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Dairy, bakery and beverages account for 72.9 percent of functional foods in the world’s biggest markets with energy/mood enhancement, gut health and heart health the dominant claims, according to a Leatherhead Food International report. (ap-foodtechnology.com) n 2009 figures, dairy accounted for $8.702bn globally, bakery $5.18bn excluding Japan, and beverages $2.825bn not including energy and mood drinks. The UK-based organisation said the US and Europe... read more →

Relatively simple and inexpensive robots could be the key for robot manufacturers looking to boost UK sales, according to a leading automation industry figure. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) Mike Wilson, president of the British Automation & Robot Association (BARA) told FoodManufacture.co.uk that despite a 172% growth in robot sales to the UK food and drink industry since 2006, the UK still lagged significantly behind its EU neighbours. Wilson said that... read more →

A new peeling system for fruit and vegetables, based on air not water, under development at California State University, Fresno, could cut significantly processing costs and remove the problem and expense of dealing with waste water. (foodproductiondaily.com) Developed by California State University professor Gour Choudhury, the new processing system uses air to blast peel off fruit and vegetables. A specialist in food processing systems, Choudhury estimates... read more →

Many consumers around the globe are turning away from meat as health, price and ethical concerns grow. But the latest market research indicates that meat substitutes are failing to pick up the slack. (foodnavigator.com) In the third part of the FoodNavigator focus on meat substitutes, we take a look at the market for meat and meat replacements and the reasons behind the declining growth rates for both categories. “Growth rates for meat are declining,... read more →

Vegetarian protein options have come a long way from the once-ubiquitous lentils and tofu as food scientists have stepped up to the challenge of creating innovative meat substitutes. (foodnavigator.com) While popular meat alternatives include soy, wheat and Quorn – a mycoprotein derived from fermentation of the fungus Fusarium venenatum – there are a number of emerging opportunities in the meat substitutes market. Soy protein-based meat analogs are among... read more →

A new fat replacer derived from kiwifruit can remove up to 90 per cent of fats in pastry and its active vitamin C and E and dietary fibre components add functionality, claims its New Zealand based developer (bakeryandsnacks.com). Adriana Tong, director of Nekta Nutrition, told BakeryandSnacks.com that its new bakery ingredient Nektabake acts as a natural stabilizer, flavour enhancer and texturiser and is produced through a proprietary kiwifruit extraction... read more →

Greater awareness about environmental disposal hazards and more stringent government regulations are predicted to drive the global market for sustainable packaging to reach $142.42bn by 2015, according to market research group Global Industry Analysts (GIA) (foodproductiondaily.com). Other drivers are identified as increased awareness about recycling of packaging wastes and government initiatives to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Also making... read more →

Food and beverage makers internationally are keeping a careful watch on a natural sweetener from the Chinese monk fruit, although its uptake in the market is still several steps away, indicate analysts. (ap-foodtechnology.com) The intense sweetener from monk fruit, or luo han guo, is said to be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used for many years to sweeten products in parts of Asia. Although it has yet to be approved for use in foods and... read more →