Alpma Alpenland Maschinenbau (Rott am Inn) together with HOCHLAND Polska Sp.z.o.o. (Wegrów, Poland): "Formatic" portioning of semi-hard cheese

When semi-hard cheeses with gas holes are produced, portioning of the curd-whey mix in the cheese moulds is a process step that is crucial for quality and profitability. ALPMA has developed a new technique for this that allows unique flexibility thanks to the continuous and direct portioning process. Essential advantages of this new development include low investment costs related to the functionality, production of high quality cheese, high weight precision, short re-tooling times, low space requirement and low maintenance outlay.

Bühler AG (Uzwil, Switzerland): Vitaminrich rice from the extruder

Conditioning of harvested raw rice to produce the much-used white rice involves a loss of ingredients that can lead to nutritionally-related deficiency symptoms for people whose staple food is rice. A cooking extrusion method was developed to solve this problem. It can be used to produce products with an appearance and content similar to rice from milled rice products. This is known as reconstituted rice. By formulating the recipe and designing process conditions, it is possible to produce products with a defined composition and customised features as regards colour, form and texture. Since the ingredients added are practically encapsulated in the rice grain in this process, they have above-average storage stability, which can be used, for example, to produce functional foods. However, the process is focused particularly on the production of reconstituted rice highly enriched with vitamins and mineral substances that can be added to the white rice selectively in order to help ensure sufficient nutrient supplies to the populations in developing countries.

Valio Ltd (Valio, Finland): Technology for lactose-free dairy products

Inspired by the finding that in Finland some 17 % of the adult population show a lactase deficiency, Finnish companies have been engaged already since the 1970s in developing processes to produce lactose-reduced and lactose-free dairy products. The permanent and consistent research and development led to the company becoming the world's leading pioneer in this field so that today the technologies it has developed are used cost-effectively well beyond Finland's frontiers.

Krones AG (Neutraubling) jointly with Molkerei Heinrich Gropper GmbH & Co (Bissingen) : Cold aseptic filling line (H₂O₂-sterilisation for PET bottles)

This application presents a cold aseptic filling line for still, liquid products with a pH value of up to 7. A special feature of this system is that the PET bottles produced with a blow-moulding machine from preforms are tempered in a bottle pre-heater and sterilised on the outside before being sterilised inside with gaseous hydrogen peroxide. The pre-heating prevents condensation of H₂O₂ on the bottle wall and hence avoids the risk of residues in the product. Up to four product varieties can be filled, labelled, packaged and palletised on the filling line at the same time, thus saving the filling company labour-intensive and costly picking work with trays as end packaging.

World Pac International (Schaanwald, Liechtenstein): Impregnated high barrier casings

The development of impregnated, high barrier casings shown here represents a milestone in the world of casings for cooked sausages, cooked cured products and processed cheese. An outer PE/PA/PE sandwich represents an effective barrier layer above all against oxygen and steam. On the inside the sandwich is provided with an absorbent non-woven layer that can be impregnated with colouring and/or aroma substances depending on the tasks on hand. These are then transferred evenly and reliably to the food inside during the cooking and scalding process. Shorter production times, standardisation and of greater flexibility in production as well as increased product safety are just a few of the benefits that can be achieved by using these newly developed casings.  

Gebrüder Abraham Schinken GmbH (Edewecht): High pressure treatment of raw cured hams in ready packages for safe killing off of Listeria monocytogenes

Traditionally produced raw cured hams are natural products that ripen over a long period and to which no preservatives apart from nitrite with common salt or potassium nitrate/common salt and possibly smoke are added. Thus despite comprehensive hygiene measures, as a consequence of the specific product properties the occasional presence of Listeria on the ham cannot be ruled out completely. To guarantee absolutely Listeria-free products a process on the basis of high-pressure technology at pressures of 6,000 bar was developed in which the already packaged end products are treated with appropriate process parameters without any effects on the sensory properties of the ham.

K-Robotix (Bremen): Robotik-Pack-Line

The production of variform convenience products is one of the most difficult tasks in the food industry. With the Robotik-Pack-Line an automatic production line has been designed in which the various packaging, separating and dosing systems are carried out “hand-in-hand” with robots, even or specifically in hygienically critical areas. This guarantees safe, fast and hygienic production and packaging of foods.

Munters (Huntingdon, United Kingdom): IceDry Frost Prevention

The condensation of atmospheric humidity and the associated formation of ice represent a technical, economic, quality-related and not least safety problem in the production and storage of frozen foods. Ice-Dry offers a simple solution for reducing this problem by withdrawing the moisture from the air using a special drying process before such moisture can condense and freeze. This accordingly reduces maintenance costs and down times and at the same time enhances productivity, as well as significantly cutting energy costs.