Sunshine State Stories

Ultra-filtering Removes Pollen, Hides Honey Origins
by Andrew Schneider | Nov 07, 2011

More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done exclusively for Food Safety News.

The results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products labeled "honey."
The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies.

The food safety divisions of the  World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others also have ruled that without pollen there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey. However, the FDA isn't checking honey sold here to see if it contains pollen.

Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove pollen, which is the only foolproof sign identifying the source of the honey. It is a spin-off of a technique refined by the Chinese, who have illegally dumped tons of their honey – some containing illegal antibiotics – on the U.S. market for years.
 
Food Safety News decided to test honey sold in various outlets after its earlier investigation found U.S. groceries flooded with Indian honey banned in Europe as unsafe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a total lack of pollen which prevented tracking its origin.

Food Safety News purchased more than 60 jars, jugs and plastic bears of honey in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Read the complete article at  Food Safety News

Sample Preparation

STEP 1
Prepare a 500ml sample of grain, ensuring the grain you are measuring is representative for the bin/paddock/lot of grain that you are analysing.

To obtain a representative sample:  Grain samples are typically drawn from a truck or rail carriage or storage shed/bunker using a probe system. The probe is usually in the form of a truck spear or a vacuum sampling system and determined according to the type of grain storage. For example, given a 20-30MT truck load of grain, a minimum of 5 probes are required with a total minimum weight of 5 litres. Each sample must be drawn from a different section of the truck load – i.e. to gain a representative sample of the entire load (each probe should be placed randomly and with at least one probe taken from the front, middle and rear of the truck).
 
Sub samples are then taken using a “Divider”, or hand-mixed to gain a truly representative sample of the load. It is important to remember that all representative samples be retained as a future reference should a dispute arise.
 
STEP 2
Pour the grain sample into the correct sieve (for example -: a 2.0mm slotted / 300mm diameter wheat sieve for measuring wheat) which is fitted to the Shake-A-Matic. The sample should be poured into the sieve with no fuss. The grain is not to be distributed around the entire sieve, nor spread out by hand.

STEP 3
Commence measurement procedure – refer to the “SieveMatic – Quick Start” guide for more detail.

Graintec Scientific,
 

Falling Number is a method of testing weather damage in wheat, and barley (for malting effects).

What does it indicate?
Low falling numbers indicate substantial weather damage which reduces milling quality. It also indicates that the grain has sprouted.  During sprouting, the starch in the grain is broken down into sugars to feed the growth of the plant. Of interest to the stock feed industry, the sugar is converted to energy by animals more easily than starch – hence why grains with a very low falling number are often classified as “feed”.

When it rains just before harvest, grain may start to germinate (or sprout) in the head. The germination causes an increase in a-amylase (alpha-amylase), an enzyme that breaks down starch, and there are also increases in enzymes that break down proteins. Of these, the starch degrading enzyme, a-amylase has a greater effect on reducing the quality of flour, and of products made from the flour. The longer the grain sprouts, the greater the amount of a-amylase formed. If badly sprouted grain is milled, the flour can cause product problems such as sticky, doughy bread which won’t slice in mechanical slicers, or noodles which are too stretchy, and slip from the wooden rods where they are draped to dry.
 
To some extent, estimating the degree of germination by eye gives an idea of how much a-amylase is present , but this is an imprecise way of measuring it ,so a test called the “Falling number” method is used to measure the alpha amylase accurately.
 
In the falling number method, an instrument, which measures the time taken for a plunger to fall to the bottom of a precision bore glass tube filled with a heated paste of wheatmeal and water, is used. The time in seconds for this to happen is known as the falling number, and it is 62 seconds for badly sprouted wheat. It takes 62 seconds to mix the wheat meal and water, but then the plunger falls immediately to the bottom because the mixture is so thin. High quality wheat gives a thicker paste, and the test then takes between 300-600 seconds.  The greater the sprout damage, the less viscous (or sticky) the starch paste, and so the lower the falling number.  Wheats with falling numbers greater than 300 are quite suitable for bread-making – this is one of the specifications for Australian Prime Hard wheat. For other milling grades, falling numbers greater than 250 are acceptable.

What to consider when purchasing a Falling Number instrument:

The Perten Falling Number System is the only system certified for use by Grain Trade Australia, AACC (American Association of Cereal Chemists), ICC (International Association of Cereal Chemistry) and European Cereal Chemists. The Perten system is also ISO accredited (International Organisation for Standardisation).

Consider your legal and contractual requirements when purchasing a falling number system.

Prior to the release of life preserving systems such as the automatic defibrillator, into the medical world, a number of serious health conditions and also health situations had been considered to be life-threatening. Probably the most widespread of such medical conditions can include cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Originally revealed in 1899, the defibrillator is currently a well-known innovation that exists in most parts of the health-related community and it has saved a large number of lives worldwide. The unit . got its start after a group of Swiss psychologists found that if they delivered an electric shock to a canine, they were able to induce ventricular fibrillation. As with any intelligent research workers and scientists, it didn't need a terribly long period of time for these individuals to uncover that when they were to deliver a bigger shock to the dog, it actually reversed the effect. It was shortly afterwards, when the research began with men and women.

The defibrillator seems to have become an object found in both the medical industry and also in the community. The product continues to be revised in recent times so that it can be produced designed for public use, in order to give help in the instance of an emergency. Automated external defibrillators (AED) are very simple to operate and are nearly as frequently seen as the first aid kit. Classes and training tutorials have already been developed to instruct citizens the way you use this unique device and they are sometimes adding a certain amount of learning in Red Cross CPR classes. This device is operated by means of setting electrode pads to the upper body in regions guided by the guide book or maybe diagram that is included with each defibrillator. As soon as the patches are suitably applied, the defibrillator assesses the heart beat and then tells the user if a shock is required or not.

Placement of the electrodes is extremely important whenever using this life saving technology and has the potential to save a life, or throw away lots of time. As mentioned earlier, fortunate for your person with average skills, some sort of diagram or guidebook is more than likely to get included with the device, given that the manufacturers realize that it really is ideal for use in open surroundings by the average man or woman. There are 2 different methods of electrode positioning, although the one described in the next sentence is certainly the most widely used and recommended method. This calls for placing one electrode on the left lower section of the chest area in front of the heart and the second electrode around the back right behind the heart.

AED defibrillators have totally brought on a emerging trend within the health care field. Previous to their advent, it had not been exceptional for a person to be affected by a heart failure complication and die, for the reason that emergency medical assistance did not turn up soon enough. These kinds of cutting edge tools shed a new light on the situation and make use of normal people to step up and assume control in making an impact in if somebody lives or dies.

Much more information can be obtained at firstaidcentral.net

A hint of autumnal Beatlemania was in the air as Paul McCartney – for the second time in his life – climbed the steps of London's Old Marylebone Town Hall to get married.

True, thousands of heartbroken female fans crowded the venerable registry office in 1969 when he married Linda Eastman and only a few hundred showed up on Sunday as he wed American Nancy Shevell.

But the feeling this time was not regret at the loss of a bachelor heart-throb. Instead there was joy that McCartney, regarded as a UK national treasure, seemed happy again.

McCartney shared his joy with the crowd, raising his bride's hand in triumph as he walked down the steps after they became husband and wife at a simple civil ceremony attended by close family and friends, including drummer Ringo Starr and TV journalist Barbara Walters, a second cousin of the bride.

"I feel absolutely wonderful," McCartney told fans as he arrived back at his house after the ceremony.

Gone was the memory of McCartney's terribly unhappy marriage to model Heather Mills, which ended in 2008 in an ugly public divorce. Instead, the venue brought back memories of his marriage to Eastman, a serene union that lasted nearly three decades until Eastman's life was cut short by breast cancer.

The wedding ceremony was everything his wedding to Mills was not: simple, understated, almost matter-of-fact. By contrast, McCartney and Mills married in an over-the-top lavish ceremony at a remote Irish castle that was disrupted several times by news helicopters flying overhead hoping for a glimpse of the A-list guests.

Shevell, 51, appeared radiant and composed in an elegant, ivory gown cut just above the knee. She wore a white flower in her long dark hair, and only light makeup and lipstick.

The dress was designed by McCartney's daughter, Stella, a star in the fashion world who also helped concoct the three-course vegetarian feast served to guests at the reception at McCartney's house in St. John's Wood, a property he bought in 1965, when the Beatles were regularly topping the charts.

McCartney, who has casually admitted to tinting his hair to keep out the grey, looked youthful in a well-cut blue suit and pale blue, skinny tie.

The affection – and confetti – showered on McCartney and his bride after the ceremony captured his particular place in British life.

Long gone are the days when the Beatles divided Britain between young and old, or between hippies and squares – the band is revered as part of a glorious musical and cultural era when Britain seemed a more confident place. There was no controversy when McCartney received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.

Today Sir Paul – or Macca, as he's usually known – is revered as a musical legend who is still composing and releasing CDs, even if they no longer routinely shoot to number one on the charts. His forays into opera, ballet, painting and poetry have not been critical successes, but none of these have tarnished his reputation.

He is credited for having survived a number of tragedies – the 1980 murder of one-time songwriting partner John Lennon, the loss of his beloved first wife to illness, the 2001 death of guitarist George Harrison, and then the public breakdown of his marriage to Mills – with his upbeat nature intact.

Mills, a much younger model who had lost part of her leg when she was hit by a motorcycle, tried to battle McCartney in the court of public opinion during their divorce. She accused him of cruelty and sought a gargantuan $US250 million settlement.

But her charges against McCartney didn't stick and the divorce court judge ruled against her, calling her demands exorbitant and unfair.

The public divorce case opened McCartney's vast fortune to unprecedented public scrutiny. Long rumored to be pop's first billionaire, he was found to have assets worth about $US800 million ($820 million), including works by Picasso and Renoir and luxury real estate in the United States, Britain, and elsewhere.

But Shevell, who is independently wealthy and quite successful in her own right, is not seen by the British public as interested in McCartney's fortune.

The couple met four years ago in the Hamptons, a seaside playground for the rich and famous on the eastern tip of Long Island in New York. Some reports say that Walters played matchmaker, inviting McCartney to a dinner she knew her second cousin Shevell would attend.

Walters said she cried during the ceremony, which she called "beautiful and wonderful".

Shevell, who was married for more than 20 years to attorney Bruce Blakeman and serves on the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is also a vice president of a lucrative New Jersey-based trucking company owned by her father.

She has stayed out of the public eye since taking up with McCartney, refraining from commenting on her relationship with the man once known as "the cute one" in the world's most popular band.

She has a few things in common with Eastman: like McCartney's first wife, she is American and affluent.

Unlike Eastman, who performed with McCartney's post-Beatles band Wings, Shevell is not expected to join her husband onstage on his extended world tours.

She joins a pantheon of "Beatle wives" – each band member married more than once, and many of the unions were troubled.

Lennon, who would have turned 71 on Sunday, abruptly left his first wife for Yoko Ono, and Cynthia Lennon has complained in print about his abusive treatment of her and his neglect of their son, Julian.

His relationship with Ono was punctuated with occasional break-ups, but is often portrayed as a happy marriage, and since his death she has curated his works and burnished his legend.

Starr's first marriage also ended in divorce, but he has had a long, stable union with his second wife, the actress Barbara Bach, who joined him at Sunday's ceremony.

The two even went through a recovery program together when Starr decided to confront his alcoholism.

Harrison's first marriage – to the model Pattie Boyd – ended in divorce when she left him for guitarist Eric Clapton.

He had a long happy marriage to Olivia Harrison, who plays an important role in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film about the Beatles' lead guitarist.

AP

Microbes from time to time receive a negative reputation. Decent organisms end up getting included together with troublesome kinds including botulism and also salmonella. The beautiful tangy essence associated with a fine salami is a product of fermentation bacteria. Microbial spread is without question the reason why water activity started to be applied in the foodstuff sector. Previous to the uncovering that water activity manages microbe development, foodstuff makers couldn't know the reason certain products went moldy, while others just didn't. Some people believed this situation had something connected with water content, although everyone understands that high-moisture salt pork isn't going to mold, even though lower moisture nuts still do.
Processed Meat Products , Much Older Than aw
Salted pork is most likely the very first water activity research. Famished savages who just dreamed about traveling here and there suffered a challenge: even cooked animal products spoiled fairly quickly, restraining traveling possibilities and overall contentment. Scrubbing sea salt in the animal meat solved the problem, and very quickly these guys started out together with portable protein pieces with them. Even though they didn't comprehend it back then, the polar salt ions pulled the water activity so low that nothing at all could actually flourish in the pork pieces.
Modern-day Meat Products
Response similar to this show that creating fantastic food items is certainly a joggling act – when your water activity is just too high, your item will in the end yield to the harmful bacteria, when it is actually too low, the beneficial kinds won't accomplish their particular wonder.
Our current manufacturer of jerky and other cured meat products is a lot more innovative. Manufacturers have to demonstrate to the FDA standards their shelf-stable meat treatment was dehydrated adequately so that its water activity is not going to permit harmful bacteria to flourish. This approach exposes more problems: over-drying meat products could wipe out profits and also influence product feel. With respect to something traded by weight, simply over drying merely 0.2% will add many thousands in diminished income eventually. Water activity assists you to properly handle the moisture content, making the Federal Drug Administration, customers, and also your bank account all satisfied.
HACCP Generated Easy
A number of shelf-stable meat companies continue to quantify moisture content for the reason that it is exactly what they have nearly always done. The technique is now more uncommon as the awareness propagates that water activity is the only moisture-related way of measuring which can be used as a Critical Control Point in a HACCP program. By using a water activity meter, there isn't any sample preparation, drying systems, weighing pans, balance calibrations, or learning – just simply slice off a little bit of your item, stick it in the sample cup, and start your reading.

For more information on Water Activity see Graintec Scientific.

Grain Sampling Made Easy

The Graintec – VAC sampling system will enable you to sample a wide range of grains at the flick of a switch. This type of Vacuum Sampling System has been recommended by the Australian Government National Measurement Institute in their specifications, “Protein Measuring Instruments for Grain”. Research carried out in Australia indicates that this type of vacuum sampling has better repeatability than manual sampling techniques. The Graintec – VAC consists of an industrial grade, wet and dry vacuum motor/system, a powder coated steel collection chamber with filter, and brackets for wall mounting. The sample probe is made of stainless steel tubing 32mm ID, 2 meters in length and connected to the sample chamber by 8 meters of flexible plastic vacuum hose. The sample is drawn up the 2 meter probe to pass along a flexible hose and to be deposited in the collection chamber. After sampling the flap door can be opened to release the sample into a bucket for mixing and sub-sampling.

Vacuum suction lifts the sample through the probe; this enables the probe to move down into the bulk load without thrusting. The result is an even penetration giving a representative core sample from the load. It has been shown that a quantitative recovery of a live insect infestation is achievable. The representative sample is delivered to the sample chamber located inside the Grain Testing Shed. This enables sample recovery into a bucket for further mixing, sub-sampling and subsequent analysis for protein, moisture, test weight, screenings etc. The sample chamber includes an easily cleaned filter to protect the suction motor. This is the same design as used by many of the bulk handling authorities, grain traders and end users of grain. Sampling is achieved faster, easier and more representative with less effort. The Graintec – VAC is ideal for sampling a large range of grains including Wheat and Barley through to large grains like Corn and Lupins.          

Sampling a Load

All samples shall be drawn along the length of the load; front, middle and back.  Ensure that the tarps on the truck or trailer are pulled back lengthways across at least half the load. The vacuum probe is to be used at all times for the sampling of all grain types for intake classification or out load sampling.  The vacuum probe consists of a collection chamber, stainless steel probe, elbow, vacuum cleaner and a 8 meter length of flexible hose. Position the collection chamber centrally on the stand where it allows a bucket to be placed under it for sample collection. Then connect the vacuum cleaner hose to the large pipe on the collection chamber and the flexible hose to the smaller pipe. The 8 meters of hose should allow the spear to be used from any position on the stand. Attach the elbow to the steel probe with the air hole facing up. This is then connected to the other end of the flexible hose. Check that the Vac sampling system is free from any residual samples or other contaminants, and then switch on the vacuum cleaner. Place your hand over the air hole. Insert the probe vertically into the grain in one smooth motion until it touches the bottom of the truck. Immediately remove your hand from the air hole to stop excess small material or screenings being drawn into the sample. Take the required number of probes from each bin, truck or trailer as specified in the table below. Switch off the vacuum cleaner and collect the sample from the collection chamber for classification. For more information the following downloads are available.

• Vacuum Sampler – Brochure (270.12 KB)
• Vacuum Sampler – How to Guide (341.92 KB)
• Vacuum Sampler – Frequently Asked Questions (304.79 KB)