Recycled paper and board used in food packaging materials (boxes, paper bags) often causes migration of mineral oil into food at levels that are claimed to be unacceptable, according to present toxicological assessments.

Visy Automation has developed a new-generation box ‘lidder’ machine founded on innovative drive technology from SEW-Eurodrive, delivering a powerful combination of speed, accuracy and throughput.

Many would say this is an ‘oxymoron’ because how can you manage pests without pest control? In today’s manufacturing world, particularly in the food processing industry, the management of pests has become a high priority. Consumers will not tolerate poor products let alone food that has an elusive insect in it, so how does this affect pest management for food manufacturers?

Two and a half decades since its launch, the Maggi 2 Minute Noodles product still dominates the instant noodles market in India. The Nestle brand's runaway success can be regarded as quite a feat, especially in a country where most packaged products struggle to make their presence felt.

A chlorophyll-based marker in animal feed that fluoresces under UV light may be used to identify contamination of meat, chicken and eggs.

As well as having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, resveratrol also appears to suppress inflammation in humans, based on results from the first prospective human trial of the extract.

Cassava roots are usually inedible and unmarketable by two to four days after harvesting, severely affecting their effectiveness as a major third-world food source. Now, several genetic mechanisms have been identified which improve the shelf life of cassava roots.

Researchers at Swinburne University have been investigating the use of bioplastics - ingredients from renewable sources - and the properties of biopolymers that determine their ‘compostability’.

In the US, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service investigated the quality of eggs - finding no difference between organic and conventionally produced, white and brown, free-range and cage.

Foster’s sought to upgrade some of its ageing fleet of ink jet coders. It sought an advanced ink jet coder, with performance characteristics not previously offered on the market. The system will be used for printing information such as the use-by date detail on shrink-wrapped cluster packs.

An Australian seafood processor has turned to cans to expand its operation and avoid the complexities involved with live exports.

Linx Printing Technologies has launched an enhanced version of its SL301 scribing laser coder, which the company believes is the fastest, most cost-effective and versatile coder available to the bottling industry.

Ilapak has installed a fully automatic line for packing of mini pizzas for Papalina. It delivers complete, multi-lane, automatic packaging lines for a distribution system.

Recently, a large cereal manufacturer approached Fresco Systems Australasia seeking a solution to a problem of dispensing 1000 kg bulk bags of soya beans, rice and oats on a continuous basis into their process. The specification had a number of critical requirements including a system accuracy of <2%, variable discharge rate, 10,000 gauze magnet, discharge height of 1600 mm and a storage capacity of 1500 L.

IntraVis Vision Systems of Germany has installed its Sample PreWatcher machinery in the Coca-Cola plant in Halle, Germany, and into two large suppliers for Coca-Cola in the USA.