Spotlight Food & Beverage Analysis


Modified Atmosphere Packaging Provides Long-Term Solution for Food Manufacturers


Interest in nitrogen gas generation remains high in the food industry, predominantly due to the importance of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), a technique, which helps maintain product freshness, quality and extends shelf life. The compact, modular and self-contained MAXIGAS and MIDIGAS systems from Parker Domnick Hunter represent a considerable advance in industrial scale nitrogen generation, providing businesses with a cost effective and practical method of generating their own nitrogen on site, from a conventional supply of compressed air. By providing a high performance and energy efficient system that produces nitrogen on-demand, MAXIGAS and MIDIGAS eliminates the need for traditional gas bottles and bulk storage facilities, which are costly, present health and safety issues and typically involve large numbers of freight movements. MAXIGAS was the first gas generation system able to deliver a reliable supply of nitrogen at a guaranteed, consistent purity, while offering significant improvements in energy efficiency. In addition, the modular design allows for ease of transportation, installation and servicing by comparison with existing supply options, while the user friendly systems can easily be expanded at a later date if the demand for nitrogen increases.


The MIDIGAS range in addition to the successful MAXIGAS nitrogen gas generation models have been developed as compact, stand-alone units that allow food processing and packaging companies to produce their own supply of nitrogen in-situ and on demand. With investment payback typically being within 12 to 24 months and ongoing cost savings of up to 90%, the generators are capable of producing an immediate supply of high purity nitrogen, safely and reliably. The MIDIGAS and MAXIGAS generators are quick and easy to install, requiring only power and compressed air connections, and are modular in design, enabling each system to be extended as and when nitrogen requirements increase. The systems use proven pressure swing adsorption technology, with pairs of extruded aluminium modular columns filled with high performance carbon molecular sieves to adsorb oxygen from a compressed air supply. The larger nitrogen molecules pass through each sieve to a storage vessel, from where the nitrogen can be supplied at carefully controlled pressures as a carrier, make-up or purge gas.


Circle no. 343 Mycotoxins in Nuts Circle no. 344


Every year during the pre- holiday activities the use of nuts increases in order to prepare for the holiday baking. To a large degree unnoticed by consumers is the problem of a possible contamination of these foods with mycotoxins. The EU wide uniform evaluation of contaminants - besides the establishing for top limits for mycotoxins - also stipulates the guidelines of sample taking and sample processing and methods of analysis. Today already, instruments for analysis achieve undreamt precision during the determination of the finest traces of contamination and toxins. Increasingly problematic is the preparation of a representative sample.


Solution to Breweries Pouring Money Down the Drain


A centuries’ old problem that has resulted in breweries pouring away spoilt beer could now become a thing of the past thanks to a new detection kit from Labmedics.


The Labmedics DR.Brewery kit can provide a rapid method for the identification of 12 contaminant bacteria encountered in beer manufacture. The kit, which provides results in less than five hours, can help companies speed up quality control as well as achieve low wastage and consistent beer flavour. The sensitivity of the kit also means that a concentration as low as 10³ CFU/ml can be detected.


“Every stage of beer production is prone to microbial contamination from various sources,” explained Julie Downsborough of Labmedics. “Most laboratories use conventional standard based cultivation methods, which rely on labour intensive and time consuming growth in culture media and isolation. The whole process can take up to seven days to complete and can be extended with additional analyses to positively identify the micro-organism present. The production process can be delayed by up to 14 days whilst this detection process is completed.”


The Labmedics’ kit will increase fermentation capacity and, since the process time can be reduced, the beer can be brought to market earlier. More frequent contamination testing to ensure the production run is free of spoilage bacteria could also save the cost of a whole production batch.


The Labmedics DR.Brewery kit uses four molecular biology techniques: DNA extraction, multiplex PCR amplification, DNA hybridisation and colometric development. Results are interpreted and captured by DR AiM Reader and analysed using DR.Aimsoft.


As well as solving problems in the brewing industry the technology can be equally applied to other industries, with detection kits for the food and the dairy/milk markets due to be launched.


Circle no. 346


The best methods of analysis are only as good as the sample taking and sample preparation in the early stages. Binding standards therefore were set for the sample taking and sample preparation in regards to the


The features that set the Fritsch Universal-Cutting Mill PULVERISETTE 19 cutting mill apart from other cutting mills include: quick lock of the housing; standard funnel for long, bulk materials without dead storage capacity; standard rotor with V-cutting edges; cutting rotor can be removed without tools; to clean the sieve cassette it can be removed machine without tools; swieve not supported by housing parts, easy access area beneath the sieve; and stainless steel collection vessel easy to clean.


The Universal-Cutting Mill PULVERISETTE 19 can also be completed with other accessories. The use of a cutting rotor and the corresponding fixed knives of hardmetal tungsten carbide is possible. Additional accessories, for example the sample extraction via cyclone, are available and very useful with other tasks. Here samples of long fibrous bulky materials such as hay and straw are to be mentioned.


Circle no. 345


New Modified Giolitti and Cantoni Broth (ISO) Added to Culture Media Range


Microbiological culture media specialists Lab M have introduced their new Modified Giolitti and Cantoni Broth (ISO) for the detection and enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci. This adds to Lab M’s expanding range of dehydrated culture media formulated to meet the specific ISO requirements of the food industry.


Modified Giolitti and Cantoni Broth (ISO) is used for the detection and enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci, including Staphylococcus aureus, from food and animal feeding stuffs using the Most Probable Number technique according to ISO 6888-3:2003. This versatile medium can be used with or without an agar/paraffin plug on the surface, depending upon the testing regime employed.


Modified Giolitti and Cantoni Broth is optimised for samples where staphylococci may be stressed and/or present only in low numbers. Their growth is promoted by the inclusion of sodium pyruvate, glycine and high concentration mannitol. Potassium tellurite, which inhibits other Gram-positive organisms, and lithium chloride, inhibitory to Gram-negative bacilli, provide the necessary selectivity. Tellurite also serves as an indicator for coagulase-positive staphylococci , its reduction by these organisms resulting in a blackening of the broth or the presence of a black precipitate.


The introduction of this Modified Giolitti and Cantoni Broth (ISO) enhances Lab M’s range of media for the isolation of coagulase-positive staphylococci in accordance with ISO 6888-3:2003.


Circle no. 347


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