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Performance of starches in sauces, batters and gels New research on the processing of starch-rich materials from maize, wheat, rice and oats for use in sauces, batters and gelled food products will help processors select the materials best suited to their needs. The important changes that occur in starch during cooking - gelatinisation, swelling to form a paste, setting and retrogradation - are being evaluated. Initially, basic raw materials milled from the cereals such as grits and flours were studied to assess the effects of particle size and cereal types. Increasing particle size delayed gelatinisation and swelling, so that some grits remained largely uncooked, whereas fine flours gave the optimum paste viscosity under normal cooking conditions. Studies with a creamy cheese sauce and a more acidic tomato sauce used in ready meals revealed significant changes in cooking patterns due to interactions with other ingredients. Wheat flour performed well in the presence of fats in white sauce, but the more vitreous cereals, rice and maize, gave better results in the more acidic tomato sauce. Initial studies on the retrogradation of starch pastes and gels have shown the importance of optimizing the cooking process to produce the most stable starch-water systems. Addition of emulsifiers tended to retard cooking and required a higher cooking temperature (>90°C) (to melt the amylose lipid complexes) for optimum development. Further work will study the effects of thermal treatments of flours and starches in sauces and cake systems. Robin Guy Bioinformatics A recently started 12-month member subscription-funded project aims to demonstrate the value of bioinformatics to the food industry. Bioinformatics is defined as ´the collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers especially as applied in molecular genetics and genomics´. It is a powerful discipline originally developed to aid with data handling during the human genome project. It subsequently expanded to include areas of data management and analysis. Examples of applications that are likely to benefit the food industry are prediction of allergenicity and functionality using protein structure, screening tests for microbiological spoilage strains, ingredient traceability and understanding how genes control growth and development. The project will review recent developments in bioinformatics that may impact on or benefit the food industry. Practical situations will be used to demonstrate the application of bioinformatic techniques to address specific problems within the food industry. John Dooley New technologies monitoring service Since 1990, CCFRA has been monitoring and reporting on developments in novel technologies via the ´New Technologies Bulletin´. The bulletin offers members a concise summary of key developments in over sixty emerging food technologies. This publication is produced as part of a CCFRA membership subscription funded project and is offered free of charge to members. It is offered as an ´opt-in´ service; on request members can be added to a mailing list to receive future editions of the bulletin. It is also available (to members only) on our website at http://www.campden.co.uk/research/researchmenu.htm Craig Leadley Recent R&D reports The main findings from CCFRA´s extensive research programmes are published in the form of R&D Reports. Those published since the list included in the May 2005 newsletter are:
Copies of each are available free on request to members (up to three copies per member company). Most R&D reports are restricted to members only. Lists of research reports are available in the research section of our www.campden.co.uk/research/reports Carol Newman Listeria and butter - new research In recent years there have been outbreaks of listeriosis associated with butter. These have occurred in the USA, Finland and northern England. It is not clear why Listeria monocytogenes should be a problem in this foodstuff; consequently the Food Standards Agency has commissioned a project to investigate the problem. CCFRA will be working with Unilever Research, the Health Protection Agency, Dairy Crest and Dairy UK over two years starting 1st June 2005. The first part of the project will be to gather and review information and data in the literature on butter and butter-containing spread manufacture, and also L. monocytogenes strains isolated from butter, including outbreak strains. The second part of the project will involve practical butter manufacture and its impact on L. monocytogenes. It is planned to hold a dissemination event in May 2007, so that the outcomes can be discussed with industry. Phil Voysey Troubleshooting food packaging problems 
Rapid and cost-effective troubleshooting of problems with food packaging is vital to the safety and quality of food and drink. CCFRA offers a service that combines the practical experience of packaging technologists with the analytical capabilities of microscopists, chemists, microbiologists and sensory scientists. Alan Campbell, who leads the Packaging Technology Section at CCFRA, describes some of the problems that clients encounter: "Multilaminate pouches are increasingly popular for many quality products, ranging from soup to pet food. Although generally very successful, the rapid progress in this area and the introduction of new materials occasionally leads to problems. An understanding of the structure of the material around such faults, such as channels across seals, combined with a knowledge of the sealing technology, can help to provide a rapid solution to the problem. Thin sections of flexible laminates or rigid plastic containers can be examined microscopically and analysed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to confirm the composition of the material, check that the thickness of individual layers are as specified, or identify layers which are delaminating. Polarised light microscopy can be used to identify strains in a rigid plastic structure that might develop into failure sites. Problems also occasionally arise with metal cans. These require a variety of techniques and skills to identify the root cause. For example, headspace gas analysis can reveal whether the problem is microbiological or chemical, or simply the presence of too much residual oxygen in the product when packed. Similarly, studies on the interface between glass jars or bottles and their closures can identify causes of product spoilage." To assist in some of the studies on plastic packaging, CCFRA has recently purchased equipment to undertake permeability testing, which is suitable for a wide range of packaging films, including those used for modified atmosphere packaging. Alan Campbell Thermal processing course to be held in Dublin The heat preserved foods sector is continuously evolving, with new product concepts and packaging formats, and methods for extending shelf life. With all of these developments it is important that industry ensures that the principles and theories on which thermal processing are based are fully understood and appreciated. CCFRA has been offering specialised training in the thermal processing sector since the 1930´s. In order to make the thermal processing course available to more companies, it was run in King´s Lynn earlier this year, and in November it will take place at University College, Dublin (UCD). This venue gives the opportunity for different applications to be considered within the practical aspects than would otherwise be possible at CCFRA. In particular, the pilot plant at UCD will be used to consider pasteurisation processes. The combination of lectures, tutorials and practicals on the theory behind thermal processing makes the course equally applicable to pasteurisation and sterilisation applications. Geoff Shaw Little books, big ideas Our 'Key Topics' series of short, industrially-relevant, introductory books to various aspects of food science and technology has continued to expand in 2005 with the publication of two new titles: Chemical Analysis of Food: An Introduction (No. 10) and Raw Materials and Ingredients in Food Processing (No. 11). The Key Topics in Food Science and Technology have not only proved popular with industry, but are also now widely used in colleges and schools, where their strong industrial slant makes them an ideal support material for the food technology curriculum. Chemical Analysis of Foods explains food analysis in relation to those issues that are addressed on a day-to-day basis by industry, government and enforcement authorities - for food safety, food quality, trading agreements and regulatory compliance, for example. Aimed at non-specialists within industry, education and enforcement, the emphasis is on the use and importance of analyses, explaining the principles of the main methods used and outlining why many analyses are more complicated than might appear at first glance. Throughout it emphasises the importance of using the right approach to get the right result. Raw materials and ingredients in food processing provides an introduction to the processing functional properties of typical raw materials and ingredients, illustrates how their properties are influenced by their chemistry, and describes how they in turn influence the quality and behaviour of the end product. The book looks first at selected raw materials (rice, wheat and potatoes) and the basis for the extensive functional variation within these, and then at a wide range of ingredients. Examples covered include fats and fat replacers, gelling agents, proteins, starch and emulsifiers. A final section then looks at how particular ingredients can be used for specific functional purposes, with reference to products such as meringues, bakery products, ice cream and vegetable protein analogues. Other titles in the Key Topics series are:
Price: £30 for the first title and then £18 for any additional title (or copy) purchased at the same time Carol Newman New members Campden & Chorleywood is delighted to welcome the following new members who joined in June 2005:
Bertrand Emond or Sally Easton Please notify the Membership Department of any name or address changes with respect to our mailing list. |