By RJ Whitehead & Shane Starling at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo
Japan will implement a new health claims system that is set to supersede its strict FOSHU regime in April 2015 – just six months away – but what form will it take and will it meet its deadline?
Evidence that Montmorency tart cherry could be useful in managing gouty arthritis and other inflammatory conditions is mounting, as a new study shows that tart cherry concentrate lowers uric acid and C-reactive protein – a marker for inflammation.
STUDY COULD HELP IDENTIFY WHO SHOULD DRINK MORE OR LESS
A high-profile US meta study suggests people naturally tailor their coffee intake to experience caffeine’s optimal effects, while genetic factors linked to higher consumption likely increase coffee metabolism.
In the harsh landscape of China’s northwest in the Gobi, where temperatures can fluctuate by 90 degrees over the course of a year, a bush with striking beneficial properties has been left to grow unnoticed for more than a thousand years.
Kemin is launching a proprietary phenolic complex sourced from patent-pending, non-GMO lines of its own purpose-grown spearmint for use in dietary supplements.
A year after publishing its 'Sustainability Principles' Naturex reveals its targets for the coming years in the 'Pathfinder', the company’s sustainability report.
An Italian botanical supplements manufacturer has been given 30 days to pay a €250,000 fine after local authorities busted it for grossly exaggerated and unsubstantiated web-based health claims around immunity, diabetes, HIV, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s...
Special edition: Inside Europe's food supplement markets
A population-level analysis of polyphenol intakes in Poland has revealed that coffee, tea and chocolate contribute around 75% of the polyphenols consumed in the country.
A UK distributor of premium aloe vera drinks claims that low quality rivals risk ruining the nascent category – since many don’t use natural aloe vera pulp and are laden with artificial colors and added sugar.
Dispatches from Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Montpellier
Rothamsted Research has achieved omega-3 levels comparable to fish oil in its first GM camelina harvest, something which has been surprisingly well received by the public, its senior researcher says.
Scientists have provided ‘proof of principle’ that a type of spectroscopy can rapidly detect the presence of the banned substance sibutramine – the most prolific adulterant in weight loss food supplements. They say it can be a game-changer for the border...
In today’s complex global marketplace, the patchwork of regulatory standards, cultural variations and logistical realities of time and space create an environment in which harmonisation may seem impossible. Not so, argues James C Griffiths, PhD, VP of...
Reducing, enhancing or even eliminating caffeine content in coffee plants will be possible in the near future researchers are saying after completing the genomic map of the coffee plant Coffea canephora.
The soy industry has hit back at a recent study that suggested soy supplementation could worsen rather than ameliorate breast cancer by influencing gene behaviour.
Soy supplementation for women suffering from breast cancer may compound rather than improve their condition – contrary to popular opinion, say scientists.
10-year-old Swiss biotech firm Evolva has completed the resveratrol manufacturing cost-reduction programme it embarked on for the antioxidant nearly two years ago when it bought defunct Fluxome’s business for €550,000.
A company promoting healthy teas has been slammed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after falling foul of the EU's nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR).
The French food agency (ANSES) has issued a warning against EU-backed cholesterol-managing nutrient red yeast rice after last year raising a red flag due to 25 illness since 2009.
Regular consumption of flavanols and flavanone bioactive compounds, found in tea, citrus fruits and fruit juices, can lower the risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 21%, according to a cohort study involving nearly 180,000 women and begun in 1976.
French botanicals giant Naturex said first half results had been dented by a difficult macroeconomic environment and exchange rates, despite restructuring and acquisition moves.
Pharmaceutical-reliant public healthcare systems are unsustainably expensive and governments around the world know it, but can medical foods go part way to breaching the gap and delivering real savings? Panellists at a recent NutraIngredients-hosted debate...
German natural ingredients behemoth Döhler is lining up what it is calling an, “extraordinary extract portfolio” of South African ingredients after forming a joint venture with local supplier Afriplex.
Success in emerging markets has helped fragrance and flavours giant Symrise to a 9% rise in earnings in the first half of the year, as the company begins to integrate Diana Group in to its business.
Mixing alcohol with energy drinks or other caffeinated beverages across different doses may not alter the awareness of intoxication as previously suggested, according to a meta-analysis.
Caffeine does not have a diuretic effect on regular coffee drinkers and is safe to use, says sports nutrition researcher and consultant in elite sport.
Dutch-Swiss ingredients giant DSM Nutritional Products (DNP) has called ‘time’ on Teavigo, a decade after launching the proprietary, weight management-focused green tea extract.
Horphag Research, suppliers of Pycnogenol, an extract of French maritime pine tree bark, announced the results of a new study that shows the extract significantly improves inner ear blood flow, helping to ameliorate the symptoms of conditions such as...
"The principle is to replace costly substance by less costly substance at the expense of the consumer": CAFIA
The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) says it, “repeatedly reveals serious forms of adulteration of food supplements” despite efforts through its Food Pillory system.
Belgian firm BioActor is one step closer to being able to lodge an application for its olive polyphenol product BonOlive, after a human intervention study confirmed its ability to protect post-menopausal women against osteoporosis.
Extracts from the seeds of acai berries (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) may protect hearts against exercise intolerance and dysfunction, says new data from a study with rats that adds to the heart health benefits of the fruit.
Already one of the most widely-used stimulants in sport, recent research suggests there may be greater scope for caffeine to be used in a wider range of sports as well as during exercise, says sports nutrition researcher and consultant in elite sport.
26-year food ingredients veteran Olivier Rigaud is the new CEO of French herbal extracts leader Naturex, moving from tate & Lyle, where he has been the chair of Specialty Food Ingredients since 2010.
Lipid-rich fresh avocado and beta-carotene rich foods improve bioavailability of the carotenoids from these foods and convert them into an active form of vitamin A, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Australian academics have called for greater analysis of the potential harm caused by mixing energy drinks with alcohol after new research found the practice can turn a few quick drinks into a much longer session.
NutriCigs UK must quit its nutrient-fortified electronic cigarette claims that included sleep, satiety and energy benefits, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said.
The CEO of InQpharm Europe says the firm will appeal against its health claim rejection for a white kidney bean extract and weight loss which EFSA rejected this week.
Brainwave Drinks insists it’s targeting anyone with a brain and says the drink will appeal to consumers as keen on maintaining a healthy mind as warding off Alzheimer’s or dementia.
If functional food products are to be successful, they need to be designed for a very specific age group and address the particular circumstances of their target audience, according to SternVitamin, the German manufacturer of vitamin and mineral premixes.
