IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards

The 2008 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards were presented to four companies: Bunge North America, CEM Corp, Multisorb Technologies and NC Hyperbaric.

A panel of nine jurors from industry and academia, with broad expertise in research and product development, processing and packaging technology, and food safety, selected the four companies and their innovations from qualified entries. Judging criteria included degree of innovation, technical advancement, benefits to food manufacturers and consumers, and scientific merit.

Bunge North America garnered the 2008 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its Nutra Blanche/Nutra-Clear NT Frying System Solution & Donut Fry NT, which utilises proprietary hydrogenation technology to reduce trans fats by more than 85% in shortening systems for par-fried potatoes and fried donuts. The hydrogenation procedure utilises a conditioned nickel catalyst that selectively prevents the formation of trans fats. It also increases the plasticity of soybean oil, which minimises clumping of French fries and ‘oiling out’ during storage and improves sugar adhesion in fried donuts. French fries retain a golden colour and clean mouthfeel (not waxy).

CEM Corp won the award for its Sprint Rapid Protein analyser. The compact instrument — designed for use in the laboratory or at a production line — provides protein determination in two minutes that is more accurate than other methods, without the use of harsh chemicals or high heat. The device uses a protein-tagging technology that is AOAC approved for many food products and measures only protein — not nitrogen. The instrument “permits rapid analysis of protein levels by measuring protein directly, not nitrogen levels, avoiding the problem of false protein readings from nitrogen-containing contaminants like melamine”, stated a juror.

Multisorb Technologies was honoured for its Active Oxygen Barrier Enhancement — an oxygen-scavenging system that can be incorporated into packaging polymers for moulded, sheeted or film applications. The system improves the oxygen barrier properties of the structure, resulting in extended shelf life and greater quality retention. The scavenging system possesses high reactivity to permeating oxygen. It is also compatible with passive nanoparticle additives. The result is significantly simpler or thinner packaging structures with superior barrier properties. “The oxygen-scavenging system impregnated into the packaging film is an enhancement over current oxygen control systems,” stated a juror. The “ability to absorb in situ as well as permeating oxygen would have many applications in food/beverage products”, added the juror.

NC Hyperbaric captured the 2008 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its Wave 6000/420 High Pressure Processing Equipment, which utilises a working pressure of 87,000 psi to process about 2000 kg of product per hour at a cost of $0.07/kg. Reduced machine cycle times and vessel filling deliver greater product throughput. The equipment features a 38 cm diameter vessel with a capacity of 420 L. “An innovative non-thermal process to inactivate bacteria,” stated a juror. Another juror noted that the “Wave 6000/420 offers a large (may be the largest) capacity to process product at 87,000 psi in one cycle, which greatly improves the efficiency and cost of high-pressure processing”.