The cereal industry in general
In Europe, most of the cereal production is concentrated on 4 species: soft wheat, grain corn, barley and durum wheat. Other cereals are grown and consumed in Europe: rice, oats, sorghum and rye.
Several food products, intermediate or finished, are derived from the processing of :
- Durum wheat for the manufacture of pasta and couscous;
- Soft wheat for the manufacture of bread products, pastries, pastries, cookies and breakfast cereals.
There are different product ranges for different sectors: bakery, pastry, animal feed, starch, baby food etc.
Cereal products still play a central role in the French diet. The evolution of consumption patterns is converging towards nomadism, specific diets (gluten intolerance), the search for naturalness, transparency and authenticity. These new eating habits have led to the appearance on the market of additive-free products with short ingredient lists, highlighting potential health risks (Xerfi, 2020).
TENDER WHEAT
Flour is the main product obtained after processing soft wheat. Different ranges are elaborated according to different sectors:
- Bakery and pastry products (BVP)
BVP offers three types of products:
- Bakery products: common breads, packaged breads (sandwich bread etc.), special breads (for hamburgers, kebabs, etc.);
- Viennese pastries: croissants, pains au chocolat, raisin bread, apple turnovers, etc. ;
- Pastries: choux, chocolate éclairs, macaroons, etc.
There is also a segmentation by technology (fresh and frozen; raw, precooked or cooked).
- Cookies, rusks and cakes
The industrial cookie, cookie and cake industry is divided into four segments:
- Dry bread-making includes in particular rusks (rusks, special toasted breads, breadcrumbs, etc.);
- Sweet cookies (with eggs, butter, etc.);
- Savoury cookies (excluding potato chips);
- Industrial cakes.
- Breakfast cereals
HARD WHEAT
Durum wheat is mainly used in the manufacture of semolina. These are used in the manufacture of dry pasta and couscous.
The challenges of the industry and the matrices
General Blue Paper data
The challenges in terms of food safety in the cereal products sector mainly concern chemical risks (50%) with pesticides, allergens (21%) and physical risks (12%).
According to RASFF data monitored and analyzed by Mérieux NutriSciences: Safety HUD, pesticides are the leading cause of cereal and bakery product recalls in Europe and account for approximately 32% of recalls in 2020.
Risk by matrix
In order to support the industry in its development, Mérieux NutriSciences offers a complete range of specific analyses for each type of matrix.
Manufacturing process
The scheme
Cereal-based products are processed by different methods: drying, foddering, cooking-extrusion, kneading, etc. The safety of these products must be integrated throughout the different production processes (see diagrams).
