The easiest way to make Coconut Milk

Food Processing | The easiest way to make coconut milk | Coconut milk, derived from coconut meat, makes an excellent substitute for cow's milk. An essential ingredient in many Indian and Thai dishes, coconut milk has risen in popularity and usage in the U.S. As of 2011, the increased demand for coconut milk and a devastating harvest has made coconut milk an expensive and rare find in some Western countries. Fortunately, coconut milk is very easy to make at home. The first thing you have to do to make coconut milk is preparing all things you need : 1 cup dried coconut meat (unsweetened), 2 cups hot water, blender, strainer and bowl.

Here is how to make coconut milk:

1. Purchase dried coconut meat from a grocery store or market.

2. Place the dried coconut meat and hot water in a blender.

3. Turn on the blender and mix for about 30 seconds.

4. Position the strainer over a bowl and press the mixture through the strainer.

5. Adjust the consistency of the coconut milk by adding a little extra water if necessary.

6. Store the coconut milk in the refrigerator. It will keep for about three days.

- Food Processing

How to Make a Spreadable Margarine-like Butter

Do you love the taste of real butter? It is so delicious! And it's not completely wrong ingredients, such as margarine. Only problem is when you wanna spreading the butter on the bread. It is too hard. You can buy the spreadable butter now a days, but it is expensive. You can save money by making your own spreadable margarine-like butter now!

Things to Prepare:

• Butter extract (optional)
• Real butter
• Vegetable oil or Canola oil
• Yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Let the butter soften on its own
• Take your butter and let stand at room temperature until it becomes soft. Do not melt the butter. Let soften it alone until it is easy to mix.
2. Add vegetable / canola oil 
• Put the butter in a bowl and add the canola oil / vegetable oil. Add 1 / 2 cup of oil per stick of butter. Mix the butter and oil together until well blended. You can also use a food processor or blender if you want. If mixing by hand, try using a small whisk. If it's bumps that remain on the table a little more and mix again. It will be very thick! Very, very thick. You probably think that 1 / 2 is too much oil, but it will be hard again ... I promise!
3. Add butter extract 
• If you think canola oil removes the taste of butter or if you just want to butter which has a robust flavor of butter, you can add a few drops of extract of butter in the mixture.
4. Add food coloring
• If you want to show the yellow butter, you can add one or two drops of yellow food coloring, when you are mixing oil. You can also add other colors to make fun of butter that your child will love the bread spread or increase their pancakes!
5. Store in the refrigerator 
• Put the  spreadable margarine-like butter in any container with a lid and store it in refrigerator, just as you would be margarine. The next time you need to spread butter on toast or bread it will soften and ready to spread!

7 Steps to Make Homemade Margarine

Margarine is originally made of cream and ox fat churned. The first margarine has produced since 1870. Margarine is easy to apply and can be used in many recipes. To make homemade margarine is a very easy, cheap and convenient alternative to store-bought variety.

Things to Prepare:

• 1 / 2 cup raw milk or soy milk
• 1 cup oil
• 1 teasp. liquid lecithin
• A jar or airtight container
• Dash of turmeric
• Flavorings (optional)
• Lemon juice
• Mixer or blender
• Salt to taste

7 Steps to Make Homemade Margarine:

1. Put the milk on a mixer or blender first to make it creamy. Mix on the maximum setting for about 1 minute.
2. Pour the olive oil and continue mixing until the mixture is emulsified. It takes a minute or two to mix the milk and oil together to achieve a consistency needed for smooth margarine.
3. Pour liquid lecithin. Lecithin is an emulsifier that keeps the milk and oil to separate, eliminating the need to remix margarine before each use.
4. Drop in lemon juice. The acidity in lemon juice helps to maintain the freshness of margarine.
5. Put a pinch of turmeric for coloring. Turmeric is concentrated, so it only takes a small amount.
6. Sprinkle a little salt and stir a few seconds to mix all ingredients well.
7. Place margarine in an airtight container or jar, then store it in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

8 Steps to Make Easy Homemade Butter

The butter is a product derived from milk that not too difficult to manufacture, especially with using of  the latest foods processing equipments. The butter produced from milk which comes from cows that fed with grass has much nutrition and very healthful and is regarded as a super-food by followers of native diet.

It is important to ensure that the raw milk is from excellent source to which instructions are adhered to and the whole operation is clean, because there is no heat treatment to produce butter.

Things to Prepare:

• Butter mold
• Mixer or blender
• Raw milk
• Salt
• Wooden spoons

8 Steps to Make Homemade Butter:

1. Allow raw milk to be put in the refrigerator in a glass container with a wide opening of one or two days, until the cream and the line of separation of milk is clearly visible.
2. Use a spoon or laddle to remove the cream from the top of the milk in a blender or mixer. Be careful not to fall below the threshold of cream, for example, add the milk will make the process longer. You want the thickest part of the best butter cream.
3. Put the mixer on its base, or the bowl of mixer with a  blender or whisk attachment and begin to treat the cream on low to medium speed.
4. Stop the blender occasionally and use a spatula to scrape the cream and lumps to the rest of the cream.
5. Watch for the forming of dense clumps and red globules. When the butter forms in a large group of clumps in the blender or mixer attachment, turn it off.
6. Drain the buttermilk (thin liquid) in a jar for future use (it's great for pancakes and waffles). Keep refrigerated.
7. Use a wooden spoon to press together the butter. Rub down the remaining buttermilk, add salt to taste, and rub down the salt into the butter.
8. Press the butter into mold or a class container. Cover and refrigerate before use.

5 Steps to Make Easy Homemade Strawberry Jam

The difficult thing in making strawberry jam is to strip off all strawberries. But it's worth the time! Unlike jams bought from store, homemade strawberry jam recipes have no preservatives and can be sweetened to taste, so makes the recipes both delicious and nutritious. This strawberry jam recipes yields eight (8 ounces) half pints.

Things to Prepare:

• 1 / 4 cup lemon juice
• 1 package powdered fruit pectin (thickening)
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 cups strawberries, washed and chopped
• Bowl (large)
• Ladle
• Pan
• Sterilized jars

5 Steps to Make Easy Homemade Strawberry Jam:

1. Wash and hull the strawberries, mashed in a large bowl, one layer at a time.
2. Mix strawberries and lemon juice in large saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin, bringing the mixture to a boil.
3. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a boil, stirring constantly for one minute. Remove from heat.
4. If necessary, skim foam from the mixture. Pour using ladle into sterilized jars. Wipe the rim of the jars before sealing. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
5. Remove and let cool for 12-24 hours. This allows time for acclimatization. Jam can be eaten when it is cooled and thickened, and lasts up to one year if stored in a cool place.

NOTE:

• During the boiling process, it can be added up to 1 / 2 teasp. margarine or butter to reduce foaming.
• You can combine other fruit of berries for fruiter taste, such as blueberries or raspberries.
• If the mixture does not thicken, make it as a delicious topping or preserves for cakes or ice cream.

How to Turn Corn Tortilla into Homemade Tortilla Chips

Restaurant and store-bought tortilla chips can not compare to fresh and more crunchy homemade tortilla chips. Tortilla chips are fast and easy to produce and you can use them in any recipe calls for tortilla chips. Fry or bake up some and enjoy it plain, with salsa and dips, or in a batch of nachos.

What you need:

• 1 quart. oil for frying
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
• Salt to taste
• a large pot
• skimmer
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Bowl

Directions:

1. Cut tortillas into wedges or strips.
2. Line a bowl with paper towels (to absorb excess oil).
3. Heat oil in large saucepan to about 375 degrees.
4. Fall of the tortillas in oil in small quantities. Brown.
5. Remove chips from the oil in a slotted spoon. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
6. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining tortillas

About Yoghurt and How to Make It

Yoghurt is a milk product processed through the addition of a good interaction of organisms, one of which is lactic acid bacteria. Yoghurt in the market is divided into two types, the first is plain yoghurt which is no flavor  addition and drink yoghurt, which is plain yoghurt that have added fruit essence, such as flavor of strawberry, orange, grapefruit, lemon, etc.

Advantages of Yoghurt:

• Yoghurt is safe to be consumed by people who are sensitive to milk (causing diarrhea) because of lactose contained in raw milk (dairy) has simplified by the process of fermentation of yoghurt.
• When yoghurt consumed on a regular even able to inhibit the levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is because yoghurt contains lactobasillus. Lactobasillus function inhibits the formation of cholesterol in our blood that comes from the foods we eat such as offal or meat.
• Enhance our immune system because yoghurt contains a lot of good bacteria that can balance the bad bacteria found in our milk.

How to Make Good Yoghurt

Although it looks difficult, making yoghurt is actually very simple. The equipments we need to make yoghurt are easy to find, such as the pan sized of 40 cm, stirrer, glass jar with lid. All this equipment can be obtained easily in the market or shopping centers such as Carrefour. The main ingredient needed to manufacture yoghurt is just milk. This milk can be either liquid milk but to consider the dairy milk used must be white.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the milk that was diluted with 1 liter of boiled water and add the milk cream as much as 15%.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring continued for 30 minutes but do not boil. It is only intended to evaporate the water so that later will form lumps or solid yoghurt.
3. If it is done, solid yoghurt then removed and cooled approximately until lukewarm then add the yoghurt seed as much as 2-5% of the amount of yoghurt that has been thickened earlier. Seeds of yoghurt is not sold in the market freely but you can find it in a specific store. Or for simply we can use the plain yoghurt (no flavor added, no sugar and no aroma) as the seeds of yoghurt.
4. Let stand for 24 hours in a closed container to produce a sour taste and a condensed form.
5. The higher the total solid, the remaining clear liquid the less, and yoghurt produced the better. Solid yoghurt that has not been given this extra flavor can also be used as seeds for further manufacture.
6. After the yoghurt is done, then it can be added with syrup or sugar to reduce strong sour flavor. Even you can add flavorings (food essence) such as orange flavor, strawberries and lychees that we can get in pharmacies. Yoghurt can be served not only as a beverage, but also with fruit salad as a dressing or as a mixture of frutty ice.
7. Yoghurt that has been made can be placed in a plastic container or glass. If we want to use plastic containers should be a bit thick, but if you want to save the yoghurt for a longer time it should use a glass container.

Investment Environment of the Agro-Industry Sector in Kazakhstan

In 2003, Kazakhstan newly enacted the Act for New Foreign Investment after abolition of the Act for Foreign Investment and the Law on State Support for Direct Investment. Under the new law, there is no discrimination between domestic and foreign investors. Investment favors are provided in priority sectors, which include following sectors: industrial infrastructure, processing industry, agriculture, agro-industry, housing, the social sector and tourism infrastructure. The incentives for direct investments in the priority sectors are: property tax and income tax exemptions for up to five years respectively, and exemptions or reductions in customs duty on materials necessary for completion of the investment project.

In 2002, the new law on taxation was enacted. Taxation system of Kazakhstan generally seems to be coincident with international standards. However, there are so many taxes imposed on enterprises, which may distort profit structure of enterprises. The maximum tax rates are different across according to sources of taxes: 30 percent for corporate tax, 15 percent for value added tax, 21 percent for social security tax. It is estimated that 32-35 percent of total revenue accounts for taxes paid by enterprises, implying that the tax burden is high.

Table 1. Selected Tax Rates in Kazakhstan

Types	Tax Rate
Corporate Tax Value Added Tax Land Tax Property Tax Social Security Tax Commodity Tax Transportation Tax Auction Tax	Up to 30% Up to 15% varies by use 1% Up to 21% varies by commodities varies by transportation types 3%

Source: Korea EXIM Bank, 2005

Kazakhstan has tried to improve the investment climate to attract FDI to more sectors including oil industry since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. For this purpose, Kazakhstan enacted four major legislations relating to foreign investment, such as the Act for Foreign Investment in 1999, the Act for State Support for Direct Investment in 1997, the Act for Government Procurement in 1997 and the Tax Code in 2001.

As a result, Kazakhstan has been fairly successful in attracting FDI, which supported economic recovery. During the period from 1993 to 2003, gross FDI inflows to Kazakhstan totaled USD 23.4billion. As of 2003, crude oil and natural gas extraction accounted for 51.8 percent of gross FDI, while agriculture, forestry and fishery accounted for 0.04 percent. Food industry, which is based on agriculture, is predominantly domestic market oriented and not lucrative due to low market demand for the local food products, implying that it is less attractive to foreign investors.

Table 2. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Kazakhstan by Sector
Unit: million USD, ( %)

	1993-2000	2001	2002	Jan.–Jun.2003
Agriculture etc. Mining Manufacturing Transport, etc Finance Real estate Electric power Others	7.4(0.1) 7,841.2(62.4) 1,766.4(14.1) 160.0(1.3) 206.4(1.6) 1,432.8(11.4) 433.0(3.4) 715.0(5.7)	5.0(0.1) 3078.1(67.7) 641.4(0.7) 161.1(161.1) 44.4(1.0) 456.5(10.0) 33.8(0.7) 124.3(2.7)	2.5(0.1) 2107.7(51.7) 829.5(20.4) 95.2(2.3.) 11.8(0.3) 841.4(20.7) 17.5(0.4) 167.9(4.1)	1.1(0.04) 1148.4(51.8) 433.3(19.5) 45.0(2.0) 7.8(0.4) 433.6(19.6) 58.4(2.6) 91.2(4.1)
Total	12,562.2(100.0)	4,544.6(100.0)	4073.5(100.0)	2218.8(100.0)

Source: National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Mongolian Agro-industries and Agro Processing

Due to the lack of processing equipments and lagged technology development, the rates of value-addition are low in agro-industries. Mongolia produces about a quarter of the world output of cashmere. Small-scale cashmere processing factories are scattered in Mongolia. In 2003, there were five domestic and 80 foreign invested cashmere processing factories, of which there were 42 primary-level, 37 knitting, and 6 complex-level processing factories. Substantial amounts of raw or primary-level processed cashmeres are exported to China, hindering additional value creation within the borders of Mongolia.

Besides livestock production, food self-sufficiency is low. Crop farming is relatively new activity and was developed primarily through large state farms, although now those state farms are completely privatized. Wheat production in 2003 was 164,400 ton, which is not sufficient for feeding the people; Mongolia imports heavy amount of wheat flour from abroad including Kazakhstan. Vegetables and fruits had been produced sufficiently until the early 1990s, but they are now imported from China.

Review of Agriculture and Agro-Industry Sector in Kazakhstan

Although the share of agriculture (and agro-industry) out of GDP is only 8 percent, agriculture (and agro-industry) is a very important sector in Kazakhstan, since over 40 percent of population still resides in rural areas and 20 percent of labor is employed by the agricultural sector.

Kazakhstan is one of the world’s largest grain producer and exporter. The main grain crop is wheat. It is specialized in the cattle-breeding and fruit-growing. Livestock production accounts for about 40 percent of the agricultural production in value. Livestock production has been a key economic activity in Kazakhstan for centuries and will continue to be a major source of employment, food supply, and income for the rural population. The production of meat and milk satisfies domestic demand, while vegetables and fruits partially satisfy domestic demand because of the logistic difficulties associated with transportation and storage.

Agricultural input industry such as agricultural machinery, fertilizer and agro-chemicals have not been developed due to the lack of investment. Thus, the availability of agricultural input is too low, limiting yield increase across all agricultural sectors.

Food processing in Kazakhstan is one of the strategically important industry in provisioning high quality food for the population. Food processing industry consists of more than 30 specialized sectors, sub sectors and separate manufactures. It includes about 5,151 plants and manufacturers, 80 percent of which are small and medium–size enterprises. The SMEs employs 69.4 thousand people that is 10.3 percent of total employees in all industries of the country.

The major segments of food processing industry include flour-and-cereals, meat processing, dairy, fruits and vegetables processing. Flour and cereals account for 74.3 percent of the total enterprises in terms of the number of enterprises.

Table 1. Distribution of Agro-industry by Commodity Types in Kazakhstan, 2004

Sectors of Agro-Industry	Ratio (%)
Flour and cereal Meat processing Dairy Fruits and vegetable processing Others	74.3 14.1 8.5 2.7 0.4
Total	100

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Kazakhstan

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Review of Agriculture and Agro-Industry Sector in the CIS

The CIS countries began their economic transition in 1989-1990 based on the common institutional and organizational heritage in agriculture. In the past, there was no land ownership, and most land was cultivated in the form of large-scale collective farms sized at thousands of hectares. Each farm employed hundreds of workers.

Product markets and input supply channels were largely controlled by state organizations under the command economic framework with virtually no budget constraint. This was the Soviet model of socialist agriculture that dominated the region since the early 1950s. The inefficiency of socialized agriculture was a result of the command economy, which curbed the farms from the contact with market economy, set central targets with no consideration of consumer preferences, and allowed farms to function under soft budget constraints without proper profit accountability.

The missing of market signals resulted in inefficiency in the agricultural marketing and food processing industry. Agro-processing industries, or simply agro-based industries, can be described as industries that add value to agricultural raw materials, both food and non-food, through processing them into marketable, usable or edible products, while enhancing the income and profitability of the producers (UNESCAP, 2003).

During the economic transition, the lack of investments and serious budget constraints affected development of agriculture and agro-industry. While recent successful land reform processes in the countries were positive steps toward market-oriented agro-industry, suboptimal input use, such as low fertilizer, chemical supply and old machineries, is still problematic.

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How to Turn Soy Milk and Tofu into Ice Cream

Intolerant to lactose is a problem. And many people suffer from this love ice cream. Of course they may not eat ice cream because of milk is in it. Processing soy milk and tofu into ice cream is a solving for this problem. It is not too difficult to turn soy milk and tofu into ice cream. It is a dairy free ice cream. No refined white sugar and it is a healthy food because it's all natural. But don't worry, it tastes as delicious as ice cream you usually buy in the ice cream outlet.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soy milk
• Tofu (silken)
• 8 ounces soy yogurt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• Fresh fruit

Tools:

• Ice cream machine
• Food processor

Directions:

1. Pre-freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker a day or so before you plan to make soy ice cream. If you fail to chill the ice cream bowl, your soy ice cream mixture may not solidify properly.
2. Get to know your soy products. Many soy ice cream recipes call for soy yogurt or silken tofu but not both. Choose the ingredient you know how to use or experiment with a combination of each to get a texture you like for ice cream.
3. Combine 2 cups of soy milk with 8 ounces of soy yogurt (plain or vanilla works well for ice cream) or a standard-size box of silken tofu in a food processor. Mix until smooth.
4. Add 1/3 cup of maple syrup to the soy mixture. You can substitute brown rice syrup if you prefer.
5. Cut or mash up fresh fruit to add flavor and texture to your soy ice cream. Bananas, peaches, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries work well when they are very ripe.
6. Add the fruit to the food processor if you want a smooth ice cream. If you prefer a chunkier texture, stir the fruit into the mixture by hand.
7. Turn on your ice cream maker before you add your soy mixture.
8. Pour the soy mixture into the ice cream maker and close the top securely.
9. Listen to the ice cream maker as your cue to check on the soy ice cream. If you hear the paddle or motor moving more slowly, the cycle may be almost finished.
10. Take the soy ice cream when it is finished. If it is too soft for your taste, you can put it in the freezer for a few hours. After several hours, the consistency will have hardened.

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What is Agro-industry?

Agroindustry or agro-industry (agroindustrial or agro-industrial) is industry dealing with the supply, processing, and distribution of farm products. Agro-industry is related to the large-scale production, processing, and packaging of food using modern equipment and methods.

An 'agro-industry' means a unit which adds value to agricultural produce / intermediates / residues; both food and non-food; by processing them into products which are marketable or usable or edible, or by improving storability, or by providing a link from farm to the market or a part thereof. Agro-industry also includes hitech agriculture, biotechnology based agriculture and the certified/ truthful label seed producing industry.

'Agricultural products' would include produce of Agriculture - Horticulture - Sericulture - Floriculture - Medicinal plants - Fisheries - Poultry - Apiculture - Dairy products and also includes minor forest produce and live stock based products.

It would also include industries which are engaged in the utilisation of agriculture waste or its disposal.

How to Make Shredded Shark Meat

Shark meat was difficult to handle without ice or refrigeration and it so often had a strong smell and taste due to improper handling that was not acceptable to consumers not accustomed to it. Shark meat was more familiar to inhabitants of fishing villages and nearby settlements in the coastal areas of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific islands. It was also eaten by the Inuit and in Europe and Japan.

The meat was consumed and preserved in these different countries according to their food traditions and the technologies available to them at that time. Apart from consuming the fish fresh, the most common preservation methods were drying, salting or smoking. One of dry processing of shark meat is to make the shark meat to be shredded. And here is how to make the shredded shark meat.

Ingredients:

• 10 kgs shark
• 1 kg onion. 750 grams fried
• 400 grams garlic
• 50 grams coriander (powder)
• 50 grams galangal
• 15 pieces "daun salam" (bay leaves)
• 7 pieces lemongrass
• 750 grams sugar
• 50 grams tamarind
• 2000 ml thick coconut milk

Equipments:

• Knife and cutting board. (these tools are used to peel and cut the shark)
• Spice grinder
• Frying Pan (this tool is used for frying shredded)
• Sieve. (this tool is used to grate coconut)
• Centrifuges dryer (this tool is used to remove oil from hot shredded after frying)
• Pressing tool (this tool is used to squeeze the oil out from very hot shredded)

Instructions:

1. Peeling and cutting
• remove viscera, gills and head. 
• Peel shark skin and remove bones. 
• Cut shark meat into small pieces (1x1x1 cm), then wash and drain
2. Soaking
• Soak shark meat pieces in 4% salt solution (40 grams salt for 1 liter water), then stored in the refrigerator overnight. 
• During the storage, stir shark frequently. 
• Once shark meat is cool, then wash and drain
3. Steaming
• After drained, steam shark meat for 1 hour.
4. Pressing. 
• In hot conditions, press shark meat until the oil is out.
5. Shredding
• Shred shark meat pieces, then ground slowly to form fine fibers.
6. Preparation of spices and coconut milk
• Mash galangal and lemongrass until bruised. Ground onion (250 grams), garlic and coriander finely, then pan-fried. When fragrant, add thick coconut milk, galangal, tamarind, sugar, bay leaves and lemongrass.
• Heating continued until boiling and half of coconut milk volume is left
7. Cooking
• Put raw shredded gradually into the boiling coconut milk.
• Turn the fire a quite diminished just to keep coconut milk boiling. 
• While cooking, keep stir until the shredded to be a half dried. The result is a moist shredded shark meat. 
• Remove moist shredded shark meat, then fry in hot cooking oil (170 ° C) until crisp.
8. Draining
• Hot shredded that already removed from the oil must be immediately drained. Draining recommended using centrifugal dryer, pressing screw, or hydraulic presses.
9. Mixing with fried onion
• The shredded that has been drained then mixed with fried onions. The result is called with shredded shark meat.
10. Packaging
• Shredded shark meat should be packaged in a sealed packaging. Plastic bags is one of a good packaging that can be used for it.

Source: Bulletin Agroindustri Indonesia

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What is Agribusiness?

Agribusiness is the human activities that use natural resources to fullfill their needs of their life. Agribusiness is a broad concept used to describe corporate agricultural enterprises individually and collectively. Agribusinesses are companies involved in one or more stages of the production of crops and livestock. In other words agribusiness is an economic perspective for agricultural activities.

In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales. The term has two distinctly different connotations depending on context.

Within the agriculture industry, agribusiness is widely used simply as a convenient portmanteau of agriculture and business, referring to the range of activities and disciplines encompassed by modern food production. There are academic degrees in and departments of agribusiness, agribusiness trade associations, agribusiness publications, and so forth, worldwide. Here, the term is only descriptive, and is synonymous in the broadest sense with food industry. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, for example, operates a section devoted to Agribusiness Development, which seeks to promote food industry growth in the Third World.

Among critics of large-scale, industrialized, vertically integrated food production, the term agribusiness is used negatively, synonymous with corporate farming. As such, it is often contrasted with smaller family-owned farms. Negative connotations are also derived from the negative associations of "business" and "corporations" by critics of capitalism or corporate excess. As concern over global warming intensifies, biofuels derived from food crops quickly emerged as a practical answer to the energy crisis. Adding corn ethanol to gasoline or using palm oil for biodiesel makes the fuel burn more cleanly, stretches oil supplies, and perhaps most attractive to some politicians, provides a nice boost to big agribusiness. In Europe and in the US, increasing biofuels was mandated by law. Rising fuel costs are increasingly adding financial burdens on the day-to-day running of agricultural companies.

Examples of agribusinesses activities include :

• research and development of new agricultural resources and methods
• ownership or management of agricultural production facilities such as farmlands and livestock facilities
• manufacture or distribution of agricultural supplies and equipment such as machinery, feed, and fertilizers
• processing or distribution of agricultural products

Providing food or fibers is the ultimate product of all agribusiness operations. As such, the economic impact of agribusiness is significant; agribusiness is almost two times as large as the sum of all manufacturing enterprises (measured in total assets); it represents 40 percent of all consumer spending; and it employs 37 percent of the labor force.

The term "agribusiness" was coined in the 1950s by John Herbert Davis and Ray A. Goldberg to reflect the two-way interdependence between businesspeople and farmers in the dual roles of suppliers and purchasers. Business firms that serve agriculture rely on farmers for their markets and for some of their supplies. By the same token, farms could not operate without businesses that manufacture farm supplies and those that store, process, and merchandise farm commodities.

References:

• Bulletin Agroindustri Indonesia
• Reference for Business
• Wikipedia

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The Background of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Implementation

In the 1960´s, the Pillsbury Company in cooperation with the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) first constructed HACCP to describe the systematic approach to food safety. The goal of the programme was to come as close to 100% assurance as possible that the food produced for space use would not be contaminated with bacterial or viral pathogens, toxins, chemicals or physical hazards that could cause an illness or injury (Pierson and Corlett, 1992).

In 1971, the HACCP concept was first presented at the first National Conference on Food Protection. During the 1970's and 1980's a number of the food companies requested information to help them establish their own HACCP programmes. In 1985, USA National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommended the HACCP system in the publication Evaluation of the role of microbiological criteria for food and food ingredients (Pierson and Corlett, 1992). The Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for food developed material elaborated principles of this food safety and quality management system based on NAS recommendation and provided guidance for their application for food processing operations. HACCP was recommended in both food regulator and industry because it was the most effective and efficient means of assuring the safety of the food supply (Limpus, 1997).

In 1990 the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) on Food Hygiene started to prepare a draft guideline for the application of HACCP system (Huss, 1994). In the last ten years, HACCP has become widely used. It is now a legislative requirement in USA, Canada and EU-countries. Some countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Egypt, South Africa, and many others have also adopted or are considering food safety control systems based on HACCP.

In Canada, the Quality Management Program (QMP) was established as a mandatory programme for food inspection in February 1992. It was based on HACCP principles. The QMP uses the principles of HACCP for ensuring safe food production, to provide a high level of assurance that fish and seafood products produced in Canada are safe and wholesome to eat (CFIA 2001).

In 1995, The United State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published final regulations that require processors of fish and fishery products to develop and implement HACCP systems for their operations including imported fish and fishery products. Those regulations became effective on December 18, 1997 (FDA 1998).

The European Union has issued the Directive 91/493/EEC (22/7/1991) and the Directive 94/356/EC (20/5/1994), which requires all seafood processing establishments that export their products to EU market to carry out HACCP system called "Own check".

How to Make Home Made Potato Chips

Diversification of foods is very important in an attempt to overcome the problem of dependence on one kind of staple foods. Such as by processing cereals and root crops into various preserved products which have a distinctive flavor and having long shelf life. These processed products such as: flour, dried cassava, tapai (fermented cassava), chips and others.

Potatoes can easily be made into chips. The equipments needed are simple, and no required big investment for production.

Ingredients:

Fig 1. Potato chips

• 20 kg Large potato
• 100 grams Garlic
• 6 tbsp salt
• 100 grams whiting
• 2 kg Cooking oil

Equipments:

• Knife
• Plastic bucket
• Winnowing
• Frying pan (skillet)
• Stove or furnace
• Plastic pot or pan
• Mixer
• Filter

Directions:

Fig 2. Potato laying on top of winnowing

1. Peel the potato, immediately put in a bucket filled with water, then rinse thoroughly
2. Thinly sliced with a thickness of 2 ~ 2 ½ mm, immediately soak for 12 ~ 24 hours in water that has been given the whiting;
3. After soaking, wash and drain
4. Mash garlic and salt until fine and cook in water until boiled. This solution should be quite salty
5. Boil the potato slices for 3 ~ 5 minutes, then drain
6. Put the potato slices on top of winnowing. Arrange in alternating rows (Figure 2)
7. Dry for 2 ~ 3 days
8. Fry in cooking oil that is not too hot. When the potatoes have swelled, lift immediately.

Fig 3. Potato Chips Processing Flow Chart

Note:

• 1 kg of potatoes can yield 2 ounces of potato chips
• Raw dried potato chips should be stored in a sealed can

How to Make Cassava Flour

Cassava flour is made from cassava pieces that have been dried, then crushed. For producing good cassava flour, cassava that used must be good and old enough. Cassava that harvested after 6 months cultivation have still very high water so that the flour substance is only a little. Cassava flour is commonly used as ingredient to make many kind of foods.

Raw Materials:

• Manihot (cassava)

Equipments:

• Knife
• Bowl or pan
• Chopper (cutting board)
• Winnowing
• Sieve
• Pestle (mortar and pestle)

Directions:

1. Peel the cassava, wash and dry in the sun
2. Put dried cassava into mortar, and then mashed
3. Then sifter with a fine sieve
4. Mash the rest of the sifting once again, and sifter back until smooth
5. Dry the flour in the sun. If rain, the drying is done in a room with artificial heating, such as using stoves or oven.

Flow Diagram of Cassava Flour Processing 

By: HarryS

How to Make Soy Sauce

Soy sauce (ketchup) is a liquid food seasoning, has a blackish brown color, distinctive flavor and aroma. Below I will explain how to make the soy sauce. Firstly you have to prepare the raw materials and equipments that needed, and the production process is following.

Raw Materials (Ingredients):

• 1 kg Soybean (white or black)
• 3 grams yeast
• 2 pieces bay leaves
• 1 stalk lemongrass cutted
• 1 piece lime leaves
• ¼ galangal
• 1 tsp Pokak (Star anise, Illicium verum)
• 6 kgs brown sugar
• 1 ½ liter water (to dissolve the brown sugar)
• 800 grams salt to 4 liters of water

Equipments:

• Pot
• Winnowing (nyiru)
• Straining cloth
• Stirrer spoon
• Bottles (have been sterilized)

Soy Sauce Production Process Flow Chart

Directions:

1. Rinse soybeans and soak in 3 liters of water during one night. Then boiled until the skin of soybean becomes soft, then drain on a winnowing tray and chill
2. Put yeast into cooled soybeans. Stir until blended and store at room temperature (25 ^o ~ 30 ° C) for 3 ~ 5 days;
3. After soybean covered by white mold evenly, add the salt solution. Place in a container and leave for 3-4 weeks at room temperature (25 ^o ~ 30 ° C). The maximum limit of salting process is two months;
4. Pour clean water immediately, cook until boiling and then filtered.
5. Put filtered soy into pot, add sugar and spices. This seasoning (except bay leaves, lime leaves and lemongrass) roasted first and then finely ground and mix until blended.

• The addition of brown sugar for:
1. Sweet Soy sauce: every 1 liter of filtrate requires 2 kg of brown sugar
2. Salty Soy sauce: every 1 liter of filtrate takes 2 ½ ounces brown sugar
6. After all the spices mixed into the filtrate, then cook, stirred constantly. Stop boiling when it boiled and no bubbles exist.
7. After the dough is cooked, filter with the straining cloth. The filtrate that obtained is the soy sauce that is ready for bottling.

Note:

• In the case to prevent the failure of fermentation, the yeast that added should match with the total weight of soy used.
• Once boiled and drained, soybeans should be fully cooled. If not, the fungi (yeast) that were scattered on it will die.

Problems in Vegetable Canning

As the objective of canning to prevent the food from being spoiled before and during containment, as well  the canned product should in good quality distributed to the costumers. But there are sometimes found a litle products in the market not in good conditions and it usually caused by some problems when it was in the canning process. These very small amounts products generally produced and distributed by producers that not apply high standard in quality control.

There are quite a number of methods are used to prevent some problems when processing and preserving vegetables by canning.  And there are some recommendations you have read before in the previous article.  And the typical problems that could exist in vegetable canning are listed below.

Table 3. Problems in Vegetable Canning

Condition	Causes	Prevention
Food darkens in top of jar.	Liquid did not cover food. Food not processed long enough to destroy enzymes.  High vacuum not produced during processing.  Air was sealed in the jars either because headspace was too large or air bubbles were not removed	Cover food with liquid before capping Process each food by recommended method and for correct time. Pack and process as recommended. Use specified amount of headspace. Remove air bubbles with a non-metal spatula.
Black pots on underside of metal lid, may denote spoilage.	Natural compounds in some foods cause a black or brown deposit on the underside of the lid. This deposit does not mean the food is unsafe to eat. If jar has been sealed and then comes open, spoilage is evident. Do not use.	None. Use recommended processing methods and times; wipe jar rim before capping.
Cloudy liquid, may denote spoilage.	Spoilage (do not use). Minerals in hard water. Starch in vegetables. Fillers in table salt.	Process each food by recommended method and fo recommended time. Use soft water. None. Use a pure, refined canning salt.
Loss of liquid during processing. (Food may darken but will not spoil. Do not open jars to replace liquid.)	Food not heated before packing. Jars packed too tightly or too full. Air bubbles not removed before capping the jar Pressure canner not operating correctly. Pressure lowered suddenly. Starchy foods absorb liquid.	Heat food before packing Pack food more loosely. Leave recommended headspace. Remove air bubbles by running non-metal spatula between food and jar Pressure should not fluctuate during canning process. Keep heat constant during processing time Allow pressure to drop to zero naturally; wait 2 minutes before opening lid. None.
Jar seals, then comes open. Spoilage evident. (Do not use.)	Underprocessed. Particles of food left on the sealing surface. Hairline crack in jar.	Process each food by recommended method and for specified time. Wipe rim and threads of jar with clean, damp cloth before capping. Check jars prior to packing; discard ones unsuitable for canning.
Jars of food fail to seal.	Failure to follow instructions for using jar and lid. Food may have been forced up between the jar and lid during processing. Sealing compound defective. Edge of lid or rim of jar bent or chipped. Food particles on jar rim. Screw band tightened after jar removed from canner.	Carefully follow instructions. Use recommended headspace, do not let pressure fluctuate, allow pressure to drop to zero naturally. Use new lids. Check lids and jars prior to use. Wipe jar edge before putting on lid.  Allow jars to cool undisturbed.
Jars break.	Hairline crack in jar. Rack not used in bottom of canner. Screw bands applied too tightly so air could not escape during processing.	Check jars prior to processing. Be careful when packing and processing jars. Use rack and recommended amount of water. Apply screw bands more loosely.
Corn is brown.	Corn was too mature for canning. Liquid did not cover corn. Jars were processed at too high a temperature. Variety of corn used.	Use freshly picked corn. Cover corn with liquid before capping  jars. Keep pressure in canner at recommended pounds; gauge may be faulty and should be checked. Use different variety next year.
Green vegetables lose their bright color.	Heat breaks down chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants. Vegetables were too mature for canning.	None. Select young, tender vegetables.
Yellow crystals on canned green vegetables.	Glucoside, a harmless substance, naturally present in vegetables.	None.
White crystals in canned spinach.	Calcium and oxalic acid in spinach combine to form harmless calcium oxalate.	None.
White sediment in bottom of jars of vegetables. May denote spoilage.	Starch from the food. Minerals in hard water. Bacterial spoilage-liquid is usually murky, food soft. Do not use.	None. Use soft water. Process each food by recommended method and for specified time.