Israeli researchers have developed a technique using high-voltage, short pulsed electric fields that selectively damage cell membranes, killing the contaminating bacteria by a process known as electroporation.

A novel form of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy known as NIR hyperspectral imaging (HSI) could help clear up the uncertainty around peanut allergen labelling, researchers say. [ + ]

SPX Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Midfield Group to help establish a new dairy powder processing plant in Australia. The facility will produce both whole and skim milk powder and will also include an anhydrous milk fat (AMF) processing line. [ + ]

Liqui-Box has received the Silver Award for Technical Innovation at the 2015 FPA Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards for its FlexAsept bulk food package. [ + ]

Researchers have discovered 30 new types of 'heat-beater' beans, which could prevent production from crashing due to rising temperatures in large swathes of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa. [ + ]

Protein sources like albumin and whey could be used to create bioplastics with antibacterial properties, a University of Georgia study has shown. The antibacterial bioplastics could be used for food packaging as well as medical applications such as wound-healing dressings. [ + ]

Melbourne has long declared itself Australia's most caffeine-crazed city, but the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal that Sydneysiders are the most likely to buy fresh coffee. [ + ]

CHEP is offering its customers a $100 discount on CeMAT Australia conference and workshop attendance fees. [ + ]

Krones recently achieved a significant milestone: after commencing manufacturing in 2007, the company has delivered its 100th shell-and-tube heat exchanger. [ + ]

The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) has awarded a fellowship to Dr Carol Lawrence, an environmental and sustainability specialist at UPM Raflatac Oceania. [ + ]

Given the increasing noise around sugar's ill effects on health, one would expect the sugar-free confectionery market to be booming. But this isn't the case: sugar-free lines accounted for less than 7% of global confectionery launches in 2014. [ + ]

H.J. Heinz Company and Kraft Foods Group have announced they will merge to become The Kraft Heinz Company.

Jamestrong Packaging Australia & New Zealand has become the first international associate member of Empac, European Metal Packaging, the association that brings together European producers of rigid metal packaging and their supply chain partners. [ + ]

The Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) designation is set to become the must-have achievement for packaging professionals, thanks to a new partnership announced by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) and the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP). [ + ]

Several additives that claim to break down polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene are ineffective in landfill and composting, a new study has found. [ + ]