FOOD INDUSTRIES
AGSI’s activities in the food processing sector are geared toward upgrading food processing/preservation technologies, improving food quality, and adding value to raw agricultural materials (cereals, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds, roots and tubers) thus stimulating economic development in developing countries. Quality assurance, packaging, new and emerging technologies and biotechnologies applicable to food preservation are also covered by the work of the Service.
Training courses, roundtable meetings and workshops are conducted by the Service and supporting materials in the form of technical bulletins, and publications prepared within the Service, are used for information dissemination. Assistance to developing countries focuses on entrepreneurs who produce the majority of food and agricultural products in these countries, usually at the small- and medium-scale level.
PROCESSING
Cereals-Work on cereals is geared primarily toward improving unit operations such as drying, storage, dehulling, threshing and milling. (Click here for a publication listing on cereal processing).
Fruits and Vegetables- In the fruit and vegetable sector, AGSI is active in providing training in small scale fruit and vegetable processing through workshops and training courses. Technical manuals and demonstrative videos are used as training aids. The AGSI Technical Manual on Small-Scale Processing of Fruits and Vegetables is widely utilised in training, and is currently available in Spanish and English (will soon be available in French).
Fruit and Vegetable Processing is an AGSI bulletin which very comprehensively
covers AGSI’s work on the subject. A number of specific publications on
fruit and vegetable processing are also disseminated at National and Regional
levels. (Click here for a publication
listing on fruit and vegetable processing).
(Click here for a publication on small-scale
cashew nut processing )
Oilseeds-Work on oilseed processing is geared toward improving processing technologies and the availability of edible oils to populations in which vegetable oil consumption is inadequate. A technical cooperation project (TCP; TCP/CPR/4557) recently conducted in China, focused on improving the quality and yield of sunflower oil, through development of a central processing unit. (Click here for a publication listing on oilseed processing)
Roots and Tubers-Work on roots and tubers focuses on improving their nutritional quality and processing. Diversification of the use of these agricultural raw materials as sources of starches is also covered by the Service.
A Regular Programme funded project conducted in Ghana in 1995, focused on the production of protein-rich foods from roots, tubers and local pulses, in support of food security. (Click here for a publication listing on the processing of roots and tubers).
Starches-. Starch production, the downstream processing
of starches to sweeteners and the functional properties of starches, are all
covered by the Service. The production of starch from a number of crops is described
in AGS bulletin 98 -Small-Medium and Large-scale Starch Processing.
( Click here for a report
regarding small-scale processing of starchy staples in Caricom Countries
)
Sweetness from Starch is an AGS manual which describes the downstream processing of starch to a high-maltose sweetner. Through the Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries (TCDC) scheme, technology for the production of this starch-based sweetner which was developed in Vietnam, was transferred to Benin. Funding was provided through AGSI’s Regular Programme. (Click here for a publication listing on starch processing)
Relatively few literature reports have described the functional properties of tropical starches. Unique properties exhibited by these starches offer considerable potential for adding value to the starchy crops from which they are derived. The AGSI document Functional Properties of Starches reviews the functional properties of tropical starches as compared to those of the more commercially utilised starches.
Sugars -AGSI offers expertise in the production and utilisation of products from sugar cane and sugar beet. A programme is currently under way with Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria to improve the efficiency of panela factories in Latin America. (Click here for a publication listing on sugar processing).
QUALITY ASSURANCE
The dynamics of world trade are rapidly changing and all countries must gear up to keep pace with it and particularly to take advantage of it. Quality is a critical factor in accessing competitive new markets and efforts must be made to ensure that products meet and exceed established standards. An article entitled Food Quality and International Trade was recently published by AGSI in Entwicklung + Ländlicher Raum.
Quality Assurance for Small-Scale Rural Food Industries is an AGSI bulletin which focuses on the subject. (Click here for more information about the document)
PACKAGING
There is a vital need for proper food packaging in developing countries. Packaging is very important in preserving the quality of fresh and processed foods, in extending shelf life, and in enhancing distribution, presentation and marketability. AGSI is currently providing support to a project on the use of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes for the production of fuel and packaging materials. This project is jointly funded by FAO, the Government of Madagascar and an NGO.
NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Non-Thermal Technologies- Non-thermal preservation technologies include the application of techniques such as high-pressure processing, pulsed-electric fields and pulsed light for the preservation of foods. The preservative effect of these technologies is primarily due to their ability to inflict damage to microbial cells. ( Click here for a publication on technical elements of new and emerging non-thermal food technologies ).
In keeping abreast of these current developments in food processing and their potential applicability in FAO member countries, AGSI in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently funding the preparation of a bulletin on New and Emerging Non-Themal Food Technologies. This two-part bulletin will review both the technical and safety aspects of these technologies. More details in a future update.
Food Irradiation-AGSI, together with the FAO/IAEA Joint Division in Vienna is, where appropriate, actively involved in the promotion of food irradiation. This technology is applicable in extending the shelf-life of perishables, in minimising post-harvest losses through disinfestation, and in inhibiting sprouting in onions, potatoes etc. Food irradiation is also valuable in the reduction of food-borne diseases through the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter.
Membrane Separation Technology- Membrane separation technologies are low cost, scaleable product separation technologies with low energy requirements. They are commercially applied in the dairy industry, in fruit juice and beverage processing, in the production of potable water and in the treatment of waste water. Access to these technologies could feasibly allow developing countries the opportunity to improve the overall quality of the products they produce.
An Expert Consultation was conducted by AGSI in 1996, in order to assess prospects for the introduction of membrane separation technologies to food and related processing industries in developing countries. The expert panel recognised the potential of membrane separation technologies for improving safety standards in food, and for the production of potable water in FAO member countries. As a follow up to the recommendations of this forum, work is currently underway toward the establishment of a transfer centre for the application of membrane separation technologies to developing countries. (Click here for a publication listing on membrane separation technologies).
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnologies (fermentations and the application of enzymes) offer tremendous opportunity for stimulating agro-industrial development in developing countries in that they are scaleable, environmentally friendly, and can be economically applied and linked to existing practices in these countries.
The soon to be published AGSI document Biotechnologies Applicable to The Food and Agricultural Industries of Developing Countries describes a number of potential areas for biotechnological development in the production of food and feed, in the utilisation of renewable resources and in the treatment of waste in developing countries (more details in a future update).
Technical Opportunities and Challenges to Upgrading Food Bio-Processing in Developing Countries are discussed in an AGSI review article.
Enzymes-Currently, AGSI’s work relevant to enzymes focuses
on the control of enzymatic activities which have detrimental quality effects
in foods, and enhancement of the stability of linamarase enzymes for use as
diagnostic reagents in quantitating the cyanogens present in cassava. An AGSI
review article entitled "Enzyme Applications for Agro-Processing in Developing
Countries: An Inventory of Current and Potential Applications" is currently
in press in the World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology (Vol 14). Click
here for an abstract of the document
Cick here for a report on
enzymatic browning in fruits, vegetables and seafoods
Fermentations - The fermentation of staples serves as major source of nourishment for populations in rural communities of developing countries. Preservation of foods by fermentation contributes to the enhancement of food safety, and food security, as well as to improving its nutritional quality.
Relatively few literature reports comprehensively document rural fermentation technologies. A document series which focuses on the fermentation of foods is currently in preparation in AGSI. This document series will review the technical and biotechnological aspects of food fermentations in various regions of the world, and discuss the potential for their improvement within the context of improving food security in developing countries. Preparation of the first three documents of the series is currently underway (Further details in future updates):
Fermented Cereals-A Global Perspective
Fermented Grain Legumes, Seeds and Nuts-A Global Perspective
Fermented Fruits and Vegetables- A Global Perspective
(Click here for a publication listing on biotechnology)
Biopreservation-A number of plants possess bioactive principles which are effective in pest control and are thus applicable as stored product protectants. The use of plant material for stored product protection is a sustainable practice in that plants used can be continuously propagated. An AGSI bulletin entitled The Use of Spices and Medicinals as Bioactive Protectants for Grains, will soon be published (further details in a future update). This fully illustrated bulletin gives a very comprehensive listing of botanicals and their extractives which have been applied and tested as grain protectants.