Institut des corps gras - Centre technique industriel

Come discover the 2010 Activity Report

2011-06-30T13:01:17Z


2010 Activity Report

Fats and Oils Refining : objectives, process

2010-08-26T13:58:59Z

Fats and Oils Refining : objectives, process

Refining is a powerful technology to guarantee a high food grade quality of the refined oils and fats. This overview of many of the safety challenges related to different contaminant residues, the refining processes have to and actually do respond to, focuses for each contaminant (pesticides, polycyclic hydrocarbons, other compounds as extraction solvent, metallic element traces, aflatoxins, dioxins and polychlorobiphenyls, and new appearing contaminants like phthalates and 3-monochloropropanediol esters) on their nature, origin, occurrence and regulatory status before describing the required conditions of their elimination by chemical and “physical” refining with the mention of the most efficient refining step as known from the GMP or identified from original experimental works.

Identifying the physicochemical characteristics (hydro-solubility, lipophilic property, molecular weight and vapour pressure) indicative of a potential contaminant behaviour during refining is an interesting preliminary orientation tool. The quality target for refined oils and fats include on one hand the control and optimisation of organoleptic and nutritional characteristics as well as stability during further storage, and on the other hand, the elimination of contaminants avoiding or controlling the formation of new undesirable compounds. For each contaminant to be eliminated, the technological issues have to be found at the crossroads of these demands.

Authors : Xavier Pages, Odile Morin, Céline Birot, Marie Gaud, Stéphane Fazeuilh, Morgan Gouband , ITERG, institut des corps gras, 11, rue Gaspard-Monge, 33600 Pessac, France (www.iterg.com).

Oléagineux, Corps Gras, Lipides. Volume 17, Numéro 2, 86-99, EXTENSIONS DU DOMAINE DE L'ANALYSE – santé, qualité, sécurité sanitaire (photo ITERG), QUALITÉ – SÉCURITÉ SANITAIRE

Article online

Contaminated sunflower oil

2010-04-16T14:17:17Z

A contaminated batch (contamination by hydrocarbons of mineral origin) of sunflower oil from the Ukraine was discovered on 23 April 2008 by the French authorities. Delivered on 23 February 2008, it has since been distributed not only in France, but also in 4 other European countries: Spain, Italy, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
The European Commission launched an alert after this discovery.
On the request of manufacturers, ITERG quickly reacted to the crisis by dedicating 3 laboratory employees fulltime to performing tests on the oil and on food products containing it.

The tests performed on the oil showed the presence of hydrocarbons of mineral origin, but levels not presenting a risk to human health. A sustained request for analyses for the purpose of quality control was granted and the results shed light on an increasingly recurring problem of cross contamination, with as result a change in practices in terms of quality control.

ITERG assisted:
• Professional organisations FNCG and FEDIOL (organisation representing the EU oil and protein meal industry), the latter having recommended to its members a list, on which ITERG is included, of 5 competent and reliable laboratories for hydrocarbon tests on oils.

• Leading manufacturers from the industry in terms of advice, analysis as well as expertise for transfer of the test method developed by ITERG to production units laboratories.

• Numerous of users of fats, more than 100 in total.

• Public authorities, especially AFSSA and DGCCRF (General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control), to facilitate the decision-making process on measures to be taken and the publication of opinions during this crisis.

In this context, the Industry requested through the National Federation of Producers of Fats and Oils that ITERG be FOSFA* accredited, so as to play its role as an expert in the field of the global trade of oils, seeds and fats.

*FOSFA: Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations

Analysis

2010-04-16T14:16:44Z

The sales strategy of the ITERG integrates the permanent evolution of its products and services in direct link with the market needs, the industrial constraints and the scientific projections.

We will find there the whole of analyzes accredited COFRAC and the innovations such as:
• determination of coenzymes Q9 and Q10,
• determination of phthalates in plant oils,
• cold properties (not of disorder, not of flow)
• determination of thermal oxidative degradation of frying oils.

The creation of a catalog gathering the whole of the analytical services of the ITERG is planned for June 2009. The analyzes are gathered by categories:
• characterization,
• contaminants, alteration
• physical and rheological measurements,
• cold properties, specific analyzes (olive oils, sensory analyzes, soaps….).

Training - Assessment 2008

2010-04-16T14:16:08Z

The purpose of our training initiatives is to provide manufacturers with the means of developing their performances over the long term: to acquire or increase knowledge on fats and oils, better identify their properties applied to the different business sectors which produce or use them. In order to fulfil these objectives, our training offer rests on the expertise and skills of ITERG trainers, engineers and technicians or contributors from industrial or university sectors and is broken down into:

• Inter-company courses organised in partnership with the ICPB* in the form of 8 theoretical modules of 3 to 4 days: knowledge of natural fats and oils (3 modules), foodstuffs (2 modules) and non-foodstuffs application (3 modules).

• Practical inter-company courses organised by ITERG: tasting of olive oils, physico-chemical tests (GPC, quality indices) or documentary watch.

• Custom-madeintra-companycourseson request (see the table below).

For 3 years, the average overall turnover for the activity has been around 118,000. In 2008, it was broken down into 61.6% for direct private contracts and 38.4% for ongoing professional training modules organised in partnership with ISTAB.

2008 was also the year of the launch of presentation of the group of internal instructors (23 people) to optimise its development according to the needs of manufacturers and the state of the art and to organise posts ad interim by means of internal transfer of skills so as to be able to favourably meet demand in terms of thematics and desired deadlines.

*ICPB: National College for Chemistry/Biology/Physics in Bordeaux - new establishment created by the merger of ISTAB (Institute of Food Sciences and Techniques in Bordeaux) and ENSCPB (National College for Chemistry and Physics in Bordeaux)

Technology

2010-04-16T14:14:29Z

ITERG's technological activity experienced sharp growth in 2008. The refining workshop In particular operated at full capacity, i.e. 220 days causing the team to reorganise itself and introduce shifts in order to provide its customers with acceptable production periods. Since obtaining ECOCERT certification in 2006 for refining organic materials from organic agriculture or ecological cosmetics, services of this kind did not stopped growing until they amounted to 22% of the turnover of the activity in 2008. This year was also marked by the development of new services such as fractionation or interesterification of fat or a combination of fats.

Environment

2010-04-16T14:14:10Z

Started up in 2005, contractual services for the environment have continued to grow, with turnover doubling each year. These services aim to support manufacturers in the environmental management of production sites and are varied:
• reduction in VOC emissions (Volatile Organic Compounds, especially the hexane trituration)
• compilation of regulatory files
• explosion risk management
• reduction in olfactive pollution
• creation of a Carbon Assessment®
• …
These services more often than not correspond to a diagnosis, that can benefit from ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management Agency) financial aid amounting to 50 to 70% of the overall total.

A narrow partnership for the development of products health

2010-04-16T14:13:37Z

By Anne Renault, St HUBERT Quality R&D Director

The history of St Hubert is closely connected with the nutrition-pleasure balance and for over 25 years, the company has been committed to a healthy products policy using vegetable fats naturally rich in omega 3.
After having reduced the trans-fatty acid content of our products to less than 1% in 1996, and based on several scientific studies we launched St Hubert rich in Omega 3 in 2002, which contributes to healthy cardio-vascular functioning. This claim is in lines with the framework set out by AFSSA in July 2003 that pointed out the effects of an insufficient consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, regarding the prevention benefits that these fatty acids offer concerning certain pathologies (cardiovascular, inflammatory, ocular, etc…).

In order to increase knowledge on the effectiveness of this product, we called on ITERG's Nutrition, Metabolism and Health team, which carried out a bioavailability study on an animal model. This team then showed the ability of our SH Omega 3 product to improve the subject's status in omega-3, both at blood, liver and brain level. It was thus shown that this margarine leads to a 30% improvement in cerebral DHA* omega-3 content, essential for the brain. These very interesting results have been given more weight by the publication of this study in a scientific paper.

Health and nutrition is therefore a commitment of St Hubert, which is expressed by strong partnerships with Health, Nutrition and Fats and Oils experts. ITERG is a leading contributor with whom we work continuously to progress and in the beginning of 2008, we were the first signatory company of a nutritional commitments charter within the framework of PNNS**.

*DHA: Docosahexaenoic acid
**PNNS: Nutrition & Health French National Program

Formulation of a ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to flight against malnutrition

2010-04-16T14:13:16Z

By C.Basile, SUNEOR General Director Assistant

Ready-to-use therapeutic foods are mainly intended for malnourished children but also for persons suffering nutritionally such as the elderly and AIDS patients. The concept of these foods, also called “Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food” (RUTF), has in 10 years resulted in a radical change in the way in which malnutrition is treated.
A RUTF is presented in the form of a paste formed from milk, fats and rich peanut paste and enriched with vitamins and minerals. The market for RUTFs currently amounts to 8,000 tonnes. However, to fight against severe malnutrition in children, 258,000 tonnes of RUTF is needed. This is why the aim of SUNEOR is to invest in such ready-to-use therapeutic foods with the objective of achieving 200,000 tonnes by the end of 2010, by favouring the use of local raw materials.

We have called upon the skills of ITERG to develop an RUTF meeting WHO specifications and using local raw materials. The manufacturing process thus optimised in the laboratory has been transferred to an industrial pilot site (Karl Schnell, which has a very wide range of materials corresponding to the production of our product), enabling the process to the validated and highlighting the economic viability of the project.

The assessment of the cost of our products has been estimated at around 80cst/kg, by adding up the cost of raw materials, cost of production and investment. Industrial developments are underway.

Methanisation of co-products from refineries

2010-04-16T14:10:48Z

Management of waste, sub-products and effluents, with regard to changes in regulations, is a constant concern for manufacturers eager to integrate existing waste-to-energy recycling sectors for certain types of sub-products. The methanisation process forms an interesting alternative to the conventional sectors for the treatment of co-products from the refining of fats and oils.

The purpose of the VECIR project (for Waste-to-energy Recycling of Co-products from Refining) is to offer fats and oils refiners the option of recoveringrefinementco-products, which is long-term, economically viable, and is satisfactory from an environmental point of view.
Theco-products studied are neutralisation pastes, the discolouration and winterisation of spent earth, floating greases,deodorization condensates, tank residue, cakes, and glycerine.

The project is planned over a period of 36 months and is supported by ADEME and manufacturers from the fats and oils industry.

The programme consists of validating the technical and economic feasibility of the two strands, by incorporating regulatory constraints:

• strand A: Treatment of refinement co-products on the same site with the recovery of the biogas produced for the site's energy requirements, Objective: show that the methanisation of co-products from refining is possible and that the biogas generated satisfies a proportion of the energy requirements of the refining site,

• strand B: Treatment of spent earth in existing methanisation units in co- digestion with household refuse
Objective: validate the treatment of spent earth for a household refuse methanisation unit (determine the quantities of spent earth admissible in a digester and assess the resulting performances in terms of yield from biodegradation, production of biogas and any impact on the quality of the digestate).

The programme began in 2008 with different stages:
• bibliographical study,
• Co-products deposit: formulation and sending of a questionnaire to manufacturers, determination of co- products on which tests and sampling will be carried out,
• Characterisation of samples retained for strand A, relating to the treatment of co-products on the fats and oils production site,
• Determination of the methanogenic potential of co-products retained for strand A,
• Characterisation of samples retained for strand B, relating to the treatment of the co-products in a household refuse methanisation unit,
• Determination of the methanogenic potential of co-products retained for strand B,
• Realisation of co-digestion tests on a pilot scale of co-products retained for strand B,
• Coordination of the programme.

The first results of the study were published in the Water Science & Technology review (2008 - 58.9, 1871-1878).