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Inulin plus resistant starch could be
super-prebiotic |
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29-Jun-2010 - Combining
fructooligosaccharides with
resistant starch could produce
gut health benefits beyond the
mere sum of the parts, suggests
a new study from Spain.
Functional foods based on the
combination of two different
dietary fibers, with different
rate of fermentability along the
large intestine, may result in a
synergistic effect, and thus, in
a more evident prebiotic effect
that may confer a greater health
benefit to the host. |
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EU hails success of new food safety regime |
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28-Jun-2010 - The recent introduction of
tougher border controls on fruit and
vegetables and the outlawing of hundreds of
pesticides have boosted food safety in
European Union, said Brussels. |
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Further health fears linked to bisphenol A |
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23-Jun-2010 - Two new studies have raised
further questions marks over the health
effects of bisphenol A (BPA), according to
the Endocrine Society in the United States.
The international research body said studies
to be presented at its annual meeting next
week will document concerns linking exposure
to BPA to possible harmful effect of the
development of male testicular function and
that women with the polycystic ovary
syndrome (PCOS) may be more vulnerable to
exposure to the chemical. |
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Europe must keep cool over country of origin
labelling |
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22-Jun-2010 - Always read the small print.
Good advice and nowhere more so than in food
labelling with today’s increasingly savvy
consumers demanding to know what’s in their
food, where it came from and what it’s going
to do to them. But too much small print can
be bad for our health. Especially if food
labels are bloated with so much information
that we end up gorging on the irrelevant at
the expense of the essential and companies
are left staggering under the weight of an
unnecessary bureaucratic burden. |
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EU amends sterol/stanol health claims |
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22-Jun-2010 - Amended European Union plant
sterols/stanols health claims will permit
products such as spreads and yoghurts to make
claims with a lower content of the
cholesterol-lowering ingredients. |
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Tea and coffee support heart health: EPIC Study |
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21-Jun-2010 - Between
three and six cups of tea a day may reduce
the risk of death from heart disease by
about 45 per cent, says a new study from The
Netherlands. And drinking coffee, may offer
similar benefits, with between two and four
cups of day associated with a 20 per cent
reduction in risk, according to findings
published in the journal Arteriosclerosis,
Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. |
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Researchers develop non-chlorine rinse for
poultry carcasses |
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15-Jun-2010 - Spray washing chicken carcasses
with a solution of lauric acid and potassium
hydroxide could help processors design
practical and non-chlorine-based sanitizers,
said the US Agricultural Research Service
(ARS). |
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Four steps to improve food safety in India |
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15-Jun-2010 - The
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in
India (ASSOCHAM) has proposed a four-pronged
strategy to help businesses implement demanding
food standards legislation. The Food Standards
and Safety Act 2006 (FSSA) has proved a serious
challenge for a country with poor general
awareness towards the hazards of unsafe food
practices. The ASSOCHAM proposals were contained
in a study recommending four steps to ensure
compliance. Highlighting common sources of
contaminates and creating awareness of good
hygiene practices, particularly with regard to
outside food, was outlined as the first step.
Secondly, the report said a training programme
should be put in place involving local
government, NGOs, trade associations and other
service providers to “educate the masses”. The
trade group (ASSOCHAM) also advocated the
creation of models/protypes for the preparation,
storage and distribution of food in the Indian
climate. Finally, the study called for a
simplified registration and licensing system to
reflect the nation’s diverse range of food
retailers. |
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Folic acid baking degradation should inform
fortification policy, study |
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11-Jun-2010 - Heat degradation of folic acid
during baking is between 21.9 per cent and 32.1
per cent with bread type being an influencing
factor, claims a new Irish study aiming to
quantify the reduction of the nutrient during
the production process on a pilot scale. |
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Vitamin E shows immune boosting potential: Study |
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10-Jun-2010 - Tocotrienols, a form of vitamin
E, may enhance the function of immune cells
and help ensure healthy immune function as
we age, suggests new data from Tufts
University. |
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New 'body shaping' foods to hit UK in 2011 |
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07-Jun-2010 - New functional foods on a
body-shaping platform could hit UK
supermarkets late next year now that a
fat-busting ingredient derived from
safflowers has been given an initial
safety thumbs up from the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA). |
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Cholesterol-lowering bread launched in Romania |
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07-Jun-2010 - A cholesterol-lowering bread
product will this month hit the shelves of
Romania, marking efforts by Finland’s Raisio
to expand its Benecol brand into a wider
range of food applications. |
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Stevia tops preferences for low-cal chocolate |
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01-Jun-2010 - Beverages formulated with stevia
are preferred by consumers over similar
products sweetened with sugar or other
common high intensity sweeteners, says new
research from Croatia. |
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Food sector and R&D need to chew the nano fat
for wider take-up: analyst |
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01-Jun-2010 - The benefits for nano-packaging,
showing how it can overcome current food and
drink industry challenges in terms of shelf
life, distribution or sustainability, need to
become more apparent in order to ensure
widespread commercial implementation, says an
industry insider. |