Dairy Dialog podcast 34: NZMP, Ingredion, ADPI, Eagle Product Inspection

On the program this week are Jim Lees, VP of ingredient sales at NZMP Americas; Veronique Lagrange, director of strategic development at ADPI; Anna Xu, marketing Director, Asia Pacific and Edmund Chan, innovations projects manager, dairy applications, Asia-Pacific, at Ingredion; and Kyle Thomas, thought leader at Eagle Product Inspection.

We also have our weekly look at the global dairy markets with Liam Fenton from INTL FCStone.

NZMP ingredients

This month, NZMP announced the launch of two new probiotic ingredients, BifidoB 019 and LactoB 001. It is its first launch outside of the traditional protein portfolio and move into the US sports and active lifestyle market.

NZMP shared that both ingredients have been sold by the company before in pediatric and maternal health, but will now be marketed to the popular US probiotic market. The ingredients will be on display at IFT 2019 in New Orleans.

Senior research scientist and nutrition program manager, Dr James Dekker said, “Introducing lifestyle probiotics into the active lifestyle market is a natural progression for NZMP given our decades of experience in developing ingredients for sports consumers.​

“We know the wider probiotics market continues to grow in parallel to increased awareness of the gut microbiome and digestive wellness. Adding probiotics to our sports and active lifestyle portfolio is a key part of our strategic response to supporting customers outside the traditional sports niche.”​

Eagle introduces Pack 400 HC designed to 3A dairy standards

Eagle Product Inspection has developed a new x-ray inspection system, the Pack 400 HC, specifically designed for use with dairy products packaged in plastic containers, cartons, boxes and pouches. It can find and reject contaminants like glass shards, dense plastic and rubber pieces, metal fragments and mineral stone.

It’s also able to conduct quality checks like fill level, mass measurement and seal inspection to locate food trapped in seals, as well as cap or closure placement. Manufacturers can also utilize the system to determine if there are any voids within products like blocks of cheese.

Eagle said the new system is easy to manage and incorporate into existing companies, with support available.

The innovations aims to “help dairy manufacturers comply with ever-stringent regulations and their own continuous improvement goals,” while “designed to meet 3A dairy standards, considered the most rigorous in the food industry.”

Dave Lemanski, regional sales manager for Eagle Product Inspection, said, “We can give customers the percentage of accuracy for the weight of their product. A dairy company could be underfilling or overfilling a canister, for example, so there is value in preventing that – it’s real money they are giving away.”​

The system meets NAMI sanitary design standards, has an IP69 Ingress Protection rating and is built for both quick changeovers and a long machine life that can run up to two shifts a day, seven days a week.

Dairy manufacturers can use optimizing Eagle’s proprietary software, SimulTask PRO that helps to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and provides on-screen diagnostics and quality assurance traceability. The Pack 400 HC can also be equipped with TraceServer software for more complete data collection that can be easily accessed and shared.

ADPI/ABI conference

The American Dairy Products Institute partners with the American Butter Institute every year for the ADPI/ABI annual conference in Chicago. This year the panels focused on subcategories within dairy, like lactose, permeate, milk-fat and whey.

There was also a spotlight on obstacles with global trade and marketing challenges at the conference. The US has upped its trade war with China, causing farmers to voice their concerns.

Lagrange spoke to DairyReporter about trends in dairy ingredients, where the protein market might be headed, and ADPI’s new consumer messaging initiative ‘The Strong Inside.’

Ingredion’s virtual lab for dairy ​

Ingredion has extended its 24/7 virtual lab, Inside Idea Labs, in the Asia-Pacific region for dairy product formulation for food and beverage manufacturers.

The virtual dairy lab showcases technical resources including sample formulations, white papers and responses to questions that customers frequently ask about topics such as formulating clean label and indulgent dairy products, recipe savings and mouthfeel enhancement, among others.

Visitors will also find information about consumer and market trends driving change in the dairy industry, as well as insights in Ingredion’s network of 28 Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers.

The virtual dairy lab also looks at market opportunities in APAC. There is an added focus on cheese, yogurt, and creamers such as sweetened condensed creamers (SCCs) and non-dairy creamers (NDCs).

Eric Weisser, senior director, starch-based texturizers, Asia Pacific, said, “Our virtual beverage lab has been well-received by our customers since its launch in 2018 and we look forward to providing dairy manufacturers with a similar level of expertise and partnership. ​

“Our experts are also developing additional resources in other application areas, with more virtual labs to better serve customers.”​