Understanding wheat flour

The ‘biochemical dissection’ of wheat flour could lead to better predictions of its breadmaking performance – without having to bake the final product. It is well known that the high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin proteins strongly influence breadmaking quality of wheat.

However, the effects of other proteins and of carbohydrates and lipids are less well understood. This is being explored by extracting these flour components and swapping them, to see which most affects the performance of the flour in a range of tests.

The tests include small scale rheological methods for assessing mixing characteristics, use of an ‘extensibility rig’ for measuring dough resistance, and a small–scale baking test based on the Chorleywood Bread Process. The latter is, in itself, a long sought goal and a major innovation. Using as little as 50 grams of flour it produced good quality loaves which, with the control parent flour samples, were of similar quality to their full–sized counterparts.

The experiments have revealed the positive effect of water–soluble flour fractions on the specific volumes of loaves from reconstituted flours. Taking such fractions into account could enable better predictive assessment of grain samples for baking quality as well as offering potential for development of ingredients with new properties.

Specification of appearance

Developments in calibrated imaging technology enable us to offer new services to members, based on objective measurement and accurate recording of product colour. Digital images captured under controlled conditions can be accurately printed or displayed on screen for comparison with production samples, for documentation and evaluation of food appearance, as Dr. Martin Whitworth explains:

"We’ve worked with products as diverse as bread, cake, fruit, vegetables and sauces. One way we use the system is to document results of process trials – enabling reliable comparisons between products produced on different occasions or stored over time.

The images provide a permanent record of appearance that can also be used for product specifications and distributed as required – as prints or by e–mail.

The approach enables two factories on opposite sides of the world to work to identical product colour specifications – a powerful tool for managing quality, developing and discussing new products, or benchmarking against an agreed standard.

We can help companies use the technology with their own products – by providing high quality prints of their products to use as reference standards, or by helping with calibration to enable them to print images accurately themselves."

Electronic Food Law Notes

A new electronic version of CCFRA’s Food Law Notes –EFLAN – will provide quick on–line access to information on UK and EU law as it affects the production and marketing of food and drink. Its paper version has long provided hundreds of readers with an inexpensive, fast and reliable way of finding readily understandable information about the detailed UK and European legislation that controls food production and marketing.

The new electronic version, which is under development, will provide internet access to almost every piece of legislation that is described, along with many related guidance documents. Covering product specific and ‘horizontal’ legislation, it will:

• Help you understand and comply with legal requirements
• Provide guidance on how to interpret complex controls
• Satisfy the BRC technical standard requirement for access to relevant legislation
• Allow searching for specific topics or terms

Help shape our research programme

Voting members have recently been sent Proposals for Member–Subscription Funded Research 2008 to select the projects that we will undertake. This enables members, at no extra cost, to decide what research we carry out using funds from member subscriptions. It helps us to ensure that our research addresses members’ needs. If you received voting papers on behalf of your company, please take some time to consider the proposals and return your voting forms by 26 October.

Panel meetings

The dates for the 2008 meetings of the fourteen Technical Advisory Panels have been set as follows

*denotes joint meeting

New analytical method for cereal toxins

A new method for trichothecene analysis developed at CCFRA will enable more effective screening of cereal samples and reduce turnaround times, so helping companies comply with limits specified in legislation.

Mycotoxins are a group of toxic secondary metabolites produced by several species of mould. Fusarium moulds are particularly prevalent on cereals, such as wheat, maize and oats, grown in temperate regions. Infection often leads to lower crop yields, but depending on the infecting species a range of toxic mycotoxins called trichothecenes may be formed. Surveys have shown that the most predominant trichothecene found in samples is deoxynivalenol, although others can be present. Trichothecene levels have traditionally been determined by targeted HPLC assays and GC/MS multi–residue screens. Although the GC/MS screen is an excellent procedure for determining several trichothecenes simultaneously, the method is time consuming as the trichothecenes must be derivatised prior to quantification.

The new method utilises HPLC–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This method is very quick and simple to carry out and its flexibility allows additional mycotoxins to be incorporated into the screen with little method development. In the current work, 10 trichothecenes were simultaneously analysed. This method is the latest addition to the wide range of analytical chemistry services available from CCFRA.

Manufacturing Processes Panel

The Process Engineering Panel has, with the agreement of the Scientific and Technical Committee, changed its name to the Manufacturing Processes Panel – a name which better reflects the panel’s current interests. The panel welcomes the participation of full CCFRA members with interests in the technologies underpinning food manufacturing.

Further information on this and the other 13 Technical Advisory Panels can be found at www.campden.co.uk/research/panels.htm, including a page summarising the principal areas of interest of the Manufacturing Processes Panel.

Drumming Success!

The first Annual Reunion of the Sainsbury’s Technical Management Academy took place on 14th June at CCFRA. Inclusion of a ‘powerful drumming energiser session’ added a great social dimension and ensured plenty of networking and sharing of experiences. The reunion’s key topics included allergens and serious incidents.

Over 200 suppliers have already taken part in this leading edge technical development programme designed to deliver Sainsbury's and their suppliers joint vision of having the best technical management in the industry. Iris Zarfin from VegPro, Kenya travelled 4228 miles to take part in the Academy – can you beat her?

Product development guide

The eagerly awaited second edition of one of CCFRA’s top selling guidelines (Product Development Guide – Guideline 8) will help industry adopt best practice in the development of new food and drink products.

The food manufacturing industry is no different from any other manufacturing industry in that it makes its money by producing items that people want to buy. All manufacturers will be competing for a relatively stable market size, and so will have to be innovative in order to keep up with everyone else. This expanded and fully revised edition of the guideline provides the reader with a straightforward guide to the types of thought processes that those involved in product development need to go through. This basic guide is backed up an expanded factual reference manual. Revisions to the guideline section reflect the major changes that have occurred since 1996 in people’s lifestyles, including the types of food they want to eat, and how and when they want to eat it, as well as the transformations induced by the internet and other technological advances in communications technology. The reference manual section has been reformatted and updated to reflect new legislation, and to include new sections on HACCP, product costing, packaging, chemical and ingredient issues, consumer, sensory and statistical tools, and software tools, in addition to the revised sections on microbiology and sources of information.

Aseptic technology guidance

Updated guidance from CCFRA will help manufacturers understand the key factors that underpin the control of aseptic processing and packaging operations. Aseptic technology is the manufacture of food products which are separately sterilised from the packaging material and then filled and sealed within a sterile environment. The recent rate of commercial exploitation of aseptic technology as a means of food preservation has been rapid. Originally largely limited to high–acid fruit juices, and low–acid milk and dairy–based products, it now encompasses low–acid products containing discrete particles of meat, fish, poultry and vegetables, as well as a wide range of beverage types.

Guidelines on the safe production of aseptically processed and packaged foods (Guideline No. 53), which covers both high– and low–acid products and replaces the original Technical Manual 11, highlights key aspects such as system design, installation, maintenance, control and operation, and discusses the need for adequate records of production and quality control tests. The factors that determine the safety of aseptic food processing technology cannot be compromised without the risk of serious commercial loss: these factors are also dealt with in these guidelines.

Welcome to New members

CCFRA is delighted to welcome the following new members who joined in July 2007:

• Bombay Halwa Ltd – a supplier of a wide range of Indian sweets, snacks, savoury mixes, chutneys, desserts, kulfi and ice creams.
• Burkert Fluid Control Systems – a German supplier of fluid control systems
• Duncan Taylor & Co Ltd – a Scotch whisky brand owner and producer
• Paragon Quality Foods – a manufacturer of frozen beef, lamb and vegetable burgers, doner and shish kebabs
• Sodexho Defence Services – Central Production Unit – a contract caterer
• The Cotswold Food Partnership Ltd – a supplier of a range of food products including frozen part–baked artisan and functional breads
• Yau Brothers Co Ltd – an importer and wholesaler of a wide range of ethnic food products and packaging materials.

Please notify the Membership Department of any name or address changes with respect to our mailing list.