Aging reduces the absorption of nutrients. Literature related to functional bread processing techniques including sprouting of grains and the application of encapsulation technology and the bioavailability of bioactives was reviewed. Functional ingredients including sprouted/germinated grain particularly brown rice and wheat flours enhance the bioactive properties of functional bread. Ingredients with high polyphenol content such as lavender and melissa by-products, tea-extracts and aronia powder enhance the bioactive content and appear to have a favourable effect on the shelf-life of bread and antioxidant status of consumers. Incorporation of encapsulated bioactive compounds into bread have a huge potential to improve the bread quality and increase the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds including polyphenols. More investigations and new areas of research should focus on sprouted grain flours and the application of encapsulation technologies especially nanoencapsulation to optimize the bioactivity, storage, bioavailability and nutritional profile of bread to improve nutrition and health with aging.Functional bread, sprouting and encapsulation I. Amoah et al.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the New Zealand Junior Pastry Team negotiated the rigours of international competition at the 2013 Junior Pastry World Cup in Rimini, Italy and how what was learnt from this experience holds relevance to creative hospitality practice and business application. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses an inductive qualitative enquiry to illuminate the narratives and subjective experiences of the competition team. Structured and semi-structured interview data responses were themed using an open coding system. This data were critically evaluated against both competition data, participant experience and relevant academic literature. Findings – This paper shows how the team’s desire to highlight its national identity through food in the competition resulted in problematic experiences that were compounded by a tyranny of distance. However, these challenges were overcome through the creative dynamic the team developed and the networking benefits which the competition provided. These experiences added value not only to the team competitors but also the culinary and pastry practitioners in New Zealand’s hospitality community. Originality/value – The research offers unique insights into how a representative pastry team from the “New World” negotiated international competition set in and heavily influenced by the “Old World” of culinary tradition. The paper’s findings could be of use to other novice competition teams. The work also links the importance of international culinary competition to wider constructs of hospitality, such as business advantage in commercial hospitality.

National identity is linked to food. Exemplifying that, many people associate Turkey with pide, Italy with focaccia and, of course, France with the baguette. But what about Aotearoa New Zealand, what breads signifies a New Zealand/Kiwi identity? This paper explores a contender for that role, a bread commonly associated with Māori, Aotearoa New Zealand’s tangata whenua: parāoa rēwena. This research asked eight expert chef/bakers about their views and experiences of parāoa rēwena. Four of the participants self-identified as Māori, and four as Pākehā. Working within a qualitative paradigm and using thematic analysis, this research revealed bifurcated views about parāoa rēwena that clearly differentiated the opinions and experiences of our participants. Within these differences, our findings revealed that the self-identifying Pākehā participants tended to hold imperial views reflecting colonial dominance, whereas the self-identifying Māori participants expressed a more holistic approach to andmindset about parāoa rēwena. Consequently, this paper proposes that parāoa rēwena becoming the national bread of Aotearoa New Zealand is more likely to occur as an initiative promoted by Māori and not Pākehā. In this way, within an exploration of parāoa rēwena, this paper reflects the politics of palatability in Aotearoa New Zealand as a metaphor of the relationship between Māori and Pākehā.

Chocolate is considered one of the most gratifying confections there is, and this holds as true in New Zealand as elsewhere in the world. Evidence of this high interest in chocolate in New Zealand is demonstrated in the arrival of small artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the early 2000s; the voting of Whittaker’s as New Zealand’s single most trusted brand for eight years running (Reader’s Digest New Zealand’s Most Trusted Brand) [1]; the reporting on the economic, social and cultural impacts of the closure of the Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin [2]; and the opening of the first fair trade chocolate factory, Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory, in Christchurch by Trade Aid New Zealand [3]. These examples also demonstrate a clear transformation within New Zealand’s commercial chocolate production, reflecting worldwide changes in multinational confectionery companies but also the emergence of artisanal production that directly addresses issues of sustainability and transparency [4, 5]. While broader culinary traditions in New Zealand have been well-documented, the food history of chocolate production has not yet been explored. Consequently, this study explored the history of chocolate production in New Zealand, with a specific focus on bean-to-bar products [6]. The study, based on a narrative history and interviews with current bean-to-bar chocolate makers in New Zealand, traced the history of bean-to-bar chocolate production in New Zealand. This process allowed for a multi-faceted reconstruction and interpretation of historical data to help understand various transformations within New Zealand’s chocolate industry, an industry long dominated by multinational companies such as Cadbury and Nestlé. This domination by overseas companies has recently been challenged by the emergence of small artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate makers and the rise of local chocolate company, Whittaker’s. Among the key findings was evidence of the maturing of the local chocolate industry to the point where it is clear that New Zealand-made chocolate is now widely viewed and trusted by local consumers as a high-quality product. This trust extends to both the current strong player in the market, Whittaker’s, and equally to smaller artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate makers, a confidence in product comparable to the New Zealand craft beer industry and the more well-established wine industry. The research also finds that the emergence of more artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate makers, and their focus on more transparency around the production of chocolate, reflects similar trends overseas. The findings highlight the fragile structure surrounding growth and sustainability in the chocolate production industry, with the view that closer ties should be formed with New Zealand’s Pacific cacao-growing neighbours. The findings point to the need for additional research around the history of food in New Zealand, an area of study often undervalued in academia [7]. The findings of the research are timely as they highlight opportunities for the industry to place current worldwide sustainability concerns in perspective with a view to the future – a future that New Zealand chocolate manufacturers cannot avoid. The historical archival data captured together with the contemporary voices of New Zealand’s new generation of chocolate makers combine to tell a story of creativity and competition. The original research this article is based on can be accessed here: https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/12970/SturnyA.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y Corresponding author Arno Sturny can be contacted at: arno.sturny@aut.ac.nz References (1) Trusted Brands New Zealand 2019. Most Trusted. http://www.trustedbrands.co.nz/default.asp#mostTrusted (accessed Jun 1, 2019). (2) Cadbury’s Dunedin Factory Faces Closure, 350 Jobs on the Line. The New Zealand Herald, Feb 16, 2017. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11801779 (accessed Jun 2, 2019). (3) Trade Aid. The Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory. https://www.tradeaid.org.nz/trade/the-sweet-justice-chocolate-factory/ (accessed Mar 24, 2019). (4) Fountain, A.; Huetz-Adams, F. 2018 Cocoa Barometer; 2018. http://www.cocoabarometer.org/cocoa_barometer/Download_files/2018%20Cocoa%20Barometer%20180420.pdf (accessed Oct 13, 2018). (5) Squicciarini, M. P.; Swinnen, J. F. M. The Economics of Chocolate; Oxford University Press: Oxford, U.K., 2016. (6) Sturny, A. Raising the Bar: A Story of Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Production in New Zealand; Master’s Thesis, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, 2018. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/12970/SturnyA.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y (accessed Nov 25, 2019). (7) Belasco, W. G. Food Matters: Perspectives on an Emerging Field. In Food Nations: Selling Taste in Consumer Societies; Belasco, W., Scranton, P., Eds.; Taylor & Francis: London, 2002, pp 1–22. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239586863 (accessed Jun 15, 2019).