Campden BRI develops new method to measure chilli heat of food

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Campden BRI develops new method to measure chilli heat of food

Campden BRI has developed a new method to rate the chilli heat of complex products, such as ready meals and cooking sauces. The calibrated method uses the company’s highly-trained panel of taste testers to provide retailers and manufacturers with a consistent way to rate their products as mild, medium, hot or very hot.

Ingredients and even the colour and texture of a product will influence the perception of hotness. Campden BRI’s method takes these factors into account to provide a consistent and reliable heat rating for food products. Samples are evaluated individually in Campden BRI’s state-of-the-art sensory booths under coloured light to mask any differences in the colour of the products.

While the heat of whole chilli or chilli powder can be instrumentally tested using HPLC and given a Scoville rating, when complex products are tested in this way the results may not correlate with the perceived spiciness when the product is consumed. This could mean that manufacturers are inadvertently providing misleading information to consumers.

Josefine Hammerby, Sensory Descriptive Projects Manager at Campden BRI said, “Many manufacturers display a graphic on a product’s packaging, with a number of chillies to show consumers how spicy it will be. However, it can be difficult to get consistent results across a range of products. Our new method gives manufacturers and retailers confidence that they are providing consumers with accurate and consistent information about the chilli strength of their products.”

The new method complements Campden BRI’s existing service to measure Scoville ratings – by chromatography – for whole chilli fruits or powders.

For more information about how the new method could benefit you and your products contact josefine.hammerby@campdenbri.co.uk

Keeps the fish fresh and frozen: active fire protection OxyReduct®

Posted on July 23, 2018January 9, 2026 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Keeps the fish fresh and frozen: active fire protection OxyReduct®

OxyReduct® reduces the oxygen level in the 76,000 m³ high-bay warehouse to 16 % vol. so that a fire cannot spread or develop further.

One of Singapore’s biggest deep-freeze warehouses is protected with oxygen reduction made in Germany

It all started in the 1980s with a little market stand in Singapore’s Chinatown.

The Lee family supplied the residents with fresh fish every day from their small slaughterhouse. The company expanded in the following years and started focusing on selling deep-frozen food products.

The company that resulted, Jurong Cold Store (JCS), founded in 1996, now not only runs one of the first automated warehouses in Singapore, it also has its own shrimp farm in the neighbouring country of Indonesia. This way, the company can reliably supply its customers with products of consistent quality. In order to meet the constantly rising demand, Jurong Cold Store established an additional automated deepfreeze warehouse in Singapore under management in the second generation. At 45 m, it is currently one of the tallest warehouses in the region. It began stocking its first products in October 2016 and will be stocked with up to 15,000 pallets of deep-frozen fish and seafood.

The warehouse in Singapore faced a special challenge in terms of fire protection. With an area of just 719.2 km² (nearly the same as Hamburg, Germany), space in the island city-state is so tight that a fire in the warehouse would automatically spread to buildings in the immediate vicinity as well. Usually the obligatory sprinkler systems are exploited as fire protection systems in Asia but the company detected that it has too many disadvantages. In its internet research on a possible fire protection solution, JCS came upon the principle of active fire prevention and OxyReduct® technology from the German fire protection expert WAGNER Group with lower investment costs, improved storage capacities, avoiding collateral damage when false alarms were triggered and to avoid damage on storage goods. And so it was that the company came into contact with the WAGNER Group through the consultant on location EDMC and their installer Redlink.

Accessible to authorised personnel

The oxygen content in the 76,000 m³ high-bay warehouse is reduced to a level of 16 % vol. using controlled nitrogen supply. The concentration of remaining oxygen was determined based on the individual ignition thresholds of the goods in storage and their packaging materials. This literally deprives a potential fire of the air it needs to breathe while it is just forming, so that it cannot spread or develop further. At the same time, the warehouse remains accessible to authorised personnel. The nitrogen needed for the oxygen reduction is generated on-site by a OxyReduct® system.

In addition, the high-bay warehouse is monitored by a special deep-freeze version of TITANUS PRO∙SENS® air sampling smoke detectors. These enable very early fire detection – and thus immediate initiation of effective countermeasures – yet are immune to false alarms.

The installation of the first OxyReduct® system in Jurong’s deepfreeze warehouse in Singapore marks WAGNER’s breakthrough into the Asian market. No one paid any attention to active fire prevention at the time the warehouse was planned and constructed. For that reason, the local building authority Civil Defence, in charge of statutory construction provisions, ordinances and building permits, first had to assess the technology’s benefits and mode of operation. This is how Jurong Cold Store obtained the necessary special permit to build the new warehouse. In the meantime, the authority is examining the possibility of adopting the principle of active fire prevention in Singapore’s fire protection regulations. OxyReduct® could thus become a standard solution in the field of storage and logistics.

A WAGNER Group branch office is now being established in the city-state of Singapore. Led by Wolfgang van Pels, the team will be the local contact point for customers in Asia. This means that the German technology leader will not only be planning, engineering and constructing systems, but also providing service and maintenance – all from a single source.

CoolKit meets the kneads of Rink Bakery

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

CoolKit meets the kneads of Rink Bakery

“Our freezer van from CoolKit is paying for itself – and more,” says Justin Hardman, Bakery Manager at Rink Bakery.

After years of paying for a third party courier to deliver their speciality breads, Rink Bakery in Bacup, Lancashire, has invested in its own freezer van.

The Mercedes Sprinter Euro 6 Chassis Cab with an insulated box body caters for four pallets at a time – which holds approximately 8,400 buns.

Previously Rink Bakery, who specialise in bread products for wholesale distribution such as black brioche buns, burger buns, and frozen pizza dough, spent several thousand a month on distribution through a third party. Justin said: “We have been thinking about it for several years. The third party was reliable, but price was a factor. We put the investment into a CoolKit van and it’s paying for itself.”

Rink, which employees 18 people, delivers to Hopwells – the distributors for Center Parcs with locations in Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham, Oliver Kay in Bolton and bakeries in Manchester and Accrington.

Rink previously purchased a refrigerated van from CoolKit and were familiar with the high quality of their vehicles, but over time their requirements have changed.

Justin said: “When we thought of getting a freezer van we went on the CoolKit website and noticed that they’ve started doing the box van design.

“We approached them to see if they could create a box body that fits four pallets in the back. CoolKit are known for their excellent payload as well so we wanted to stay under the 3.5 tonne weight limit. They came back with different chassis and design options and then built it.”

Justin said the new van not only offered them more flexibility, it is also saving the bakery substantial amounts of money.

“We used to spend thousands a month on third party couriers. Now we spend less than a quarter of what we used to on some of the longer distance trips. It’s paying for itself. We should have bought one years ago.

“All the pallets fit in it comfortably, it looks good and we haven’t had any issues. We can’t ask for any more from a van.”

The order was placed at the end of the December and the bespoke van was ready by the end of February.

Justin said: “CoolKit’s customer service and aftersales is excellent. They kept us up-to-date with the build progress, and even loaned us a freezer van until we could collect.”

Justin said the van will help them to increase the number of deliveries they can make and help grow the business.

“We are trying to grow but it is a very competitive market. If someone rings up and asks for a delivery last minute, now we don’t have to worry about getting in touch with a third party. We have the flexibility to do what we want and deliver when we want.”

Sam Hargreaves, sales specialist at CoolKit, said: “It was a pleasure to deal with Justin and work on a box body design to suit the business requirements.

“Thanks to the talented design engineers we have here at CoolKit, we were able to create a freezer specification reaching -18°C including the overnight standby function on a rear wheel drive chassis, and still achieve a payload of 1050Kg for the customer. Innovation and quality of build is what drives us as a business and it is rewarding to be able to deliver a complete product to the customer that meets exactly what they were looking for, and brings in the results they desired.”

DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR JCS FISH

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR JCS FISH

Quality manager, Ann Rogers (left) and Iuliana Popescu, Frozen Team Leader, proudly showing off their new certificates with founder and director of JCS Fish, Andrew Coulbeck.

Grimsby salmon specialist, JCS Fish, has celebrated two important milestones last month (June 2018) having successfully been re-accredited both to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) AA Grade standard and to Certified Organic supplier status from the Organic Food Federation.

Achieving the Organic status sets JCS Fish apart from most other UK fish processors since the company is one of only a very few producers certified to process and market Organic salmon for retail and foodservice.

The BRC Global Standard is an international standard used by tens of thousands of food suppliers to assure safety and quality and is the universal standard set by the UK’s major supermarkets to identify suitable suppliers.

Director Andrew Coulbeck says: “These certifications are extremely important to the development of JCS Fish as they underline our commitment to quality, reliability and the highest sourcing and manufacturing standards. I am so proud of our team here for the hard work and dedication they put into making sure we maintain these accreditations, well done everyone!”

CoolKit strengthens UK presence with further appointment.

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

CoolKit strengthens UK presence with further appointment.

CoolKit has strengthened its UK presence by recruiting a sales representative in the South East.

Kevin Letham, who has spent most of his career in the transport and logistics industry, has joined the multi award-winning refrigerated vehicle specialist as sales consultant.

Based in Maidstone, Kevin travels to customers in the region with a demonstration van to show potential customers the options, craftsmanship and attention to detail they can expect to find when purchasing a CoolKit refrigerated van.

Kevin said: “My role is to help build relationships with customers in the area and showcase the superb products we have on offer.

“If a customer contacts me, I will take the demonstration van to them and show them the quality of the build and the options available. The CoolKit vans certainly stand apart from the competition.”

Kevin said he is utilising his years of experience in the industry to help build his client base.

He said: “I like meeting people, visiting new places and solving problems for people. It helps having an operational background, having been involved in commercial vehicles for 30 years in a number of different roles.

“I will be helping to get the CoolKit message across – that it is possible to have a high quality, robust and reliable van that offers a great payload while still meeting the latest Euro 6 emission regulations.

“I enjoy meeting people face-to-face and one of the best parts of the job is finding the right solution for each client.”

Kevin joined Lancashire-based CoolKit in March. In his prior roles he has worked as regional sales manager for a van and contract hire company, as sales and carrier manager for a European logistics company, an MD of a freight company, and as assistant transport manager for the Transport Office.

Rupert Gatty, Managing Director of CoolKit, said: “Kevin’s appointment has further strengthened our presence across the UK and demonstrates our commitment to providing solutions to our customers wherever they are based.

“We always listen to feedback from clients and act on the information – whether it relates to product design, customer service or bespoke solutions – so having a representative in the South East means we can promote our products to even more people.”

Kevin said his passion for vans and trucks started as a youngster.

“When I was little boy, my friends had posters of footballers or sports cars on their walls. I always had pictures of trucks and my ambition was to drive a truck. In fact, I still have a HGV licence.”

In his spare time, the father-of-one enjoys playing golf. He said: “I’m not very good at it but I enjoy the social side.”

To contact Kevin, call 0845 459 5418 or email kevin.letham@coolkit.co.uk

ICELAND EXTENDS PLASTIC REDUCTION TRIAL TO THREE MORE UK STORES

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

ICELAND FOODS GROUP EXTENDS PLASTIC REDUCTION TRIAL TO THREE MORE UK STORES

Iceland yesterday announced that it will be extending its market-leading trial for the use of reverse vending machines in England, Scotland and Wales as it continues its efforts to end the scourge of plastic pollution.

Following the launch of Iceland’s industry-first trial in Fulham last month, Iceland’s fast-growing chain of larger stores, The Food Warehouse, will see its first reverse vending machine installed in Wolverhampton today. Machines will also be installed at Iceland’s Musselburgh store, near Edinburgh, this week and in Mold in North Wales later in the month.

The six month trials are designed to help the company better understand consumer perceptions and appetite for plastics recycling technology across the UK.

Reverse vending machines reward individuals for recycling, by providing money or vouchers in return for empty containers. Iceland’s reverse vending machines will accept Iceland’s empty plastic beverage bottles and repay customers with a 10p voucher for each recycled bottle to be used in store.

Iceland’s in-store trials come ahead of the expected launch of a national Deposit Return Scheme, to which the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments have all announced their commitment in principle. The trials will help Iceland to provide Government and industry with insights that might support the creation of a national scheme.

Iceland Foods Group Managing Director, Richard Walker commented: “Today’s announcement is a further step in our commitment to tackling the issue of plastic pollution globally, following our pledge to eliminate plastic packaging from all of our own label products by the end of 2023.

“While our initial trial in London has been a success we feel it is important to include insights from consumers elsewhere in the UK to get a better understanding of the challenges we might face.

“At least one third of plastics, much of this relating to packaging, is single use and then discarded – plastic bottles are a prime example of this. Through our trials, we hope to understand how to make it easier for people to act in an environmentally conscious way while tackling the threat of the millions of plastic bottles that go unrecycled every day.”

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “This reverse vending machine will provide valuable evidence on how to help reduce single-use plastic waste and encourage customers to change their own behaviour as we look to end Scotland’s throwaway culture.

“I would urge all manufactures and retailers to follow Iceland’s example and consider what action they can take to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

“In the coming months the Scottish Government will be consulting on a new deposit return scheme for drinks containers that will be one step to increase recycling rates right across Scotland. As part of our action to reduce the blight of waste littering our communities and polluting our seas we are also consulting on proposals to ban the manufacture and sale of plastic stemmed cotton buds and have appointed an expert panel to consider what further steps can be taken on items like plastic straws and disposable cups.”

It is estimated more than 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year, putting the lives of all forms of marine life at risk, from larger animals through to plankton, and there are fears that toxins originating from plastics are then re-entering the food chain via seafood.

Iceland announced in November last year that it would be supporting Greenpeace’s call to the Government to adopt the Deposit Return Scheme for bottles. The company has a long history of campaigning and leading positive change for the environment, being the first UK supermarket to remove artificial flavours and colours from its own brand food and the first UK retailer to commit to removing palm oil from own label ranges.

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