The Global Miller

June 29, 2017

29/06/2017: Wheat fortification programme leads to improvement in health

Cameroon photo @Flickr Creative Commons

Positive Impact Reported in Cameroon

Cameroon’s national, mandatory wheat flour fortification program led to an improvement in iron, zinc, folate, and vitamin B12 status among women and children in urban areas, according to a study recently published in The Journal of Nutrition. Maternal anemia prevalence was also significantly lower after fortification.

While fortifying flour with vitamin B12 has been shown to have an impact in controlled settings, this is the first evidence that fortifying wheat flour with vitamin B12 is effective in a mandatory, national programme. It is only the second effectiveness study of fortifying wheat flour with zinc in a country with mandatory wheat flour fortification. The first was in Fiji where the percent of women of child-bearing age with zinc deficiency dropped from 39.3 percent before fortification to zero percent after fortification.

For the Cameroon study, researchers conducted surveys two years before and one year after fortification began. Indicators of inflammation and malaria were included.

What Makes Fortification Successful?

Food fortification in Chile, Costa Rica, and Guatemala has improved nutritional outcomes in those countries. What do the programs have in common? Researchers examined the programs to answer that question. Their conclusions were published in the January 2017 Food and Nutrition Bulletin.

They found the following for each country:

An influential individual supported fortification
An institution with research capacity helped monitor impact
Food industry participation was essential
Programs were well-designed, including choice of food(s) that would reach the vulnerable population
Fortification was mandatory nationwide
Bioavailable fortificants were used at appropriate levels
Monitoring to ensure compliance was enforced

Industrially Milled Flour Entering Rural Pakistan

Rural people in Pakistan are relying more on industrially milled flour, said Tausif Akhtar Janjua, Technical Director for the Food Fortification Program in Pakistan. Traditionally people in rural areas stored wheat at home and had it milled in village chakki mills where fortification is difficult to sustain. Now they are purchasing more industrially milled flour because it is less expensive than chakki-milled flour, he noted.

Noor Ahmad Khan, Nutrition International Senior Technical Advisor, Nutrition in Food Systems, agreed that industrially milled flour is entering the rural markets in Pakistan. He said the volume of flour produced in chakki mills has decreased in the past 10 to 15 years. In addition to cost savings, Noor said bakers prefer industrially milled flour because it kneads and bakes better than chakki-milled flour.

If the Pakistan example becomes common in other areas, fortification of industrially milled flour will have the potential to reach the rural population as well as urban residents.

Improving Nutrition: Solution with High Return on Investment

Balance the budget. Improve national security. Limit unemployment. Build infrastructure. These are examples of challenges that demand the attention of country leaders. Rather than focusing on problems though, Bjorn Lomborg, Director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, suggested looking for the smartest solutions.

“We can’t do everything; there’s not enough money or time,” Bjorn said during a Regional Summit for Improving the Health of Women and Children Through Flour Fortification in Kazakhstan earlier this year. His advice is to look for solutions that yield the best return on investment. For example, improving nutrition will have a cost, but he said the benefits of better academic performance, more productivity, and higher future salaries make it one of the smartest solutions available.

In a review of the World Bank report An Investment Framework for Nutrition, authors made the same argument. They noted that investing US$10 per child per year above current spending for nutrition-specific interventions would have ‘enormous impacts’ including:

65 million cases of childhood stunting prevented in 2025
265 million cases of anemia in women prevented in 2025
91 million more children under five years of age would be treated for severe wasting
105 million additional babies would be exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life
3.7 million child deaths averted in 2025

“Every dollar invested in this package of interventions would yield between US$4 and US$35 in economic returns, making investing in early nutrition one of the best value-for-money development actions.” the authors wrote.

The cost effectiveness of flour fortification in particular was illustrated in Haiti when a research project called Haïti Priorise commissioned cost-benefit researcher papers to suggest the best way for the country to expand its economy. A panel of three Haitian economists and a US Nobel laureate economist considered 85 proposals and interviewed the authors. The panel determined that the government’s first priority should be to reform the electricity utility. The second top priority should be to fortify wheat flour. The research was funded by the Canadian government and led by the Copenhagen Consensus Center.

The Haiti example is consistent with the 2012 Copenhagen Consensus global findings. That report found that every dollar spent on multiple interventions to reduce chronic under-nutrition has a US$30 payoff.

Pakistan and Mongolia Move Toward Wheat Flour Fortification

In April, 117 participants from eight countries – Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan – made pledges to improve their wheat flour fortification programs. While their first commitment was not expected to be complete for six months, Pakistan and Mongolia already report progress toward their goals.

The commitments were made during a Regional Summit for Improving the Health of Women and Children Through Flour Fortification held in Almaty Kazakhstan. The event was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and co-hosted by the Government of Kazakhstan and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). FFI was a core organizer, along with the Copenhagen Consensus, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, Nutrition International, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme.

Summit Participants at the Regional Summit for Improving the Health of Women and Children Through Flour Fortification in April 2017 At the conclusion of the Summit, country leaders were asked to identify two actions they could take to improve wheat flour fortification programs.

When asked for progress a month later, Pakistan reported that it had launched its Food Fortification Strategy on April 13, 2017, with WFP support. The Pakistan Food Fortification Program is currently engaging with relevant departments of National and Provincial Governments to create enabling environments for wheat flour fortification, said Tausif Akhtar Janjua, Technical Director for the Food Fortification Support Program in Pakistan.

He added that implementation is expected to begin soon in Punjab Province. This support program is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and implemented by Mott MacDonald in partnership with Nutrition International. Additional support is provided by WFP and GAIN.

A long-term goal in Pakistan is to create a sustainable supply for premix – the blend of vitamins and minerals that is used to fortify food. A competitive process will result in a memorandum of understandings for premix for wheat flour and edible oils. “As a result of this exercise, millers will get premix at their doorstep at a price less than the current market rates,” Tausif said.

It was also reported that Bühler will supply more than 1,000 micro-feeders to the wheat flour mills in Pakistan. This will allow about half the mills in Pakistan to add iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, and zinc to wheat flour.

In addition, the fortification of edible oil and ghee (a hydrogenated form of edible oil), formally started in districts of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad in May 2017.

Also at the Summit, a representative from the Mongolian Health Initiative, a non-governmental organization (NGO) advising the government on large-scale fortification, committed to sharing lessons learned during a national workshop in Mongolia. That workshop was the Central Eurasian Nutrition Forum held June 7-9 , 2017.

Leaders from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan who had attended the Summit in Almaty spoke at the Mongolia meeting about nutrition and public health, the role of the flour milling industry, international organizations’ involvement in nutrition, and progress on large-scale fortification legislation and action in Central Eurasia.

Invited guests and experts discussed with local delegates from the Mongolian government and other sectors about the scientific and policy aspects of improving nutrition, implementing large-scale fortification, and opportunities for international partnership. At the conclusion of the conference, a declaration was assigned by the conference participants to resolve to work together on a set of short- and long-term goals related to regional nutrition research and advocacy.

Of the countries represented at the Summit, Turkmenistan is the only country that is fortifying most of its industrially milled flour. Consequently, its goal is to improve its monitoring system by using a tool called FORTIMAS (Fortification Monitoring and Surveillance). Also, Turkmenistan currently fortifies with iron and folic acid. Within 12 months, the country will study whether to add other nutrients to its flour fortification standards.

Other country commitments made during the Summit were:

Afghanistan will finalise wheat flour fortification legislation within six months – possibly in just two months. It will also ensure that at least 30 percent of wheat flour imports are fortified.
Azerbaijan will organize a multi-sector round-table discussion within six months to renew efforts to fortify wheat flour. Within one year, it will study the experiences of countries which have had positive experiences with flour fortification.
Kazakhstan will be ready to export wheat flour according to regionally harmonized standards within six months. Within a year, it hopes to find financial support for fortification.
Kyrgyzstan will create a plan for procuring wheat flour fortification premix within six months; leaders from GAIN plan to visit Kyrgyzstan in July to establish a revolving fund for premix purchases. Within 12 months, the country will have involved more stakeholders in fortification discussions to work toward gaining political and public support.
Tajikistan’s flour fortification law is being reviewed by parliament. Hopefully the law will be passed within six months. After that, national leaders will create an awareness campaign for the public and plan internal and external monitoring programmes.

See the original newsletter from the Food Fortification Initiative here.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

June 28, 2017

29/06/2017: Grain quality control and mycotoxins

Grain quality is of the utmost importance, and if it’s not something you’ve been paying close attention to then you could be putting your supply chain and reputation at risk

Grains and seeds are highly volatile, and their quality can be influenced by a number of key factors, such as the environment, weather conditions and propagation techniques. Not only this, but grains are also susceptible to moulds during cultivation and storage which can pose as a great risk to quality.

Evidence Investigator
Image credit: Randox

Mycotoxin development
For readers who may not know much about mycotoxins, they are a group of naturally occurring toxins produced by certain fungi, commonly known as moulds, which are harmful to humans, domestic animals and livestock.

They can develop on grain and seeds during cultivation (Fusarium species) and some types can remain in the soil around infected grains. However, it should be noted that they could also develop during storage (Penicillium species) especially when levels of moisture are heightened.

They can be found in a wide range of foods and feeds, particularly in areas with climates of high temperature and humidity. Mycotoxins can then enter the food or feed chain through contaminated crops, in particular via cereals, but also nuts, beans, spices, dried fruit, oil seeds, coffee and cocoa, poultry meat and kidneys, pig kidneys and pork sausages. Contamination may also occur post-harvest during storage, transport, and processing stages of the food or feed supply chain.

Mycotoxin prevalence and effects
The prevalence of mycotoxins varies significantly across the globe, yet they can be classified into six main groups – aflatoxins, trichothecenes, fumonisins, zearalenone, ochratoxin and ergot alkaloids. Each of these different groups has different physiological effects on human and animal health.

Typically, they have an immunosuppressant effect, which can lead to a reduced ability to fight disease and infection, but they can also have multiple other side effects. Mycotoxins range in their level of toxicity and can affect humans and animals in different ways depending on the level of exposure and age of the individual. Many can be carcinogenic, so their prevention is of key importance to grain producers. Grain storage has a direct impact upon frequency.

Poor storage conditions or fluctuations in temperature/humidity can increase the risks of mycotoxins developing. Often termed as the ‘invisible enemy’ as in many cases they are not easy to identify with the exception of Ergot Alkaloids, which alters the structure of the grains.

As a result, quality control of grains needs to be completed within a laboratory setting and highlights the importance of frequent grain screening, as not all are visible to the naked eye. Recent research has shown that co-occurrence is becoming more prevalent, meaning that multiple mycotoxins can infect a single grain or batch.

Co-occurrence poses as an additional threat to feed and food producers as they can have a negative synergistic effect on human and animal health. This surge in the co-occurrence of mycotoxins within grains means there has never been a more important time to begin multi-mycotoxin screening, ensuring that grains are not being wrongly approved as free from mycotoxins.

Read the full article, HERE.

Chief Industries company profile

Chief Agri/Industrial Division markets grain bins, grain conditioning, bulk-handling, feedmill equipment and accessories through a worldwide network of highly qualified dealers. And since 1954, Chief Industries has been providing customers with quality manufactured products and unmatched personal service.

"The demanding industry we serve requires flexibility and our diverse line of products provides customers the confidence that Chief can meet their needs. This diversity combined with unmatched personal service and the strength of more than 50 years, are key examples of how the Chief commitment to our customers is unmatched," says the company.

For more than 50 years, Chief has focused on "Engineering Relationships" with its customers, a relationship that begins long before the order and lasts well after the shipment.

Chief products utilise state-of-the-art designs that simplify construction and save time and money. The company extends an invitation to tour its site to find out how Chief can meet your grain management needs.

29/06/2017: NGFA, grain/oilseed value chain partners urge USDA to drop proposed biotech regulatory changes

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), in a joint statement submitted recently with four other agribusiness associations representing the grain and oilseed value chain, urged the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to withdraw its proposed regulations governing the importation, interstate movement and environmental release of certain genetically engineered organisms

Image credit: Leimenide on Flickr

APHIS requested comments on its proposed so-called "Part 340" regulatory revisions, which among other things would eliminate the notification process for certain genetically engineered organisms in favour of an affirmative permitting scheme.

The NGFA, Corn Refiners Association, National Oilseed Processors Association, North American Export Grain Association and North American Millers' Association said the APHIS proposal was "premature" since governmental authorities in important US export markets have not been consulted adequately yet nor signalled acceptance of the agency's proposed new regulatory approach.

A failure to obtain such acceptance could result in significant disruptions in trade of US agricultural commodities and processed products, the NGFA and the other groups warned. They urged the agency to withdraw the proposed changes and instead turn its focus to engaging with international governments to build a better understanding and acceptance of the reasons the agency is seeking to modify its regulatory oversight.

"Above all else, APHIS needs to 'do no harm' by avoiding prematurely implementing a regulatory approach under its Part 340 rules with respect to advancements in genetic engineering technology that puts US grain and agri-bulk exports at risk," the NGFA and the other organisations said.

"APHIS should not be working at cross-purposes to undercut the administration's focus on trade and exports."

The NGFA and the same grain- and oilseed-based agribusiness organisations also submitted a joint statement in response to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) request for comments on the use of genome-editing techniques to produce new plant varieties intended for use in human and/or animal food.

The organisations recommended that FDA require notification from plant breeders that develop and intend to commercialise plant genome-editing techniques. This would enable the agency to be informed about the kinds of traits being developed so it can determine whether to advise seed developers to consult with the agency on any food safety or labelling-related issues prior to commercialisation of such gene-edited crops.

"In the absence of a notification requirement, FDA's awareness about the presence of foods developed through various plant-breeding techniques in other countries or regions of the world would be limited severely," the statement said.

Visit the NGFA website, HERE.

28/06/2017: Insect protein in fish feed welcomed - single market must now fast-track pork and poultry amendments

Image courtesy of nextProtein

The European Commission is to be congratulated for officially approving insect protein for aquaculture feed, however now urgent action is required to allow safe and sustainable insect-based feedstock for the pork and poultry industries, nextProtein says.

The French-Tunisian agritech startup welcomed the recent decision by EU regulators to officially allow insect protein to be fed to farmed fish, but said more must be done to ensure outdated regulations do not slow progress in such a vital field of sustainable agriculture.

With an estimated global population of more than nine billion by 2050 and increasing concerns around food supply and waste, nextProtein aims to address land and resource scarcity through insect protein production. nextProtein have reported producing the equivalent amount of protein from 100sqm as 100ha of soy field.

The European Commission officially authorised insect-based processed animal proteins (PAPs) as feed for aquaculture animals on May 24, 2017, through a change to Annex IV of Regulation 999/2001, with the regulation text to come into effect on July 1 this year.

Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Syrine Chaalala commented, "We welcome the European Commission's official ruling on this important reform for the aquaculture industry. With then vast majority of farmed fish relying on fishmeal and the depletion of our marine ecosystems, insect-based proteins offer the aquaculture industry a more sustainable way to ensure fish for human consumption."

She continued, "Our insects are fed on organic waste, namely fruit and vegetables from markets, so allowing insect-based protein supplies like ours we can alleviate the pressure on severely depleted wild fish stocks."

Co-founder CEO Mohamed Gastli explained, "But what must now be a priority is ensuring outdated regulations are amended to ensure safe and sustainable insect proteins can be used in the poultry and pork industries."

He continues, "Insect proteins are one of the most abundant sources of alternative proteins but until now the legal framework covering insect proteins needs has yet to fully catch up to the future of what businesses like ours can offer to modern agriculture."

He summarises, "We now need the European Commission to amend regulations to include the poultry and pork industries and ensure safe and sustainable insect proteins, which are created using significantly less land, water and energy resources with less greenhouse gas emissions."

Visit the nextProtein website here.

28/06/2017: Richardson acquires European Oat Millers

Richardson International Limited logo -
Courtesy of Richardson International

Richardson International Limited has expanded its oat milling business with the acquisition of European Oat Millers.

Curt Vossen, President and CEO of Richardson International commented, “We are excited to build on our success in value-added processing and extend our food manufacturing footprint to a new geography. As the largest oat miller in North America, we now look forward to building a presence in Europe to enhance our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

Based in Bedford, England, European Oat Millers is a leader in the oat milling business. It is the second largest oat miller in Europe, producing a wide range of oat products, including various oat flakes, flour and groats, as well as wheat and barley flakes and extruded ingredients and products. Products are sold throughout the U.K., with exports to continental Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Vossen continues, “European Oat Millers is a solid, family-owned business that is well-established in the U.K. We have been very impressed with both the quality of the business and its people and believe it is an excellent complement to our Richardson Milling division. Looking ahead, we will build on the investments that have already been made, including increasing manufacturing capacity, and will continue to seek opportunities to expand our global business.”

Bill Jordan, who co-founded European Oat Millers with his brother David remarked, “My brother and I are very proud of the business that we have successfully grown over the past three decades. We are pleased to be passing it on to a similar family-owned business that shares both our vision for growth and our core values and we look forward to watching the business evolve.”

Richardson first entered the oat milling business in 2013 with the acquisition of three oat processing plants in Canada - Portage la Prairie, Manitoba; Martensville, Saskatchewan; Barrhead, Alberta – and one in the US in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Today, Richardson is the largest oat miller in North America.

Visit the Richardson International Limited website here.

28/06/2017: Reducing feeding costs through NIR analysis

by Sophie Brown, AB Vista, UK

Nutrition continues to be one of the most critical factors of animal production, with feed costs accounting for up to 80 percent of the total variable costs

Least-cost feed formulation software allows nutritionists to construct a diet that meets the requirements of the animal and considers feed ingredient cost and nutrient content. However, there is considerable variation of nutritional quality within an ingredient due to several factors including cultivar, soil quality and growing, harvesting and post-harvesting conditions. The extent of this variability and its potential economic impact is a challenge for feed manufacturers and producers.

Traditional analysis methods are costly and time consuming
The cost of wet chemistry analysis is prohibitive to large numbers of samples and as such it may not address the question of ingredient variability. Variability of nutritional quality of raw materials presents a risk of under or over estimating nutrients, leading to economic losses and/or poor animal performance.

In addition to the cost of wet chemistry there is an average 1-2 week turnaround time to receive results after ingredient submission. Published references (NRC or Feedstuffs ingredient analysis table) are another resource nutritionist used to assign ingredient nutrient values.

However, published references only present an average nutrient value and do not provide knowledge of ingredient variability, compositional differences between batches or changes over time.

New developments in NIR technology
With increased focus on ingredient knowledge and quality control, near infrared reflectance (NIR) manufacturers and software developers have introduced new products into the market that are able to help the modern day nutritionist better understand feed ingredient quality and variability.

NIR uses near infrared reflectance to obtain a chemical profile of an ingredient sample and thus predict parameters such as moisture, starch, protein and fat. However it is also possible to build NIR calibrations beyond the usual proximate analysis to include analysis of reactive lysine, in vivo energy values and phytic-P.

Such analysis has the potential to bring cost savings through formulation, supplier selection and ultimately animal performance. Hardware advances such as portable NIR devices can be used on-farm or in the feed mill, allowing greater flexibility, and software developments have allowed web-enabled analyses and programs that transfer NIR data directly into feed formulation software.

Measuring phytate levels with NIR to maximise phytase use
Phytate varies within raw materials and if this is not accounted for in formulation it has the potential to lead to variable phytate content of complete feeds.

In Figure 1, it is clear that some raw materials are more variable than others, particularly those that we know to be inherently variable such as bakery meal. NIR technology can analyse phytate content, giving the nutritionist values for formulation and confidence that there is enough substrate for a phytase enzyme to act on in the complete feed. NIR can be used as a tool to check the potential substrate for phytase in complete feeds.

The presence of higher levels of phytate in broiler feeds means there is greater opportunity to make the phosphate in this phytate available by use of higher doses of efficient phytases.

Read the full article, HERE.

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