Science & Nutrition

04-Apr-2012 - Spent mushroom compost could help regulate the glycaemic response of snacks and boost the nutritional profile, according to a study.

Managing weight is about more than energy balance or ‘bad foods’, warn experts

03-Apr-2012 - Weight management is more far more complex than cutting out a few ‘bad’ foods or balancing energy in and energy out, according to a new consensus paper.

Enzyme can prolong bread shelf life up to two weeks, claims Mühlenchemie

03-Apr-2012 - German firm Mühlenchemie has developed a baking enzyme that it claims can increase the shelf life of bread by up to two weeks.

DISPATCHES FROM ANUGA FOODTEC 2012

Fraunhofer goes 'wild' with new sensor to help winemakers detect bad yeasts

02-Apr-2012 - Researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer IME are close to commercialising an inexpensive detector that they claim could save wine producers significant amounts of money and time by detecting 'bad' yeasts within grape must, as Cecilia Diaz from the institute told BeverageDaily.com.

Research casts doubt on benefit of nutritional labelling

02-Apr-2012 - Knowing more about the nutritional value of foods does not equate to increases in healthy eating and reductions in obesity, according to the findings of new research.

News in brief

Cambridge launches open access nutrition journal

30-Mar-2012 - The Nutrition Society and Cambridge University Press have added to their stable of nutrition titles with a just-launched open access journal.

Study flags up texture challenges for sweeteners in baked goods

29-Mar-2012 - The use of alternative low-calorie, high-intensity, sweeteners in bakery products has to face several important challenges in terms of texture before it can effectively replace sugars, say researchers.

EU needs common policy on iodised salt to battle deficiencies: Study

28-Mar-2012 - A common European Union policy which requires the food industry to use iodised salt is needed to tackle the issue of deficiencies, say authors of a study that found 44% of Europeans are deficient in the nutrient.

Mustard seed waste may offer natural preservative promise

28-Mar-2012 - A new method to extract compounds from 'low value' mustard seed waste could provide industry with a new source for natural food preservatives, according to a team of Canadian researchers.

Alginate gels may blunt blood sugar spikes

26-Mar-2012 - Adding extracts from brown seaweed to a meal may reduce blood sugar spikes by about 14% and offer benefits from people at risk of type-2 diabetes, suggests a new study.

Resistant starch for functional bakery impacts consistency – study

26-Mar-2012 - A study in Korea has added to the growing body of research that says adding functional ingredient resistant starch (RS3) affects the rheological properties of wheat flour.

Salt intake during pregnancy may alter heart structure of offspring: Rat study

23-Mar-2012 - A high intake of salt during pregnancy could lead to alterations of heart structures in offspring, according to new research in rats.

US beverage industry should ban BVO in soft drinks – German professor

22-Mar-2012 - A voluntary ban would be the 'best solution' to eliminate concerns regarding brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in US soft drinks, a leading academic has told BeverageDaily.com, and said he planned further research into the patented flame retardant 'because the public has the right to know'.

TNO and Dutch firms aim for next generation of non-stick chewing gum

22-Mar-2012 - Dutch gum manufacturers along with research group TNO have partnered with the Foundation NederlandSchoon in a research project to make chewing gum less sticky and easily degradable.

Unstable pricing and demand forces change in food ingredients market

22-Mar-2012 - Fluctuating commodity prices and demand is forcing increasing numbers of food ingredients suppliers either to specialize or diversify, according to Euromonitor International

Tannins show promise for allergen-free peanut products

22-Mar-2012 - The use of tannic acid could help to reduce the allergic potential of products that contain peanut proteins, say researchers.

Shear cocoa butter to crack ‘holy grail’ of chocolate fat bloom, say researchers

21-Mar-2012 - Researchers suggest shearing to be more effective than seeding in preventing oil migration and possibly fat bloom formation in chocolate

Smelly foods may help industry fight obesity, say researchers

21-Mar-2012 - Manipulating foods so that they smell stronger could be a way of helping industry fight obesity by encouraging consumers to take smaller bit sizes, suggests new research.

New dairy analog antibiotic could improve food safety, US researchers find

20-Mar-2012 - Researchers at the University of Illinois say they have discovered a new antibiotic that, as an analog of milk peptide nisin, has potential for use both as a food preservative and for treatment of bovine mastitis.

Industry is missing the point when it comes to air, says innovation expert

20-Mar-2012 - There's a lot of gas about using natural and sustainable ingredients in foods, but is industry throwing one free and natural ingredient out of the window without considering its potential?

Lactic-acid-bacteria enriched bread enhances health effects – study

20-Mar-2012 - Adding lactic acid bacteria to sourdough can improve the nutritional value of white bread without hampering product appeal, according to a study.

Researchers highlight potential added fibres for low-fat meat products

20-Mar-2012 - The use of added fibre in processed meat products to reduce levels of fat could also have beneficial effect on product conservation leading to an increase in shelf life and long term quality, say researchers.

CODEX-sanctioned gluten testing method may ‘underestimate’ values in hydrolysed foods such as beer, researcher claims

19-Mar-2012 - Spanish researchers claim to have developed a cheaper, faster and more accurate method for detecting gluten levels in hydrolysed foods, and found that numerous products tested, including beers, using their new assay showed gliadin levels well in excess of current CODEX standards.

Erythritol crystals may enhance flavor encapsulation: Firmenich

19-Mar-2012 - Encapsulating flavors in erythritol crystals may offer food formulators a delivery system with unique performance characteristics, according to ongoing development from Firmenich.

Pine nut study fails to solve mystery of 'pine mouth'

16-Mar-2012 - New research investigating the composition of pine nuts has failed to fully uncover a reason behind the mystery of why thousands of people around the world have experienced taste disturbances – known as ‘pine mouth’.