A new, easy and quick way to test ice-cream mix has been made possible thanks to the calibration for a near infrared analyser, said manufacturers Foss.

The Danish company said the calibration for its InfraXact analyser can be used for all ice-cream regardless of colour and added vegetable oil. Parameters such as protein, sugars and colour can also be measured although the calibration cannot be used for sorbet ice mix.

Easy routine testing

Testing ice-cream is as straightforward as placing a cup containing a sample into the instrument and turning the machine on, with results for both total solids and fats available within a minute, said the firm. The test procedure complies with the IDF 201 – Guidelines for the application of near infrared spectrometry.

A Foss spokesman told that a major benefit provided by the system was the rapid and easy routine testing it offered.

“The InfraXact is designed for routine testing in a laboratory or on a production line and doesn’t need a specialist,” he added. “It offers time and cost savings compared to traditional chemical analysis. The instrument ensures consistent quality, economy and efficiency and means operators can monitor production with ease,” he said.

In production control frequent checks can be made against production specifications so that any necessary adjustments to the production process can be made in a timely manner – even before the end product is out of specification, said the firm.

Cost savings

The calibration was developed using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modelling – a technique that assimilates a vast amount of analysis data, ensuring that results are representative of a wide range of samples. The performance was evaluated using an independent test set, said the company. The instrument has been used by the dairy and animal feed sectors for some time but this is the first time it has been used for analysis of ice-cream.

NSF International and Paragon Leadership International have teamed up over a new series of food safety forums for promising food industry executives in Michigan to boost food safety and economic growth in the state.

According to the state government, agriculture is in the top three industries in Michigan. In 2006-7 it had about 52800 farms with a total of 10m acres; the state ranks first in the production of black beans, cherry beans and small red beans, blueberries, tart cherries and pickling cucumbers. It is also a major supplier of other fruits, spearmint, and milk.

The new forum, called The Food Epprentice Experience, is geared towards promising employees regarded as the next generation of food leaders. Some of the topics they will have to deal with throughout their careers are already on the table, such as sustainability, obesity and nutrition, and – as evidenced by the current recession – economic considerations and poverty.

Specific topics on the agenda include increasing public knowledge of safe food handling, expanding agriculture as an economic driver, increasing supply of nutritious and locally-produced food to food banks, and creating workplace strategies to counter childhood obesity.

“Developing future leaders with a purpose is our company’s purpose,” said Janice Krupic, CEO of Paragon Leadership. She added that NSF, a not-for-profit organization involved in public health and safety, is an ideal partner for driving ideas for real change in the industry.

The first one-day forum is taking place on Thursday October 1 at NSF International’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As well as NSF and Paragon, other partners in the initiative are the Michigan Farm Bureau, the Food Bank Council of Michigan, and Michigan Nutrition Network.

Businesses are invited to select attendees from their organization. More information and registration is available at www.paragon-lead.com/food

Restricting the amount of calories we consume, while avoiding malnutrition, may extend lives and reduce the risk of chronic disease, suggest results from a monkey study.

Findings published in Science indicate that 80 per cent of rhesus monkeys who consumed a calorie restricted diet without being malnourished were still alive after 20 years, compared to only 50 per cent of control animals who ate freely.

“We have been able to show that calorie restriction can slow the aging process in a primate species,” said study leader Professor Richard Weindruch from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We observed that caloric restriction reduced the risk of developing an age-related disease by a factor of three and increased survival.”

Not surprisingly, longevity and enhanced quality of life is the ultimate aim of most research into diet and nutrition, but very few studies actually achieve such a link. The trick now will be to see if it can be carried over to humans - something the researchers say is highly unlikely due to the extremely restrictive nature of such a diet.

“Our data indicate that adult-onset moderate caloric restriction delays the onset of age-associated pathologies and promotes survival in a primate species,” wrote the researchers.

“Given the obvious parallels between rhesus monkeys and humans, the beneficial effects of caloric restriction may also occur in humans. This prediction is supported by studies of people on long-term calorie restriction, who show fewer signs of cardiovascular aging,” they added.

“The effect of controlled long-term caloric restriction on maximal life span in humans may never be known, but our extended study will eventually provide such data on rhesus monkeys.”

Study details

The Wisconsin-based researchers started their study in 1989 with 30 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and subsequently expanded this to 76. The animals were divided into two groups; one was allowed to eat freely (control group), while the other group had their energy intake restricted by 30 per cent.

According to Weindruch and his co-workers, macaques typically live for about 27 years in captivity. All the monkeys were aged between 7 and 14 when introduced into the study, they added.

In addition to increased lifespan in the calorie restriction group, a halving of the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease was observed in this group, compared to the control animals.

Furthermore, while free eating resulted in diabetes or impaired glucose regulation no animal on the restricted diet developed these conditions. “So far, we’ve seen the complete prevention of diabetes,” said Weindruch.

Brain boosting

Brain health was also better in the animals with restricted calorie diets, said the researchers, particularly the parts of the brain responsible for motor control and executive functions such as working memory and problem solving.

“It seems to preserve the volume of the brain in some regions. It’s not a global effect, but the findings are helping us understand if this dietary treatment is having any effect on the loss of neurons,” said co-researcher Sterling Johnson.

“The atrophy or loss of brain mass known to occur with aging is significantly attenuated in several regions of the brain. That’s a completely new observation,” added Weindruch.