Safety and innovation were on the agenda this week, when the head
of French dairy group Lactalis met with the Croatian vice president
to discuss the company's plans for rejuvenating the country's dairy
sector.
German fragrance and flavours group Symrise saw a strong increase
in sales and profits for its Flavours and Nutrition Division in
full year 2006, largely attributed to innovations like its 'and'
range of products.
Big hitters in the food industry, including Danone, Unilever,
Nestle and Coca-Cola, have announced they plan to roll out a
nutrition labelling system based on Guideline Daily Amounts in
France.
Alcoholic drinks makers could benefit from a new range of enzymes
that claim to increase production at the same times as
significantly reducing operating costs.
A new a way to seal flexible film packaging, partially developed by
a supplier to UK retailer Marks & Spencer, reduces the amount
of material required and extends the shelf life of products,
according to results of recent trials.
Tate & Lyle and Italian sugar producer Eridania Sadam have
formed a joint venture for the marketing and sales of all sugar
products to the Italian market, seen as an important step in
developing new sugar markets following EU...
Fonterra has developed a technique that allows colostrum to be
added to ready-to-drink beverages with a longer shelf-life, opening
up opportunities for new kinds of products and building sales of
the ingredient in Asia.
An Indian pharmaceutical firm has completed a new sucralose
facility and is ready to begin production of the popular sweetener,
using what it claims to be a non patent-infringing process.
A study from the US has raised the hackles of the meat industry by
reporting a link between male fertility and their mother's high
beef consumption during pregnancy - an observation researchers say
may be down to growth hormones...
The 'slow progress' of the UK government to provide funding for
research into the potential risks of nanotechnology has been
criticised by a high-level advisory group.
Slovenian plant extract supplier Vitiva is extending its line of
SyneRox 4 rosemary-based ingredients with an oil-based formulation
aimed at extending the shelf life of high-fat meat products such as
chilled pâtés.
Frutarom has signed an agreement to acquire flavours firm Belmay -
a strategic move said to position it as the leader in UK flavours
and bolster its global position in the market.
Flavours giant Givaudan has entered into a research and licensing
agreement with taste technology developer Redpoint Bio Corp, which
is expected to build the company's TasteSolutions programme for
health and wellness.
An Indian pharmaceutical firm has completed a new sucralose
facility and is ready to begin production of the popular sweetener,
using what it claims to be a non patent-infringing process.
The modified gum arabic product 'Super Gum' could stabilise
water-in-oil-in-water emulsions, opening up opportunities for fat
reduction and novel encapsulation, researchers from New Zealand
have reported.
A research laboratory has developed new tests that enable
processors to identify pine nuts and chestnuts in food, which could
help protect consumers with allergies.
Converting food and beverage product labels from US to EC
format requires an in-depth understanding of European labeling
legislation, which is more complex than it often appears to be,
regulatory experts at consultancy firm Leatherhead...
DSM Nutritional Products is emphasising quality as the crucial
point of differentiation between the vitamin C it produces in the
green hills of Scotland - now known as Quali-C - and cheaper
material from Asia.
An epidemiological study in Italy concluded that there is no
indication of an association between sweetener consumption and
cancer risk - findings that lend some support to EFSA's conclusions
on the safety of aspartame.
Using commercial household steam cleaning can provide smaller
processing plants with a low cost method of decontaminating beef
and hog carcasses, according to a recent study.
A sweetener industry body claims the current US sugar policy is
harming the nation's food and beverage industry by driving prices
up and sending production oversees.
Scientists from Danisco have identified peculiar regions of a
starter culture's genome that allow the bacteria to be resistant to
infections by bacteriophages (bacterial viruses).
Watermelon juice may provide a novel source of the essential amino
acid arginine, says a new study that shows the juice is a rich
source of its metabolic precursor.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified the source
of a recent GM contamination in rice, and has said that it poses no
food safety concerns.
An SMS text message service set up to alert subscribers about food
allergy scares in the UK, could provide an example processors could
use in preventing contaminated products from reaching the dinner
table.
Ingredients supplier Taiyo International said it has received a
'letter of no objection' from the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) for the self-affirmed GRAS status of its L-theanine brand
Suntheanine.
The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) risk assessment on meat
and milk from cloned animals is based on "flawed assumptions
and misrepresented findings", according to an independent
review released yesterday.
Ingredients firm Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is to consolidate its
position in Eastern Europe's burgeoning market for sunflower seed
by gaining control of a plant in the Ukraine.
Danisco recorded revenue of DKK 15,220 million in the first three
quarters of 2006/07, a period which saw significant structural
change within the company.
Harmless bacteria can be used to fight illness-causing pathogens
that form on fresh cut fruit, according to the results of
scientific tests published this week.
Government regulation for GM contamination of rice is clearly not
working, according to the California Rice Commission, which has
called for a moratorium on GM field testing in the state.
A study by the European Commission and Nestlé Product Technology
reports that efforts to reduce the acrylamide content of coffee
also negatively affect flavour and nutritional benefits.
Danisco has developed a new ice cream based on goat's milk,
plugging the formulation as a means for companies to target the
growing demand for speciality products.
News that a variety of GM corn produced signs of liver and kidney
toxicity in rats should be a wake-up call for better testing and
more transparency from biotechs, if GMOs are to be accepted by
increasingly sceptical consumers.
Danisco has developed a new formulation of probiotics called Howaru
Protect, specifically targeted to reducing cold and 'flu symptoms,
and is exploring its use by the food, supplements and
pharmaceutical industries.
Bunge appears set to consolidate its position in the edible oils
market in order to meet growing demand amongst Eastern European
consumers and processors.
As it continues to expand, Decision News Media is currently seeking
two new journalists to join its Food, Beverage, Nutrition and
Cosmetics News Group in Montpellier, France.