foodstuff

no 2/02
no 1/00
Lyckeby
foodstuff
It´s all about
flavour
p. 2
Russia – full of opportunities
6
Dare select wheat
8
Vitargo builds muscles
10
www.food.lyckeby.com
A trend-setter
you want m o r e o f
The tone is set already in the lobby. The smell of spices is compact,
complex and very enjoyable. Once you are inside the office building,
you are surprised by an atrium with a herbal garden. We have arrived
at one of Europe’s leading flavouring companies, Culinar.
TEXT LARS WIRTÉN PHOTO BO INGVAR JÖNSSON
F
lavours and trends are the basis for Culinar’s
operations. Today, Culinar is a leading trendsetter for the prepared foods, meatpacking and
snacks industries in Sweden and in the rest of
Europe. The company is the market leader in Sweden
when it comes to spices, seasonings and so called
system mixes to the food industry.
“To manage that, you have to stay three years ahead of
consumer demand. For example, we pay close attention to
tourist flows. Right now, we can see Thai cuisine gaining in
popularity, which relates to the fact that every other Swede
has been to Thailand the last few years,” says Sven Bentinger, Culinar’s president.
Indian restaurants are also gaining in popularity, as do
elements of Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine.
“Another, but not as noticeable, trend is a combination of
Greek, Turkish and Lebanese foods. These feature many
vegetarian dishes, breads and many aromas.
“We are very well acquainted with that area. We have
both customers and suppliers there.”
Sven Bentinger and his associates travel the world to
catch new trends and to expand the company’s knowledge
of spices and aromas.
“You have to be curious, to eat ‘actively’ and professionally. Above all, I try to avoid the gourmet restaurants and
instead find the heart of local cuisine.
“The objective is to get an in-depth understanding of
2➞3
Norway
Stockholm
Gothenburg
SWEDEN
Denmark
Fjälkinge
Malmö
various raw materials and how they are
used. And what I like, others might like
too. If we find something exciting, we dispatch our product
developers and cooks and let them engross themselves in
the local cuisine.
“You don’t get that kind of in-depth knowledge and
sense of new trends by sitting at home in the office.”
››
relations
If you are a foods industry trend-setter, you have to stay several steps ahead. Culinar gets inspiration from kitchens all over the
world. Over the years, it has developed in-depth understanding of flavouring as well as various raw materials and their use.
It also has its own gastronomical centre: Culinarium.
The Culinar group
The Culinar Group consists of the parent company
Culinar AB and four subsidiaries:
• Culinar Industry AB. Tailored seasoning blends,
system mixes and liquid products such as sauces,
spice emulsions and marinades for the foodstuff
industry.
• Culinar Food Pack AB. Total packaging solutions
for the customer, including consumer products
and products for large-scale kitchens.
• Culinar Försäljnings AB.
• Culinar India Ltd. Our procurement office
in New Dehli.
Once back home, Mr. Bentinger and his associates have an
important communications challenge: Demonstrating the
new flavours they are convinced soon will be demanded by
consumers.
Gastronomic centre
For this purpose, Culinar has built its own gastronomic
centre, called Culinarium. The core of the centre is a
demonstration kitchen surrounded by a conference room, a
cafe and an inspiring herbal garden with some 60 herbs.
“We have lots of activities, our own as well as for others.
External companies and organisations frequently rent
Culinarium.”
Managing the entire chain
But the company does not stop at developing new flavours
and functions in the form of seasonings, system mixes and
››
www.food.lyckeby.com
plant maintains complete separation of raw material and
finished goods, which is very important since many of the
raw materials can cause allergic reactions in people with
allergies.
“Culinar is the only company that can keep its mixtures,
and thus allergens, separate at an approved level.”
Culinar also holds a unique position in this industry with
regard to analyses. Two years ago, the company inaugurated
its own bacteriological laboratory. One year ago it was
accredited, i.e. approved by the Swedish government.
Flexibility, functionality
and knowledge have
become key terms
during Sven Bentinger’s
18 years as head of
Culinar. His favourite
spice is ginger.
››
complete product recipes. Culinar can also offer complete
packaging solutions for products intended for consumers as
well as large-scale kitchens.
Culinar is the one that packages all sauces, soups,
aromatic compounds and other products under the Knorr
brand in Sweden on behalf of Unilever Best Food. Unilever
Best Food has also outsourced all handling and packaging
of spices under the Kockens brand to Culinar. And the
ability to manage the entire chain, from raw material to
finished product, is crucial.
“Given today’s requirements for product quality and
food safety, it is very important to be able to do it all
without breaking the quality chain. This is a unique
capability of ours. Simply put, we can subcontract and
perform complete production.
“Unilever Best Food sets very high standards for us as a
supplier, considering every aspect of quality. We have
received confirmation that we meet these standards. Our
collaboration with Unilever Best Food required capital
expenditures for a large number of production lines.
“This gives us great flexibility, which has served us well.
We have received orders from a few new, large customers,
whom we offer total solutions with good economics for
both parties,” Mr. Bentinger says.
Safe for people with allergies
The spice mixes and system mixes are produced in a
unique plant with fourteen separate mixing areas. The
Ginger a favourite
At the close of 2002, Mr. Bentinger is leaving the position
of Culinar president after 18 years. When he joined the
company, sales were about SEK 40 million. Culinar will
soon reach the same amount – in earnings.
“This is a very enjoyable job. I am fond of saying that in
my next life, I will apply for the same job.”
The question of a favourite spice is quick and definite:
“Fresh, grated ginger. I use it for most things as flavour
enhancer. It brings out and emphasises flavours in a delicate
way.”
Flavour and function working together
A key concept at Culinar is system mixes. This concept includes
the idea that Culinar does not focus on flavours alone. Function is just as important in a foodstuff marketplace where
finished and semi-finished items are gaining in popularity.
“We pioneered this way of working. This is our hallmark,”
Mr. Bentinger observes.
Starch is often an important functional ingredient in a
system mix.
“We use a lot of starch to provide product texture and as a
carrier for aromas. But we also sell native starch to the meat
industry.”
Culinar was also early to discover applications for Potex, a
fibre product. Ever since Lyckeby Stärkelsen launched this
product, Culinar has been very active with the meat industry
and has developed various recipes using Potex as a functional
ingredient in the company’s system mixes.
Lyckeby Stärkelsen
and Culinar merging
Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre and Culinar are both owned by Sveriges
Stärkelseproducenter. As of Jan 1, 2003, the two companies merge into one
organisation. Thus Lyckeby Stärkelsen and Culinar will operate in concert in
the marketplace.
“We will achieve synergies in product development. Both companies are
now working with flavours and texture. This collaboration will make us
stronger in the international market, Mr. Bentinger says.
Lyckeby Stärkelsen will provide more information when the new organisation is finished.
4➞5
health
& safety
Affe©
Gluten-free
a question of d e f i n i t i o n s
What is gluten-free – and what is not? The EU directive is the basis
for all national laws, but the directive does not specify limit values
regarding what may be called gluten-free.
This gives each member state great freedom to determine
which limit values should apply in the respective country.
TEXT INGELA ASPLUND AND JÖRGEN OLSSON
A
n international organisation, Codex Alimentarius,
deals with limit values for gluten, among other
things. Codex Alimentarius, based in Geneva,
Switzerland, is a collaboration between the
World Health Organisation (WHO) and the
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the
United Nations (FAO), whose goal is to establish standards
for foods.
A committee within Codex Alimentarius deals with
foods for special nutritional purposes, and this committee
has developed a standard for gluten-free foods.
The current Codex standard dates from 1981. According
to this standard, foods may be called gluten-free if the
nitrogen content is less than 0.05 percent, based on dry
substance. This corresponds to a protein content of 0.3
percent, but since all protein is not gluten protein, an
analysis of the protein content alone is misleading. At a
protein content of 0.2-0.3 percent, computations are based
on an estimate that about one third consists of gluten
protein.
A new Codex standard is now under development. The
new proposed limit is a maximum of 200 mg gluten per
kilograms of product, based on dry substance. The detec-
tion limit is 20 mg gluten per kilograms of product.
The proposed method has been applied in Sweden and
several other EU countries for a few years.
Starting a few years ago, Lyckeby Stärkelsen’s modified
wheat starch, OPASET, is regularly being analysed according to the proposed new standard. This means that the
company can guarantee that the gluten content never
exceeds 200 ppm. The gluten content is even so low that it
is below the limit for being naturally gluten-free.
Definitions according to the new,
proposed standard.
Naturally free from gluten:
Products that do not contain gluten or proteins related to
gluten. Examples are rice, corn, millet and potatoes. Gluten
must not be detected in these, i.e. it must be less than 20 ppm.
Gluten-free:
Products based on grains (wheat, durum wheat, rye, barley, or
oats) where the gluten content has been reduced.
For these, the gluten content must not exceed 200 ppm in a
product ready for consumption.
www.food.lyckeby.com
Russia:
trademarks g a l o r e
The Russian consumer can chose from 35,000 different brands of vodka. Regarding
brand names, vodka is in a league by itself, but it is a telling example of the great number
of small, local brand names flooding the food products market in this huge country.
And the increasingly market-oriented Russia is maturing. This opens new opportunities
for foreign companies – but you have to know what you are doing.
Lyckeby Foodstuff is portraying the Russian foodstuff industry.
TEXT JÖRGEN OLSSON
“
G
reat changes are underway in the Russian
market. National brands are being established,
and they will eventually overwhelm most of
the smaller ones. This is true for all groups of
merchandise,” Samuel Avetisyan says.
Mr. Avetisyan was recently appointed director of
marketing and a member of the board of directors at the
Tinkoff brewery. He has many years of experience from
different sectors of the Russian food products market.
Until last spring he was focusing on semi-finished goods
and convenience foods – product groups that are rapidly
gaining market share in Russia.
“Just like in the western countries, our consumers want
products offering convenience. But at the same time we
want to keep the traditional Russian flavourings and
recipes,” Mr. Avetisyan says.
“It was different during the time of glasnost, when
regulations were loosened and borders were opened for
imports from the West.
“We had been shielded and shut in for 70 years. Products
from the West – any products at all, but especially foods –
were made into icons. They symbolised the good, free life.
Russians select Russian brands
The bubble burst in connection with the serious monetary
crisis in Russia during the latter part of the 1990’s. When
consumption later started to rise again, people wanted
Russian brands.
“National and regional patriotism is very noticeable in
Russian consumption patterns. We are proud of having
6➞7
locally produced food products that are marketed locally.
But this also means that there are an unbelievable number
of different brands.
Vodka is the worst example. But products like mayonnaise, ketchup, and even margarine also have an abundance
of brand names.
Off the top of my head, I can name at least 20 national
ketchup brands,” Mr. Avetisyan says, “and it is the same for
all product groups. But this will not continue forever.”
In Mr. Avetisyan’s opinion, the Russian food products
market is now maturing rapidly. As soon as in two to three
years, many of the smaller brands will be gone. They will be
replaced by larger brands that will establish themselves and
spread to all corners of this huge federation.
Higher quality
In parallel with the fast change, Russian producers have
gradually increased the quality of their products. They have
been forced to do that in order to be able to compete when
products from the West entered the market. Russia’s flirt
with hyper capitalism has, if nothing else, taught consumers
to set higher standards.
“In addition, the view that Russian foods are more
natural is widespread. This relates to the fact that large
parts of our food products industry is not yet as sophisticated as that in the West – we have simply not quite learned
how to handle artificial substances,” Mr. Avetisyan says.
A land of opportunities
More than 80 percent of all food sold in Russia is produced
portrait
Affe©
domestically. But Mr. Avetisyan still thinks that there are
great opportunities for foreign or multinational companies
that want to establish themselves.
“But they need to get to know the Russian mentality.
They need to learn a lot about Russian habits and Russian
taste preferences. They need to know the country’s geography, and they must have good personal
contacts. In addition, it is almost a
requirement that they establish
themselves on location and start
producing their products in
Russia.”
Time is scarce in the
East as in the West
What will happen to
Russian eating habits? Well,
traditions regarding recipes
and flavours will remain.
But, like people in the West,
Russians are becoming more
and more interested in food
that can be prepared quickly.
This opens the door for more
and better semi-finished products
and convenience foods.
“Convenience and the time factor plays an increasingly
important role. Here we notice a clear change in people’s
living and consumption habits. The time factor was not at
all important earlier. Now, there is a growing middle class
that wants to save time. So for them convenience and
availability may be deciding factors when choosing food,”
Mr. Avetisyan says.
Big investment
The group he is working for is about to
make a huge marketing effort,
launching the Tinkoff beer brand.
A new facility outside St. Petersburg will have a capacity of 25
The Russian Federation was proclaimed in 1991,
million US gallons (100 million
after the fall of the Soviet Union.
litres) per year. The beer is to
Population: About 145 million.
be sold all over the country.
Ethnic groups: Over 80 percent Russians, plus Tatars,
The brewery is also launching
Ukrainians, Chuvashes and Baskirs.
its own restaurant chain.
Head of State: President Vladimir Putin.
Natural resources: Oil, gas, coal, minerals and forests.
“We will be the first brewery
The working population is about 65 million people.
in the country able to grade its
About 15 percent are farmers, 30 percent work in
beer as Ultra premium,” Mr.
industry and 55 percent in the service industry.
Avetisyan says.
Russia
www.food.lyckeby.com
The many uses of wheat starch is reflected in the picture
gallery. Opaset can handle more rigorous process
requirements. It provides a rich, creamy consistency that is
good for everything from sauces to fillings for baked goods.
8➞9
functionality
Opaset
– starch with possibilities
As you know, home-made always tastes the best. In Scandinavia and large
parts of Europe, traditionally, wheat flour has been used to thicken sauces.
But modified wheat starch is more suitable for industrial food preparation
– it provides the same advantages but has been adapted so it can handle
more rigorous process requirements.
TEXT HELÉN OSKARSSON
T
he right starch provides ready-to-serve foods a
more home-made character. Processes used in
the ready-to-eat industry require that ingredients
have special properties. Raw materials used in
households don’t always fit the bill. The objective
with ready-to-eat foods is that the quality and feel as
much as possible should be like foods prepared at home in
the kitchen. Wheat flour can not always meet the stringent
process and shelf-life requirements. On the other hand,
modified wheat starch does.
Another advantage, compared to wheat flour, is that
wheat starch is gluten-free. This makes it easier for those
who are hypersensitive to gluten.
Mouth feel is also important to many foods. Wheat starch
provides products with a rich,
creamy mouth feel.
This is favourable
for sauces, for
Properties
Wheat starch derives its good taste from its relatively high lipids content, 0.8%. This makes the surface somewhat hydrophobic, i.e. water repellent. This
leads to a higher gelatinisation temperature than for
potatoes, for example. Because of the fat, the boiled
starch turns more milky or opaque. This, too, is explained by the relatively high lipids content.
The size distribution of the starch granules are specific for each plant species. Wheat has two granule
sizes: larger and smaller. Only the bigger ones are
used commercially. They are a little bigger than
granules from corn, but much smaller than
those from potatoes.
example, where it is desirable to keep fat content low but still
achieve a creamy consistence and a richer taste experience.
The selection of starch influences the texture and taste of
the food product.
Lyckeby Stärkelsen has several different modified wheat
starches – OPASET – all of which have been adapted for
different food stuff processes, both for refrigerated and frozen
products.
Applications
Opaset 2020 offers advantages both for the taste of refrigerated ready-to-serve foods, and in the baking industry, where it
adds a full, rich consistency to products. In this case, it is also
important to provide the products with a high dry substance
content. This is important to prevent that the filling runs into
surrounding layers. This is especially desirable for cake fillings,
for example.
Opaset 2052 is good for frozen ready-to-serve foods where
preparation temperatures do not exceed 100°C (212°F).
Opaset 2058 is suitable for soups and sauces (UHTproducts), as well as for puddings.
More possibilities
The creaminess that wheat starch provides makes it suitable
for baked goods, such as vanilla custard. It provides products
that are smooth to work with, as well as a shiny, smooth
surface. In the baking industry, wheat starch is also used for
gluten-free cake and bread mixes.
Mouth feel is important in desserts, too, such as puddings.
By using Opaset you get a shiny, fine dessert with a full taste.
The Opaset products can also be used for dry mixes. They
help prevent lumpiness – and the good taste is appreciated
here, too!
www.food.lyckeby.com
M I C R O LY S
•
POTEX
•
OPASET
•
MEETEX
•
TRECO
M
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Vitargo a success
among b o d y b u i l d e r s
Vitargo is now co-operating with the German company BMS-Sport,
which makes numerous body building preparations. Together, they have
developed a new product called Creavitargo. BMS-Sport is also selling a
regular Vitargo carboloader. This effort is a success.
TEXT JESPER SAHLIN
“We have not been active in the body building area with
Vitargo before. We have focused on endurance sports
such as long-distance running, bicycling and ball sports,”
says Hans Rydin, Vitargo manager at Lyckeby Stärkelsen.
“But the market for body building preparations is
bigger, and we already knew that muscle builders can
benefit from consuming carbohydrates together with
proteins.
“Creavitargo is a combination of creatine and Vitargo.
Creatine is a substance that occurs naturally in the body
and in some foods. It is very effective for muscle growth
in body builders. The addition of Vitargo makes the body
absorb creatine faster and more efficiently,” Mr. Rydin
added.
It is important to Lyckeby Stärkelsen that Vitargo
stands for high quality. That’s why Lyckeby Stärkelsen
insists on controlling the recipes when working with other
companies.
“When mixing it with other products, the proportion of
Vitargo must always be great enough to get the proper result,”
Hans Rydin emphasised.
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This year’s potato season is characterised by good conditions during the harvest and high starch contents –
much higher than normal. However, the dry weather
during July, August and September reduced the total
harvest somewhat.
All in all, this means that this autumn’s season is
forecast to be equivalent to a normal year.
“We expect to fill the starch production quota we
have been assigned by EU,” says Hans Berggren, Managing Director for Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre.
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High starch contents
i n t h i s y e a r ’s h a r v e s t
P e r T. P e r s s o n
new Group CEO
As of January 1, 2003, Per T. Persson will be the new
CEO at Lyckeby Stärkelsen. Mr. Persson has worked
at the company for 23 years. Most recently he was
president of Lyckeby Stärkelsen Industrial Starches.
“Lyckeby Stärkelsen has grown very well during
the last three years. It is my job to make sure that
trend continues,” Mr. Persson says.
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10 ➞ 11
MEX
•
M A R I B I N D • E M O LY S • LY G E L • S W E LY
Do you think better
when hungry?
What are the effects of satiation on our mental capabilities?
What is the importance of different foods and different food
components in this context? An interdisciplinary research project dealing with questions such as these is currently underway. Lyckeby Stärkelsen is participating together with the
universities in Uppsala, Sweden and Leeds, the UK, among
others, and the food companies Orkla Foods, Norway, Karlshamns Mejeri AB, Sweden and Cerealia, Sweden.
The study is investigating physiological parameters as well as
behavioural effects. Consumer’s attitudes towards and understanding of the connection between foods and our ability to
perform mentally are also being investigated.
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Lower corn harvest in the
U . S . a ff e c t i n g s t a r c h p r i c e s
Corn growers in the U.S. are expecting lower harvests than
what has been forecast perviously. Forecasts have now been
lowered. As a result, the prices for grain futures have risen at
the grain exchange in Chicago, and American corn starch
producers are expecting that they will have to pay higher
prices for raw materials as of November.
This will also affect growers in Europe – EU’s subsidies will
be reduced as the world market price increases. Starch prices
in Europe are expected to rise somewhat.
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See you at the
Moscow fair!
Ingredients Russia — the big ingredients, additives and
flavourings trade show in Moscow is back on the calendar:
November 26 to 29.
To Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre, Ingredients Russia is
one of the most important trade shows. We are exhibiting
for the fifth time. You will find us in booth F 121.
More than 250 companies from 25 different countries are
represented at the show, which usually draws about 10,000
visitors.
GEL
news stuff
A strong
partnership
We are facing exciting times.
The forthcoming closer co-operation
with our sister company Culinar, will
provide opportunities for broad joint
action on current and new markets.
Both existing and new customers will
discover that the combined expertise at
Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre and
Culinar means many substantial advantages.
The combination of advanced starches, which have so many
applications within different parts of the foodstuff industry,
and Culinar’s solid know-how and highly specialised solutions
in the field of seasoning and flavouring, give us a unique
position.
The foods sector is changing. New, consumer friendly
products are being launched almost daily, and new markets
are being opened. The former East European countries in
general and Russia in particular have long been of interest to
Lyckeby Stärkelsen. We have already been working for several
years to establish ourselves in Russia. So far, the results have
exceeded expectations.
As you know, major changes have occurred in Russia during
the past ten years. But the largest changes may still lie ahead.
As told by Russian marketing expert Samuel Avetisyan in
this issue of Lyckeby Foodstuff, the sprawling maze of local
products is gradually being replaced with strong, national
brands.
Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre and Culinar have an
important role to play in this process. Our combined muscle
make us a very interesting partner for new as well as established actors.
Hans Berggren
Managing Director, Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre AB
Lyckeby foodstuff
Editorial board Hans Berggren, Bengt Jakobsson, Ingela
Asplund, Magdalena Bergh, Jörgen Olsson (editor)
hans.berggren@lyckeby-starch.se
bengt.jakobsson@lyckeby-starch.se
ingela.asplund@lyckeby-starch.se
magdalena.bergh@lyckeby-starch.se
jorgen@wirtenmedia.se
Project management Wirtén Media AB, Lund
Address Lyckeby Foodstuff,
Lyckeby Stärkelsen Food & Fibre AB,
SE-291 91 Kristianstad, Sweden.
Print and prepress Trydells, Laholm.
Translation Transförlag
f o o d . l y c k e b y. c o m
A pure natural product
with unique
properties
POTEX is pure natural product that
binds twelve times its own weight
in liquid. It can be mixed with other
ingredients without sedimenting or
forming lumps.
The more POTEX is processed, the
greater its liquid-retaining ability becomes.
Low in calories but high in dietary fibre,
POTEX gives your product a smooth texture,
at both low and high temperatures. POTEX is now
also available in a finely ground version for an even
smoother texture – POTEX CROWN.
POTEX has many more beneficial properties that can be
exploited in numerous food products. Visit our website
at food.lyckeby.com, if you would like to know more.
POTEX
POTEX
Lyckeby Stärkelsen
Food & Fibre AB
Tel +46(0)44-23 42 00
Fax +46(0)44-23 42 09
Website food.lyckeby.com
E-mail lsff@lyckeby-starch.se