The Food Chain CIC is now working with the Food Modelling Club on joint conferences for 2006.

The Food Modelling Club is a project set up with the help of Government funds to make industry more aware of the immense potential of mathematical modelling in all aspects of food production and food research.

What is modelling and what does it offer the food industry?
There are many instances in food manufacture when one asks the question what if? This may refer to a change in formulation, or a different setting on a piece of equipment (e.g., an oven or conveyor), or a different temperature in the chill store. The solution may be to try out a new set of equipment parameters, but such testing is both time consuming and expensive. Another question might relate to the scheduling of production in a factory, or a fast food take-away. How can redundancy (waiting time) at various points along the line be minimised, or the queue outside the shop be reduced?

Modelling is the state-of-the-art solution to many such problems. It is based on computer programs which are able to mimic the unit operations and integrated process lines, and allow many different scenarios to be tested quickly and easily. Since these tests do not require a production run, they are cheap. Companies have adopted this technology, e.g., in new product development, to troubleshoot operations and improve their efficiency, to optimise formulation, and to predict the microbial stability and shelf life of a food. Developments in computers mean that such modelling is becoming accessible to a wide range of individuals in the food industry.

Modelling can be applied to foods at a variety of levels. The wide availability of software provides an opportunity for the non-expert to carry out process and product optimisation, to explore the relationship between raw material composition and properties of the finished product, and review the scheduling of a factory in response to changing demands and requirements. On the other hand, the modelling of molecule and particle interactions and dynamics in food provides a better understanding of the factors which determine food quality and which have a direct bearing on the behaviour of food at all stages of production. In some cases, there is already a good understanding of these applications; in others they are still the subject of research. The bulk properties and behaviour of fluids can now be modelled in progressively more complex situations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD); this is an area of predictive modelling which is developing the most rapidly within the industry.

Aim of the Food Modelling Club
The aim of the Food Modelling Club is to identify a group of individuals interested in the application of numerical modelling techniques in food production and food research. It will provide individuals with an insight into the potential value of this emerging technology and to keep abreast of developments in the field. Its purpose is to provide a forum for discussion and to identify the core expertise in this area, to which individuals may turn for advice. It is intended for the club actively to seek increase the awareness of those individuals who may not recognise the value of numerical modelling in their area of work.

In addition, it may be expected that the club will take a strong lead in defining the food industry’s generic modelling research needs and lead to collaborative research proposals that gain wide spread support from industry and public funding sources.

For more information contact Catherine Roberts