The International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association (IFU), in collaboration with MEYED – the Turkish Fruit Juice Industry Association, is excited to announce its upcoming Technical Workshop, scheduled for April 15, 2025, at the Point Hotel Barbaros in Istanbul.
Leading figures from renowned organizations have already confirmed their participation. Among the distinguished speakers are experts from Tentamus Chelab GmbH, Biosystems, R-Biopharm, SGF, Doehler, Citrosuco, Neotron, Ecosign GfL, Biomerieux, Vienna Technical University, AIJN, and the University of Catania.
About IFU Founded in 1949, the International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association (IFU) is a global organization committed to advancing the science and technology behind fruit and vegetable juices and related products. As the official representative of the global juice industry, we unite over 300 members across the entire value chain, spanning 80 countries. IFU provides a platform for more than 2.000 industry professionals to exchange knowledge, stay at the forefront of the evolving juice sector, and foster collaboration.
Around 450 industry leaders discussed innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in the global juice sector.
The Juice Summit 2024, held in Antwerp on 16-17 October, concluded with great success, bringing together around 450 participants from around the world. Jointly organised by AIJN (European Fruit Juice Association), IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association), and SGF International (SAFE- GLOBAL-FAIR), this year’s summit once again reinforced its reputation as the premier global platform for the fruit juice and nectar industry. With dynamic discussions, insightful keynotes, and forward-looking sessions, the summit explored the critical challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the juice industry.
Key themes addressed during Juice Summit 2024
At the Juice Summit 2024, keynote speakers offered valuable insights into the industry’s future. Elwin De Groot from RaboResearch addressed global economic challenges, emphasising the need for innovation and adaptability. Following him, Elopak CEO Thomas Körmendi focused on the growing importance of sustainable packaging, urging the industry to make strategic, eco-friendly choices for long-term success. Following the keynotes, four panel discussions tackled key issues. The first a session focused on consumer behaviour, including an analysis of psychological drivers, particularly during times of crisis such as inflation and health concerns. Leaders shared actionable insights on how businesses can adapt to emerging consumer trends, providing fresh opportunities to revitalise product offerings and better meet evolving consumer needs.
Another key issue addressed was the citrus greening disease affecting the orange industry in South America with consequences on availability and price. The session stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between growers, researchers, and industry stakeholders to safeguard the future of orange juice production.
Sustainability was another key theme at the summit, particularly during the session on the evolving Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, exploring how the juice sector can thrive in a circular economy, and analysing both the challenges and opportunities presented by this regulation.
The final session took a broad view of emerging markets of apple juice production and global citrus industry trends. The summit ended with a presentation on building resilient food systems, outlining adaptive strategies for handling climate change, economic volatility, and global disruptions in agriculture.
Looking ahead: a united industry for a sustainable future
The Juice Summit 2024 concluded with a strong emphasis on adaptability, innovation, and sustainability as critical drivers for the future of the juice industry. Kees Cools, President of IFU, remarked, “The Juice Summit offers a great information and dialogue platform to all segments of the global juice supply chain in support of solutions for the many challenges the industry faces today.” Joachim Tretzel, President of SGF, added, “The unique blend of commercial and technical subjects during the Juice Summit offers many opportunities to jointly exploit new routes to future success.” Javier Lorenzo, President of AIJN, echoed these sentiments, stating, “The future of the juice industry lies in our ability to work together, share knowledge, and drive innovation”.
The next edition of the Juice Summit is scheduled for early October 2025, before Anuga 2025, with further details to be announced in the coming months.
For more information and to stay updated on future events, please visit The Juice Summit Website.
The 11th edition of the Juice Summit will take place on 16 and 17 October 2024 in Antwerp
The Juice and Nectar Industry is set to convene at the Juice Summit 2024, jointly organised by AIJN, the European Fruit Juice Association, IFU, the International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association and SGF International (SAFE – GLOBAL – FAIR).
Since its launch in 2013, the Juice Summit has grown into the leading event for the juice industry, attracting over 450 participants every year. This highly anticipated gathering will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders from all around the world to explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the global juice sector.
The Juice Summit 2024 will offer a unique opportunity for insightful dialogue and building valuable connections. Attendees will gain insights from prominent speakers, engage in thought-provoking panel discussions, and participate in interactive sessions focused on key industry themes.
Key highlights of the Juice Summit 2024:
Inspirational keynotes: Hear from leading figures in the juice industry, including Elwin de Groot, Head of Macro Strategy at Rabo Research and Thomas Körmendi, CEO of Elopak Group.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry colleagues, potential partners, and thought leaders to foster new collaborations and exchange ideas.
Session highlights:
Understanding Consumer Minds, Market Trends, and Research-Driven Strategies: Explore consumer behavior, market dynamics, and expert perspectives on the new sugar-reduced juice category.
Main threats and new approaches for a healthy orange industry in Brazil: Explore challenges like citrus greening, economic pressures, and environmental factors, along with innovative strategies to protect the orange industry.
The PPWR (r)evolution: How the juice business can thrive in a circular economy? Learn about the evolving regulations and how the industry can adapt to thrive in a circular economy.
Supply Chain & Demand: Analyse the complexities of balancing supply and demand in the juice industry, focusing on logistics, forecasting, and the impact of global market fluctuations.
To secure your place at the Juice Summit 2024 and view the full agenda, please visit The Juice Summit. Early registration is encouraged, as spaces are limited and expected to fill quickly.
This juice industry report is a first edition of many more to follow, monitoring the progress made and to enhance easy access to successful ways of working.
In this document, members of the IFU and Sustainability Working Group have provided examples of how they see any or all of these areas are addressed. It is essentially a collection of the practical inroads which companies and regions are making in moving towards the fulfilment of the aspirations of sustainability of our industry.
The IFU Technical Webinars are the virtual equivalents of the IFU Technical Workshop in 2021, which had to be cancelled as a live event due to the COVID pandemic. The IFU Technical Workshop is the meeting point for the national and international juice industry, including R&D, quality, laboratories, suppliers, universities, etc. By holding virtual events rather than a live event, the association look forward to welcoming even more participants to the webinars!
Due to the continued short-term uncertainty around the COVID situation, the IFU has been forced to once again postpone the live 2021 Technical Workshop event which was due to be held in Parma on 14th June. This event is rescheduled for June 2022 and the association has transferred the program for this year into a series of 4 on line Technical Webinars as follows:
25th May 2021 – Quality
27th May 2021 – Authenticity & Safety
1st June 2021 – Health & Nutrition
2nd June 2021 – Sustainability & Legislation
(Photo: IFU)
Tickets The ticket for all 4 webinars is EUR 249 for non-members, EUR 149 for members. www.ifu-fruitjuice.com
The IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association) held elections during their virtual General Assembly in October. Not only have the members unanimously voted for Kees Cools as new President and Demir Sarman as Vice President, but also welcomed new regional representatives in their Executive Committee.
IFU Executives can stay on the board for two three year terms, and in 2020, the second term has ended for Dirk Lansbergen as President, Kees Cools as Vice President, treasurer Klaus Heitlinger and the regional representatives Demir Sarman (Eurasia and South Eastern Europe), Monther Alharthi and Yuval Katzir (Middle East and Africa) and Peter Gates (Oceania).
Within the last six years, Dirk Lansbergen, founder of Juice Alliance, has reinvigorated the IFU and led the association into very successful times by developing and following his “core and more” initiative. The association and its members would like to express their gratitude for all the work he has done and how he has inspired the Board. Kees Cools, former Vice President, is proud to take the role of President from Dirk.
Kees is well known within the juice industry as long standing Executive Director of the Doehler Group, he is looking forward to further internationalize and professionalize the IFU and to grow its role as the global representative of the industry. The role of Vice President is filled by Demir Sarman, Agribusiness, Energy and Industry Group President at Anadolu Grubu and former Managing Director and CEO of Anadolu Etap. Both have decades of experience within the juice industry and great networking possibilities within the food and beverage sector.
Peter Gates from the Australian Beverage Council and Managing Director of Doehler Australia/New Zealand has taken over the role of treasurer, while IFU also welcomed “new arrivals” to the Executive Committee: The new position as representative for Africa was taken by Slim Othmani, Chairman of NCA-Rouiba and active part of the Association of Algerian Beverage Producers (APAB), while Tatiana Paula de Campos, International Relations Manager at CitrusBR, will represent South America.
There have been some changes in the IFU Commissions, too: Dr. David Hammond, fruit juice authenticity expert at Eurofins and former vice chair of the Methods of Analysis Commission was confirmed as new chair of the Legislation Commission and Margarita Maier, Director at Storyhaus, was elected as new chair of the Marketing Commission.
IFU thanks the new, but of course also the “old” members of the Executive Board for their ongoing voluntary support of the fruit and vegetable juice industry.
IFU are pleased to announce the appointment of Aintzane Esturo as Technical Director. Aintzane is well known throughout the fruit juice community and brings to IFU a wealth of knowledge on technical and sustainability matters of importance for the fruit juice industry. As the new Technical Director Aintzane will support the continued development of IFU science-based commissions, responsible for publication of methods, guidelines and e-learning materials, as well as participating in the many international IFU events.
About IFU The International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association (IFU) has been for seventy years the only representative of the worldwide fruit and vegetable juice and nectar industry. The members of IFU are producers of juices and related products, associations, traders, machinery and packaging producers, public and private scientific institutions from around the world.
The IFU Methods of Analysis Commission have completed and published a new recommendation R20, which is available to access for members via the IFU website www.ifu-fruitjuice.com selecting the top menu bar “Methods of Analysis”.
Dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC, trade name Velcorin®) is used for the cold sterilization of beverages. The use in juices is approved for selected countries such as USA, Mexico, Brazil or Australia and New Zealand. In the EU and according to the Codex Standard the use as a food additive in juices is not listed. DMDC is degraded quickly after application and therefore it is not directly detectable in the finished product. It’s detection can only be carried out indirectly via analysis for its decomposition products which in an aqueous matrix are compounds that may be seen in soft drinks. These components (MeOH & CO2) are only conditionally suitable for a clear detection of its use. In the presence of methanol or ethanol, small amounts of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) or ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) are also produced. These two compounds can be used as indirect proof of treatment of a product with DMDC. This recommendation reviews the detection method.
The organisers of the Juice Summit announced the postponement of the Juice Summit 2020 organised for the 14 & 15 October 2020 in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Juice Summit will come back in 2021 for a special edition. Information will be given in due time, but you can already save the date 6&7 October 2021.
Use of 1H-NMR as a screening tool to assess the quality and authenticity of fruit juices
This new 25 page review outlines how Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical techniques are applied for the rapid quality and authenticity assessment of fruit juices. It explains the science behind the technique, how it can be used as a rapid screening tool, method validation, the ability to differentiate different types of juices (variety and country of origin) and determination of some components.
The document is available to IFU members and subscribers in the Methods of Analysis section of the IFU website.
Following their successful 70th anniversary Juice Conference in Mexico last year, the IFU are now looking forward to the 2020 international conference which will take place over two days in the famous Stellenbosch wine region of South Africa. This event will be held in conjunction with the South African Fruit Juice Association (SAFJA) and will be combined with their annual meetings. With an expected attendance of over 200 participants, the conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet and engage with other juice industry professionals from around the world.
It will be held at the Spier wine farm and conference hotel near Stellenbosch which is one of the oldest wine farms in the region, with a recorded history dating back to 1692. It is home to one of the largest collections of contemporary South African art and its wines are among the most awarded in the country.
Well-known speakers will give presentations covering a variety of informative and interesting topics relevant to the global juice industry, as well as the African market, including the following:
Global Juice Market: focusing on Europe, the USA and Asia and the complexities of exporting into Africa
African Juice Market: Flavour matters; Deciduous and Citrus in Africa; Making juice in Senegal
Supply Chain: Tropicals in Africa; Global transportation issues including Africa; Global apple juice market (including AJ used for cider)
Quality & Technology: Thermal and non-thermal juice stabilisation technologies overview; Supply chain QA including the detection of lemon & lime; Rapid microbiological methods; Future of authenticity testing; Juice and more – how to create best value from citrus; Enzymatic methods of analysis in fruit juice
Health & Nutrition: Juice PR; Plant based nutrition; The power of industry collaboration to help reach sustainable development goals
Sustainability: Use of by-products; SIG on sustainability; Recycling and circular economy
On both evenings, participants will have the chance to network at a welcome dinner on day one and over drinks and canapés on day two.
There will be also an opportunity to take part in an exclusive wine tasting event the day before and visits to local producers in the area have been arranged for the day after the conference.
For more details about attending this exciting event and to experience South African hospitality, visit the IFU website.
Use of polyphenols in the analysis of fruit and vegetable juices and purées
Anthocyanins and flavanone glucosides have been used for years as part of the authenticity assessment of red/black and citrus juices, typically using IFU 71 & 58 respectively. These components comprise only a small selection of the polyphenolic compounds that are available to the analyst for the assessment of juices. The generalised use of polyphenolic compounds as a means of detecting mixtures of juice was developed by Wade’s group at Procter and Gamble in the late 80’s. This procedure works well in juices where there is a reducing environment, such as citrus juices, and produces stable peak profiles. However, in systems with active polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes, such as apple, pear and bananas, some peaks can be lost, due to oxidation and subsequent polymerisation, so these profiles tend to be less stable.
Unlike the chromatograms seen with the anthocyanin procedure, which often only contain a few peaks , traces for the polyphenols are much more complex and generally contain many more peaks. Due to the complex nature of these chromatograms, it is generally impossible to use reference libraries for positive peak identification due to small shifts in retention times between chromatographic runs. This means that control samples should be run with each batch of test samples for comparison purposes unless positive identifications can be made by using more specific detectors, such as diode array (DAD) and/or ideally mass spectrometer (MS), where a positive identification can be made either from an accurate mass measurement or by specific “mother/daughter” transitions.
This recommendation has been published and is available via the IFU website under Methods of Analysis
The IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association) has, once again, awarded one company from the juice industry and one person for his long standing active support of the juice industry: Tetra Pak received the “IFU Award for Innovation” for their production concept solution combining UV and filtration technology, Mr. Hans Jürgen Hofsommer received the “IFU Award for Significant Contribution”. Both awards were presented during this years` Juice Summit Gala Dinner in Antwerp, Belgium.
Mr. Hans Jürgen Hofsommer is the founder of GfL laboratory in Berlin, dedicated to serving the juice industry with expert analysis. He has been a long standing member and supporter of IFU being the Methods of Analysis (MAC) chair in the 1980’s and 1990’s developing the extensive catalogue of IFU methods of analysis. He truly is a dedicated contributor to the juice industry.
Maria Norlin accepted the award on behalf of Tetra Pak and gave the worlds` first presentation on this technology combining UV and filtration at the IFU Technical Workshop in Athens earlier this year.
Maria Norlin has worked at Tetra Pak Processing Systems since 2008 across different areas of expertise, such as technical product management within Mixing, Blending, Dosing, as well as product management within Heating.
Maria is currently leading a team of food technologists and product managers responsible for developing and managing the Tetra Pak JNSD Processing Portfolio and technology expertise. She has a Master of Science in Chemical Biology, with a focus on Bioprocess Engineering from Linköpings University, Institute of Technology in Sweden.
Tetra Pak`s technology utilises sterile filtration in conjunction with heat processing for juice, nectar and still drinks which reduces energy consumption by 2/3rds.
The conference provides a genuine and dynamic forum for all industry players and their suppliers
Antwerp, Belgium – 1&2 October 2019 – Hilton Antwerp 4
Organised by AIJN, IFU and SGF, the Juice Summit is now a global, annual conference which guarantees the presence of renowned industry leaders and experts of the European and international juice industries. Over the years it has become a key conference delivering exceptional insights in important topical dossiers as well as providing a unique networking opportunity.
The Summit is a two-day conference with presentations and panel discussions covering a wide variety of topical issues which determine the business environment of today, as well as challenges for tomorrow. The speakers and panelists will also share their understanding and vision of the future for the fruit juice industry with participants. Key policy fields like CSR, health and nutrition as well as insights on global market developments will be on the programme. This year the organiser have the honor of having 3 prominent keynote speakers :
James Quincey, CEO & President of Coca Cola
Prof Jan Rotmans from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
And Marius Robles, Co-Founder of FOOD BY ROBOTS
With over 550 participants from over 40 countries, the conference takes place in the most exclusive venues in Antwerp. All practical information and registration process can be found via the following link : www.juicesummit.org
Cloudy Apple Juice: Influence of Raw Material, Processing and Storage
Cloudy apple juice is one of the most popular juices consumed. As the nature and stability of the cloud particles are an important quality feature for the consumer this review considers the composition of those particles and the various factors that influence the cloudy nature of the juice which should help manufacturers obtain consistent appealing products. In order to maintain the natural reputation of juices with the use of additives to control cloud stability this document provides an important scientific reference for the physical steps that can be taken.
The compliance of the declared filling volume is an important topic for all bottlers. On one hand the legal minimum values must be met and on the other hand overfilling means considerable economical loss.
The simple transfer of the juice in a graduated cylinder is quite inaccurate as the scale of such a cylinder is too wide and do not give an exact result. Additionally there will always be some remains in the bottle. Therefore this method is not precise enough for this task.
The usual continuous check of the filling volume in a filling line is done by weighing the full bottle and subtracting the average weight of empty bottle and cap. The weight of the juice can be transferred into volume by the division with the average density of the juice. This can be done automatically, but contains the risk of slightly incorrect results, as the weight of the packaging and the density of the juice normally vary within a predefined range.
This new method describes a more exact way to determine the filling volume (net volume) in a laboratory.
It is now available in the Methods of Analysis section of the IFU Website!
This recommendation has been revised and is available via the IFU website under Methods of Analysis
General information
Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by particular forms of moulds typically from the genera aspergillus, penicillium and byssochlamys. Patulin is normally found in apples or pears that shows areas of rot but has also been detected in small amounts in other fruits. It can be a significant problem in fruits that are suspectable to “core rot”, e.g. Bramley apples, where the fruit might look quite sound “on the outside” but may actually contain a very high level of contamination with patulin in the centre of the fruit.
Since this recommendation was first published there have been a number of new methods developed to assist in the analysis of patulin, which are discussed in this revised recommendation.
Access to IFU publications
Available to Corporate and Association members and subscribers to all publications by logging onto the website. Individual publications can be purchased via the on line store. Friend members (cat 2) have access to 5 publications per year.
Detection and Enumeration of Spore-forming Thermo-Acidophilic Spoilage bacteria (Alicyclobacillus spp.)
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (IFU Method No. 12: 2007), which has been technically revised.
The main changes, compared to IFU Method No. 12:2007, are the following.
The tittle of the method has been changed.
The optional usage of several media has been changed to the usage of one liquid (BAT broth) and one solid medium (BAT agar).
A new pour plating technique is introduced for enumeration in 1 g.
Performance testing for the quality assurance of the culture media has been added to Annex B.
Performance characteristics for this method have been added to Annex D.
Optional pre-incubation of packed ready-to-drink products has been added to Annex E.
Matrix-dependent special processes have been added to Annex F.
This method has been revised and has been loaded onto the IFU website. Please select the heading Methods of Analysis and the drop down menu Microbiological Methods. The method is available to corporate members as part of the subscription. Non members can buy the method via the store link on the website
Determination of Acetic Acid (enzymatic method)
This method has been revised and has been loaded onto the IFU website. It now includes precision data.
General information
This method serves to determine the acetic acid content of a fruit and vegetable juices & purees. Provided that it meets characteristic performance, this enzymatic method can also be carried out using an automatic analyser.
Principle
Acetic acid (acetate) is converted in the presence of the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) with adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) and coenzyme A (CoA) to acetyl-CoA.
Acetyl-CoA reacts with oxaloacetate to citrate in the presence of citrate synthase (CS).
The oxaloacetate required for reaction (2) is formed from malate and nicotinamideadenine dinucleotide (NAD) in the presence of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) (3). In this reaction NAD is reduced to NADH.
The determination is based on the formation of NADH which is measured by the increase in absorbance at 340, 334 or 365 nm. Since a preceding indicator reaction is used, the amount of NADH formed is not linearly proportional to the acetic acid concentration.
Measurement of the colour of clear and hazy juices (Spectrophotometric method)
Principle. The colour of a juice is an important quality criterion. In some juices a relatively light colour is expected for a good quality, such as apple or grape juices. However, in red/black juices a deep red/purple colour is expected in good quality juices. The colour of a juice can be determined spectrophotometrically by measurement of its absorbance or transmission in the visible region of the spectrum. In yellow/brown products e.g. apple, pear, white grape juices the absorbance is measured at 430 nm. In red/black juices e.g. blackcurrant, raspberry etc. the absorbance is measured at 520 nm.
The text has been slightly revised to clarify part of the procedure.
The revised method can be access via the methods section of the IFU website www.ifu-fruitjuice.com
Please note that this method has been revised with a corrected thermal treatment step in sections D- IV and D-V. Thermophilic aerobic and anerobic sporeforming bacteria – spore count.
The revised method can be access via the methods section of the IFU website www.ifu-fruitjuice.com.
Determination of Sulphur Dioxide
IFU Method 7a – The determination of total sulphur dioxide has been revised and is available in the catalogue of methods which can be accessed via the IFU website www.ifu-fruitjuice.com.
The revision includes an addendum for the determination of SO2 is via ion chromatography. This is useful when a confirmation of very low concentrations is needed or when false positive results must be ruled out. This can be the case for example in vegetable juices from Brassica (cabbage) which contains high levels of endogenous sulfur compounds. An analysis on sulfate from the solution of the first receiver flask can be performed using this procedure.
The IFU Technical Workshop this year was held by the Rhine in the famous cathedral city of Cologne (Germany), which is also well known for its trade fairs. The date and location were chosen so the workshop could be held just before the Anuga Tec fair to which complimentary access was granted for all workshop participants. Anuga Tec is a leading global food fair where industry provides innovations and technological visions attracting 50,000 visitors from 152 countries.
Dirk Lansbergen, IFU President and Citrosuco, welcomed an International audience from not only Germany, but also Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the UK. GfL were thanked for their sponsorship of the networking evening, SIG for providing the water plus Valensina and Rabenhorst for a quality selection of juices and smoothies.
The workshop opened with two contrasting presentations on organic and conventional agriculture. Boris Voelkel is the 4th generation family member of an organic juice company – Voelkel. With such a strong organic tradition and expertise Boris gave a passionate case for supporting organic products explaining how increasing consumer driven demand will make a great contribution to a sustainable future. The integrated farm assurance scheme of Global Gap was then described by Tanja Schmidt of Global Gap. It is the international standard leading to certification. The risk based critical control points and compliance criteria were shown which if applied provides a good system for the use and management of crop treatments.
Vegetable juices and purees are becoming popular, both as a product on their own or blended with other fruit juices. Mia Schellekens of SVZ explained these trends with some newly launched product examples and then followed on with an explanation of the vegetable puree and juice manufacturing process highlighting the technological challenges faced and how they are addressed.
Rheology is the science of deformation and flow of matter. This is important to the juice industry as viscosity affects product flow through equipment, heat transfer and organoleptic experience. Dr. Antonio Trifiro from the Stazione Sperimentale Parma gave the workshop a thorough understanding of the science including factors affecting rheology and measurement.
The traditional technique used to assess the soundness of tomatoes used to make tomato juices and pastes is the Howard Mould Count. Dr. Achim Gessler of rhia-Wessergold showed that the measurement of ergosterol is a new alternative application that has been incorporated into the AIJN Code of Practice and an IFU Method of Analysis has also been published. Isotopic determination can be used to detect added sugar in juices and added water in NFC juices. These principles were explained by Dr. Ana Cabanero Ortiz from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and data on the isotopic measurement of water in Spanish NFC juices were shared with the audience. Continuing with the analytical theme Dr. Detlef Jensen of Thermo Fisher Scientific provided information how ion chromatography can be used for the analysis of juices. It is particularly useful for the detection and measurement of anions, organic acids, cations, amines and carbohydrates. Systems and chromatograms were shown.
The IFU microbiological working group has been developing a revised method for the detection of alicyclobacillus sp. The changes were reviewed, the validation process outlined, and initial results presented by Barbara Gerten from Merck and Antonino Deban Valles formerly from Neogen Europe. The data validation data looks good, but the experts prefer to wait until July before publishing the final version of the method.
Markus Jungen of the SGF returned to the theme of risk-based quality management in the global juice industry and how the SGF is fighting food fraud. He showed how SGF can support company’s food fraud vulnerability assessment and control program. Extensive data was shared summarising the samples taken for analysis and the results obtained.
Oxygen has a significant affect on the shelf life of oxygen sensitive products in aseptic cartons. Sonja Bischoff from SIG explained oxygen tolerance testing and how it can be used in shelf life determination. Orange juice quality parameter data over the products shelf life data was shared for a range of different quality parameter highlighting how the test can be applied.
Biofortification has been a topic of discussion at codex recently. Dr. Gordon McDougall of the James Hutton Institute gave the concluding workshop presentation on the health benefits of berries: Enhancing bioactive content in fruit juices. The health benefits of a range of berries from their polyphenol content were shown. Genetic/genomic advances have produced markers for the accelerated breeding of new varieties with enhanced polyphenol content.
The workshop concluded with special thanks to the Aintzane Esturo of SGF for their contribution to organising the event.
A casual networking evening took place at the Hoelnerstall near the city centre. Many glasses of Kölsch were enjoyed and a special presentation was made to Prof. Helmut Dietrich who retired as Chair of the Science and Technology Commission. He was thanked for his dedicated work for the IFU, though we are pleased that he will continue to participate in future commission meetings.
A technical tour was again organised the following day. The first stop was at the well renowned Rabenhorst juice company, which is over 200 hundred years old. The group were able to see at first-hand how juices are processed, bottled and packaged as well as sampling and enjoying their range of healthy juice products.
Afterwards the SIG Combibloc kindly provided a buffet lunch before showing how juice cartons are printed and laminated along with a demonstration of filling equipment that utilises the packaging format. One satisfied participant commented “It was a very informative tour conducted by passionate employees of SIG Combibloc who were very knowledgeable about their products and applications”.
Post workshop survey.
Once again, we received very favourable feedback through the survey monkey and some great ideas for future workshop topics. All those who completed the survey were entered in a draw for a free 2019 workshop ticket. The winner was Yuval Ghendler, congratulations Yuval!
New IFU Recommendation (#13)
The IFU methods of analysis commission has approved a new recommendation, authored by Dr. David Hammond, on the use of DNA methods for the authenticity analysis of juices.
The juice analyst has a number of conventional methods available to check if a product has been prepared from a mixture of fruits. These include the use of HPLC for the pattern of anthocyanins in red/black juices (IFU 71, flavonoid glucosides in citrus juices (IFU 58), or generalised polyphenol screening (IFU Rec. 11). With the introduction of the 1H-NMR profiling method a few years ago this has offered another rapid and modern approach to look for mixtures of fruits.
Procedures to check for the presence of one fruit in another often target a specific component that would not normally be seen in the labelled fruit. Typical examples of this would be sorbitol (IFU 79), to check for apple and/or pear addition in a non-sorbitol containing fruit, such as strawberry or raspberry, or tartaric acid (IFU 65) for grape addition to another juice. Although these markers provide very good approaches for these specific types of addition they do not answer all questions, which means that there is still a need to develop more specific procedures for other fruits.
Nature has provided us with perhaps the ultimate marker for a particular fruit species, its DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). An early and on-going major application of DNA based analysis is in criminal investigations. This was introduced around 30 years ago and has been significantly developed and improved over the intervening period.
This new recommendation gives an up to date overview of the analysis and how it can be applied to the field of authenticity.
The Technical Workshop has become an annual tradition for everybody working in technical fields in the juice industry, from quality managers to R&D people to staff working in the laboratory. With very low registration fees, compared to “regular” conferences in the industry, it should also give the employees that normally don`t go to conferences the chance to learn about new developments, discuss relevant topics and establish networking with fellow col- leagues.
The IFU Technical Workshop 2018 will be held on Monday, March 19th, in Cologne – just one day before Anuga FoodTec.
There have been many significant developments in the area of isotopic analysis since this recommendation was first published in the 1996.
Many of these have shown the power of internal referencing, which has often allowed the detection limit at which adulterations can be positively identified to be significantly reduced.
Some examples of these “newer” approaches are:
internal carbon isotope ratios of individual sugars
relative carbon isotope ratios seen for the sugars, acids, individual acids, pulp and pectin
positional carbon isotope ratios of malic and ascorbic acids
internal deuterium and carbon isotope ratios of citric acid
internal oxygen isotope ratios of juice water and ethanol derived from the sugars
As a corporate IFU member you can download your copy via the website using your log in details @ www.ifu-fruitjuice.com.
The IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association) has awarded one company from the juice industry for innovation and one person for his long standing active support of the juice industry: Erbslöh received the “IFU Award for Innovation” for their FloraClair® technology, Mr. Paul Zwiker received the “IFU Award for Significant Contribution”. Both awards were presented during this years` Juice Summit Gala Dinner in Antwerp, Belgium.
For the second time in a row, IFU received several excellent nominations for their annual innovation and significant contribution awards. The executive committee had the difficult, but rewarding task of deciding the final winners. Finally, the awards could be presented at the Gala Dinner of the Juice Summit held at De Zuiderkroon on the 4th October, 2017. They were introduced by IFU Vice-President Kees Cools and presented by Maria Schlaffer (Marketing Director) and John Collins (Executive Director) .
The “IFU Award for Innovation” was awarded to Erbslöh Geisenheim AG for their FloraCLair® method: FloraClair® and Tannivin® Galléol are used as the optimised fining combination to facilitate a technology free from animal products for fruit juice or fruit-based beverage production. The fining combination of a specially selected quality phyto-protein from peas with a select precipitation tannin is a successful and reliable concept for vegan fining and stabilisation of fruit juices and fruit-based beverages. The completely plant-based fining concept, which not only dispenses with animal products compared with the conventional gelatine-silica sol fining, but also avoids mineral precipitation partner silica sol and the associated potential source of aluminium discharge, is particularly innovative. Combined use of FloraClair® and Tannivin® Galléol is a fully fledged, practical replacement for customary fining methods as with gelatine and silica sol, and the good news is, in addition, that existing technological facilities can be used. The award was accepted by Dr. Robert Könitz, Business Manager Fruit Processing at Erbslöh Geisenheim AG.
The “Award for Significant Contribution” was awarded to Mr. Paul Zwiker for his long standing active support for the juice industry, associations, summits, workshops and seminars. Paul Zwiker has received his Diploma as Food Engineer 56 years ago at the Federal Technical University Zurich. Following that, he worked at Obipektin, became General Manager for Obipektin in 1970 and CEO of the Obi Group in 1979. He has held this position until his retirement. He has volunteered in various associations and organizations: The Swiss Association for Food Science and Technolog, FIAL (Federation of the Food Industry), Swiss Ministry of Trade, International Pectin Producers Association and Swiss Fruit Union. Most importantly for IFU, he has also been IFU President for many, many years and in this position started to establish international contacts also outside Europe, travelled through various countries and has been a true ambassador of IFU. Not only could IFU always count on his outstanding expertise, but also on his entertainment abilities: at IFU social events he has for example taken over the piano and given the official piano player a rest. It was a big honour for IFU that Mr. Paul Zwiker could come himself to Antwerp to receive the award on stage.
