Unilever has launched Choices, a front of pack logo programme
designed to help consumers identify packaged foods and beverages
that offer a healthier choice.
Japanese scientists have reported that monoacyl sugar alcohols
could be 'very promising emulsifiers' and could offer an
alternative to the widely used monoacyl glycerols.
Cambridge scientists have shown that the reward centres of some
peoples' brains are more sensitive to appetising food cues, and may
help explain compulsive eating disorders.
A New Zealand product development company has announced that
PureLo, the company's proprietary Luo Han fruit concentrate, has
been affirmed as a GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) food
ingredient.
Using rapeseed proteins as ingredients in experimental sausages
boosted taste and aroma of the finished product, as scientists
continue the search for novel functional ingredients.
Planning diets around key micronutrients like amino acids could be
the future of diet design and a way to help the fight against
obesity, says research published in Science.
Adding one per cent vitamin C to the natural red coloured betalains
from the purple pitaya fruit boosted pigment stability, say German
researchers, and could offer a viable alternative to red beets.
BASF's acquisition of CropDesign, a Belgian biotech company, will
help establish the German chemical giant as a leader in the
development of important crop traits in corn, soy bean and rape
seed.
Modification of whey protein concentrates with high phospholipid
proportions could turn standard emulsifiers into functional health
promoting ingredients, results that could have important
implications for the food industry.
Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) has reorganised several of
its analytical services to create a specialist department dealing
with functional ingredients.
Cognis and WILD are joining forces to form a powerhouse of food and
beverage product innovation, combining Cognis' store of ingredients
with Wild's formulation expertise.
The relationship between journalist 'hack' and scientist 'lab-rat'
must be developed if science is to get a fair deal in the press,
and for consumers to be presented balanced and accurate science
coverage.
The road to fortification of bakery products with folate in the UK
looks less clear as the FSA's Scientific Advisory requested more
time to review evidence on dosage, despite a positive preliminary
report last month.
Cereals and snacks are at the cutting edge of the healthy eating
debate, as highlighted by this week's European Parliament Plenary
vote and a high-level industry conference on meeting consumer
demands.
Roquette, a global leader in starches, has developed new
ingredients designed to help snack makers tap the health trend, as
FoodNavigator discovered on a visit to the group's headquarters in
Lestrem, France.
The European subsidiary of a Malaysian plantation giant is set to
sign a four-year deal with Nizo food research in order to tap the
latest innovations in vegetable oil.
Europeans are eating worse now than 45 years ago, but agriculture
and the right farming policies can promote healthy diets, according
to FAO economist Josef Schmidhuber.
People with an antioxidant-rich diet could reduce their risk of
developing asthma in adulthood, say Cambridge researchers - adding
to a growing body of science on the subject.
Garlic and onions could help protect against stomach cancer, says a
massive European-based study, but total fruit and vegetable intake
has no benefit for this disease.
Obesity threatens not only our physical health, but also the health
of our economies, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer
Protection said in his closing speech at last weeks EU - US
Conference on Diet Physical Activity...
Glanbia Nutritionals chose Vitafoods as the launchpad for
OlivActiv, a high potency-low bitterness antioxidant ingredient
derived from Spanish olives that is marketed for immune system
activation.
The EU's legislators yesterday came up with a compromise deal on
nutritional claims, further watering down requirements originally
proposed by the European Commission, according to a newspaper
report.
The Grape Seed Extract Company is the latest New Zealand company to
tap the nutraceutical potential of a waste product of a traditional
industry, with an antioxidant extracted from grape seeds left over
by wine-makers using a non-chemical...
The food industry must take responsibility for the continued
excessive consumption of salt, according to professor Graham
McGregor of St Georges University of London.
It is time to admit that society is fighting a part-time battle
against the bulge, willingly lambasting soft drinks, burgers and
chocolate, while shuffling silently away from a fairly dismal
exercise rate.
A new review could help food developers and technical managers
appreciate how dietary fibre influences the glycaemic index of
foods, especially cereal products.
Recent scientific research does not support the common assumption
that women should lower their salt intake during pregnancy to
reduce the risks for developing pre-eclampsia or oedema, according
to a recent forum.
A Finnish professor of pharmacology has questioned the findings
behind a study that suggests that lowering the salt content of food
could be bad for people's health.
Britain's formula milk industry has faced down a new wave of
criticism from senior paediatricians, who accused it of dodging a
ban on direct advertising by snuggling up to doctors and health
professionals.
Cargill plans to highlight its growing focus on texturising and
sweetness functionality solutions at a series of major events
across Europe this spring.
Health professionals need to use more than tape measures and scales
to define and tackle obesity, according to a paper in the
British-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.