Food Science and Technology最新文献

It's hard to believe it's been 12 months since hearing the astonishing words, ‘The winner this year, and team going to Germany to represent the UK, is… PlanEat!’ And what an incredible 12 months it's been too! Having won the UK round of Ecotrophelia 2023, our team were given the opportunity to represent the UK in the Ecotrophelia European finals in October. This was an experience I will never forget.

Although there was a period of 4 months between the UK leg of the Ecotrophelia competition and the European final, there was still a lot of work that needed to be done. For us though, this was a period of rapid change; we graduated and many of our team started roles within days or weeks of finishing our final university assignment, myself included! Now, without our university base, scattered all over the country and trying to adjust to new roles, sitting down all together was no longer the simple matter it had once been.

On the back of recommendations from the dragons at the UK final, we agreed to further optimise our formulation. Furthermore, we had been informed that the judges of the European final were looking for a slightly different set of criteria and ultimately answering the question, ‘is this product ready to be launched?’ The Healy Group kindly allowed us to optimise our product at their Innovation Centre in Leicestershire and to host a dress rehearsal pitch in the week running up to the final. Many of the industry dragons from the UK round of the competition attended, as well as new colleagues and guests from The Food Innovation Centre based at the University of Nottingham. We came away feeling ready for anything thrown our way, having answered questions from attendees of the dress rehearsal for just under an hour. I’d like to reiterate my thanks to the University of Nottingham and the Healy Group who supported us throughout our Ecotrophelia journey.

In early October, we headed to Cologne for the European finals! The competition itself took place over two very exciting but nerve-wracking days at the Anuga Food Fair. The products showcased to the industry dragons were created by 14 teams from across Europe. Like us, each team had won their national round and were now representing their country on the wider European stage. It was interesting to see the trend in products for 2023's competition, which predominately featured sustainable protein or products of waste valorisation, incorporated into beverages, desserts and snack products.

The competition itself was set up very differently from the UK round. As there was no product showcase, we had less opportunity to meet the other teams and get a sneak peak of their products. We were fortunate in being able to chat to a few teams who were very friendly and equally passionate about their products and innovation journey. The lack of a showcase though, also meant that we didn’t have an opportunity to show off our product or chat to the judges in a less formal

Daria Liutcerina, interviews Bob Bowman. Here he shares his story as a professional in the field of food science and covers many challenges but also opportunities in the field.

BB: I was born and raised in Croydon, Surrey. I went to a local Grammar School, where my favourite subjects at O-level were maths and biology. However, after taking advice, I studied chemistry, physics, and pure & applied maths at A-Level.

My interest in food was sparked when, during my sixth-form years, I worked as a Saturday boy at my local Sainsbury store. I discovered that food retailing was different from many commodities. Stacking products on the shop floor wasn’t just about keeping shelves full; products had different storage requirements, shelf-lives, etc. When it came to considering further education after school, I was totally disillusioned with the pure sciences I had studied and could not envisage taking any one of them further (I hope they’ve changed the curricula since to make them more exciting). That's when I began considering studying food science. I looked at all the possible courses but, on my very last day at school, my form master handed me an A4 sheet about the National College for Food Technology (NCFT) in Weybridge, which had just dropped through his mailbox that morning. I applied and was interviewed by the principal, Professor Denis Mounfield, one of the founders of IFST, and was offered a place on the 4-year Food Technology course.

BB: I often describe my career since graduating in 1970 as consisting of two halves – half spent in employment with various food businesses and the other half self-employed. My first job was as a Development Technologist with Brooke Bond Oxo, based at their new technical centre in Croydon. I was tasked with developing a range of heat-sterilized products in flexible pouches. The project required frequent trips to a small factory in Fakenham, Norfolk, where I conducted heat-penetration trials using specially modified retorts adapted to run on super-heated water.

During one of these trips, between Christmas and New Year, a retort malfunctioned, spraying water under pressure. I was injured and spent New Year with my legs bandaged, which almost disrupted plans to announce our engagement at my girlfriend's parents’ house in South Wales. To this day, I bear scars from the incident.

Additionally, I became the go-to expert in materials testing and texture measurement, a role that led to my photo appearing on the front page of the Financial Times. This became an amusing anecdote, serving as my ‘ice-breaker’ at subsequent training courses.

My line manager at the time, Keith Anderson, who later became a President of IFST, persuaded me to join the institute as a Licentiate on 1st October 1971 (a membership lasting – well, I’ll leave you to do the maths). I was later promoted to Quality Controller at their recently acquired Haywards business, which had factories

Lewis Wallis and Helen Arrowsmith of Campden BRI outline the importance of clear labelling when making nutrition and health claims to empower consumers’ informed choices amid regulatory complexities.

Have you ever seen a claim on a food or drink product label that has swayed your purchasing decision? We are constantly faced with claims of various kinds used to promote products whenever we enter a supermarket, shop for products online, or see them promoted on TV and in social media advertisements. You may have even questioned whether such claims are truthful and accurate or are simply just marketing text used to influence your choice. But is a product claiming to be a ‘source of fibre’ really going to make a difference to your diet? And does the yogurt you eat actually ‘support your gut health’? The good news is that claims relating to nutrition and health are strictly regulated in many countries worldwide, including the UK and EU. This article explores whether you can trust the claims you read and describes the conditions that need to be met if products are to use them.

A claim can be any ‘message’ or ‘representation’ that manufacturers use to suggest that a food has particular characteristics and include the use of both text (e.g. gluten-free, apple flavour, low fat) and imagery (e.g. pictures, graphics and symbols). For example, a product could claim it was ‘vegan’ on the label whilst another may use an image of the gut which could imply that the product has a positive effect on gut health. Not all claims have strict requirements that need to be followed, and in these cases, whether the claim is permitted comes down to if it is considered misleading under relevant legislation. However, there are specific types of claims, including nutrition and health claims, that have to meet set criteria before being used for a product. But firstly, what exactly do we mean by nutrition and health claims?

■ For nutrition claims, the clue is in the name – these relate to a specific nutrient (e.g. fat, sugar, protein, fibre) and suggest a beneficial effect (e.g. low fat, sugar-free, source of protein, high fibre)

■ For health claims, these go one step further – they make a statement that connects a nutrient/food with a positive effect on health (e.g. vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system; plant sterols contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels)

In 2016, a five-country study in Europe (including the UK) found that out of 2034 food and drinks sampled, 26% had at least one claim; of which, 64% were nutrition claims, and 29% were health claims⁽¹⁾. Of the claims, 40% related to processes involved in breaking down food, converting it to energy, and regulating the body's internal environment. Among the five countries studied the UK had the highest proportion of products with at least one claim (35%).

4 Editorial

4 International and Home News

8 IFST News

22 The food system strikes back Martin Chadwick discusses FoodSEqual.

26 Pioneering Plant-Based Innovation in the Face of Labelling Debates Interview with Robin Simsa from Revo Foods.

28 Feeding the Feed: Social Media and youth's food decision Carol Raithatha shares an overview on how social media shapes youth's preferences and influences consumption patterns today.

32 The Future of Sensory Science: An Intergenerational Conversation How the study of human perception is evolving and what it means for the science of food.

36 Global policy and industry initiatives: a dive into sustainability labelling along the food supply chain Pretima Titoria and Pannathon Sae-Tung from Leatherhead Food Research on global sustainability labelling regulations.

40 Championing the consumers voice Hermione Blakiston and Elizabeth Clark explore ways to incite and maintain sustainable change in food products.

46 Trusting nutrition and health claims Lewis Wallis and Helen Arrowsmith of Campden BRI on the importance of clear labelling when making nutrition and health claims.

50 Empowering Women in Food Science Lucy Wager explains how empowering women in food science can help break barriers and foster industry innovation.

53 Careers and training in the food and drink sector

59 Book reviews

Working in the food industry is fast paced, exciting, challenging and rewarding, sometimes not in equal measure, but one thing I do know is the industry is made up of committed people who in general help and support each other.

One of the most rewarding parts of working in food science and product development is being part of the innovations that change the landscape of our food system and over the last 20 years those changes have been significant. These innovations are largely down to the immense efforts of food scientists working tirelessly behind the scenes. Despite all of this advancement, like many industries, a noticeable gender gap persists within food science specifically. It's this topic I wanted to explore today, shining a light on the contributions made by women in the industry and highlighting the obstacles women still encounter but also the strides that are being taken to motivate more women into a career within food science.

Numerous factors contribute to the challenges faced by the food industry. One recurring aspect that demands continuous attention is the widespread lack of awareness beyond the industry itself regarding the array of fulfilling career opportunities within the food sector. This deficiency in understanding translates into a lack of interest among school-age children during the early stages of education when exploring potential roles in the industry becomes crucial. Historically food science, like many other scientific fields, has been heavily male dominated and this can be attributed to a variety of social, cultural and institutional factors. These include traditional gender roles, access to education, workplace discrimination and a lack of role models and mentors as well as work life balance challenges because roles within science have historically been seen as more demanding of time and lacking flexibility. All of these factors, coupled with the initial rise of food science as a formal discipline coinciding with a period of time when societal norms heavily favoured men in professional and academic roles resulted in a gender imbalance, setting a precedent which takes time to change. Although these imbalances are gradually shifting, the progress is slower than would be optimal. This could, in part, be attributed to the ongoing effort to dismantle stereotypes and foster inclusive environments. In my experience within the food industry, I witness women navigating through sectors largely dominated by men, facing situations where their voices may not consistently receive the attention they deserve.

The most critical thing to improve the gender gap in food science is to empower women, and foster an inclusive environment that will inspire more women into the sector. There are several strategies some of which I have seen work first hand that I think are absolutely critical if we are to build an inclusive, robust food industry that is fit for the future:

Mentorship programmes: Recognising t

We currently live in an era where social media has become a huge element of many people's lives. Gen Z is the first that springs to mind, but in fact all generations are accessing and using social media regularly. In addition, it seems this phenomenon can be found in almost every location around the world and throughout varied income and ethnic groups. We know that a lot of what is being communicated on social media is food and drink related. For example, one study found that food and drink was the most popular topic on Instagram, with 39% of the UK users surveyed identifying as fans of food and/or drink related content⁽¹⁾. But how might this affect food and drink choice and consumption?

Being towards the late end of the Baby Boomer generation I am certainly not a social media expert, but I do find the topic fascinating and have years of experience of sensory and consumer research. I hypothesise that the prevalence of social media is affecting food choice, especially in the younger generation, in many ways. Some of these effects are likely to be positive, but there are also some quite negative ones too! Here are a few points, based on desk research and reflection.

First, food and drink is an important component of many young people's lives. The realm of food and drink is often a symbol of what individuals believe in, to which group they belong, and/or what they aspire to become. In a recent survey, more than half of the US and UK Gen Z respondents said that what they eat is indicative of who they are as a person. In addition, 47% indicated that they will be prioritising more mental health focused eating over the next few years⁽²⁾. For young adults, food and drink seems to be inextricably linked to identity, wellness, and state of mind. And of course, diet and nutrition is important. Such aspects, along with exercise, are often seen as a way to attain a healthy and attractive body.

Social media serves as an intersection where the world of foods, drink, and online interactions converge. It encompasses a variety of contexts, including sharing images of what individuals are eating or cooking, recipes and suggestions of products to buy, nutritional and diet information and advice, food service adverts and promotions, etc. Additionally, social media is used for inspiration and guidance on out of home eating and drinking occasions. For instance, one study found 48% of British consumers surveyed use social media to find recommendations of places to eat and drink out⁽³⁾. Each social media platform has the potential to spotlight various facets of food and drink presented in a variety of formats.

However, amidst the abundance of information out there, the lack of qualified food or nutrition professional curation in certain cases remains a concern. The key to navigating this considerable amount o