A top agriculture expert has urged Indian scientists to increase their efforts towards locally developing enzymes and microbes for application in food and beverage processing.
A team of New Zealand scientists recently reported that they have identified a unique marker molecule in manuka honey, which is believed to be associated with the honey’s unique antibacterial activity.
After the revelation that most of the milk sold in India is adulterated, there is a slight respite with a similar survey on food products, which found that a little more than 10% of such products were contaminated.
Singapore-based ingredients technology company, Compass Foods, has announced the legal approval of its emulsifier for use in flavour applications in the Indonesian market.
A leading consumer advocate in Australia says milk product manufacturers in the region are using harmful colouring additives, despite knowing about their effects on children.
An Australian company has developed a way to turn sugarcane stalks into low-sugar, high-fibre, gluten-free flour, creating an unlikely health food segment and opening up another market for sugarcane growers.
A new report from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) in India has said that Indian non-alcoholic beverages market would grow to US$2.3bn by 2015.
A Norwegian research project is underway to identify flavours from marine bioprospecting that could be used as a source for seafood flavouring in the Chinese noodle market.
Consumers globally prefer natural over artificial colours, claims a survey of 5,000 respondents in 10 countries worldwide that Chr. Hansen commissioned from consumer research group Nielsen.
Indian awareness of lactose intolerance is growing rapidly, leading consumers to seek reduced reduced lactose and lactose-free products without compromising on taste, according to a Novozymes South Asia executive.
Biotropics Malaysia Berhad has developed a new vegetable-based ingredient with antioxidant activity established using the CAP-e cell-based antioxidant test, the company said.
PepsiCo India will make its existing facility near Kolkata in the state of West Bengal a hub for making new products as it expands its portfolio of health and nutritious food products.
Thai distribution company Rama Production Co. Ltd. has said it intends to launch its own ingredient for improved texture, binding and cost reductions in meat, seafood and bakery products, after more than 25 years in the food ingredient distribution business.
Danisco has developed a new range of freeze-dried cultures for the Indian dahi market and has also targeted its health and nutrition ingredients range for use in the country’s dairy products.
Spanish ingredients company Premium Ingredients is poised to launch two new pizza topping ingredients targeted at cutting casein levels to reduce end product cost.
DSM is extending its Delvo Fresh dairy culture line with the launch of a dahi culture range, developed to meet local consumer preferences in India, says the company.
Spanish supplier Genosa brought its olive extracts to Vitafoods Asia in Hong Kong this week where it found a recent EFSA-approved health claim resonated well beyond European shores.
In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japanese scientists from the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre are working towards a potential solution for the future of Japanese rice farmers – a strain of rice resilient to cesium absorption.
Improving rice yields is a major challenge in India today but a high quality grain needs to be a key focus of rice breeding efforts, according to a spokesperson at Bayer CropScience.
The use of certain seaweeds in commercially viable food products could be a step closer thanks to a research collaboration with a top Australian university and Australian Kelp products, a specialist seaweed products company.
The high intensity sweetener Advantame is not associated with any adverse effects, according to a toxicology study over two generations of rats conducted by Ajinomoto.
Innophos Holdings Inc. has set up a new subsidiary in China to develop on the ground direct sales and technical service capabilities in the country, where it sees a strong potential for growth.
Taiwan has said it would intensify checks on imported products into the country after a batch of concentrate for a Coca-Cola product was found to contain a preservative banned in the country.
There has been no let up in the soaring prices for guar gum, with little hope of a downward trend emerging in the coming months, warns a hydrocolloid expert.
A rising demand for flour stabilization and fortification has prompted Germany-based flour treatment solutions provider Mühlenchemie GmbH & Co. KG to open its own production plant and research centre in China.
A new study has suggested that there are undeclared allergens in many commercial processed food products in Thailand, which could cause allergic reactions.
Asian food safety authorities are increasingly considering health logos for food and beverage products that meet certain nutritional criteria to help combat rising obesity rates in the region, international food policy consultancy EAS said.
Ingredient supplier, Beneo, has announced a 20 per cent hike in the price of its sweetener Isomalt, citing rising inflation rates and the need to secure a flexible supply chain.
Intake of flour containing 40 per cent lupin flour in place of conventional wholemeal flour could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, according to research from Australia’s Victoria University.
Puratos is launching its bakery enhancers in the Middle East and in Asia in response to growing demand for “western type” cakes with a long shelf life, said the firm.
Leading cocoa processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has announced it is kick-starting its Ivory Coast sustainable cocoa initiative – Serap – in Indonesia in a bid to boost cocoa quality from growers in that region.
Irradiation of potatoes at a sprout inhibition dose reduced acrylamide formation in potato chips and improved their colour, according to new research from India.
Ingredients supplier Beneo is to present its naturally-derived low glycaemic functional carbohydrate isomaltulose at a health conference in Mumbai, India later this week.
Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly receptive to international soft drink brands but success does depend on an appreciation of local flavour preferences, according to Datamonitor.
Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a whey protein isolate to replace egg whites in nougat for a Chinese customer facing problems with inconsistent egg quality.
A scheme based on a computer-aided process simulation tool can optimise the cocoa manufacturing process in Malaysia and double output, claims new research.
DSM is launching a new line of natural flavours led by authentic taste needs in the Asia Pacific region, which can help flavour firms construct flavours with complex notes that appeal to different market preferences.
The chocolate category still accounts for over half of new confectionery product launches in Japan, but the functional segment is beginning to steal some of the limelight, according to a new report from market researchers Datamonitor
Although the food and drink flavouring market in Southeast Asia is “growing enormously”, consumer tastes are still cost-driven and traditional, according to top flavour producer IFF.
China’s reputation as an ingredient supplier has suffered from a spate of food safety problems – but the food industry should not paint all China-based companies with the same broad brush, says stevia supplier GLG Life Tech.
Ohly has officially opened a new yeast extract plant in Harbin, China, giving it an Asian production arm to complement existing plants in the US and Europe.
The Indian Ministry of Health has approved the use of Beneo’s low GI Isomalt sweetener in a raft of new food categories, including Indian sweets and more Western-style foods.
