To produce more than a billion dollars' worth of cheese each year, Australian cheesemakers rely on starter cultures that convert lactose to lactic acid. The bacterium Lactococcus, the most commonly used starter culture in cheese production in Australia, is revealing some of its secrets to UQ researchers. [ + ]

Easy-tear backing paper is an economical and efficient solution that offers the flexibility to store and use labels in multiple ways. Die cutting is performed to make this type of label by creating perforations on the backing liner after the printing process. The matrix waste material is removed all in one press pass. [ + ]

Muscling further into the grocery and ready meals markets, it is being reported that Amazon will be using new technology to create ready meals that have a shelf life of 12 months and do not need to be refrigerated. The logistics savings alone will be huge. Not only that, the meals are nutritious, taste good, require minimal processing and have clean labels. [ + ]

A full-stream rotation dryer combined with a dry-running rotary screw compressor can deliver both exceptional drying quality and maximum efficiency — even under challenging conditions. [ + ]

The quality of the raw materials and semi-finished products is a critical aspect of the procurement chain of the food industry. To check the authenticity based on the accompanying paperwork alone is a risky undertaking. Mixtures can happen by mistake in the globalised trade, but can also be the work of fakers. Modern methods of food profiling can provide security for processors and consumers. [ + ]

Terrorist attacks in the food industry are possible but a bigger threat is the unhappy insider. [ + ]

Building information modelling (BIM) is of great value to food facility operators throughout the life of a facility. From the first idea of a facility through to concept development, design, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, training, operation, maintenance and futureproofing your facility, BIM can deliver immense value. [ + ]

With a much smaller environmental footprint than meat, plant-based diets are much better placed to feed a growing population sustainably. But most people really enjoy their meat. Now you may be able to have the best of both worlds. [ + ]

Full supply chain visibility enables Kagome to be able to ascertain tell the whole history of any packet of its tomato products — down to where and when the tomatoes were harvested. [ + ]

An Ishida multihead weigher at premium Irish vegetable grower Leo Dunne has played a central role in helping the company expand its operation into the supply of processed carrots. [ + ]

Whilst a majority of food processing plants use compressed air as their major power source, many are unaware of the significant cost and the potential energy savings that can be achieved through the application of variable speed drive (VSD) technology, which can lower the cost of compressed air by as much as 35%. [ + ]

The latest AFCG CHEP Retail Index points to modest recovery in retail turnover in Australia, led by the food, particularly catered food, sector. [ + ]

The boom of food home delivery services is spreading to the corporate world, and canny caterers can cash in. [ + ]

Blockchain can help to break down information silos to improve visibility and traceability from the farm to the table — want to know more? [ + ]

Artificial intelligence is helping the Australian wine industry to significantly increase production efficiency by optimising machine use. Surely this system would have applications across at least all beverage manufacturers, if not the entire food industry. [ + ]