Max Rubner Conference brings experts to Karlsruhe

The Max Rubner Conference on the subject of nanotechnology in food, which took place from October 10 to 12, 2010 in Karlsruhe, was very popular. Even in the first lectures, however, it became clear that there are still many open questions and intensive research efforts are necessary.

What is “nano” actually? For this question alone, very different approaches and definitions emerged from the lectures of the international group of scientists at the Max Rubner Conference. If an aluminum coating that is only 50 nanometers thick is applied to food packaging in a conventional manner, as presented by Prof. Horst-Christian Langowski from the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), it can be discussed whether this layer with a large surface area nevertheless " Nano "is. Since the definition of “nano” based on size (1-100 nanometers) is obviously insufficient, additions such as “consciously manufactured” (“engineered nanoparticle”) and “with new functionality” are often used by scientists. But what does “consciously” mean? A question that was also discussed in the panel discussion that followed the conference without a final result. The need for a uniform, generally accepted definition, on the other hand, was undisputed.

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12th workshop of the Institute Danone Nutrition for Health eV (IDE) in cooperation with the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, June 11th - 12th, 2010

They make chillies hot, grapefruit bitter, color tomatoes red and make your eyes water while cutting onions: tens of thousands of plant compounds are summarized under the umbrella term "secondary plant substances", the meaning of which is often not yet fully understood. Many phytochemicals protect plants from UV light, oxygen radicals and pests. The top 30 food crops alone - which account for 90% of the world's calorie consumption - contain over 10.000 different phytochemicals. Secondary plant substances have been studied in nutritional science for around 20 years. Meanwhile, many studies also indicate the health-promoting potential of these substances in humans.

This year's journalists' workshop “A thousandfold healthy!”, Which was held on June 11th and 12th, 2010 by the Institute Danone Nutrition for Health eV in cooperation with the Institute for Human Nutrition and Food Science of the Christian-Albrechts- University of Kiel was carried out.

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The use of starter cultures for the production of fermented meat products is fully established in the meat processing industry. It contributes significantly to the standardization of the manufacturing process, especially with regard to the microbiological safety and sensory quality of the products.

Due to the increasing saturation of the market for starter cultures and the constant development of new meat products, new cultures are being researched intensively worldwide. New so-called functional starter cultures offer additional functionality compared to the classic cultures. This serves to optimize the fermentation process and to produce more sensory, safer and healthier products.

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Some like it spicy

Friends of sushi and other delicacies from Japanese cuisine have long known the pale green, pasty mass. And they appreciate their spicy, aromatic pungency, even if it brings a tingling sensation to your nose and maybe even tears to your eyes. We are talking about wasabi. For some time now, the snack product industry has also discovered the green spiciness for itself: whether in the crispy coating of nuts, dried peas or, more recently, on potato chips. Wasabi has long since put the long-serving hot peppers in the shade. But who or what is wasabi? And is there wasabi in everything that says wasabi?

Wasabi is the vertically growing leafy rhizome of a plant in the cruciferous family. Its also common name as "Japanese horseradish" is deceptive, because unlike wasabi, horseradish is a root that grows underground. What they have in common is the reason for their pungent taste. Volatile mustard oils, the so-called isothiocyanates, are responsible for this.

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Under the leadership of the University of Hohenheim, food scientists, process engineers and industrial partners are now researching new production options, practical use in food, and the taste and acceptance of new types of spice pastes. The Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food and the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection are funding the project with over a quarter of a million euros.

Paprika, parsley, garlic and marjoram: in the future we will enjoy spices that we as consumers used to be dried or in powder form as paste from the tube - this is the vision of food researchers at the University of Hohenheim. Compared to powder form, the paste has several advantages: The production is energy and therefore cost-saving, the paste contains more aroma, is more hygienic - and it does not dust or clump.

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Rapeseed oil in baby food has a positive effect on the levels of certain vital fatty acids in the blood. This has been proven by a study by the Research Institute for Child Nutrition (FKE), an institution affiliated with the University of Bonn. The FKE researchers recommend adding rapeseed oil to jar food. This is particularly important in infancy and toddler age. The results of the study have now appeared in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

102 infants from Dortmund who were included in the study at the age of two months took part in the study. The researchers divided them into a test group and a control group.

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Braunschweiger researchers develop new method for the production of sugar acids

Scientists at the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI) in Braunschweig have developed an innovative method by which various sugars such as dextrose or lactose can be converted into organic acids, which have great potential for industrial use. Furthermore, they report in the current issue of Research Reports, the scientific journal of the Senate of the Federal Research Institute. Catalysts of tiny gold particles are the key to success in the new synthesis method.

Sugar acids ordinary everyday in many different areas. The gluconic produced from glucose serves as a retardant for concrete, is used as an acidity regulator in the cosmetic and food industry, is in the paper industry for use and is also in the pharmaceutical industry is important because are better absorbed with their trace elements such as zinc and calcium from the body ,

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1,8 million Euro total funding for Giessen nutritionists, physicians and chemists and research facilities

So-called smoothies, pureed fruit drinks, are not only fashionable, but could be very healthy, according to many scientists also. Basic include the natural dyes of the fruit, known as anthocyanins, which are particularly frequent in soft fruit. A new joint project of the Justus-Liebig-University, as part of the funding measure "nutrition research - for a healthy life" is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with a total 1,8 million, intended among other things, new foods on the basis of soft fruit better supply of the population can be achieved with anthocyanins.

"Anthocyanins in fruit juices from soft fruit - In vivo studies on bioavailability and effects on the microflora" is the project in which besides three faculties of the University of Giessen (FB08, FB09 and FB11) and the Research Institute, the Research Institute of Child Nutrition Dortmund and Max Rubner Institute in Karlsruhe are involved. The kick-off event will take place on Monday, 8. June 2009 to take 14 pm at the Institute of Food Science, Wilhelmstrasse 20 in the local auditorium. The leadership of the project is Prof. Dr. Clemens Kunz (Chair of Human Nutrition - Nutritional assessment of food).

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Project results reveal new possibilities for food to lower cholesterol and blood pressure - potato and cereal products offer great potential for inexpensive products with additional functional benefits

Some speakers presented sensational results during the recent symposium “Can blue potatoes protect against cancer and bread lower the cholesterol level?”. The event, organized by the German Institute for Food Technology (DIL) as part of the FAEN network, brought together scientists and researchers who are looking for inexpensive raw materials for food that also have a health-promoting effect on the consumer.

So Dr. Silke Hillebrand as spokesperson for a joint project between the TU Braunschweig and the FH Osnabrück present promising results. The researchers examined the prospects of old potato varieties with red flesh for the production of anthocyanins, which in the literature are ascribed positive effects in a number of diseases because of their high antioxidant capacity. The illustrated application examples as potato chips or natural coloring agents for confectionery, drinks and fruit preparations showed the practical suitability. Isn't it a turn of 180 ° when you simply do something positive for your health while eating potato chips?

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Summary of a presentation of 44. Kulmbacher week 2009

It is known that the sensory quality of meat products depends to a large extent on the quality of the flavoring substances used. Modern flavors that are obtained on the basis of CO2 extraction not only have a consistent quality, but also have biological, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. However, the even distribution of highly concentrated extracts over the entire volume of a meat product is a major problem. There is also no doubt that technologies need to be developed which make it possible to incorporate CO2 extracts from spices as emulsions in meat products.

A special method for evaluating the quality of aroma emulsions made it possible to find technologies that work on the basis of ultrasound treatment. In order to find out the effects of the technological parameters of the ultrasonic treatment, various aroma emulsions were investigated with regard to their stability during storage, the composition of the test batches being chosen so that 100 ml of the aroma emulsion were used instead of 100 g of sausage meat.

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Summary of a presentation of 44. Kulmbacher week 2009

In the manufacture of meat products, in addition to the spices, spice extracts, which are obtained through the use of supercritical carbon dioxide, are increasingly being processed. Their advantage lies in their reproducible quality and the lower germ content. For better distribution of the aromas in the sausage meat and thus also a clear sensory perceptibility of the aromas in the finished product, the oily aroma extracts can be emulsified in an aqueous solution by means of ultrasound treatment.

The aim was to determine whether the use of ultrasonically treated aroma emulsions has a positive effect on the quality of cooked sausage. In four test series, scalded sausages were produced with natural spices (control batch) and aroma emulsions (test batch). One day after production and after 6 weeks of storage, the following parameters were recorded: sensory quality, consistency / firmness, water binding capacity (jelly deposit), color, shelf life as well as protein, fat, ash, nitrite / nitrate.

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