Research supporting the health benefits of fish oil is overwhelming. The first study, conducted decades ago, linked the low incidence of heart disease among Greenland’s Inuits to that population’s diet of fatty marine animals and fish. More recently, study results presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology annual meeting indicate that fish oil protects against neurodegenerative diseases. In between, scientists from around the globe have linked the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil—docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—to a range of benefits from head to toe.
Ever-emerging benefits
“Omega-3 fatty acids …

For years antimicrobials have been used by the ethanol industry to control bacteria breakouts during the process and according to Tom Slunecka, vice president of marketing for PhibroChem Ethanol Performance Group, antimicrobials – both antibiotics and chemicals – are used by many facilities and are vital for good strong economic production of ethanol.
Recently, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy released a report that called for the ethanol industry to stop using necessary antibiotics in the production process. (Read “Report: Ethanol industry moving away from antibiotic use.”)
According to Phibro, through …

High-pressure processing (HPP) technology has been developed by Australian researchers to extend shelf-life of chilled perishable products without the use of preservatives. The benefits of HPP are that it kills yeast, mould and bacteria but does not affect freshness, flavour, colour, texture or nutritional value of food, according to the Food Science Australia (FSA), a food, health and nutrition research organisation.
The technology used commercially for the first time in the Melbourne plant involves using pressures of about 6,000 times average air pressure to pasteurise the food. It could replace the …

When FDA gave the GRAS green light to stevia-based sweeteners late last year, the sweetener world felt a bit of a tremor. Now, for the first time, the industry had an approved, zero-calorie, all-natural sweetener at its disposal.
With stevia in their arsenals, product developers can now delve into a newly developed niche: low-calorie, all-natural functional foods. The body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the stevia leaf or any of its processed forms, so there is no caloric intake. Also, stevia doesn’t adversely affect blood glucose levels and may …

Could Vietnamese food have led to the death of Truro preschool teacher Edith Sweet?
David Gilman, also of Truro, may argue in September that monosodium glutamate — known as MSG — caused him to black out and drift across a double line on Route 6, causing the accident in which Sweet died on Nov. 9, 2007, according to court records.
Phenobarbital is a barbiturate that has the potential for addiction. It is the oldest antiepileptic drug in common use, dating from 1912, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. It is also a commonly …

Legislation to improve food-safety rules has cleared the House and is on its way to the Senate. With recent high-profile incidents including the 2006 distribution of E. coli-contaminated spinach and the more recent salmonella traced to pistachios, giving the government greater powers in terms of food inspections and recall of tainted foods seems appropriate.
However, there are aspects of the legislation that require further scrutiny and need to be addressed when the Senate takes up the measure this fall.
First, here’s what the Food Safety Enhancement Act offers in hopes of restoring …

Sorbic acid,as one of the key food preservatives has developped fast since the end of 1990s. Nowadays, China has become the world’s largest suppliers for soribic acid and potassium sorbate.
This report is prepared on base of continuous market watch from 1997 to 2000, discussing the situation of sorbic acid and potassium sorbate from all the possible aspects including the manufacturers, production, pricing, import & export, consumption, production cost benchmarking, etc. It is formulated independently by CCM’s professional market researchers, based on the first-hand and primary data which are analyzed by …

The Centre for Food Safety tested 5,600 food samples in June with an overall satisfactory rate of 99.6%. However, 24 samples were found to have excessive or illegal use of food preservatives, veterinary drug residues or colourings, and metal contamination.
 
It tested vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, seafood, milk and milk products, frozen confections, cereals and grains.
 
Five ice-cream bars and five ice-cream samples were found to contain excessive coliform organisms. They were from the first consignments of two brand-new products imported into Hong Kong. All affected batches have been marked and sealed. …

Sweeteners are the food additives
 
 
used to sweeten food products, i.e., the food additives listed as sweeteners in China’s national standard GB2760-1996, hygienic standards for uses of food additives and dietary supplements. 20 sweeteners in total have been permitted to be used in food in China by the end of 2007. There are totally 13 HIS listed in GB 2760 allowed to be used as food additives or dietary supplements by the end of 2007. Most of these HIS are 100 or more times sweeter than sugar except cyclamate and calcium …

BELLINGHAM, Wash., Aug. 6 (UPI) — Food additives used to enhance product shelf life or add color are worth watching out for — especially if a child has allergies — a U.S. food advocate says.
“Studies are starting to show that some of these additives can be harmful — even increasing cancer risk — so as parents and consumers we really need to understand what is in the foods we choose,” Gloria Tsang of HealthCastle.com says in a statement.
Her list of “worst additive offenders” followed by her additive-free replacement suggestions include:
— …