Six top processing, packaging and manufacturing trends set to shape foodpro 2017

By Gary Scattergood

- Last updated on GMT

Six top processing, packaging and manufacturing trends set to shape foodpro 2017

Related tags Food

Australasia's largest-of-it's-kind food processing and manufacturing show foodpro returns next month, so we've been getting the lowdown on six of the top industry trends that are set to star on show floor.

Celebrating its 50th​ anniversary, foodpro 2017 will take place at the new International Convention Centre in Sydney's Darling Harbour.

We spoke to the show organisers to highlight six of the cutting-edge equipment and ingredient innovations athat are set to star at the event.

Smaller players entering

The food processing and manufacturing industry currently has many newer, smaller players entering, bringing with them new ideas and innovation. However, these small businesses often find it hard to achieve traceability and audit compliance, as many of the technologies targeting these aspects of business are suited for larger manufacturers. This often creates a significant barrier, preventing smaller businesses from innovating and gaining full access into the market. In response to this, foodpro and Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) have created a zone dedicated to traceability solutions, whose equipment and technology provide scalable solutions for smaller manufacturers. The Supply Chain Integrity Zone will feature exhibitors such as SmartTrace and AgLive, as well as a series of educational seminars relevant to smaller businesses too.

Packaging seals the deal

Packaging companies are usually limited in how they work, with the choice of either thermoforming or tray sealing being the only options. No more! At this year’s foodpro, packaging exhibitor Select Equip will present new equipment that allows for a whole new form of sealing. Their Platformer  products seeks to give food processors the ability to change between MAP, skin, fibre form premade trays or thermoformed Mono PET, sealed with (MAP) with a Zero Meno skin. The ability to easily change options is said to reduce costs and creates plenty more opportunities for businesses.

Accuracy is crucial

The issues around food safety are becoming more perennial, especially as issues like the Brazilian meat scandal put traceability concerns in the spotlight. Foodpro organisers say they will present a number of exhibitors who offer solutions to issues around food safety and monitoring, specifically in the accurate analysis of food items. Perten Instruments will have the DA7250, a NIR (Near InfraRed) instrument that can accurately determine a number of parameters in raw meat and meat products, as well as the Delta LactoScope FTIR, which can analyse fat, protein and total solids in milk.

Sustainability success

Foodpro is dedicating an education session to the issue of waste management, with Ron Cotterman from Sealed Air sharing on “Taking Action to Tackle Food Waste Challenges”​. Ron will discuss how to help guide the development of food waste prevention and sustainability strategies across the food supply chain, and identify how to leverage innovation, education and collaboration to bring sustainability benefits to both businesses and consumers. Meanwhile, exhibitor CST Wastewater Solutions will also demonstrate their construction and provision of wastewater solutions that can be used in plants. Their GWE anaerobic digestion technologies extract biogas from food, crop and livestock processing wastewater streams, allowing it to simultaneously raise water quality while generating methane to replace fossil fuels such as coal and gas used in production processes. 

Alternative ingredients

The use of alternative ingredients in food is a common discussion in the industry, with the ability to add additional proteins and nutrients into food lauded by many consumers. At foodpro, Gelita will be presenting its new study on Bodybalance, its newest collagen peptide. The product is said to have multifactorial impacts on various metabolic processes and muscle function, aiding as a supplement in increasing lean body mass and muscle strength, while decreasing fat mass.

Robotics

While the use of robots in warehouses has been commonplace for some time now, their technology has been largely limited to Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).  The next era of robotics revolves around Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles (AIVs), which, as their name suggests, are autonomous and are able to plot their course despite the environment changing around them. Omron Electronics will be presenting a session on AIVs, with speaker Chris Probst discussing how AIVs will feature in the future of the food processing industry. 

Foodpro takes place from July 16-19. Register online here.

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