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Written by Carolyn Ditchfield
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Wednesday, 29 April 2009 05:32 |
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Extract from Organic Advantage Ed. 120 (BFA e-newsletter) April 2009
An Australian
Certified Organic (ACO) juice
manufacturer will become the first in the world to produce commercial 'single variety' fruit juices using High Pressure
Processing (HPP) after the
launch of their new HPP facility by the Victorian Premier John Brumby this
week.
An Australian
Certified Organic (ACO) juice
manufacturer will become the first in the world to produce commercial 'single variety' fruit juices using High Pressure
Processing (HPP) after the
launch of their new HPP facility by the Victorian Premier John Brumby this
week.
Donny Boy Fresh Food Company are proving there's nothing backward about
organic - on the
contrary, they've
combined advanced technology with no artificial ingredients and sustainable
farming to create a new breed of organic and health products.
Andrew
Gibb, Donny Boy's
Managing Director says the decision to go 'High Pressure' was driven by customers and
consumers wanting fresher, less processed, more nutritional foods.
''We are the first company in
Australia to make commercial products from HPP processes; the first company in the world to
supply the dairy industry with fruit processed using HPP; and the first in the world to
create HPP 'single
variety' fruit juices,'' he says.
He says
creating juices using HPP technology is a more gentle process than the
pasteurisation system currently favoured by the juice industry - and one which allows
subtle tastes to be retained.
''This is how we've been able to create single
variety juices!'' he
says.
Donny Boy will be the first company ever to differentiate 'one ingredient' fruit juice flavours from
the generic offerings which are currently the on-shelf standard.
''In the apple juice
category, we'll now be able to
offer 'Fuji' apple juice, or 'Granny Smith' apple juice (for example) - and people will be able to
discern a noticeable difference in the flavours!'' says Andrew.
He says the
HPP process - which subjects
food to intense pressures of up to 600 MPa (~87,000 psi) using water surrounding
the food package, and does not rely on the extreme heat generated in
pasteurisation - could leave
food containing up to twice the levels of antioxidants than the pasteurised
alternatives.
''The nutrients are not
being cooked out of the product. Our products go in at 3 - 5 degrees, and come out
at that same temperature,'' he
says.
Research has shown that because HPP does not disrupt chemical
bonds, not only are the nutrient and flavour components of food left intact, but
the final product is likely to be fresher, with a crisper texture, higher
nutritional value, and fresher colour than thermally processed goods - with no 'cooked flavour'.
.
''The technology is
unforgiving! If you
send in a bad batch of fruit, you will taste it - but if the fruit is good, the
end product will be fantastic. During pasteurisation, sugars caramelise and blur
flavours and that doesn't happen with HPP,'' says
Andrew.
Donny Boy will now join a small group of products which are
successfully processed using HPP methods for commercial markets globally,
including sliced smallgoods (Spain, USA); fruit jams, fruit jellies
and rice ( Japan); fruit juices (France, ltaly, UK, USA); salsa, guacamole meal
kits, oysters in their shells, ready-to-eat meats (USA); and apple sauce (Canada).
Currently HPP goods tend
to be high value specialised products with premium prices.
Opportunity
reportedly exists for the technology's use in nutraceuticals,
functional food ingredients, and heat sensitive products like seafood.
Andrew says getting on board with HPP has been a worthwhile
challenge - ''It's been a lot
of hard work, but we're finally
in the game!''
For more information on Donny Boy
juice products visit www.preshafruit.com.au
For
more information on High Pressure Processing visit www.foodscience.csiro.au/hpp-technology.htm
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