The UK's Food Standards Agency has launched a final consultation
into mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid - an action
that coincides with publication of the SACN recommendation to press
ahead with the measure.
Using prebiotics as carriers could protect probiotics during
processing and storage, as well imparting their own beneficial
effects in the finished product, suggests new research from
Finland.
Chinese researchers have reported that alginate oligosaccharides
(AOS) have significant prebiotic activity in rats and, if the
results can be reproduced in humans, could offer an novel source of
the health promoting ingredients.
UK omega-3 company Equazen has been purchased by Swiss pharma
company Galenica, a move that looks set to take the brand to new
heights in the competitive global market - and free up its founder
to focus on new research in the field.
Women expecting twins or their second child inside two years are at
an increased risk of vitamin A deficiency and could benefit from
beta-carotene supplementation, says a study based in Germany.
Researchers from Aglient Technologies and UC-Davis have developed a
technique to enable the rapid analysis of oligosaccharides in
individual samples human milk, which could prove a useful tool for
the food and infant formula markets.
Milk, fortified with four minerals and three vitamins, cut the
occurrence of respiratory infections and days with severe illness,
and could be a well accepted means of improving health, especially
amongst pre-schoolers in the developing...
Children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are
at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and could benefit from
supplements to avoid the health problems associated with not
getting enough of the vitamin.
Speculation that Swiss food group Nestle is mulling the acquisition
of Novartis' Gerber baby foods business at the same time as the
planned buy of the pharma giant's medical supplements unit is
gaining momentum, with analysts...
When the idea of fortifying staple foods with vital nutrients is
raised, the battlecry goes up from industry groups and advocates of
consumer choice: "Why should we bear the costs?" "Educate, and
let people make their...
US scientists have identified a gene from wild wheat that could
increase protein and micronutrient content of its cultivated cousin
by 10 to 15 per cent, and could soon be used in food products with
enhanced nutritional value.
Ocean Nutrition Canada is aiming to extend the reach of its Meg-3
fish oil ingredient to embrace the whole of Asia - a strategy that
may prove shrewd given estimates of a 200 percent increase in
market value in the next six years.
LycoRed is bolstering its UK premix capabilities with a new lipid
formulation facility at its plant in Kent that will extend its
scope from powder blends for cereals to infant formula and other
oil based products.
Swedish biotech BioGaia has signed an exclusive agreement with a
major OTC and pharmaceutical company for the distribution of
probiotic tablets and oral health products in Indonesia.
A combination of probiotics and prebiotics for newborns reduced the
incidence of eczema by 34 per cent in high-risk children, says a
new study from Finland.
Despite the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification of
grains as much as a third of women of childbearing age are not
getting the recommended amounts, says a study from Canada.
Supplementing mothers-to-be with omega-3 fatty acids results in
higher amounts being delivered to the baby in the womb, say German
scientists who have identified the carriers of the fatty acid from
mother to child.
A recommendation to introduce mandatory folic acid fortification
for Australia and New Zealand's bakers will come under further
review, said the country's ministers yesterday.
A daily supplement of the prebiotic oligofructose significantly
improved the intestinal health of young children in day care, and
cut the number of bacterial infections and illness episodes, says
new research from France.
The recently implemented school wellness policies have started to
have an impact on the types of foods children have access to during
the day, with schools already offering more fruits and vegetables,
according to a report issued...
Swedish biotech BioGaia has signed a new agreement with Ewopharma
to distribute its probiotic drops and tablets in a number of new
markets in Central Eastern Europe.
Progress in biofortification of staple crops in the world's
developing countries offers more than just a glimmer of hope in
finding a solution to vitamin A deficiency, but funding must
continue to come from the developed world...
Vitamin A supplements could reduce the levels of a marker for
inflammation by 30 per cent, says a randomized intervention study
with Mexican children, a result that adds to the benefits of the
vitamin, particularly among the young.
Folate intake in the US has not met the FDA's targets following the
mandated fortification of enriched grain products with the B
vitamin that began in 1998, according to a recent study.
Inulin and oligofructose could offer ways of stemming the tide of
obesity, or could change immune responses and protect against
potentially harmful infection, said prebiotic experts at Orafti's
5th Research Conference at Harvard...
Maize, bred to contain high concentrations of the pro-vitamin A
carotenoid, beta-carotene, did increase the vitamin A status in
gerbils, and could be used to tackle vitamin A deficiency, says a
new study.
A recent study suggests women who take multivitamins early in
pregnancy could reduce the risk of their child developing a brain
tumour - giving further leverage for marketing to this important
consumer group.
A new study from Sweden suggests that low folate levels may exert a
protective effect against colorectal cancer, a finding that could
have some bearing on discussions over mandatory folic acid
fortification in Europe.
Only 41 percent of mothers and expectant mothers know they should
be consuming omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy, according to a
recent survey, emphasizing a need for more education as well as an
untapped market.
Sensus is expecting a study assessing the prebiotic benefits of
inulin for formula-fed babies to help it in its efforts to target
the infant nutrition market in the coming year.
Lack of choline in the American diet is a public health issue,
according to a Solae nutritionist, and the way is open for
manufacturers to develop more choline-fortified foods and to use
the nutrient as a selling point.
The infant formula market presents opportunities for proven
nutritional ingredients within the updated EU regulatory framework,
and follow-on products and those aimed at mothers' are also
targeted by suppliers.
Martek Biosciences' operating profit leaped back into the black in
Q3, as it continues to reap rewards from the fortified infant
formula boom and more cost-effective DHA production.
Children with lactose intolerance are missing out on essential
nutrients by avoiding dairy, and could benefit from probiotics and
aged cheeses, say a review from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP).
Donkey milk has been hailed as the secret of long life by a family in Ecuador, but is there any science behind claims for milk that is supposedly the closest thing to human milk?
British kids of Asian origin are eight times more likely than their
white counterparts to be vitamin D deficient, says a new study that
is leading calls for vitamin D supplementation for this at-risk
group.
Researchers in Australia have reported that salmon fed oil made
from one of the country's most damaging noxious weeds could produce
more omega-3 for human consumption.
Bakeries in Australia and New Zealand may be required to use only
iodised salt in the future, if a proposal from the countries' food
regulator is approved.
BioGaia's probiotic drops for infant gastrointestinal health are to
be available in Canada and the Middle East, as the company extends
the distribution deal that it signed this year with Ferring.
Dutch dairy firm Campina is aiming to reach critical mass in its
penetration of the North American functional and nutritional
ingredients sector, entering into a joint venture with Canada-based
Vitalus.
Researchers investigating the interplay between nutrition, genetic
variation and birth defects have reported their first positive
results on copper metabolism, stoking hopes that their approach may
eventually enable every expectant...
Finland's recent introduction of mandatory fortification of certain
foods with vitamin D is boosting intake of the vitamin and offers
encouragement for other countries considering similar measures.
Martek Biosciences has forged a relationship with another major
food group, Hain Celestial, in a bid to see its microalgae-derived
omega-3 used in a broader range of infant formulas and other food
and beverage products.
Supplements of a folic acid derivative result in higher blood
folate levels than straight folic acid, and could be an alternative
for the prevention of neural tube defects, says a study from
Germany.
A new study underscores the importance of eating well during
pregnancy, reporting a link between the calorie intake of pregnant
women and the thickness of their children's artery walls.
Ireland's National Committee on Folic Acid Fortication today
recommended that most white, brown and wholemeal breads sold in the
country be fortificed with 120 micrograms of folic acid per 100g of
bread in a bid to reduce incidence...
The food regulator for Australia and New Zealand is calling for
public comment on a proposal that would require all bread-making
flour to be fortified with the B vitamin folic acid.
In this white paper, Dr Anu Turpeinen discusses the ample scientific evidence showing why milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is essential for children’s...
Many infants who are born with nutritional defects often need specifically developed infant formulas to maintain their growth and development. Amino acids-based...
