Food Processing

New Zealand King Salmon applies for open ocean farming

New Zealand King Salmon is taking a step towards the future in applying for resource consent to farm in the open ocean, north of Marlborough in the Cook Strait. Once the application is approved, the company intends to commission an initial farm with the potential to grow 4000 tonnes of King salmon – about twice the output of its largest existing farms – as the next step in furthering its 10 year goal of commercialising open ocean salmon farming in New Zealand. With over four hundred million hectares of ocean space on New Zealand’s doorstep – the fourth largest marine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world – farming a tiny proportion of the ocean could provide a significant future source of healthy, sustainable protein. In addition to positive environmental and social benefits, the open ocean farms proposed within this application will support a significant increase in production by New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS), as well as eventually delivering many green jobs to the Top of the South region. “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our company, our region, and the aquaculture industry,” says NZKS CEO Grant Rosewarne. “We’ve named our first open ocean farming project Blue Endeavour to signify the future-focused strategy we’re putting in place to harness the ocean’s potential in a sustainable way. The pens on these farms will be so spacious that we’re calling them sea ranges.” “Our changing climate and the need for low-carbon, high-nutrition food are truly global issues,” says Mr Rosewarne. “We see aquaculture as a force for good in addressing these challenges. We are investing in what we think will be the future of sustainable food production.” Research into temperature, wave heights, currents and other key environmental factors has been carried out by the company and independent scientists over the last […]

Beyond meat? The market for meat substitutes is way overdone

Paul Wood AO Adjunct Professor in Biotechnology, Monash University Meatless burger maker Beyond Meat has just reported quarterly earnings of US$67.3 million – much better than market expectations of US$52.7 million. It is now forecasting sales of US$240 million for the 2019 year, nearly three times that of 2018. But the company is yet to make a profit, let alone one big enough to justify its current market valuation of about US$13 billion. Since it listed on NASDAQ in May, its shares have surged more 700%. Investors’ enthusiasm reflects high hopes in the future fortunes of a company promising to put the sizzle into a meat substitute. Interest is booming in plant-based meat substitutes and lab-grown meat alternatives. The appeal is summed up by Beyond Meat’s mission statement: “By shifting from animal to plant-based meat, we are creating one savoury solution that solves four growing issues attributed to livestock production: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare.” How realistic is this? The data suggests not very – that meat alternatives might play a positive role but in no way are going to save the planet. Investment appetite Predictions about the market potential for plant-based or lab-made meat vary. A lot of it appears to be only slightly better than sheer guesswork. One prediction, by the well-known Barclays, is that the market could be worth US$140 billion, or 10% of the US$1.4 trillion meat market, in the next 10 years. It’s such projections that have fuelled investors’ appetite for companies working on ways to make plant-based protein look and taste like meat. There’s Impossible Foods, for example, whose burger “bleeds” beetroot juice and is the meat (substitute) in Burger King’s Impossible Whopper. The privately held company has reportedly raised more than US$500 million, and is valued at US$2 billion. Other players in […]

Food wastage and power quality

Food and beverage manufacturing is becoming a 24-hour production cycle. Because of this, production lines are now heavily automated; however, this increased reliance on sophisticated automation is making power quality issues more impactful, especially when it comes to food waste. Here Darcy Simonis, Vice President for ABB’s Food and Beverage segment, explains how fixing power quality can reduce food waste in an increasingly continuous production cycle. Food is delicate. Therefore, even slight power disruptions, from the grid, that interrupt production processes can lead to a lot of food wastage. Disruption of machines in food production and refrigeration can mean large quantities of food being burnt, spoiled or contaminated, meaning that, due to stringent health and safety regulations, must then be discarded. This can escalate fast in a continuous production system because if even one piece of equipment goes out of sync, and is not caught quickly, large quantity of products will go to waste. Disruptions from low power quality can cause machinery to shut down in an unsafe manner. Low power quality is when power supplies are disrupted and no longer power machinery properly, such as voltage drops. These are sudden increases in current that cause voltage to drop over the impedance of a supply network, causing the voltage to vary. These voltage drops result in damage to machinery that may require parts to be replaced or can lead to severe health and safety issues. For example, if a conveyor was to break down while feeding bread through an oven, it could lead to the loaves igniting, which would not only cause severe damage to the conveyor belt and oven, but the fire could then spread putting the whole plant at risk. Improper shutdowns for smart-machines can also damage internal systems, scrambling the data and leading to faults and loss […]

Cooling tower optimisation

Food and beverage production requires a large range of temperatures. This means that plants must have effective cooling systems to deal with the excess heat. Removing the excess heat from the system requires a cooling tower, however, traditional designs require frequent maintenance. Food and beverage manufacturers understand that the industry is becoming a constant production environment, especially with the expansion of technologies like cold supply chains. Businesses, therefore, require equipment that can work constantly. However, when producing for long periods of time machines tend to overheat, meaning that to become a constantly working operation cooling systems must also work twenty-four hours a day. Heating, cooling and pasteurising are all common steps in food and beverage. Each one of these steps either directly or indirectly produces large quantities of heat. Managing this heat is a priority, because otherwise equipment may be damaged through overheating. As such, it is important to have a cooling system that is reliable, requires minimal maintenance and can extract heat at a sufficient rate. How to optimise cooling Traditional fans generally use 1500 rpm induction motors that connect to a driveshaft that connects to a gearbox, the gearbox then connects to the fan. This makes the system prone to breakdowns as there are many moving parts, also gearbox maintenance is time consuming and, due to the environment, oil leaks are common. To combat this, modern cooling fans need motors that can be mounted directly onto the fan, while being able to resist the conditions within the cooling tower. Many of these traditional motors can be replaced with more efficient permanent magnetic motors that can be directly installed onto the fan. This reduces the amount of parts in the system, limiting the risk of breakdowns. They are also compact compared to traditional cooling tower motors, reducing the space […]

Food waste initiative delivers potential for environmental advances

JJ Richards and Sons NSW/ACT Operations Manager Benjamin Martis, right, discusses the plant’s waste management 28-ton receiving tanks and processing tanks with CST Wastewater Solutions Engineer Peter Bambridge pICTURE:p Waste management leader JJ Richards & Sons is proving an environmental initiative in Sydney that eliminates landfill dumping of commercial and retail food waste by transforming it into valuable green energy and fertiliser. The company’s custom-engineered waste reception centre at Seven Hills – which its designers say has demonstrated potential to become a model for national use – processes pulped waste from its partner Pulpmaster’s collection tankers into an easily handled and valuable resource for use in agriculture, horticulture and fossil fuel replacement. The plant – which already handles bulk waste from major customers including supermarkets, food shops, hospitals, schools and catering facilities – uses CST Wastewater Solutions’ KDS multi-disc fine screening and compaction technology as part of its automated process that turns the pulped waste collected into a cake form that is more than 50 per cent lighter and dryer than the pulp and which can be transported to users for half the cost of heavier and less hygienic output. Waste producers using the system get monthly reports on how much they are saving on disposal costs, while simultaneously reducing their environmental impact. The material is used by farms and other agricultural enterprises as high potency fertiliser and for the production of biogas to reduce their environment footprints whilst simultaneously boosting their output with natural fertilisers and fossil fuel replacement green energy. The system not only disposes of an environmental headache and cost for responsible businesses – including high landfill costs and the high cost of transporting waste to somewhere remote, secure and non-harmful – but turns the problem into an environmental asset – and a cost saver. Businesses love getting […]

Assisting product development with new mini aseptic solution

In today’s fast moving food and drink industry innovation is king. Everyone is looking for the next product to give their business the edge and food fashions and trends come and go with increasing speed. Food manufacturers often need to use seasonal ingredients, potentially offering limited edition flavours or varieties of key products: from herbal ice creams and summer berry drinks, to fruity condiments and vegetable smoothies. As a result, the life of innovative products is often shorter than has been seen previously and it can be hard for new product developers and marketers to pick which will survive in the market and which will fall away. All of these factors create challenges for operational factories and production lines. No business wants to invest in a fully-scaled line for a product that may have limited (albeit still successful) sales. The new HRS Asepticblock Mini Series allows manufacturers to produce new trial products with the minimum amount of product in a short time, reducing the unnecessary expense or wastage that can accompany full scale trials, and alleviating the need to suspend or interfere with the routine production of regular products. It allows the reproduction of a full scale final pack, but from as little as 20 to 50 kg of product. The Aseptic Mini Block Series was born from the need of many of small- and medium-sized customers to produce relatively small quantities of aseptic products, but who are prevented from doing so by high upfront capital costs and low return on investment. Traditional aseptic processing lines consist of two sections; one section is the steriliser or pasteuriser (based on a suitable heat exchanger according to the product type), and the other is the aseptic filler. The HRS Asepticblock Mini Series is designed for such producers working with a range of […]

Assisting product development with new mini aseptic solution

Organic Food Industry Undergoing Consolidation

The global organic food industry is undergoing consolidation. In the last week, three major deals have involved established organic food companies in Europe and North America. Ecovia Intelligence (formerly known as Organic Monitor) expects more such deals as rationalisation continues. Royal Wessanen, one of the largest and oldest organic food enterprises in Europe, has just been acquired by an investment consortium. With headquarters in Amsterdam, the company owns a portfolio of European organic and free-from food brands, including Bjorg, Kallo, Allos, Whole Earth, Clipper, Alter Eco, Tartex and Isola Bio. The investors have paid EUR 885 million (USD 1 billion) for the company with the aim of strengthening its position in the sustainable & organic food market. Earthbound Farm, the leading organic salads company in North America, has been purchased by Taylor Farms for USD 400 million. Established in 1984, the Californian company has grown into an international supplier of organic fruits, vegetables and salads. Bought by Whitewave Foods in 2013, it came under the ownership of Danone USA in 2016. The French multinational has divested the company as it plans to focus on plant-based dairy alternatives. Another sale involves Bolthouse Farm, a leading supplier of organic and natural beverages, in North America. Campbell Soup purchased the company in 2012, and has now sold it to the private equity firm Butterfly for USD 510 million. Bolthouse Farm organic carrots, juices, smoothies and dressings are a feature in natural food shops across the US. Ecovia Intelligence (www.ecoviaint.com) sees more such ‘sell-offs’ on the horizon as the organic food industry undergoes consolidation. The industry has traditionally been fragmented with many operators involved in production and distribution. Rationalisation is occurring with large companies looking to take significant positions. Apart from large food companies and retailers, recent years has seen the entry of unconventional […]

Entries Welcome for Food Safety Awards

New Zealand Food Safety is encouraging keen foodies to get their entries in for a number of key 2019 food safety awards. The Significant Contribution to Food Safety, Food Safety Culture and the Primary Sector Products awards celebrate the achievements of those who are demonstrating innovation and excellence in food safety in New Zealand. To enter – visit www.mpi.govt.nz/scholarships-and-awards/ for more details. “We’re focussed on making sure we have safe and suitable food, and that New Zealand food is the most trusted in markets around the world,” said Head of New Zealand Food Safety Bryan Wilson. “Rules are an important part of that, but ultimately food safety is about the people who produce the food we enjoy. Through these awards we can recognise and reward excellence in the primary industries and food sectors.” The Significant Contribution to Food Safety Award recognises an individual, a team, or an organisation who has made a significant improvement to food safety in New Zealand. This could include developing or improving a food safety process or operation. It could be in one sector or across a few. Nominations close on 23 May 2019. The award will be presented during the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology’s (NZIFST) ‘Good Food 4’ Conference in Christchurch on 3 July 2019. “This is the third year that this Award is open and we thank the NZIFST team for their support and allowing us to present the award at their Conference Awards Dinner,” Mr Wilson said. The Food Safety Culture and Primary Sector Products awards are part of the 2019 New Zealand Food Awards. The awards are owned and organised by Massey University. Entries for the NZ Food Awards close on 31 May 2019. Winners will be announced at the Awards’ Gala Dinner on 23 October 2019 in […]

HRS brings packaged solutions for pasteurisation and sterilisation

Pasteurisation and sterilisation are now so well established that it is impossible to contemplate the production of many food and drink products without using these important techniques. Both pasteurisation and sterilisation involve the use of heat, usually in a way which does not affect the fundamental characteristics of the product (in other words, it doesn’t cook it). However, while sterilisation seeks to completely eliminate any micro-organisms which may be present in the product (and so typically uses higher temperatures or longer treatment periods, and is therefore more likely to have an effect on the product’s characteristics), pasteurisation reduces the microbial load by a significant factor (for example by5-logs), which in normal circumstances reduces them to a level at which they do not pose a hazard. While simple plate heat exchangers may still be suitable for the pasteurisation of simple fluids such as milk and fruit juices, more textured and viscous products, such as cooking sauces, creams and curds, require different solutions in order to maintain their quality and texture. In order to meet this diverse range of requirements, HRS Heat Exchangers has created its Thermblock packaged pasteuriser/steriliser for food products for aseptic filling, as well as any other filling or packing method. Depending on specification and the intended use, Thermblock uses the most appropriate HRS tubular heat exchanger to deliver effective and efficient thermal treatment. All HRS Thermblock systems allow for full adjustment of the heating-holding-cooling cycle of the product, so that it can be tailored to your product/s and method/s of working. They can also be used as HTST (High Temperature, Short Time) units, subjecting the product to high temperatures for a short time to minimise potential side-effects, such as organoleptic changes or nutritional losses). There are three models of HRS Thermblock: HRS Thermblock DTA Series This features a double tube […]

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