Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

Nestle USA’s Baking Division announced today it will begin using heat-treated flour in the manufacture of its Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough. “Consistent with our quality standards for Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, this change will only further enhance the safety of our products,” said Paul Bakus, General Manager, Nestle USA Baking Group.

In June 2009, Nestle USA voluntarily recalled refrigerated cookie dough after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control notified us they were conducting an investigation into reported E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that may have been related to consumption of raw cookie dough. The product was relaunched in August of 2009 following a thorough investigation at the Danville, Virginia manufacturing facility and implementation of a “best-in-class” testing protocol. The quality assurance protocol includes testing ingredients before they enter our facility, rigorous environmental sampling throughout the facility, and testing of finished product before it is shipped to customers.

On January 11, 2010 we informed the FDA that two samples of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough manufactured at our Danville, Virginia facility did not pass this rigorous protocol, and had tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Consistent with our quality assurance protocol, the finished product involved never left our factory or entered the supply chain, and none was shipped to customers. Product currently on store shelves displaying the “New Batch” sticker is not affected, and no product is being recalled.

The process of converting to heat-treated flour will begin today, January 13 and will result in a temporary suspension of production. Production with the new ingredient will begin the week of January 25, and the product will begin to appear on grocery store shelves in early March. Consumers may notice some shortages on store shelves as we implement this change at the factory.

We have informed the FDA of our plans and will continue to cooperate with them. In addition to converting to heat-treated flour, we also plan to continue our rigorous protocol of testing ingredients and finished product. While we are pleased our quality assurance protocols are working, we are taking these steps to further ensure the quality of our products.

As an important reminder, Nestle strongly advises that cookie dough should not be eaten raw, and to bake our products before consuming. Maintaining high food quality standards and ensuring the safety of our products and consumers continues to be our highest priority.

For more information, visit www.NestleNewsroom.com

Source:Nestle Toll House

Companies, Health

The Baking Industry Exhibition (BIE) is working with its exhibitors and an impressive list of market leading trade bodies and associations to demonstrate the latest innovations and technologies for the bakery and snacks sectors.

BIE will continue to focus on the whole range of production environments including volume production, craft baking, packaging and bake-off. A full range of technologies for processing and packaging, as well as ingredients and materials will be demonstrated.

The new ‘Craft Baker’s Shop’ will enable new and existing exhibitors to demonstrate a host of innovative and exciting new products to help independent bakers increase their retail offering. Bakers are increasingly trying to offer customers a wider range of products to increase their footfall and average spend. The ‘Shop’ is dedicated to retail products that can be sampled and the ideas taken back try in visitors’ own outlets.

After the success of the Bakery Live in 2008, it’s back to help improve bakers’ product ranges and profitability. A fully functioning bakery will be producing exciting new products as well as old favourites. Some of the nation’s best bakery demonstrators will be using the latest machines and raw materials from Europe’s foremost ingredient and equipment suppliers.

California Raisins are back with their Future Baker of the Year competition. The Live Event will take place on each of the 4 days of the show and is open to teams of 3 people working from colleges or companies that are working towards a recognised national bakery qualification.

And a series of Master Classes from inspirational bakers in the industry will be available every day at the BIE Theatre.

Exhibiting companies already include many of the leading suppliers to the sector,these include Benier UK, DCL Yeast, Double D Engineering, Kern, PFM, Raque Food Systems, Reiser, Rondo Doge, Britvic, Reynards, Pentagram and Tom Chandley, to name a few. And the list is growing quickly.

Daren Rose-Neale show manager, William Reed Business Media, which organises the exhibition, commented: “The recent success at IBA 2009 (International Trade Fair: World Market for Baking), Anuga, the international food fair, as well as UK events demonstrates the value of exhibitions to help companies recover from recessionary influences and improve profitability. BIE is well placed to continue the upward trend and showcase the very latest technology developments and market trends.” (389)

What they said about 2008:

Valsemollen: “The quality of visitor at BIE is exactly what we are after.”

British Bakels “We had 190 leads in the first three days of BIE.”

Source: Baking Industry Exhibition

Events Bakery, Baking Industry Exhibition, BIE, snacks

According to findings published in Food Research International, the emulsifiers cassava starch and sorghum may improve the crumb structure of the breads, leading to products with improved sensory attributes.

The study taps into the growing trend for enhanced gluten-free foods, a rapidly growing market. According to a recent report from Packaged Facts, the gluten-free market has grown at an average annual rate of 28 per cent since 2004, when it was valued at $580m, to reach $1.56bn last year. Packaged Facts estimates that sales will be worth $2.6bn by 2012.

The market researcher said it expected to see a much wider range of gluten-free products on shelves by 2012, and said that this will be driven by companies reformulating existing products for gluten-free acceptability, as well as by releasing new ones.

Scientists from the Max Rubner-Institut in Germany compared gluten-free breads formulated with various cellulose-derivatives, including the common hydrocolloids hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and microcrystalline cellulose (MC), with gluten-free breads made with common emulsifiers, such as glycerol monostearate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, and calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate.

According to their findings, all of the cellulose-containing doughs, except the one containing CMC (2.4 per cent) had reduced resistances to deformation than emulsifier-containing doughs.

Inclusion of the cellulose-containing ingredients also had no effect on the firmness of the crumbs or the staling rate, compared to control bread.

On the other hand, “all gluten-free breads treated with 2.4 per cent emulsifiers staled at a slower rate than the control,” said the researchers.

Work still needs to be done on improving the formulations, suggested the researchers, with all the doughs, except those formulated with diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, being weak and “difficult to handle after slicing”, they said.

“Further improvement of the crumb structure of gluten-free bread prepared from pre-gelatinised cassava starch and sorghum can be achieved by optimising emulsifier concentration between 0.4 and 2.4 per cent,” said the researchers.

Coeliac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten – the protein found in wheat, rye and barley – and currently affects an average of one in 300 people in Europe. In Germany the figure is higher at one in 200, while the UK reports a figure of one in 100.

Source: Food Research International. Volume 42, Issue 8, Pages 949-955

“Effect of cellulose-derivatives and emulsifiers on creep-recovery and crumb properties of gluten-free bread prepared from sorghum and gelatinised cassava starch”

Authors: C. Onyango, G. Unbehend, M.G. Lindhauer

Bakery Emulsifiers, gluten, gluten-free bread, study

Food-packaging products made from dairy ingredients could provide a viable alternative to petroleum-based packaging products, according to a chapter written by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist Peggy Tomasula for a new book, “Dairy-Derived Ingredients: Food and Nutraceutical Uses.”

The book was written by an international team of contributors and published by London-based Woodhead Publishing in October 2009. It serves as a guide to new developments for the dairy and nutraceutical industries, as well as researchers in those fields.

Tomasula works at the ARS Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pa., where scientists are developing strong, biodegradable dairy-based films that are better oxygen barriers than petrochemical-based films. Tomasula leads the center’s Dairy Processing and Products Research Unit.

Most food packages are made of multilayer films that are thin, continuous sheets of synthetic polymers. But consumers and food retailers are concerned about the waste generated during the manufacture of such packaging. Many, it seems, are interested in replacing petroleum-based packaging with biobased packaging.

Tomasula’s chapter in the new book is titled “Using Dairy Ingredients to Produce Edible Films and Biodegradable Packaging Materials.” The chapter focuses on films made from dairy proteins, with an emphasis on those based on casein and whey, the major proteins found in milk. It also covers research efforts to improve the proteins’ mechanical and barrier properties so that these natural materials eventually could be used in a variety of future applications.

As a dairy ingredient, casein shows good adhesion to different substrates. But while casein is an excellent barrier to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and aromas, it is a weak barrier to moisture. Because the water-soluble nature of those proteins poses a challenge, much of the research on edible casein films to date is directed toward improving their water-vapor-barrier properties.

More information on the book can be found at www.woodheadpublishing.com. ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Source :  ARS

Unespecified biodegradable dairy-based films, dairy ingredients, packaging

With heightened interest in food safety programs, legislators and regulators have placed the spotlight on the positive difference a robust, fully functioning Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program can make. Because a plant’s HACCP program takes constant nurturing and periodic updates to ensure product safety and quality, IDFA is offering its two-part webinar on dairy and juice HACCP on March 2 and March 4 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Technology

The search is on to find the nation’s best bakers to represent the UK in the Louis Lesaffre Cup. The ‘world cup’ of baking pits teams of three bakers, from around 40 countries across all five continents, against each other in a series of national and international heats.

Each baker in the UK team will be required to demonstrate one of the three categories: bread-making, Viennese pastries, or an artistic piece made from dough – all of which should aim to sum up the spirit of the UK.

The heats run between 2009 and 2012, and judging for the UK team, will take place at the Baking Industry Exhibition at the NEC from 21-24 March 2010.

Lesaffre’s UK subsidiaries BFP Wholesale and DCL Yeast, along with Fermex – which distributes Lesaffre’s bread ingredients in the UK – are spearheading the search to find bakers from the UK.

“Our aim is to find the people who will make up ‘Team UK’ – seriously talented bakers who are good enough to represent the United Kingdom at the Cup’s Western European heat in Paris in May 2011, and in further rounds if successful,” said BFP Wholesale’s MD Nick Harris.

“We’ll be looking not only for superb skills and results, but a team spirit,” added Michael Abraham, DCL Yeast’s sales manager.

The UK national heat is free to enter and is open to anyone over 18 who lives in the UK and is actively involved in baking. Each entrant must choose one of the three categories only for their entry.

Entries must be submitted by email, with name, age, contact details and the category for entry, to entries@louislesaffrecupuk2010.co.uk.

Bakery bread-making, world cup bakery competition

Larger wheat production, less consumption and growing stocks were forecast by the International Grains Council in its Jan. 21 Grain Market Report. World wheat ending stocks in 2010 were forecast at 197 million tonnes by the I.G.C., up 6 million tonnes from the Nov. 26 report and up 19% from 165 million in 2009.

The carryover would represent a remarkable 67% increase from the recent low of 118 million tonnes in 2008, just two years earlier. Production in 2009-10 was forecast at 674 million tonnes, up 6 million tonnes from November, but off from the record 686 million tonnes harvested in 2008-09. Consumption was forecast at 642 million tonnes, off 1 million tonnes from November but up 3 million tonnes, less than 1%, from 2008-09.

“Weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere were generally favorable for winter grains planting and establishment,” the I.G.C. said in accompanying commentary. “World wheat harvested areas in 2010 are forecast at 221 million hectares, 1% less than in 2009. Assuming trend yields, production is projected at 653 million tonnes, some 21 million less than in 2009 but the third largest on record. In the E.U., where conditions remain favorable for winter wheat, sowings are expected to increase at the expense of barley.

“In the C.I.S., some areas have been exposed to frost damage. Winter wheat plantings in the U.S. were exceptionally low, at 15 million hectares, due to the late harvesting of maize and soybeans.”

Bakery International Grains Council, wheat harvested, wheat production

Increased blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 per cent, says a study with people from 10 European countries.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, is said to be the largest of its kind to date and adds to the science supporting the apparent health benefits from increased vitamin D. Indeed, a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2007 reported that higher blood levels of vitamin D were associated with a lower risk of colon cancer.

The link between vitamin D intake and protection from cancer dates from the 1940s when Frank Apperly demonstrated a link between latitude and deaths from cancer, and suggested that sunlight gave “a relative cancer immunity”.

“However, before any public health recommendations can be made for vitamin D supplementation, new randomised trials are needed to test the hypothesis that increases in circulating 25-(OH)D concentration are effective in reducing colorectal cancer risk without inducing serious adverse events,” wrote the researchers behind the new study, from six European countries.

Study details

Using data from over half a million participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Study (EPIC), the researchers analysed dietary and lifestyle information obtained from questionnaires, and collected blood samples.

During the course of the study, 1,248 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed and matched with 1,248 healthy controls.

Colorectal cancer accounts for nine per cent of new cancer cases every year worldwide. The highest incidence rates are in the developed world, while Asia and Africa have the lowest incidence rates.

It remains one of the most curable cancers if diagnosis is made early.

The EPIC data showed that blood levels of vitamin D below a mid-level of 50 to 75 nanomoles per litre were associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while blood levels above this were not associated with any additional benefits, said the researchers.

The association was significantly stronger for colon cancer than rectal cancer, added the researchers.

“Additionally, higher consumption of dietary calcium, but not dietary vitamin D, was found to be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer,” they report.

Plausible mechanism(s)?

Commenting on the potential protective action of vitamin D with respect to colorectal carcinogenesis, the EPIC scientists noted that both vitamin and mineral may be involved. “The main proposed colorectal cancer protective mechanisms of calcium action (binding bile acids and fatty acids) could pertain largely to its concentration in the colorectal milieu rather than to a direct vitamin D-mediated effect,” they said.

Controversy

The potential benefits for the vitamin, alone or in combination with calcium, for colorectal health are somewhat controversial, with some studies reporting benefits while others report null results.

Indeed, back in 2006 results from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) stated that daily supplements of vitamin D and calcium ‘had no effect’ on the risk of colorectal cancer. The results were questioned however and independent cancer experts said at the time that the claims should be interpreted in the light of the complexities of the study.

Michele Forman and Bernard Levin from the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, noted that the WHI trial had three overlapping components, with 69 per cent of the women enrolled on the Dietary Modification trial, 54 per cent enrolled on the Hormone Therapy trial, and 14 per cent enrolled on both

“The enrolment in three overlapping trials maximised the participation and size of the WHI trial but created a complex approach with potential confounders for biological interpretation,” said Forman and Levin.

Source: British Medical Journal

Health calcium, colorectal cancer, Vitamin D

Nestle will be rolling out a new product in Europe which aims to address the specific nutritional needs of the elderly population.

Resource SeniorActiv will first be introduced in Switzerland later this year and if successful will be distributed in other European countries in the future.

The food manufacturer has researched the most common deficiencies in older peoples’ diets and produced an oral supplement to help address these.

Nutritional ingredients included in the products include Acti-3, a unique combination of proteins, vitamin D and calcium, prebiotic fibre omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. It is also high in calories to stop the weight loss sometimes experienced by older people.

Richard Laube, chief executive officer of Nestle Nutrition, said: “The older population is growing faster than any other segment… Targeted nutrition can make a big difference and screening for malnutrition is vital to getting a grip on the issue as a whole.”

In recent years Nestle has placed an increased focus on the growing health and functional foods market. The company’s nutrition department is built around the infant nutrition, healthcare nutrition, performance nutrition and weight management departments.

Companies, Health Acti-3, functional foods, lderly population, Nestle, oral supplement

Carnipure is a special grade of the L-Carnitine health ingredient produced by Lonza, a Switzerland-based life sciences company.

L-Carnitine is a natural nutrient that helps to metabolize fat and produce energy.

It is usually synthesized in the liver but may not be produced in sufficient amounts by babies, adolescents and adults with certain diets or health issues.

The health ingredient may be helpful in weight management, intense exercise programs, pregnancy and cardiovascular health.

Carnipure comes in several different versions and can be used in food and pharmaceutical applications.

Properties

Carnipure L-Carnitine has numerous health benefits for end consumers. It is produced using a process based on fermentation and is kosher-certified.

It works by shuttling long chain fatty acids into the so-called furnace of the cell, the mitochondrion, within which the acids are burned to produce energy.

For food products, Carnipure comes in three main versions: crystalline, tartrate and ALC.

• Carnipure crystalline is described as being highly hygroscopic, meaning that it can be used in liquid products.

• The tartrate version of Carnipure is the most popular version of the health ingredient and contains L-Carnitine and natural GRAS L-tartaric acid. As it has a citric taste and is non-hygroscopic, it is suitable for use in a range of solid items.

• Carnipure ALC represents the acetyl derivative of L-Carnitine and can cross the blood-brain barrier to become a source of acetyl groups when it comes to the synthesis of acetylcholine.

In terms of pharmaceutical applications, there are three further products – EP pharma, USP pharma and L-tartrate pharma.

Ingredient applications

Carnipure crystalline can be used in liquids such as:

• Sport drinks

• Syrups

• Whey drinks

• Infant formula

• Ampoules

• Clinical drinks

Carnipure tartrate, meanwhile, is suitable for use in solids like:

• Powder mixtures

• Chewable products

• Capsules

• Bars and tablets

Carnipure ALC is most suited to so-called brain foods.

For pharmaceutical applications, Carnipure EP pharma, USP pharma and L-tartrate pharma are used as APIs.

History

V S Gulevich and R Krimberg first discovered L-Carnitine in muscle extracts in 1905. Its chemical structure was confirmed in 1927, but it was not until the 1950s that Gottfried Samuel Fraenkel discovered the role of the substance in fat oxidization.

He isolated L-Carnitine from the liver and named it vitamin BT. It eventually became commercially available in the 1980s.

Lonza patented a method for producing the ingredient in 1983.

L-Carnitine became independently certified as a safe dietary supplement in 1993 and the US Food and Drug Administration inspected and approved Lonza’s production facilities for the substance seven years later.

The following years saw much research carried out into the energy metabolism and other functions of the health ingredient.

Recent studies have focused on the benefits of L-Carnitine for pregnant women.

Company information

Basel-based Lonza is one of the biggest suppliers of products to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences industries in the world.

The organisation was founded in 1897 as Lonza AG Electricity Works in Gampel, Valais, when it used its energy to produce calcium carbide and acetylene and eventually moved into the manufacture of B-group vitamin niacin in the 1950s.

Lonza then expanded into the US in 1969 and began to exclusively produce substances for pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies in 1982. It has since grown both organically and through acquisitions.

Its current specialisms include large and small molecules, niche bioproducts, peptides and amino acids

The company is also involved with endotoxin detection, cell-based research and cell therapy manufacturing and additionally operates in the nutrition, hygiene, personal care, preservation and agro sectors.

Lonza has three main divisions: Custom Manufacturing APIs, Life Science Ingredients and Bioscience. Its biggest geographical market is North America, followed by the European Union.

It is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker symbol LONN.

Ingredients Carnipure, L-Carnitine, Lonza