< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net BEVERAGES © stock.adobe.com/OlegDoroshin Conscious 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 14:47 Page 1Food & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net BEVERAGES T he beverage industry has suffered over the last few years. Lockdowns and weariness to socialise resulted in slashed profits for the industry, as many saw little point in taste experimentation whilst stuck at home. This year, however, is predicted to be a different story. People are purchasing, and furthermore, willing to pay for unique taste experiences. However, consumers remain conscious of the detrimental effect of certain ingredients and manufacturing processes on human health, and the health of the environment. The latest alcoholic and soft beverage trends indicate an increased demand for citrus flavours, as well as sweeter spirit-flavoured cocktails. These are particularly gaining popularity in ready to drink form. Consumers are showing a growing interest in fruity blends of orange, grapefruit, lime, and berry. The most popular citrus flavour is orange, with variations such as tangelo and different mandarins also being in demand. Berry flavours such as strawberry, raspberry, and elderberry, as well as elder-flower blends, rank second in popularity. Botanicals such as butterfly pea flower, chamomile, and black tea are also gaining popularity. Generic black tea flavours also rank highly on the list of popular flavours. Ingredients such as black tea and butterfly pea flower are considered more experimental in alcoholic and soft drinks but are nonetheless ingredients consumers are familiar with. Furthermore, they are often touted for health benefits such as immunity boosting. This allows customers to gently experiment with familiar flavours in unique blends, whilst feeling that what they are consuming is unlikely to be considerably detrimental to their health. Once again, the concept of guilt free enjoyment is increasingly important for consumers. However, this demand for experimentation does not appear to extend to the health and fitness beverage market. Consumers are seeking simplicity in the ingredients of their drink’s products, with a shift towards more balanced and healthy options in 2023. Research conducted last year found that consumers wanted bold ingredients, nostalgic flavours, and guilt-free indulgence. There was less concern over the exact ingredients, moreso on their ability to enhance performance. However, this year’s beverage trends show a focus on using ingredients that are beneficial to health while also providing great taste. Natural sugars from juice are replacing added sugars, and herbal ingredients like ginseng root and ginger are being used to strengthen immune systems, provide cognitive energy, and offer pain relief. In 2023, consumers are looking for inventive flavour profiles that emphasise naturally and sustainably derived ingredients, for a guilt free taste of pleasure. 32 Á 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 14:47 Page 232 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net BEVERAGES Functional beverages such as energy drinks, detox blends, and anti-hangover solutions are using light and flavourful herbs where palatable for their function, with a preference for plant-based ingredients. The demand for functional and multi-tasking drinks is high, with 71% of consumers worldwide seeking these products, according to the study. This health consciousness is also being seen in colour preferences. Consumers are increasingly seeking natural products and avoiding artificial ingredients, and many associate vivid colour with artificiality, and by extension, being harmful to one’s health. This has resulted in a less is more approach to colour in 2023. The emphasis is now on the flavour and function of the drink rather than its appearance. This shift towards natural products has also resulted in a preference for drink cans over glass or plastic bottles, leading to a lack of colour in beverages. Even in the spirits category, consumers are less interested in innovative colouring. Caramel colouring and a limited number of botanicals are accepted in a few spirit categories, with the vivid violet-blue colour of pea-flower being the only colour that currently excites consumers. Aside from the beverage itself, the biggest trend of 2023 is sustainability. This extends to ingredients and packaging materials that can be made or extracted without harming the environment, and organic certifications on the ingredients used. With many consumers actively avoiding products without organic certification, manufacturers are rushing to get theirs. For packaging, multi-use plastic that can be repurposed once the beverage is consumed, or very easily recycled, is likely to become the material of choice. According to the United Nations, the food and beverage industry causes around one third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. This shocking statistic is causing many consumers to examine the companies they purchase from more closely than ever before. This has meant that using 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 14:47 Page 3Food & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net BEVERAGES sustainable manufacturing practices has become a selling point for many brands. Promoting products by using the terms “carbon neutral” or “regenerative” has grabbed the attention of environmentally conscious consumers. These terms are used to claim that the emissions generated during the production and transportation are offset by agriculture techniques or nature restoration initiatives. Third-party organizations or non-profits certify these foods and beverages to validate their claims. AB InBev, a leading alcohol company, introduced Bud Light Next beer, which offsets its carbon footprint by engaging in forest management efforts. Conagra launched carbon neutral Evol frozen meals, which offsets its carbon emissions through installing wind energy systems. Fresh Del Monte plans to launch carbon-neutral pineapples this year. Smaller brands have gained standing and continue to grow their brand on the basis of their efforts to go carbon neutral. Neutral Foods, offset the footprint of cows by converting waste to bioenergy. The beverage industry is certainly set to recover this year from a slump in sales over the last few years. Current research shows that continuing to find natural alternatives to artificial colourings and flavourings should be a key research and development goal for manufacturers. Consumers continue to want exciting taste experiences but are more conscious of the price at which this comes. Using ingredients that connect one with nature and have justifiable health benefits will grab attention. Furthermore, ingredients which grow freely and can be easily extracted, such as tea, will satiate the growing numbers of ethically conscious consumers. Likewise, natural, or multiuse plastic packaging will make buyers more likely to repeat purchase. Brand loyalty is increasingly based upon the ethical stance of companies, so collaborating with or beginning regenerative projects is a worthwhile long-term investment. © stock.adobe.com/Parilov 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 14:47 Page 434 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS The food and drink sector relies heavily on machinery to meet demand on an industrial level. From large-scale production equipment to smaller machines that aid in processing, packaging and transportation, all this equipment is powered by gears, drives, and controls. F or such small and easily overlooked components of food industry, they are invaluable to the efficient operation, reliability and safety of machine operation on any production line, and therefore contribute this trinity of vital factors to industry procedure as a whole. Starting with gears, which can be found in conveyors, mixers, slicers, grinders and a multitude more machines besides, their main function is to transmit power and torque from the motor to the machine’s working parts. The gears in a meat grinder, for instance, power the blades that grind the meat. Here and for other purposes, such as mixing, blending and slicing, they also provide the function and safety assurance of making blades or mechanisms move with only the amount of speed and force The key to control The key to control 34-37.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:54 Page 1Food & Drink International 35 www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS necessary to properly prepare ingredients. Elsewhere, gears can perform subtly different functions, being used in extruders to power the screw which pushes product through the extrusion die, or working together in conveyors to ensure that items are moved from one location to another steadily, safely and in a timely manner. With the gears doing their job of ensuring power travels to all moving parts, the baton then passes to the drives, which control the speed and force provided by the motor. While this might sound similar to what the gears have already accomplished, the specific regulation drives offer comes in particularly useful when different types of food processing equipment require different speeds and torques to operate effectively. This demand occurs all the time; a slicer needs to operate at a different speed and torque than a mixer, just as one example. Drives make it possible to adjust the speed and torque of the motor to match the requirements of the equipment, ensuring that it operates efficiently and safely. Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are a popular type of drive used for this exact purpose of regulating the speed of motors, as they allow for fine-tuned control of how power is used. In allowing for more precise control of 36 Á © stock.adobe.com/nordroden 34-37.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:54 Page 236 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS equipment, VFDs can improve product quality and consistency, while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and extending equipment life. Here’s where the benefit of these components to industry performance in general comes in. Using drives made for energy efficiency may also prevent the motor from running at full power when it isn’t necessary. This can result in significant energy savings, which is important for the food industry where energy costs run high, especially in heavy demand or mass-market production. Even focusing on productivity alone, drives can help to extend the life of food processing equipment by precisely controlling motor speeds. Running equipment at high speeds and torques for extended periods of time will inevitably lead to earlier breakdowns and costly repairs. By regulating these forces so only the required energy is expended, drives can help to reduce wear and tear that would otherwise be caused by equipment absorbing the shock from high speeds, increasing its lifespan sometimes by significant amounts. Precision-oriented drives such as VFDs give reassuring levels of control over the quality of output too, as regulating to consistent speeds and torques also mean consistent texture, flavour, and overall quality and uniformity of all products leaving the production line. When teamed with gears which carry out power transmission efficiently, energy consumption and equipment wear can be reduced to a minimum, making all processes easier on the pocket. Once speed and force have each been distributed and regulated within a machine, controls take over the monitoring and adjustment of equipment parameters, such as temperature, pressure and speed. These can enable operators to monitor and control the various processes that take place during food processing. In some cases the controls themselves may even be relied upon to automate processes, such as weighing and sorting, which reduce labour costs and even further improve efficiency, especially when all care has been taken to install energy efficient components elsewhere. Dedicated monitors linked with some control systems can detect needs for changes in operation parameters, so operators can then adjust accordingly. This variety of function makes controls invaluable for ensuring optimal performance throughout every stage of production. Controls can be equipped to monitor much more than the effective handling and processing of ingredients and products. Sensors and instruments that collect data on a multitude of machine functions have added value in monitoring equipment performance, identifying trends, and troubleshooting issues as soon as they arise, preventing stress and time that can be wasted in identifying where an error in function or contamination lies. By catching maintenance or line shutdown needs as soon as they require attendance, the diagnostic information provided by control units helps to prevent breakdowns, prolong equipment life and prevent public health hazards. However, because controls enhance and action the monitoring and maintenance of safe machinery processes, control mechanisms themselves must meet strict standards © stock.adobe.com/surapon 34-37.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:54 Page 3Shady Lane, Great Barr, Birmingham, B44 9EU England Tel: +44 (0)121 360 0155 Fax: +44 (0)121 325 1079 For all your Power Transmission Solutions • Roller Chain • Gears & Sprockets • Timing Belt Drives • Clamping Elements • Inverted Tooth Chain • Inverted Tooth Sprockets • Sealmaster Bearings • Shaft Couplings • Freewheel Clutches • Torque Limiters • Overload Clutches • Sheargard Clutches • McGill ® Cam Followers • Gearboxes The Driving Force In Power Transmission sales@crossmorse.com www.crossmorse.com Power Transmission Solutions Food & Drink International 37 www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS ensuring that equipment operates safely and doesn’t pose a risk to human health. The same standard goes for all components, including gears and drives, as these all work together for high standards of product quality, health and safety for consumers as well as machine operators. Proper preservation of all these components is crucial to sustaining the reliability and efficiency they provide to food and drink production processes. For one, food processing equipment must be designed to be easily cleaned and sanitised, to prevent contamination and the spread of foodborne illness. Gears in particular must be made of food-grade materials and be resistant to corrosion and wear, as these are in regular contact with food products being processed, are therefore required to be as safe for human consumption as the products themselves. This is why stainless steel is a common and ideal material for machinery, due to its durability, corrosion resistance, and ease of cleaning. © stock.adobe.com/nordroden 34-37.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:54 Page 438 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MIXING AND BLENDING The changing market has caused manufacturers to try and get the most out of mixing and blending that they possibly can. T he mixing and blending industries have had to keep up with rapidly changing demand from consumers, which has in turn driven advancements in techniques and technology seen on the market today. The pandemic and the cost of living crisis (and the economic downturn in many other countries) has driven customers to look for foods that can last and stay fresh longer, in an increasing push toward value-for- money foods. At the same time consumers also want greener and more sustainable food, which can stretch manufacturers even further. Some in the industry are now looking to specific emulsifiers to provide these benefits while reducing costs. Emulsifiers are used for many purposes in foods, but one relevant to mixing and blending is their ability to mix together foodstuffs that would not normally (oil and water for instance). Certain emulsifiers have been historically used in foodstuffs like bread to increase shelf life but are not seen as environmentally conscious or label-friendly, leading manufacturers to look at alternative emulsification agents with ones like lecithin (derived from sunflowers, canola and soy). Mixing up a storm 38-42.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:55 Page 1Food & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net Of course when it comes to the machinery behind mixing and blending hygiene and anti-stick properties are some of the most important to look for. This goes doubly so in factories producing a range of foods, as is becoming more common with brands trying to make their assets work harder and cover more products in any given day. When ingredients are being mixed and blended together the remnants can stick and cake to equipment, which obviously then needs to be thoroughly washed before a new batch can be put through it. This downtime during cleaning can be costly if repeated numerous times a day, and each cleaning cycle needs to be thorough to prevent contamination. The easier mixing and blending units are to clean in terms of time and hygiene, the less downtime a product line has when being switched over. This has led to advancements in design optimised for easier maintenance and cleaning © stock.adobe.com/Renar 40 Á 38-42.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2023 09:55 Page 2Next >