Fats and Oils

Valley Macadamia chairman, Alan Sutton, attended the macadamia round table session at the World Nut and Dried Fruit Conference in Spain. Sutton gave feedback on the INC’s annual report and discussed a number of pertinent facts and figures, as well as new marketing and advertising campaigns proposed for the year ahead.

Macadamia farmers understand risk better than anyone else. The potential impact of uncontrollable risks like weather conditions on the quality of their harvest can keep any farmer up at night. Drought, for one, can cripple an industry, setting back annual harvesting targets and affecting crop yield and quality.

Most consumers do not know which kind of cholesterol is considered bad for health, new research by Lycored has shown.

Process analysis technology (PAT) is an essential prerequisite for the management and control of processes in the food and beverage industry. Optical spectroscopy is a well-established method for quantifying compositions, allowing for the highest performance of a system.

Manufacturers of ready meals, bakery products and confectionery face higher prices for butter after a surprise rally on global commodity markets. The news leaves food companies exposed to the risk of rising raw material costs, which could hit profits further if a fixed price deal is not negotiated.

AAK, a provider of value-adding vegetable oils and fats, has appointed Danlink Ingredients as its new agent and distributor of oils and fats in South Africa, as per 1 January 2016. The supplier’s wide range of raw material sources, broad process capabilities and expertise in oils and fats within the food matrix, enable it to develop innovative and value-adding solutions across industries. These include confectionery, bakery, dairy, infant nutrition, food service and personal care.

The products of Willow Creek Olive Estate are receiving a thumbs-up from local and international olive oil connoisseurs alike with an impressive harvest of medals and awards, having won no less than twenty awards this year alone. At Olivinus 2015, held in Mendoza, Argentina, Willow Creek received four gold medals.

The specific functional properties of palm oil make it an important ingredient in food manufacturing, and as a trans-fat free product, a popular replacement for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. The palm oil landscape is complex, and anti-palm oil campaigners are vocal in their concerns about sustainability.

Global biotechnology company Green Cell Technologies and South African food manufacturer, Food Genie have collaborated to formulate and produce a range of low carb, high fat (LCHF) premix ingredients. This is now on offer to global licensees who wish to take advantage of this growing market.

In the early days of the edible oil processing industry, there was little or no need for refining. Food fats such as lard, olive oil, and milk fat were mostly consumed unrefined in the first half of the 19th century, with their unaltered flavour an attractive characteristic. It was the growth of the margarine industry in Europe at the end of the same century that resulted in the development of the edible oil deodorisation process.

The Willowton group of companies’ recent partnership with the eThekwiniMunicipality and Edutrade has resulted in a huge cash injection and turned a vision into reality. Twenty schools in the Durban South region of Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, will be the proud recipients of the latest CAPS-compliant Edutrade Physical Science kits, which have been donated by the Willowton group.

Melfort, a leading local producer of edible animal fats – including grass-fed beef, lamb tallows, free-range lard and duck fat – has made its products available nationwide.

  The third annual Sunfoil Township Tournament, hosted in the community of Azaadville for the first time, celebrated friendship, the enjoyment of sport and opportunities for all. Although weather initially threatened to hamper the tournament on day one, it cleared up beautifully and allowed a full event to take place.

  The number of overweight and obese adults in developing countries has ballooned from some 250 million to almost a billion, according to a review from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

When Clive Teubes cc started in 1983, the essential oil industry in the southern African region consisted of a number of players, creating a difficult competitive landscape, but also providing research and new product development such as jasmine, orris root, angelica root and rose. A range of indigenous essential oils, which included the famous Cape Chamomile, now forms part of the South African portfolio of indigenous oils. Buchu and eucalyptus businesses were started and a number of citrus juice producers were moving towards the isolation of citrus oil for the first time. In Zimbabwe, geranium and tea tree oil was established.

Olive oil connoisseurs can now be on the lookout for a handful of exceptional locally produced olive oils that were voted as 2013’s Absa Top 5 by a revered panel of qualified olive oil tasters.  Porterville Olives claimed two places on this prestigious list and is accompanied by De Rustica Olive, Gabrielskloof and Rio Largo Olive Estate.

Olive oil will play a special role at the up-coming Anuga, running from 5-9 October in Cologne, Germany. One of the highlights awaiting the approximately 6 700 suppliers from about 100 countries who are exhibiting, is the newly conceived show, OliveOil Market. Experts will provide information about the countries of origin, qualities and production of the oils on display, which will include a number of organic olive oils.

Making low fat spreads has until now been a difficult job due to the risks of water separation and poor mouthfeel. However, by using the right combination of emulsifiers and by carefully testing the production parameters, Palsgaard makes it possible to make low fat spreads with only 10 per fat.

At the beginning of this year, Denmark’s government was all for it. Heck, it had already introduced a tax on saturated fat in products. But within a few months, the situation has completely turned around and it looks like the idea is dead in the water. Proposals to scrap the existing fat tax, and aims to introduce a similar tax on sugary food and drink, are now written into Denmark’s draft budget. Consensus of opinion is that the government will ratify them.