Archive

163 posts

Food

Maurer J., Wechsler D., Irmler St., Berger Th.

Avoiding persistent contamination with propionic acid bacteria and Lactobacillus parabuchneri in milking systems

Persistent contaminations with propionic acid bacteria and Lactobacillus parabuchneri in milking systems have repeatedly resulted in financial losses in cheese processing. Moreover, histamine in the cheese, caused by Lactobacillus parabuchneri, can also affect consumer health. Biochemical and molecular biological methods have been developed and introduced into practice to enable the quick and reliable identification of…
Food

Heine D., Rauch M., Ramseier H., Müller S., Schmid A., Kopf-Bolanz K., Eugster E.

Vegetable protein as an alternative to meat: an assessment for Switzerland

If self-sufficiency in vegetable protein for the human diet is to be increased, the issue should be considered as comprehensively as possible. This study presents a systemic analysis of the situation in Switzerland, showing which protein-rich crops are most suited to sustainable and organic farming, highlighting their nutritional potential, and indicating the necessary steps for…
Food

Flückiger S., Brill F.

Method for improving export opportunities for Swiss foods

The agriculture and food sector is faced with major challenges. The increasing saturation of domestic markets means that the sales potential for Swiss foodstuffs lies outside of the country. Consequently, the Swiss agricultural sector is increasingly reliant on the export-oriented food industry and the support of export promotion. Working together with the Federal Office for…
Food

Friedli X., Freléchoz A., Gilliotte L., Deneulin P., Piccinali Schwegler P., Girardin O.

Swiss local food products competition: sensory evaluation methodology

Nowadays, consumers want products with genuine value-added. With the impact of a medal on the purchasing decisions of consumers being well established, the Fondation Rurale Interjurassienne has dreamt up an event specifically designed to highlight the various Swiss local and origin-linked food products available to consumers: the Concours Suisse des produits du terroir, or Swiss…
Food

Willersinn C., Mack G., Mouron P., Siegrist M.

Potato losses in Switzerland from field to fork

This study ascertains potato losses in Switzerland along the value chain from field to fork on the basis of questionnaires. The results show that 41–46% of all processing potatoes and 53–56% of all table potatoes are not eaten by consumers. These losses do not represent a complete waste, however. Threequarters of table-potato losses and 90%…
Food

Kopf Bolanz K., Bisig W., Jungbluth N., Denkel Ch.

Potential of whey as a food constituent in Switzerland

Each year, 1 300 000 tons of whey occur in Switzerland as a by-product of cheesemaking: 24 % is used in the food industry, 31 % is transformed into high-value animal feed and 45 % is fed directly to pigs. Increasing the percentage made into foodstuffs would be desirable but is difficult to realize because…
Food

Pittet G., Luginbühl W., Berger T.

Influence of the storage period between sampling and analysis on total bacterial count in milk

Every month, only one official milk-testing result is available from between 1000 and 1200 milk producers instead of the two required. Of the missing results, one part originates from milk-collection centers where milk delivery takes place every other day and sampling is performed manually, and is therefore attributable to the time delay between sampling notification…
Food

Bachmann H.-P., Eugster E., Guggenbühl B., Schär H.

World champion cheese cultures

Swiss cheeses regularly win prizes at international contests. Experts widely agree that the microbial cultures from Liebefeld have contributed greatly to this success story. Thanks to the use of cultures with bacteria originally stemming from biodiversity in the nearby area, the connection between traditional Swiss cheeses and their terroir can be strengthened considerably. This article…
Food

Hadorn R., Beutler E., Schlüchter S., Eberhard P., Silacci P., Scherrer D.

Supplementation of pig trunk material to Saucisson vaudois

Saucisson vaudois, a cold-smoked raw sausage, were produced with and without 8 % trunk material in five meat processing plants being members of the Association charcuterie vaudoise IGP (ACV-IGP). Production occurred by the use of company-specific standards for the recipes and the processing parameters. Supplementation of 8 % trunk material differed only in a few…
Food

Hadorn R., Schlüchter S., Guggisberg D., Messadene-Chelali J., Piccinali P.

Cervelat production with beef casings from different origins

In comparison to the common beef casings from Brazil, beef small intestines from the following countries were tested for their applicability as natural casings for cervelat, a typical Swiss boiled sausage: Brazil (BRA, control), Uruguay (URU), Argentine (ARG), Paraguay (PAR), Australia (AUS), New Zealand (NZL) and Panama (PAN). The sausages were produced with the different…
Food

Wehrmüller K., Jakob E., Ryffel S.

Orotic acid content in cow`s, ewe`s and goat`s milk

The ewe’s milk is much lauded for its high orotic acid content. This is sought after as a miracle cure and a universal drug. Although reliable data on this subject can not be found in the scientific literature, the myth of ewe’s milk particularly rich in orotic acid still persists. For this reason, the Agroscope…
Food

Rehberger B., Bisig W., Bütikofer U., Collomb M., Eberhard P., Mallia S., Piccinali P., Schlichterle-Cerny H.

EU-Project Quality low input food: influence of processing on the content of conjugated linoleic acids

Among consumers there is a growing demand for food products with a natural nutritional-physiological advantage over comparable conventional products. As part of an EU funded project, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux ALP examined the possible impact of processing on nutritionally valuable milk components, using the example of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Among the many benefits ascribed to CLA,…
Food

Hummerjohann J., Ulmann B., Schällibaum M.

Incidence of paratuberculosis pathogens in Swiss raw milk

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), cause of paratuberculosis in cattle and other animals, is meant to be suspicious for being involved in Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease of humans. As the bacterium is able to partially survive the pasteurization of milk and the process of cheese ripening, it is important to know the presence…
Food

Gasser F., Eppler T., Naunheim W., Gabioud S., Höhn E.

Control of the critical oxygen level during dynamic CA storage of apples

The concept of dynamic CA storage (DCA) involves the reduction of the oxygen level in the storage atmosphere to near the lowest level tolerated by the fruit, the so-called anaerobic compensation point. Fruit quality loss during DCA storage is presumed to be slowed down compared to normal ULO storage. Storage conditions below the critical oxygen…
Food

Bisig W., Collomb M., Bütikofer U., Sieber R., Bregy M., Etter L.

Seasonal variation of fatty acid composition in Swiss mountain `s milk

The influence of typical feeds in the five mountain regions Engadin, Rheinwald, Emmental, Luzerner Hinterland and Toggenburg on the fatty acid (FA) compostion of milkfat was investigated over one year from May 2004 till April 2005. The average altitude of grass-based feed (GBF) growth was 1247 ± 465 m for the summer feed and 1136 ±…
Food

Neuweiler R., Krauss J., Konrad P., Imhof T.

Optimized N-fertilization in the production of chicory

During three years between 2004 and 2006 different levels of nitrogen including various strategies of temporal partitioning were studied with the chicory variety Vintor. The objectives of these experiments were to assess the impact of N fertilization on the development and quality of the chicory roots and thereafter on the performance of the roots at…
Food

Morel I.

Dairy cow feeding and folic acid in milk

A trial with 36 dairy cows in mid-lactation allotted to 3 groups was carried with the aim to evaluate the possibility of increasing the concentration of folic acid in milk by feeding rations naturally rich in folic acid. This experimental ration contained brewery waste, cubes of alfalfa, brewers’ yeast and wheat germ in addition to…
Food

Sieber R., Bütikofer U., Kaldas N., Rehberger B.

Occurence of lysinoalanine in milk and dairy products

Lysinoalanine (LAL) is produced as an undesirable secondary product during alkaline treatment of proteins or the heating of foodstuffs containing proteins. Because of their closeness, dehydroalanine reacts with the lysine ε-amino group. Since the reaction is largely irreversible, the value of the lysine content is almost completely or totally blocked. Due to an improvement in…
Food

Mühlemann M., Aebischer S.

Food safety and health protection in pratice

Over the course of time, various concepts relating to the hygiene and safety of food have been developed. These concepts apply to various levels of the food chain and have partially overlapping concerns. Recently, these systems relating to the safety of food have to be linked to programs of public health. This is carried out…
Food

Hadorn R., Piccinali P., Suter M.

Fat reduction with inulin in water-boiled sausages

In a trial with lyoners and in comparison to a control (REF) with a total of 22% backfat, 15% backfat was replaced in three experimental sausages as follows: 15% inulin gel of supplier A (IG-A), 7,5% inulin powder of supplier B plus 7,5% ice water (IP-B), 4,5% inulin powder and 1% wheat fibre of supplier…
Food

Höhn E., Baumgartner D., Crespo P., Gasser F.

Regulation of fruit ripening by 1-methylcyclopropene and apple storage

Since autumn 2005 treatment of apples with SmartFresh™ (active compound 1-Methylcyclopropene, MCP) is permitted in Switzerland. MCP is an ethylene inhibitor. It binds to the ethylene receptors and prevents ripening processes which are induced by ethylene. Enthusiastic postharvest scientist called it the “magic pullet” and presumed that application of this compound will revolutionize storage technology…
Food

Maurer J., Schaeren W.

Sheep milk is a high-value food

The aims of the investigation were to develop a better way of describing the composition and quality of sheep milk (milk as received from suppliers), and to identify possible differences between the milks obtained from the two sheep breeds most commonly used in Switzerland (Lacaunes and Ostfriesian milk sheep) and from cross-breeds of these two.…
Food

Jakob E., Badertscher R., Bütikofer U.

Composition of Bernese Alpine Cheese (“Berner Alpkäse”) and Bernese Planing Cheese (“Berner Hobelkäse”)

Samples of selected premium quality Bernese Alpkäse (BA) and Bernese Hobelkäse (BH) were analysed for dry matter, fat, protein, salt, lactic acid, volatile carboxylic acids, and non-protein nitrogen. In addition, the calcium content of BA was determined and in BH the concentrations of free amino acids and of biogenic amines were measured. The moisture in…
Food

Vergères G.

Nutrigenomics: science or fiction

Research in the domain of human nutrition is marked by the emergence of nutrigenomics, a science that bases itself on three decades of developments in life sciences (medicine, biochemistry, molecular biology), microtechnics and informatics. The sequencing of the human genome has opened the door to a holistic approach in which genetic material, proteins and metabolites…