Food Industry

... and Food Processes Jason Matthews1, Richard McIntosh2 and Glen Mullineux3 ... 1 Dr. Jason Matthews is a senior researcher at the Innovative Design and Manufacturing Re-search Centre in the University of Bath's Department of Mechanical Engineering. ...

The bagasse fly ash, an industrial solid waste of sugar industry, was used for the removal of cadmium and nickel from wastewater. As much as 90% removal of cadmium and nickel is possible in about 60 and 80 min, respectively, under the batch test conditions. Effect of various operating ...

Biofilms have been of considerable interest in the context of food hygiene. Of special significance is the ability of microorganisms to attach and grow on food and food-contact surfaces under favourable conditions. Biofilm formation is a dynamic process and different mechanisms are involved in their attachment and growth. Extracellular polymeric substances play an important role in the attachment and colonization of microorganisms to food-contact surfaces. Various techniques have been adopted for the proper study and understanding of biofilm attachment and control. If the microorganisms from food-contact surfaces are not completely removed, they may lead to biofilm formation and also increase the biotransfer potential. Therefore, various preventive and control strategies like hygienic plant lay-out and design of equipment, choice of materials, correct use and selection of detergents and disinfectants coupled with physical methods can be suitably applied for controlling biofilm formation on food-contact surfaces. In addition, bacteriocins and enzymes are gaining importance and have an unique potential in the food industry for the effective biocontrol and removal of biofilms. These newer biocontrol strategies are considered important for the maintenance of biofilm-free systems, for quality and safety of foods.

This paper deals with the modelling of batch systems by means of high-level Petri nets. Batch systems are systems that transform a continuous raw material through continuous equipment (as heat exchanger for example) and batch equipment (for instance, batch reactor). These systems are frequently used by chemical of food industry. Batch systems deal with concurrent activities and resource allocation mechanism.

Between 1995 and 2000, a prospective survey was undertaken to investigate the levels of contamination of raw retail chickens (n=1127) with salmonella and campylobacter. The levels of contamination over the 6-year period were 11% (95% CI±6·5%) for salmonella, and 57% (95% CI±9·5%) for campylobacter. S. Bredeney (20%) and S. Enteritidis (18%) were the dominant serovars. Although salmonella contamination was higher than in an earlier survey we conducted (7%), since 1998 it has declined to 6%. Many S. Enteritidis isolates (43%) were associated with one large integrated poultry organization that appears to have successfully managed the contamination, and the serovar has not been isolated since 1998. Contamination ranged from 0 to 44% between different producers. There was no significant difference between producers contributing large and small numbers of samples, although some small producers had much poorer contamination rates than others. S. Bareilly, S. Bredeney, S. Enteritidis and S....

Laccases have received much attention from researchers in last decades due to their ability to oxidise both phenolic and non-phenolic lignin related compounds as well as highly recalcitrant environmental pollutants, which makes them very useful for their application to several biotechnological processes. Such applications include the detoxification of industrial effluents, mostly from the paper and pulp, textile and petrochemical industries, use as a tool for medical diagnostics and as a bioremediation agent to clean up herbicides, pesticides and certain explosives in soil. Laccases are also used as cleaning agents for certain water purification systems, as catalysts for the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs and even as ingredients in cosmetics. In addition, their capacity to remove xenobiotic substances and produce polymeric products makes them a useful tool for bioremediation purposes. This paper reviews the applications of laccases within different industrial fields as well as their potential extension to the nanobiotechnology area.

Over the past few years, there has been growing global interest in the link between food and health. This paper provides a review of some of the recent literature describing these linkages. The first section provides an overview of findings that link the consumption of fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, whole-grains, alcohol, sugar, dairy, fish, pulses, soy, and nuts to coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. The authors then summarize various international and domestic non-government organizations' views about these issues. The third section centres on the food industry and its responses to growing health concerns. The fourth section is an overview of public policy relating to food and health, including the use of food policy to change consumption behaviour and address obesity. This section also includes a discussion of the relevance of policies designed to discourage smoking to the current debate on obesity. The Conclusion highlights ways in which Canadian food p...

In recent years the scale and scope of retailer internationalisation activity has grown markedly, mainly through increasing levels of cross‐border merger and acquisition activity. This has been particularly prevalent among companies operating in the food retail sector. During this time, and within the context of increased merger and acquisition activity in international markets, the financial institutions have taken an increasingly prominent role in the retail internationalisation process. Explores the nature of the financial institutions’ role in the retailer internationalisation process and, specifically, the extent to which the financial institutions actually inhibit and/or promote retail international activity. A key purpose of this study is to examine some of the drivers and inhibitors of the retailer internationalisation process. Reports the findings from 30 in‐depth interviews with food retail analysts of the leading investment banks in the City of London. The findings from t...

This paper presents a small-scale, batch-type, technology for production of a natural extract which can be utilized as a food dye. This technology was designed based on the laboratory tests performed on Mougeotia sp. algae; it allows a simple way for processing the algal biomass into a valuable product for food industry, which is in the mean time an antioxidant and a food dye. The key steps involved in this process are saponification (with a solution of KOH in ethanol), extraction (with diethyl ether) and evaporation; the final product is an ethanolic extract rich in lutein, antheraxanthin and β-carotene, it’s carotenoid composition being established by high performance liquid chromatography analysis.

Franchising, a business model that has grown in importance over the years, has become an option to promote investments. However, more information about this management model is necessary for it to produce better results, and further knowledge should be generated to strengthen it. The objective of this study is to design an instrument to measure success factors in food and beverage franchises based on the case of franchises in Monterrey, Mexico, that have achieved a good position in their market. The methodology was qualitative, including a thorough literature review and interviews with experts at franchises, which revealed shared opinions regarding success factors. Additional possible success factors that were not included in the interviews were proposed in order to complete a list of 14 success factors that was employed to design a questionnaire to be used in future research in this field. The model proposed here shows that all the factors are related to each other, linked in an organic way in which information is sent and received, and presents the dimensions that most contribute to this business model.

The study is to identify the extraction of intracellular inulinase (exo- and endoinulinase) and invertase as well as optimization medium composition for maximum productions of intra- and extracellular enzymes fromAspergillus nigerATCC 20611. From two different methods for extraction of intracellular enzymes, ultrasonic method was found more effective. Response surface methodology (RSM) with a five-variable and three-level central composite design (CCD) was employed to optimize the medium composition. The effect of five main reaction parameters including sucrose, yeast extract, NaNO3, Zn+2, and Triton X-100 on the production of enzymes was analyzed. A modified quadratic model was fitted to the data with a coefficient of determination (R2) more than 0.90 for all responses. The intra-extracellular inulinase and invertase productions increased in the range from 16 to 8.4 times in the optimized medium (10% (w/v) sucrose, 2.5% (w/v) yeast extract, 2% (w/v) NaNO3, 1.5 mM (v/v) Zn+2, and 1%...

The contribution of the European food sector to the total amount of greenhouse gases emissions is equal to one fifth. Footprint indicators together with Life Cycle Assessment have emerged to be useful tools to analyze and report environmental performance. In this paper the environmental impact of aged vinegar produced from Grechetto and Sagrantino grapes varieties is analyzed. Life Cycle Assessment of wine is performed to calibrate the model. Impact assessment is studied evaluating: carbon footprint, ecological footprint, water footprint, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidation. The new approach proposed in this paper leads to the obtainment of a complete analysis of the impact of aged vinegar, which can help a small farm choose more sustainable production methods, also optimizing logistics. This is the scientific added value of the work. The results show that aged vinegar has a carbon footprint comprised between 1.94 and 2.54 kgCO 2 /l. The Ecological footprint of aged vinegar varies between 9.83 and 13.23 gm 2 /kg. The Water Footprint of aged vinegar varies between 1,332 and 1,892 l/l. The water scarcity weighted water footprint methods available in the software SimaPro 8 give different results depending on their assumptions. These can be useful for comparative studies between different products.

Xanthophylls are oxygenated carotenoids abun-dant in the human food supply. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin are major xanthophyll carotenoids in human plasma. The consumption of these xanthophylls is directly associated with reduction in the risk of ...

BACKGROUND: Athletes competing in sports that require running, changes in direction, repetitive kicking and physical contact are at a relatively higher risk of experiencing episodes of athletic groin pain. To date, there has been no systematic review that aims to inform clinicians about the best available evidence on features of exercise interventions for groin pain in athletes. The primary aim

A beverage manufacturing company reported 59.3% increase in occupational injuries between 2006 and 2007. Factors associated with occupational injuries at this company in Harare were characterized, described the injuries, identified the hazards and control measures in place. An analytical cross sectional study was conducted. Two plants of a beverage manufacturing company in Harare. We interviewed randomly selected workers at the 2 plants of the company Prevalence of occupational injuries, Factors associated with injury, occupational hazards, control measures Of 392 workers interviewed, 53.3% reported having had a work-related injury. Twenty-six percent had not reported the injuries. Independent risk factors were: working in packaging department OR = 3.64 (95% CI: 2.25-5.88), having sleep disorder OR = 2.26 (95% CI: 1.21-4.22) and 7 day working week without rest OR = 1.88 (95% CI: 1.01-3.47). Hazards identified were noise, broken bottles, unguarded machines and coal dust. High risk ar...

Drawing on submissions to the 2006-2007 New Zealand Inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, this article outlines how the food and marketing industries (industry) and the public health sector framed the issue of obesity. The analysis revealed that industry framed obesity as a consequence of poor lifestyle choices attributed largely to knowledge, cultural or other character deficits. Industry argued that lack of physical activity rather than increased food consumption was the dominant cause of obesity. In contrast, public health groups positioned obesity as a normal response to an obesogenic environment, characterized by the ubiquitous marketing and availability of low-cost, energy-dense/nutrient-poor foods. For public health groups, increased consumption of energy-dense/nutrient-poor foods was positioned as the dominant cause of obesity. Many public health submitters also suggested that social inequalities contributed to obesity. Industry emphasized education as the key solution t...