Page 5 - Food and Drink Business Magazine May 2019

NEWS
Food safety testing breakthrough
RESEARCH that started in an attempt to objectively smell wine, is now set to make life a whole lot easier – and safer – for food manufacturing.
Parts Per Billion technology delivers laboratory-quality analytical results within minutes, says founder and managing director, Stephen Trowell.
At the moment, companies have
to take samples, send it to the lab
and wait seven to 10 days for results.
Parts Per Billion does that test in five minutes, in the factory with the same level of accuracy and precision as a lab, Trowell says.
“The reason we can do that is because we’ve taken sensors that have evolved in the natural world, then used their protein to test substances,” he says.
Trowell says they are coming to the end of their first factory trial with two Australian dairy companies. “We’ve been testing for protease and the clients are happy with how it works. Now we’re moving to trials for trace lactose,” he says.
Trowell is also working with CSIRO to develop additional tests for the unit. “Undeclared allergens are one of the biggest causes of product recalls. We’re starting with milk
Parts Per Billion technology delivers laboratory-quality analytical results within minutes.
allergens and then turning our attention to others like nuts, soy, wheat, eggs, fish and crustaceans.”
The innovation is part of CSIRO's ON Accelerate program. For 12 weeks, the company has been learning the skills to pitch and commercialise the idea, a pivotal component to getting it off the ground.
Parts Per Billion is looking for investors. “We have an advanced prototype we can take into the field and test and we’re keen to develop commercially,” Trowell says. They hope to be selling it on a commercial basis within 18 months. ✷
Wine IP directory calls out copycats
✷
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A new intellectual property system is being developed to help protect Australian wine brands against copycat exports.
The new Wine Label Intellectual Property Directory aims to help protect Australia’s wine industry from ‘knock-off’ products overseas.
The directory is part of a federal government $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package.
The publicly accessible directory will help protect Australian wine by identifying potential copycat labels when all Australian wine exporters are required to submit images of their labels prior to gaining export certification.
It will be searchable by image elements, brand name and publication date and will display the trademarked image of labels, the exporter ABN, brand name and date the label was published to the directory.
Copycat wine exporters would be stripped of their export licence, with additional significant punishments for those who breach the law. Private legal action taken by wine producers who have been copied will also be possible.
Australian wine exports are forecast to top 800 megalitres in 2017-18, with a value of more than $2.8 billion. ✷
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | May 2019 | Food&Drink business | 5
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