At iba, a hub of the bakery, confectionery / patisserie and snacks industry, Brabender demonstrates what an effective innovator it is with three new products and “smart” instruments for intelligent laboratory workflows.
Every three years Messe München is transformed into a hub of the bakery, confectionery / patisserie and snacks industry. iba regularly attracts a broad professional audience as well as exhibitors from 150 countries. Brabender again showcased its solutions to the international industry at this year’s iba.
Smart workflow delivers analytical efficiency
In line with the “Smart Transformation” motto, the long-established company this time focused on smart laboratory workflows. GlutoPeak, Farinograph-TS with Aqua-Inject, MT-CA and ViscoQuick–the Duisburg-based business showcased its most important portfolio with a selection of smart laboratory and measuring instruments. All the instruments presented feature Brabender’s smart MetaBridge software as standard or as an add-on and can therefore communicate with one another. One instrument thus automatically sends the information it generates on to the next one in the analysis chain. This eliminates the need for manual transmission of data with its inherent risk of transmission error. The results are more accurate and reliable, which saves time and money.
RAPIDLY DETERMINING VISCOSITY USING THE VISCOQUICK
Brabender exhibited the ViscoQuick for the first time - an all-purpose instrument for fast, reliable measurement of material properties, which enable you to draw conclusions about viscosity. Why is that important? The amount of viscosity has a direct impact on a product’s consistency. It is therefore a key parameter of how a flour handles when being processed. Which baking properties a flour has depends in turn on starch gelatinization and enzyme activity in the flour.
Markus Löns, Director Food Division Brabender, explains: “A high level of enzyme activity can be a cause of sticky dough. This can cause problems during processing.” Taking measurements using the ViscoQuick only requires small sample quantities to be able to determine the enzyme activity (alpha-amylase) in flour and the gelatinization properties in starch and products containing starch.
LIVE EXTRUSION WOWS VISITORS
Brabender also provided a live demonstration of another product innovation in operation - TwinLab-F 20/40 is the name of this new, user-friendly, flexible food extruder. In terms of food and animal feed extrusion, it is ideal for product development and formulation enhancement purposes. Applications range from pasta, flat bread or snacks to animal or fish feed, even insect proteins. A wide range of different dies and screw elements are available for this purpose. Texturized vegetable proteins (TVP) can be produced in combination with the Modular Cooling Die. The live demonstration featuring extrudate made from soya accordingly attracted a great deal of interest from visitors to the booth. It has a texture similar to chicken. Simple snacks made of corn flour were also extruded.
DEMO LABORATORY AND THE TRENDING “GLUTEN-FREE” TOPIC
Brabender also showcased a demo laboratory featuring its proven 3-Phase-System at its booth. Visitors were able to examine the Farinograph, Extensograph and Amylograph as well as the GlutoPeak and the new ViscoQuick closely while measurements were being taken. Brabender experts were continuously on hand at the demo laboratory to answer their specific questions.
In keeping with the hot topic of “gluten-free”, Brabender presented the FarinoAdd-S300 - another innovation for the analysis of kneadable doughs and gluten-free flours, e.g. those made from corn or rice. This add-on component consists of a stamp and a clamp to attach the Measuring Mixer S 300 to the Farinograph-TS. Markus Löns explains: “Doughs made from gluten-free flours are currently en vogue, but they are not very elastic. Because they don’t form a gluten network on account of a lack of gluten, you have to “force” them to be kneaded using a stamp. The clamp attachment prevents the dough from pressing upwards. This also means that the kneading chamber cover is not raised out of the kneading space. This enables water and flour to mix better.”
Julian Foerster (Application Lab Food, left) explained the new twin screw extruder TwinLab-F 20/40 which can be applied for a series of applications, just as protein texturization.
Brabender International Sales Meeting
Prior to the iba show, around 50 international sales partners from more than 30 countries accepted Brabender’s invitation to attend its International Sales Meeting in Duisburg. The program included product training and presentations about new instruments and trends as well as a workshop on potential, trends and the solutions required to respond to those trends in international markets.
iba 2018 Summary
Markus Löns draws a final conclusion following the International Sales Meeting and trade fair: “We have received a great deal of positive feedback about the new products we presented. Our customers perceive us to be an innovative, market-focused company. The many conversations with our sales agencies and with professional visitors have confirmed to us that the topics we have addressed mean we are headed in the right direction. At iba 2018 we successfully demonstrated what an effective innovator we are and I should like to thank the entire Brabender team for that.”