Brabender instruments: Farinograph AT; GlutoPeak

With its technological principle, the Farinograph by Brabender® located in Duisburg, Germany is the most important and best-known device for determining the water absorption of flour and the rheological properties of dough worldwide. In addition to effective and reliable work processes with tried and tested standard methods, users in the grain chain have constantly expressed a desire to open up new perspectives where quality assurance and product development are concerned.

The field of flour analysis is faced with ever-increasing demands in combination with the corresponding foodstuffs technology specifications for products in a highly diversified market that is becoming ever more international. The accuracy, reliability and reproducibility of the experimental results that are required for this are all important elements for professional discussions and for successful business relations between flour manufacturers and processors.
 

The new Farinograph AT combines both customer requirements and suggestions in a compact
device. Here, AT stands for advanced technology. The device represents the continuation of a farinographic success story which is currently in its fourth generation. Through innovative technologies and process-related optimisations, the reproducibility of the results and new options for the user have been improved, as have the operational reliability and ease of service.

More information. 

Farinograph AT - High-tech in its fourth generation

Gluten quality is an essential criterion for the evaluation of baking properties. This has to happen as quickly and easily as possible, and above all be reliably reproducible for quality management. The innovative and patented GlutoPeak process by Brabender® offers a clever technical solution as an alternative to the rather error-prone rinsing method “by hand”, which is followed by a time consuming gluten evaluation in the laboratory. 

In order to describe the functionality of flours, bruised grains, baking mixes or vital gluten, the aggregation behaviour of the gluten component is measured in a sample. The device first separates the gluten, and then aggregates it into a characteristic network before destroying it with the rotation of its mechanical measuring paddle.
 

Time curves and torque curves of the physics of the gluten are recorded and displayed by the GlutoPeak graphically as graphs. The time to reach the maximum point on the curve, the peak, its height, and the following decline of the curve provide essential information on gluten quality—all of which appear within moments and are easily readable at a glance. Strong gluten results in very fast and high peaks, while weaker quality grades are identified by their delayed and flatter peaks on the curve – down to “null peaks”, which are for example, typical for biscuit wheats.

More information.

GlutoPeak - Quick peak values for gluten testing

NAMA commends FDA for defining "Gluten Free"

The North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) has commended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clearly defining “gluten-free.” The definition is important for consumers’ understanding and industry usage of the term gluten-free. 

Under the FDA definition, oats may be used as an ingredient in a food labeled as "gluten-free" provided that the food contains less than 20 ppm gluten. Oat producers who take the necessary steps to limit the gluten content of oat containing products now have a mechanism to communicate that benefit to consumers.

Guidance on whether oats should be consumed by individuals with coeliac disease has been controversial for many years. NAMA appreciates FDA’s thoughtful consideration of the nutritional contribution of oats in the diets of coeliac patients and commends FDA for not including oats on the list of prohibited grains.
Gluten-free diets are critical for people with coeliac disease and gluten intolerance. They are also helpful for those with allergies to wheat. There is no scientific evidence that suggests a gluten-free diet can provide health benefits for the general population. Research has shown that gluten is actually helpful for healthy gut bacteria in individuals who can tolerate it. For the vast majority, going gluten-free is unnecessary.

Oat grains in their husks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New! GFMT article: Additives for flour standardisation - Part II: Additives other than enzymes

In this GFMT article, Lutz Popper, Mühlenchemie GmbH & Co. KG, looks at the most commonly used material to strengthen gluten is ascorbic acid, also called vitamin C. 

The material itself is originally a reducing rather than an oxidizing agent, but it is converted into an oxidative substance, namely dehydroxy ascorbic acid (DHAA), through the action of flour enzymes during dough preparation.

Read the full article here.

Additives for flour standardisation - Part II: Additives other than enzymes

Bastak

Bastak provides clients in the following subjects at the top level - flour additives, flour and feed quality control devices, laboratory chemical, glass and consumable material. Click on the image to visit the Bastak website.

Event: JTIC

The 64^th edition of the JTIC will be held at the Reims Conference Center, France on November 13-14  2013.

This unmissable event in the wheat-flour-bread calendar sees JTIC welcoming more than 1,000 participants on each of the two days of the fair. From the four corners of the world, milling and cereal professionals come to Reims to discover what France and Europe has to offer in the way of equipment, ingredients, products, services and training. 

This year will be marked by numerous surprises on the theme of combinations and people in the industry working together.

More than a seminar or conference, more than a fair, the JTIC organised by the AEMIC is an opportunity to talk, discuss, meet, and learn in an unparallelled atmosphere. Opportunities galore for finding new ideas and for networking.

A spoon containing breakfast cereal flakes, part of a strawberry, and milk is held in midair against a blue background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the heart of the industry

With companies developing, regulations evolving and climates changing, the wheat-flour-bread industry is more than ever a focus of political, economic and social debate.

JTIC conferences strive to provide accurate information on these four topics.

Sustainability

Proposed by the IRNA and chaired by Joël Abécassis, the first morning session will be dedicated to cereal sustainability, A topic that can be addressed at international or industry level (hard wheat in France, for example), and clearly also at individual company level. 

·     What are the prospects for sustainable supply at international level?

·     How do we measure the sustainability of an industry?

·     What research projects are being conducted?

·     Is it possible to be both sustainable and competitive?

Cereal operators, scientists, farmers and policy-makers will be there to present their approaches to this challenge.

Road transport

The opening up of highways to 44-tonne trucks, the eco-tax, on-the-road food safety, town-centre traffic restrictions... the logistics of road transport which is essential to cereal industry operators, is subject to numerous regulatory changes. The JTIC will use Wednesday afternoon to consider practical partnership issues with the ANMF. 

A conference chaired and led by Bernard Valluis at which operators, cereal professionals, and regulation and transport players will offer answers on strategic directions for industry professionals.

Cereal quality

For scheduling reasons, the ARVALIS Conference chaired by Christine Bar L’Helgouach will this year focus more on quality levers, genetics and variability in the expression of genetic results depending on year, climate, and immediate environment.

Four programmes by ANMF, ARVALIS, Kraft Food and INRA will be presented as case studies:

·    Industrial organisation in France, the establishment of new recommended varieties, to satisfy millers’ expectation

·    The quality of the new varieties admitted

·    The latest understanding of variability in baking and biscuit quality, via the interaction between genotype and environment

Sensitivity to gluten

Traditionally devoted to social and community issues, the last half-day will this year address gluten-intolerance claims. An essential structural ingredient of bread, gluten has been accused of all manner of maladies, and has come close to being stripped of all its beneficial virtues. More and more people are deciding to exclude it from their diet. AEMIC will be presenting a defence of gluten and explode the contemporary myth. 

 Chaired by Marianne Roumégoux, editor-in-chief of the magazine La Dépêche, le petit Meunier, this conference aims to provide concrete answers to professionals, journalists and consumers of bread and cereals, with the participation of doctors, AFDIAG representatives, scientists and producers of gluten-free products.

The full programme including the list of speakers are available on www.jtic.eu

English: Wheat bran, flour sifted trough 1 mm sief Nederlands: Tarwezemelen, meel gezeefd met 1 mm maaswijdte zeef (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

20^th edition of the poster session

How to ‘bridge the gap between research and practice’, (Henri Nuret) is the challenge set for the authors of the JTIC poster session, organised by the publishers of the Industries des Céréales review.

Featured as a key event of the exhibit, posters attract numerous visitors every year curious to discover the latest advances in cereal science and technology. 

For their authors, with a university, research or industrial background, this poster session is an opportunity to present their work to the JTIC audience and to get immediate feedback from industry professionals.

The end of the fair sees prizes awarded to the two poster winners selected by a jury based on the following criteria:

·    The scientific character and originality of the subject

·    The understandability and quality of the presentation

·    The prospects for their usability in the short, medium and long term

To be able to present the results of their research as they become available over time, the authors will also be able to publish their findings as articles in the Industries des Céréales journal.

For more information about how this session is organised, authors can contact the publishers of the journal at industries-des-cereales@wanadoo.fr

A fair synonymous with innovation

This year again, more than 100 suppliers will be expected at the main exhibition stage in the centre of the conference hall. They will also be able to take advantage of workshops to present their latest innovations to the fair’s visitors.

New exhibitors this year include Phytocontrol which specialises in phytosanitary contaminants, the Italian company Saati with its range of filters and Propack specialising in the sale and rental of packaging machines.

This year will have more manufacturers of bagging and palletizing equipment offering millers a wide range of options right up to 25 kg bags satisfying the latest industry recommendations.

A full list of exhibitors is available and updated daily on www.jtic.eu

Workshops

The ideal forum for innovation, to discover the new services, products and processes being applied in the industry, our workshops are open to all participants and are always a key attraction.

For companies, whether exhibitors or not, it is a space for privileged communication allowing them to present their activities to visitors.

The products and services presented will go through a preselection process for their innovative character and their practical applications in the cereal industry.

The detailed programme of workshops will be placed online at www.jtic.eu starting in September.

Optimised traffic

The ergonomics of the exhibition have been re-analysed to ensure that visitors take the best route to optimise their walking time.

Participants will therefore be able to visit more stands between conferences and 'go shopping' among the latest products and services developed for them, whether large industrial equipment and installation, or raw materials, ingredients, processing and other analysis and packaging materials. A unique opportunity to find new high-quality partners.

In addition to the bar area, which is always a great success, new convivial and surprising spaces will also be accessible for visitors to punctuate their time with some relaxing moments.

Jobs and training

Every year at the JTIC, AEMIC welcomes its vocational partners ENSMIC, CNAM, Polytech and Compagnons du Devoir, and organises a job fair accessible free of charge for all employers in the industry.

In contrast to the national trend, the cereal industry offers a dynamic job market with real career opportunities. The only problem is generally matching up recruiters’ needs with job seekers’ requirements. The role of the AEMIC is to offer the right people, at the right time, for available vacancies. 

As part of the association’s ongoing placement/recruitment activities, the job fair thus encourages companies to get together with candidates.

Young graduates and professionals looking for vacancies will find a selection of job offers, training and apprenticeships covering the entire cereal industry, and well as personalised advice to guide them in their search.

Millers, artisans, industrials and recruitment consultants will be able to benefit from their presence at the fair to publicise their ads, meet candidates and recruit new employees.

Grains, the largest food group in many nutrition guides, includes oats, barley and bread. Cookies, however, are categorized as sugars. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Défi Jeunes Talents (DJT)

The Défi Jeunes Talents (young talent challenge) is an opportunity given to students of AEMIC partner schools (ENSMIC, DNAM, Polytech and Compagnons du Devoir) to demonstrate to professionals in the sector and to the general public their technical skills, know-how and motivation via projects to promote training, products and occupations in the cereal industry. The best projects will be presented at the JTIC and will be funded in whole or in part by AEMIC.

For the second edition of the DJT, the rules have been changed to take into account not only communication projects but also technical and commercial innovation projects. The objective is to then be able to offer the selected projects to professionals for industrial development.

The challenge has a three-pronged ambition:

·    To grow the attractiveness of the industry (products, occupations, training)

·    To contribute to the competitiveness of companies by offering them innovative ideas

·    To encourage the recognition and school-to-work transition of students

The ideas selected by the jury will be presented at the JTIC in the form of a workshop and a poster. They will be published in the Industries des Céréales review.

Visitors to JTIC will be invited to come listen and support the projects of students who may be the future talent of their companies.

The DJT rules and participation form are available on request from the AEMIC.

The Gala evening

After the success of the 2012 evening at Mumm and the tribute to Fabien Pelous, the AEMIC needs to keep raising the bar to surprise visitors. The evening of the 13 November therefore promises to have lots of surprises, emotion and conviviality for all participants.

Friends, colleagues and partners will benefit greatly from this relaxing interlude to form new relationships, attend the exhibitor Challenge and DJT prize-giving and to meet the JTIC guest of honour.

Truly an event within the event, the gala evening is the culmination of the technical days... not to be missed for any reason.

More information...

Call: +33 (0)1 47 07 20 69

Bastak

Bastak was established by director High Food Enginer Mr Zeki Demirtasoglu as a Bastak Gida Makine Medikal Paz.Ith.Ihr.San.Tic.Ltd.Sti. in 1999.
  The company produces flour additives and quality control apparatus which are sold both domestically in Turkey and on the international market. Click on the image to visit the Bastak website.

Quick peak values for gluten testing

Press release:

Gluten quality is an essential criterion for the evaluation of baking properties. This has to happen as quickly and easily as possible, and above all be reliably reproducible for quality management. The innovative and patented GlutoPeak process by Brabender® offers a clever technical solution as an alternative to the rather error-prone rinsing method “by hand”, which is followed by a time- consuming gluten evaluation in the laboratory. In order to describe the functionality of flours, bruised grains, baking mixes or vital gluten, the aggregation behaviour of the gluten component is measured in a sample. The device first separates the gluten, and then aggregates it into a characteristic network before destroying it with the rotation of its mechanical measuring paddle. Time curves and torque curves of the physics of the gluten are recorded and displayed by the GlutoPeak graphically as graphs. The time to reach the maximum point on the curve, the peak, its height, and the following decline of the curve provide essential information on gluten quality—all of which appear within moments and are easily readable at a glance. Strong gluten results in very fast and high peaks, while weaker quality grades are identified by their delayed and flatter peaks on the curve – down to “null peaks”, which are for example, typical for biscuit wheats.

A truly quick technique for the lab
All this makes the GlutoPeak by Brabender® automatic - all that needs to be done is for the sample to be weighed-in manually. A measurement takes between 60 and 600 seconds, living up to its designation as a “quick technique”. Hence, with typical flours or baking mixes up to ten tests per hour can be conducted on average with mini samples of 3-10 grams and extremely easy handling. The specific comparisons of the sample results are then simply a matter of technical quality, which is done according to the company’s own specifications and product requirements.

12/09/12: Gluten; IPPE; GEAPS/KSU award

Hello,

• Gluten quality is an essential criterion for the evaluation of baking properties. This autumn, Brabender® will showcase its patented GlutoPeak process at IBA 2012, Duisburg, Germany.  The GlutoPeak first separates the gluten, and then aggregates it into a characteristic network before destroying it with the rotation of its mechanical measuring paddle. More information... 

• International Production & Processing Expo tops 400,000 net square feet.  The global poultry, feed and meat industry trade show will be held Tuesday through Thursday, January 29-31, 2013, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. The Expo will highlight the latest technology, equipment, and services used in the production and processing of poultry, meat and feed products.  The Expo will also feature dynamic education programs addressing current industry issues.  More information...

• GEAPS/Kansas State University's distance education wins national award.  According to the GEAPS website, the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) selected GEAPS/K-State for its Distinguished Program: Non-Credit Award for 2012. The Award will be presented at the association's Annual Meeting and Conference November 12-14, 2012 in Austin, Texas.  Read more... 

LocMap-Atlanta-GA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Press Release: Romer Lab, launched two new test kits for gluten

About Romer Labs:

Romer Labs, founded in Washington, MO, in 1982, is a leader in diagnostic solutions for food and feed safety. It develops, manufacturers and markets test kits for food allergens, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues and other food contaminants. The company also operates four accredited full-service laboratories on three continents. Romer Labs has facilities in Austria, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Singapore, UK and the USA. For more than 30 years, Romer Labs has been a trusted partner for the food and feed industry worldwide.

Romer Labs, a food-safety diagnostic company, has launched two new test kits for gluten, thereby expanding its product portfolio for food allergens. The AgraStrip® Gluten G12 is a lateral flow device for onsite factory testing and the AgraQuant® Gluten G12 is an ELISA for quantitative testing in the laboratory. Romer Labs is showcasing the new products, along with their complete product range, at the 2012 Food Safety Summit taking place April 17-19, 2012 in Washington DC. The company is especially proud to announce an educational session featuring world renowned gluten-expert, Dr. Alessio Fasano during the summit. He will give a presentation on celiac disease and gluten sensitivity and the importance of testing for gluten in food products.

The brand-new test kits use Romer Labs proprietary gluten detection technology, which employs a next generation antibody, called G12. The method represents a quantum leap in gluten detection as it targets the most immunotoxic proteins for those intolerant to gluten. This approach should be considered to be closer to the ideal of a food safety test as it establishes the important link between celiac disease and the detection of the immunotoxic peptides in food. The G12 antibody is also more reliable for processed food such as cookies or baby food, as it determines the pathogenic component of the sample, independently to what grade the ingredients have been modified during the manufacturing process.

The AgraStrip® Gluten G12 kit has an adjustable cut-off level for qualitative screening at either: 5 ppm, 10 ppm or 20 ppm gluten while the AgraQuant® Gluten G12 ELISA quantitates levels of gluten between 4 and 200 ppm. Both kits will improve gluten detection, supporting controls and labeling.

For further information, contact:

Erica Welker
Food Safety Sales Manager
Romer Labs, Inc.
+1 636-744-3303
erica.welker@romerlabs.com

Research: Effect of yeast protein on piglet intestines

Australian scientists studied the use of nucleotides, vitamins and functional amino acids to enhance the structure of the small intestine and circulating measures of immune function in the post-weaned piglet. Ninety individually-housed castrated pigs (Large White × Landrace × Duroc mixed crossbred, n = 18) were used in a randomized block experiment to determine the effect of yeast protein concentrate (YPC) or its major active components, nucleotides (NCL), inositol (INS), and glutamate (GLU), on pig performance, indices of gut structure and circulating measures of immune function.

Results
Daily gain and feed intake were not affected by diet, however pigs fed the YPC diet had a lower feed conversion ratio compared to those fed the control (CON), INS and NCL diets in the feeding period. Villous height in the duodenum was increased in pigs that received the YPC diet compared to the CON and INS diets. In addition, immunoglobulin G levels were increased in pigs that received the INS and GLU diets compared to the CON and NCL diet on day 21. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

USA Rice issues report on gluten-free product market

USA Rice Federation released the March issue of The Rice Advisor (member log-in required), monthly research report on trends for products using rice as an ingredient. This edition gives a snapshot of the gluten free market, including rice product categories, top manufacturers of gluten free products, and opportunities for rice in the market.

Increased awareness of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity has led to significant growth in the gluten free product market. Gluten-free food and beverages reached sales of 2.64 billion in 2010, a 30 percent increase since 2006 according to a recent Packaged Facts study, and are projected to grow to US$5.6 billion by 2015. As a prominent ingredient in gluten-free products, rice will continue to benefit from growth of the market.

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.