fect‘, which in scientific terms is called ‚Jameson
effect‘, whereby the dominant culture simply
outcompetes undesirable germs. This happens
for example by competing for nutrients, oxy-gen
or substrate binding sites. Furthermore,
metabolites that are built “in vivo” by microbial
cultures during the product’s life cycle and with-in
the product matrix, can impact on harmful
germs as well.
Mechanisms like these are used in various ways
for a myriad of food products. A well-known
example would be acidification processes such
as in salami, pickled vegetables or sauerkraut,
which have been used for generations: “Good
bacteria is what transforms grape juice into
wine, cabbage into kimchi, milk into yogurt,
kefir and other fermented dairy products - these
methods have been used since Biblical times for
making foods palatable and preserve them for
longer periods of time.“
Individual tests and studies
Today, such methods can be used in a targeted
manner in order to increase the safety and
quality of food products – all the way into the
fridge of the final consumer. „Once food leaves
a manufacturing site or the supermarket chiller,
manufacturers are unable to control how the
consumer treats a product - if they leave it out
of their fridge or on the bench for longer than
they should,“ Erkes says.
“In most applications, Our SafePro® cultures
stay active across the entire product cycle up
to the end of the shelf life, and unfold their
effect. This starts at the time of manufacture
and continues in the packaged product, even
once it has been opened. This has substantial
advantages especially regarding Listeria mono-cytogenes,
as in many cases their growth can
be prevented during the entire shelf life. And
in order to validate this in each specific case
and under the respective processing conditions,
our local laboratories and experts support the
food producers within the context of individual
storage tests and shelf life studies.“
Reducing food waste
Another use of good bacteria would be to
reduce unnecessary food waste by extending
products’ shelf life. “In the EU, 20% of all dairy
products are thrown away, 80% of which is due
to an expired Best Before Date (BBD). This is the
equivalent of 29 m tons/year. Using our FreshQ®
cultures can add conservatively an extra seven
days to the shelf life of a yogurt. This means we
MICHAEL ERKES
Michael Erkes, Director Meat
& Prepared Foods at Chr.
Hansen, has been involved
in food production for dec-ades:
“Since I was a child
I was closely connected to
food and meat production.
My parents owned a butch-er
shop and quite early I
developed a sense for the
circle of life – and the fact that one organism
gives his life so others can eat and live. This has
created in me a deep awareness and a strong
commitment about the value of food.
Today, I am passionate to work for a company
being
in the elite of world’s most sustaina-ble
companies, using nature’s own ressources
to improve food and food safety, while put-ting
food waste reduction into the core of its
corporate strategy.“
can potentially reduce waste of that product
alone by 30 percent. And this is just one of the
reasons why Chr. Hansen was ranked the ‚most
sustainable company‘, as announced during the
World Economic Forum in Davos in 2019, and
has scored 2nd in 2020.“
Last but not least, the effect of good bacteria is
not limited to the suppression of Listeria mono-cytogenes
or aspects like food waste only. “In
many ripened foods, good bacteria contribute
in many ways to achieve tasty foods with a high
level of enjoyment! For without good bacteria,
we would not be able to enjoy many of the
traditional products such as wine, salami, yogurt
or cheese – cultured foods which are so deeply
embedded in our cultural particulars!“
MICHAEL ERKES
Michael Erkes, Director Meat & Prepared
Foods bei Chr. Hansen, hat seit Jahrzehn-ten
mit Lebensmittelproduktion zu tun:
„Seit meiner Kindheit bin ich eng mit Le-bensmitteln
und der Fleischproduktion
verbunden. Meine Eltern besaßen eine
Metzgerei und schon früh entwickelte ich
einen Sinn für den Kreislauf des Lebens
– und die Tatsache, dass ein Organismus
sein Leben gibt, damit andere essen und
leben können. Das hat in mir ein tiefes Be-wusstsein
und ein starkes Engagement für den
Wert von Lebensmitteln geschaffen.
Heute bin ich begeistert, für ein Unternehmen
zu arbeiten, das zur Elite der nachhaltigsten
Unternehmen der Welt gehört, das die Res-sourcen
der Natur nutzt, um Lebensmittel und
Lebensmittelsicherheit zu verbessern, und das
die Reduzierung von Lebensmittelabfällen zum
Kern seiner Unternehmensstrategie macht.“
Kompetenz in Logistik und Hygiene
Die GDI Intralogistics ist der innovative
Spezialist für Automationslösungen im
Bereich Hygiene und Nahrungsmittel,
speziell für lebensmittelverarbeitende
Industrien.
Schwerpunkte liegen in der Entwicklung,
Fertigung und Inbetriebnahme von
Waschanlagen, Trocknern, Sortern, Lagern,
Zerlegeanlagen und anderen Lösungen
rund um das Gebindehandling.
Alles aus einer Hand.
www.gdi-intralogistics.com
LAGERN &
SORTIEREN REINIGEN
TRANSPORTIEREN ZERLEGEN
GUTE BAKTERIEN
GOOD BACTERIA
Foto: Chr. Hansen
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