usefulness in contamination control is questionable. However, their use could provide enhanced food safety, quality and shelf life and help reduce food waste and cleaning chemical use, if they can be demonstrated to be effective. There is a need to evaluate and validate appropriate assessment methods for the technologies being developed so that the food industry can be confident in their use. This project will address this need.
Contact: Colette Jermann
+44(0)1386 842451
e-mail: c.jermann@campden.co.uk
Surface pasteurisation of food packages - understanding the issues, reducing waste and saving energy and water.
Campden BRI project 123480 (April 2011 - March 2014)
Defra LINK Funded
Pasteurisation requirements for acid or acidified food products are clearly defined in many guidelines and can be delivered 'in-pack' or to products that are heat processed before being clean/aseptically filled. Many are hot filled as ready-to-eat (RTE) products and it has always been assumed that the hot fill process will give the packaging and closures a sufficient thermal process to reduce any microbial hazards present. However, no guidance exists and the uncertainty has meant that foods are either processed to a higher temperature than necessary before filling, or the product is given a further heat treatment after filling. Quantifying the heat treatment given to food packages during hot-fill operations would potentially increase line efficiency and reduce waste, reduce energy input, reduce water usage and reduce the environmental burdens of food manufacturing.
There are key scientific challenges for this project, including understanding the heat transfer and fluid flow issues and development of methods to evaluate process adequacy and effectiveness at the food-package interface. Commercially, the project applies to several package formats: glass (e.g. jars and bottles), plastic (e.g. pots, bags, pouches, cartons and trays), card (e.g. soups and sauces) and metallised film (e.g. pouches and bags).
Contact: Martin George
+44(0)1386 842037
e-mail: m.george@campden.co.uk
Minimising food and energy waste through "super-chill" storage
Campden BRI project 124916 (October 2011 - September 2014)
Defra LINK Funded
This project aims to reduce the carbon footprint of food manufacturers by introducing a novel method of storage ("superchill") to minimise waste and energy use in the cold storage of foods and using microbiological screening to predict microbial spoilage patterns and thus minimise waste. The project will to develop a practical method of superchilling food that has the widest possible application to the food industry. This method will be developed to deliver optimum product quality whilst retaining product safety and increasing longevity. The longevity of the product will be limited by the growth of psychrotrophic microorganisms, and so both the standard and psychrotrophic spoilage microflora will be monitored to aid the assignation of an appropriate shelf life. The project will also quantify the potential savings in energy and waste that can be achieved through using superchilling.
Contact: Dr. Greg Jones
+44(0)1386 842143
e-mail: g.jones@campden.co.uk
Improving process control for reducing energy use in food production
Campden BRI project 125499 (January 2012 - December 2014)
Member Subscription Funded
Environmental sustainability has become key for many food manufacturers. The need for energy efficiency is driven by both commercial and regulatory considerations. To remain competitive in the face of rising energy costs, the food industry needs to use energy more efficiently throughout its operations. A paucity of numerical data makes it difficult for organisations to assess the significance of particular operations and practices within their production environment and prioritise them accordingly. There is also a lack of easily accessible support systems, tools and methods to help organisations understand and manage their impacts. This project will develop an easily applicable tool-kit of diagnostic instrumentation to monitor equipment performance, as well as a method for energy optimisation.
Contact: Martin George
+44(0)1386 842037
e-mail: m.george@campden.co.uk
Better package seals for reducing product waste
Campden BRI project 125500 (January 2012 - December 2013)
Member Subscription Funded
Seal integrity is important for maintaining a safe and high quality product. However, to produce a good seal the correct sealing method and conditions need to be chosen. This needs to take account of the product, package and process as well as the specifics of adhesive type, temperature, pressure, dwell time and jaw design. There is an increasing consumer interest in the environmental impact of packaging and food waste. Selecting the wrong sealing methods or parameters can significantly increase food waste due to failures in the seal area. The project will provide food manufacturers with information on optimum seal settings, helping to reduce seal size and material usage. It will cover all forms of packaging including pouches, flexible plastics, paperboard and can ends.
Contact: Lynneric Potter
+44(0)1386 842237
e-mail: l.potter@campden.co.uk
Economically and ecologically efficient water management in the European chemical industry (E4water)
Campden BRI project number to be confirmed (January 2012 - December 2014)
EU Funded
Water is used in industries for multiple purposes: cleaning, heating/cooling, steam, transport, as raw material, as solvent, as part of product, etc. Industry accounts for about 5 to 20% of the worldwide freshwater withdrawals, mostly from surface water (87%) and from groundwater (13%). In Europe the chemical and petroleum refinement industries are responsible for approximately half of all water use by manufacturing industry; that represents 11% of the total freshwater abstracted. The demand for eco-efficient water and wastewater treatment solutions in the European chemical industry is inextricably linked to the future growth pattern of the chemical industry itself. Campden BRI's role in this project is to look at water efficiency technologies in the food and drink industries.
Contact: Craig Leadley
+44(0)1386 842059
e-mail: c.leadley@campden.co.uk