Science Shorts: Light for food preservation, Ajinomoto's new nutrient scoring, Calbee's automation advances and more in our round-up
Light disruption: Singapore uni spin-off develops tech to disinfect and preserve food and surfaces
A new light technology touted as a chemical-free ‘disruptor’ to the food preservation and disinfection has been created by a spin-off from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The firm SafeLight has developed a visible light technology of the same name to kill microorganisms and preserve food.
CEO Dr Vinayak Ghate told FoodNavigator-Asia, the technology could be used to preserve fruits and vegetables in the cold chain, as well as food surfaces in processing plants.
Nutrient scoring: Ajinomoto Japan to use system to aid healthier product development
Japanese seasoning giant Ajinomoto has developed a new nutrient scoring system to evaluate the nutritional value of its products and help support future product development.
The company claims to be the first food company in Japan to implement its Nutrient Profiling System (NPS) and will reformulate 500 of its products including seasonings, instant noodles, powdered soups, frozen foods and beverages.
Dr. Kana Ohyama, project leader of the NPS at Ajinomoto told FoodNavigator-Asia the company had been working on the programme for three years.
Essential Eight: Top self-protection tips for Australian F&B firms moving to e-commerce after Lion attacks
Australian food and beverage companies making the shift to or adding e-commerce platforms to their businesses must carefully manage any new risk profiles – or run the risk of cyber attacks similar to those recently experienced by the country’s largest beer brewer.
Lion recently suffered a major cyber security attack after the firm’s systems had to be shut down after being hit with ransomware, which is essentially a form of malware that will lock up the victim’s systems and only restore access after a ransom is paid, followed by a second round of attacks that further disrupted its IT systems soon after the first.
Cyber security firm ISDefence’s Director Yvonne Sears warned F&B firms that they needed to take action to prevent similar problems.
Salt shake-up: Potassium-enriched salt could prevent almost half a million cardiovascular-related deaths in China
Replacing sodium chloride (dietary/table salt) with lower sodium salt substitutes containing potassium chloride could prevent up to 450,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China.
Researchers from Australia, China, UK, and USA conducted a modelling study based on a nationwide intervention Salt Substitute and Stroke Study to estimate the effect of salt substitution on stroke risk.
Japan’s Calbee targets automation advances at home and business boost in China
Japanese snack giant Calbee will build a new factory in Hiroshima Prefecture, which will feature extensive automated processes to help combat labour shortages caused by the nation’s ageing society.
The 100,000 m2 factory at Saeki-ku will be Calbee’s largest factory in Japan. Phase one of construction is expected to start in April 2023 and the factory is scheduled to be operational by April 2024.
