A deal to supply Stemtech International - the leading player in stem cell nutrition supplements - with one of its proprietary marine plant extracts will establish Marinova as the undisputed world leader in Fucoidan, claims the Australian biotech firm.
The question of whether to go ahead with folic acid fortification of bread in New Zealand continues to be a contentious one, with another report moving against it.
Developing demographic-specific formulations and validating health claims must be a focus for probiotic manufacturers targeting Asian markets, according to an industry analyst.
New Zealand’s processed foods sector is contributing significantly to excessive salt intake in the country but there is substantial scope to reduce the sodium levels in these foods, a new study suggests.
Consumer concerns are proving increasingly powerful in influencing food and beverage formulation decisions, and Australian supermarket Coles is the latest to react and remove all added MSG and artificial colourings from its own brands.
The World Food Programme (WFP) operates on many fronts, with many initiatives, but it’s core remains the same – to better the nutritional inputs of the world’s neediest people. Significant advances in fortified rice technology are set to see those goals...
In an attempt to combat the sharp rise in obesity-related ailments in India, the national government is planning to reduce trans fatty acid (TFA) content in vanaspati oil over the next couple of years.
In a bid to create unified standards and transparency across packaged products in China, the Ministry of Health has issued nutritional labelling standards, set to commence in January, 2013.
Impressive growth in the Chinese functional beverage market looks set to continue as some national experts predict China to become the largest functional beverage market in 2012.
Health products, such as cordyceps and functional beverages have helped Nutrastar International Inc gain record revenues despite the current global financial turmoil.
Canadian krill oil supplier, Neptune, has teamed up with a local fishing company in a bid to tap into China’s fast growing and emerging omega-3 supplements market.
China has announced new regulations and a renewed focus on the quality and safety of functional foods being sold in the country, as part of a series of crackdowns meant to reinforce food safety in the country.
Continued research and development combined with exposure will drive and strengthen the functional foods market in Asia Pacific, according to analysis.
Beneo is still waiting for an approval from the Indian authorities for the use of its prebiotic fibre, oligofructose, in infant milk powder products in the country.
Galactofructose specialist Solvay has inked a deal with 20-year-old Indian company, Lactose India, to take the Belgian firm’s digestive health ingredient into the Indian market for the first time.
Danish probiotics giant Chr Hansen says its just-announced alliance with a Japanese botanical supplement maker will yield plant-probiotic combination food supplement products on European and global markets kicking off in Q1 2012.
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.
Swiss supplier Lonza will open a new vitamin B3 manufacturing facility in China in 2012 that will significantly lower production costs for the vitamin and boost output by 40%.
Campaigns against vitamin D deficiency have gained prominence in the western world but the dietary issue is just as relevant in Asia, according to supplier DSM, even if sunlight hours are greater than most regions.
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.
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.
Demand from the food industry will see the market for Omega-3 ingredients rise substantially over the next few years, a report from the market research and consulting firm MarketsandMarkets said.
Amendments to 2009 laws that saw 27 health and nutrition claims approved in China will see the number reduced to 18, as momentum grows toward a European Union-style emphasis on human clinical data.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will continue a 15-year collaborative period with Australian food company Clover Corporation, by engaging in a new initiative to develop encapsulation techniques for infant and medical...
Nestlé Sri Lanka has launched an up-market omega-3 fortified infant formula developed at its Swiss-based research centre, as it boosts activity on the south Asian island.
Demand for immune health ingredients in Asia is growing at an annual rate of 6.2 per cent, with revenues expected to reach US$1.46bn in 2016 from US$958.6m in 2009, a research report from consulting and research firm Frost & Sullivan predicted.
A lawyer pursuing a high-profile anti-trust case against four Chinese firms accused of fixing the price of vitamin C in the US says he expects the judge reviewing the case to make a ruling “any week now”.
New York-based Maypro Group has finally revealed its ‘quiet’ program to donate potassium iodide supplements to Japanese locals at risk from the recent nuclear incident, and asks if there is a way to turn this into a wider industry fundraising effort.
Immature rice grains may contain ‘a remarkable amount of bioactive compounds’, giving them great potential for applications in nutraceutical foods, according to new research.
The Wrigley Company is launching a new calcium enriched gum in Australia and New Zealand, claiming its ‘on-the-go’ delivery system can help address the reported calcium intake deficiency among 90 per cent of the Australian population.
Pakistan’s Sindh state is set to make the iodisation of salt compulsory in a bid to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in the state, where over 50 per cent of the population is at risk.
Booming sales of omega-3 fortified cooking oil in China may show how countries with nutritional deficiencies can boost the nutritional intakes of a population, said a leading omega-3 figure.
The United Nations is promoting the use of zinc supplements in Nepal to battle acute infant diarrhoea that kills 15,000 under-5s per year in the Himalayan state.
India’s Avesthagen Limited has announced the completion of its development of microalgae-derived DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), with the technology validated for commercialization.
GLG Life Tech’s joint venture in China has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities to provide its stevia-derived sweeteners for use in foods and beverages, the company has said.
New Zealand opposition party members are calling on the government to fortify the country’s flour supply and bread output with folic acid, following reports of the success of a similar program across the Tasman Sea in Australia.
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), an alliance of Nestlé and General Mills, said that a large percentage of its cereal brands sold in Australia including Cheerios have been endorsed by the Heart Foundation there through its Tick programme.
Vitamin charity Vitamin Angels and DSM’s Sight and Life are addressing vitamin A deficiency in Indian children by establishing a sustainable supply and distribution system promoting “local ownership” of the deficiency problem.
A cranberry ingredient from US firm Proprietary Nutritionals Inc (PNI) can be supported by a health claim in the Korean market, after the nation’s regulator approved a claim linking it to urinary tract health.
Lonza has confirmed that its planned vitamin B3 production expansion will occur in China, where the firm expects a double digit surge in demand for the ingredient in coming years.
AkzoNobel’s National Starch business has acquired Penford’s Australian specialty starch business in order to shorten its supply chain for specialty corn starches in the region - despite National Starch being up for sale.
A new partnership with chemical group Solvay will enable the distribution of a low dosage prebiotic food ingredient with multiple food and drink applications within Europe, the Middle East and Africa, claims Tate & Lyle.
