More consumers turning to organic foods
A US survey indicates that consumers, especially baby boomers, are changing their food purchasing habits. Fats, cholesterol and added sugars are being rejected and the move towards higher organic consumption is continuing. Read more »
Wheat production increases not enough to feed the world
The rate of increase in wheat yields has plateaued and there will not be sufficient wheat to feed the world's future population. Read more »
Wirelessly automate cooking processes
Wireless temperature sensors and ethernet-enabled gateways have allowed one of the world’s leading food production companies to automate its cooking processes. Read more »
Pest management without pest control
Many would say this is an ‘oxymoron’ because how can you manage pests without pest control? In today’s manufacturing world, particularly in the food processing industry, the management of pests has become a high priority. Consumers will not tolerate poor products let alone food that has an elusive insect in it, so how does this affect pest management for food manufacturers? Read more »
Resveratrol neutralises toxicity of proteins related to Alzheimer’s
Resveratrol, an organic compound found in red wine, is claimed to have the ability to neutralise the toxic effects of proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to research led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Peter M Tessier. Read more »
Packing breakfast cereals
Kentaur manufactures breakfast cereals, both for its own brand and for major retailers such as Migros and Coop, Switzerland’s first- and second-largest retailers. To plan and install a complete new packing system for a wide variety of popped wheat cereals and corn flakes, Kentaur chose Ishida’s representative in Switzerland, Itech of Rotkreuz. Read more »
From packaging to food: mineral oil migration
Recycled paper and board used in food packaging materials (boxes, paper bags) often causes migration of mineral oil into food at levels that are claimed to be unacceptable, according to present toxicological assessments. Read more »
Noodle market set to sizzle
Two and a half decades since its launch, the Maggi 2 Minute Noodles product still dominates the instant noodles market in India. The Nestlé brand’s runaway success can be regarded as quite a feat, especially in a country where most packaged products struggle to make their presence felt. Read more »
Clever design drives packaging throughput
Visy Automation has developed a new-generation box ‘lidder’ machine founded on innovative drive technology from SEW-Eurodrive, delivering a powerful combination of speed, accuracy and throughput. Read more »
Fluorescent contamination markers for meat
A chlorophyll-based marker in animal feed that fluoresces under UV light may be used to identify contamination of meat, chicken and eggs. Read more »
Resveratrol found to suppress inflammation, free radicals
As well as having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, resveratrol also appears to suppress inflammation in humans, based on results from the first prospective human trial of the extract. Read more »
Increasing the shelf life of cassava
Cassava roots are usually inedible and unmarketable by two to four days after harvesting, severely affecting their effectiveness as a major third-world food source. Now, several genetic mechanisms have been identified which improve the shelf life of cassava roots. Read more »
Shellfish may give us ‘vanishing plastic’
Researchers at Swinburne University have been investigating the use of bioplastics - ingredients from renewable sources - and the properties of biopolymers that determine their ‘compostability’. Read more »
Organic vs conventionally produced egg quality
In the US, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service investigated the quality of eggs - finding no difference between organic and conventionally produced, white and brown, free-range and cage. Read more »
Lightweight boards, quality and carbon footprints
Companies can reduce their carbon footprint without affecting quality by using lighter weight cartonboard. Read more »
The taste of vodka
Transient cage-like entities where the ethanol molecule is sequestered by surrounding water molecules could hold the key to explaining why vodka drinkers exhibit brand preferences for a drink that is supposed to be tasteless. Read more »
TV food advertisements promote imbalanced diets
A diet consisting entirely of advertised foods would contain 25 times the recommended servings of sugars and 20 times the recommended servings of fat but less than half of the recommended servings of vegetables, dairy and fruits according to US researchers. Read more »
Average drop of 6% in US food industry salaries
A survey of the salaries of US food and beverage industry workers has revealed an average drop of 6.3% in the past year. At the same time, forecasts for capital spending in the industry are up 19.3%. Read more »
New vaccines may help thwart E. coli O157:H7
Immunising calves with either of two forms of a newly developed vaccine might reduce the spread of sometimes deadly Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria. Read more »
Gut instincts
Interest in food and drinks carrying gut or digestive health claims appears to be continuing unabated, at least as far as food and drinks companies are concerned. Read more »