  Efficiency in design of heat exchangers The recovery and reuse of heat during food processing provides significant advantages to food companies, both in terms of direct cost savings and also in meeting legislative targets for reduced energy usage. Improved design of heat exchangers will extend the range of products from which heat can be recovered. Tubular heat exchangers have been successfully employed for many years to recover heat in the processing of low-viscosity products such as milk and fruit juices, with the cold (unprocessed) product in the shell being heated by the hot (processed) product in the tubes. In order to adapt this approach to foods of a higher viscosity, it was necessary to redesign the tubular heat exchanger. The main hurdle to overcome was the streamline flows (i.e. where product flows in distinct lines without much mixing) that exist in both the tubes and shells. In a project managed by the Energy Technology Support Unit, it was shown that the quantities of recovered energy were sufficient to make the use of tubular heat exchangers economically feasible. Further work is now under way to apply computational fluid dynamics techniques to further improve design to increase the range of foods from which energy can be recovered. Contact: Tanya Flynn (Tel: +44 (0)1386 842098) Meat content advice from CCFRA What is meat?  Skeletal muscle with a naturally included or adherent tissue. Diaphragm is classes as skeletal muscle.  These items are still permitted but will no longer be counted as meat content in the general definition of meat. With the recent EC Directive altering the definition of meatand the constituents that can be included as part of 'meat content', advice on meat content analysis, calculation and labelling has been in great demand recently. Brian McLean, Head of Chemistry and Biochemistry at CCFRA, explains the changes and the effects that they have had: "The new EC Directive, which will soon be incorporated into the UK Food Labelling Regulations, limits the amount of fat and connective tissue that can be counted as part of the total meat content of a product - excess fat and connective tissue has to be declared separately. In addition, offal, mechanically recovered meat (MRM) and meat by-products must be declared separately on the label, as they cannot be included as part of the meat content. We have had literally hundreds of enquiries asking for advice on meat content calculation, and particularly for analysis of fat and connective tissue. In conjunction with colleagues in our legislation department, we are able to offer a comprehensive advisory and information service on these issues. In September we will be running a workshop entitled 'Calculating meat content with confidence' to help both the novice and more experienced calculate the meat and added water content of their products." A CCFRA publication entitled 'The Calculation of Meat Content, Added Water and Connective Tissue from Analytical Data' (Guideline No. 22 - 1999) is also available to support these services.
For technical information, please contact:  Vomitoxin analysis - UKAS accreditation A validated method for the determination of deoxynivalenol(also known as DON or vomitoxin) in cereals and cereal products has been accepted by the accreditation body UKAS. DON is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species and is a significant problem for the cereals industry, being produced when the mould infects the living plant (especially maize) in the field. DON is one of several mycotoxins that are currently under investigation at a European level with a view to imposing regulatory controls. The newly validated method complements analytical services already available for other mycotoxins.
Contact: Howard Davies American Society of Baking - Awards to CCFRA staff At its Annual Technical conference held in Chicago in March,the American Society of Baking awarded 'Professional Status' to members of its organisation. Stan Cauvain and Linda Young were amongst the first 38 peopleto receive the Award and the only two from outside the United States. The Award is in recognition of outstanding professional achievements and technical expertise through service to the baking community, personal integrity, continuing education, collaboration and leadership. British Cheese Awards As part of the British Cheese Awards, to be hosted in Chipping Campden on 27-29 September, CCFRA will be the official host of the Cheese Symposium to be held on the afternoon of Friday 27th September and will also offer for use its extensive facilities and expertise. The event is the start of 'British Cheese Week' intended to focus the national media's attention on the cheese industry. The UK's top retailers, chefs and caterers will be able to attend the industry related seminars held at CCFRA and visit the Cheese Market at the local school. Tastings also take place in the local hotels and 750 entrants are expected to enter the Awards Competition. For more information on the British Cheese Awards please... Contact: Juliet Harbut (e-mail: enquiries@thecheeseweb.com website: www.thecheeseweb.com EFSIS launches German operation EFSIS, the inspection and certification specialist jointlyowned by CCFRA and the Meat and Livestock Commission, has opened an operation in Kiel, near Hamburg, offering German farmers, food manufacturers and food service companies its full portfolio of services, as well as expertise in the German food industry and German-speaking management and inspectors. "As business continues to develop in Europe, it isessential we provide companies with experts who can communicate in the same language. In fact, feedback has already shown customers are very pleased not to be paying translation fees, which are costly in time and money", explained EFSIS Business Development Manager, Paul Ruocco. He added: "Although, we have been operating in Germany for several years for customers, we believe a team of German experts will give us an even deeper understanding of our customers' requirements." The full portfolio of services available to German customers includes Accredited Supplier Inspections, Health and Safety Inspections, Catering Inspections, ISO 9000 assessments, beef labelling verification, HACCP certification, Store Inspections and Social Accountability Audits. EFSIS also inspects and certifies a wide range of farm assurance schemes throughout the agri-food business such as EUREPGAP's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Standard.
For further information contact: Flour Milling and Baking Abstracts The Abstracts have long provided the cereals sector with essential information on the latest technical developments related to flour milling and baking, identified from over 200 trade and scientific journals, as well as relevant patents. Organised to reflect the cereals production chain, they are as useful to the agronomist, nutritionist, retailer or researcher as to the miller or baker. A subscription to the printed bulletin also includes password-controlled access to a web version, which offers additional benefits (see www.campden.co.uk to view a demonstration of the web version). Hypertext links take the user directly to related abstracts in different sections - for example linking an abstract on flour composition in the Flour section to areas such as bread making, quality and nutrition. An annual subscription, covering 6 issues, is priced at £275, with substantial reductions for extra copies. To take out a subscription, or for a sample copy of the printed bulletin...
Contact: Sue Hocking, Publications Officer Quality of cakes from heat-treated flour - new review Heat-treated flour has become widely accepted as an alternative to the use of chlorinated flours in cake production, since the use of chlorination was prohibited in the UK in 2000. At that time, CCFRA published a review of the technical alternatives. With the subsequent adoption of heat-treated flours it has become apparent that good end-product quality can be achieved, but that it is not just a matter of replacing chlorinated flour with heat-treated flour as other recipe adjustments need to be made. Factors affecting the production of cakes from heat-treated cake flour (CCFRA Review 20 Supplement 1) discusses the necessary adjustments in detail, by presenting the findings of a series of experiments designed to assess the significance of factors that affect the quality of cakes produced with heat-treated flour. It will be of use to anyone involved in the production of high ratio cakes. The review is priced at £40.00 per copy for members of CCFRA.
Sales contact: Carol Newman, CCFRA Natural anti-microbials - new review Many natural food ingredients have anti-microbial activity and a potential role in food preservation. With increased interest in the use of natural preservatives, there is growing interest in trying to realise this potential. Food ingredients as natural anti-microbial agents (CCFRA Review No. 31) describes a wide range of ingredients which are know to contain natural anti-microbial chemicals. It covers the ingredient itself, comments on the nature of the anti-microbial component, describes the effects of the food matrix on the efficacy of the anti-microbial and discusses the potential for the use of natural anti-microbials with other food preservatives. The review contains extensive references to the scientific and wider literature on the subject. It is priced at £30.00 per copy (CCFRA members) and £50.00 (non-members)
Sales contact: Carol Newman, CCFRA |