Food Bev Asia

Beyond product lines and bottom lines, a successful business today is probably one that will be remembered years from now for making a big impact on sustaining life and environment. To sustain has several meanings that relate to the food and beverage industry – to nourish, to feed, to support, to continue, to nurture. With resources dwindling and populations growing, to feed the world and to ensure the continued flow of food resources – in the course of making a profit – may be a company’s most valuable legacy. If the above sounds familiar, it’s because I lifted it from the Editor’s Note of the FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal , September 2013 issue. For those who haven’t read the magazine, it has special reports on sustainability, one of which is an interview with Bioversity on sustainable diets. Another is an article contributed by Iuliana Nita, global marketing manager, Food & Beverage, Process Systems division of Saint-Grobain Performance Plastics, on how little sust

Hans Christian Anderson wrote a story about the pride of the buckwheat. While the tale ends sadly for the plant, in reality it does have a reason to be proud, being a highly nutritious ingredient. Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum), a gluten-free grain-like crop, is a source of zinc, copper, manganese, protein and fiber, according to the Whole Grains Council . The benefits go on to include the role of buckwheat protein isolates in treating obesity, hypertension and constipation, while buckwheat flavonoid compounds may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, and may control blood pressure as well. Buckwheat has been a part of the diet since 4,000 B.C. Today, most buckwheat grain for human consumption comes in the form of flour, says the Alternative Crops Manual of the Purdue University. Unlike other flours, it is a little bit brown since the hull fragments are not removed during milling. Buckwheat flour is also composed of other ingredients like rice, wheat, co