Probiotics in ice cream
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO 2002) have defined probiotics as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits on the host. Yogurt and fermented milk are the main products for probiotic culture although it has been suggested that ice cream may also have the potential for use as a probiotic vehicle, as it is highly accepted by children, adolescents and adults as well as the elderly. A review by Brazilian researchers, published in Food Research International
has looked at technological parameters involved in the production of probiotic ice creams.
The viability and metabolic activity of probiotic microorganisms (Lactobacillus; Bifidobacterium) must be maintained in all steps of the processing operation and they must be able to survive in the gastrointestinal tract. Health benefits associated with probiotics include antimicrobial activity, the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea, relief of symptoms caused by lactose intolerance, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic activities and stimulation of the immune system. Specific benefits depend on the strain or the organism and, according to the review, there is no single strain capable of providing all these benefits. The review by Cruz et al looks at probiotic ice cream processing, the technological hurdles for the incorporation of probiotic bacteria into ice cream, fruit pulp or juice as an ingredient of probiotic ice cream, addition of probiotic cultures to ice cream (including stability, overrun and storage), sensory characteristics, and perspectives.
According to Cruz et al the composition of ice cream and the fact that it is a frozen product means it might be a good vehicle for probiotic culture although the product should have relatively high pH values (5.5 -6.5). This leads to an increased survival of lactic cultures during storage, whilst the lower acidity results in increased consumer acceptance. The use of probiotic bacteria in ice cream must not affect quality parameters such as melting rate and sensory characteristics, which should be the same or even better than conventional ice cream. The reviewers state that frozen products like ice cream present intrinsic challenges including overrun (beating in air) and storage under freezing temperatures, which affects the survival of probiotic microorganisms. The degree to which probiotic bacteria can tolerate oxygen is strain-dependent and due to overrun this is an important factor in probiotic selection for ice creams. As overrun can not be eliminated oxygen resistant strains of probiotic bacteria should be selected if the viability of the cultures is to be maintained.
Acidic fruit should not be used as this could influence the sensory acceptability and decrease the viability of the cultures. Probiotic tolerance of acid pH is strain dependent and the review indicates that there are a number of measures that can be taken to enhance probiotic survival, the most simple being selection of strains resistant to low pH. It is noted that probiotic cultures can be added to ice cream in two ways during processing; (1) either adding them directly to the pasteurised mix or (2) using milk as a substrate for fermentation, although pH should be closely controlled in the latter. After processing the probiotic cultures should also be stable during storage and the reviewers mention that a number of studies have shown that probiotics are capable of maintaining viability in frozen products including ice cream.
Cruz et al cite a study by Davidson et al reporting that probiotic ice creams may present less intense flavours than the regular product, so the production of probiotic ice creams with high sensory acceptance is a difficult and technical task. Despite this, research has shown probiotic ice creams with good sensory qualities can be produced and that the inclusion of probiotic cultures need not adversely affect the sensory properties of the product.
In conclusion, the review states that whilst a number of studies have indicated that probiotic cultures can remain stable during storage, further work is required to confirm whether such cultures are still able to offer the health benefits observed in other products, after long periods of storage. In addition, Cruz et al note that creation of probiotic ice creams should be accompanied by a process of education to encourage consumption on more than just an occasional level, to gain the full health benefits associated with probiotics.
RSSL's Product and Ingredient Innovation Division, has considerable experience in formulating products containing prebiotics and probiotics. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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Pomegranate juice authenticity
Some well publicised scientific research, showing the health benefits which may be derived from drinking pomegranate juice, means that the pomegranate has become an international high value crop and commercial pomegranate juice (PJ) is at risk of adulteration with cheaper juices. With this in mind, a team of authors based at the Universities of California and Oregon State and Krueger Food Laboratories in the United States has developed an international multidimensional authenticity specification (IMAS) algorithm to detect PJ adulteration.
The authors explain that six anthocyanins are responsible for the red-purple colour of pomegranate juice and the anthocyanin profile of the juice does not vary according to the geographical origin of the juice. Ellagitannins account for 90% of the antioxidant activity in PJ. Although punicalagin is found almost exclusively in PJ, its presence together with other ellagitannins is not sufficient to establish the authenticity of the juice, since these compounds can be obtained from peel extracts. Zhang et al. therefore sought to find other chemical characteristics obtained from the whole fruit which could be used to confirm the authenticity of pomegranate juice. Adulteration is usually carried out either to extend the limited supplies of the authentic juice by addition of other fruits or juices, or to mask the astringent taste and uncharacteristically pale colour of low quality PJ, caused by reduced amounts of anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins, ellagitannins, sugar profiles, organic and amino acids and potassium contents were determined for 45 commercial samples of pomegranate juice, from 23 different manufacturers, which had been purchased at local grocery stores. In addition, data from the analysis of pomegranate fruits and juices from Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, India and China were also considered in establishing the IMAS protocol.
The data assembled by Zhang et al. confirmed that the presence of a highly constant group of six anthocyanins (delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3,5-diglucoside and pelargonidin-3-glucoside) together with punicalagins make up the polyphenol content of PJ. At a total sugar concentration of 16o Brix, PJ contains glucose, fructose, mannitol (at ≥0.3 g/100 mL) and sorbitol (at ≤0.3 g/100 mL). No sucrose is present, nor maltose or tartaric acid. The presence of the amino acid proline indicates the addition of grape products. Malic acid at more than 0.1g/100 mL indicates adulteration with apple, pear, grape, cherry, plum or aronia juice. Sometimes grape pigments or highly concentrated aronia, blueberry or blackberry juices are added to PJ, in which case abnormal anthocyanin profiles will be detected.
To adjust the astringent taste of poor quality juice or mask the addition of peel extract, sugars from cane or corn sources may be added, but these can be detected by stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. In authentic PJ, the ratio of glucose to fructose varies in a narrow range of 0.8 – 1.0, so variations from this range may also indicate adulteration. Authentic PJ contains more than 1800 mg potassium/litre, so that the discovery of levels of only 1300 mg/litre indicates dilution of authentic juice with other juices.
In the current study, when the validated IMAS was used to detect PJ adulteration, only 6 of the 23 manufacturers’ samples analysed strictly met all the IMAS criteria. (Original article: J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57 (6): 2550–2557; doi: 10.1021/jf803172e; correction to Table 4 in JAFC).
See Also: An earlier article on the adulteration of pomegranate juice appeared in Food Chemistry, May 2008, Volume 108, Issue 2: 742-748. The web site of Krueger Food Laboratories also has information on the composition and adulteration on PJ. In July 2008, POM Wonderful announced that Purely Juice had been found guilty of deceiving customers with adulterated pomegranate juice and false advertising. Last week Food e-News (Ed 432) reported that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) had ruled that extremely misleading claims had been made for POM Wonderful, and stated that the advertisement must not appear again. This week NutraIngredients.com (10/04/09) summarises the main findings of a study published in the Journal of Inflammation which appears to confirm the presence of anti-inflammatory polyphenols in pomegranate juice.
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Coffee consumption has little effect on colorectal cancer risk
Dr Yoyjin Je and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health have reviewed prospective cohort studies to examine the association between coffee consumption and colorectal cancers. Previous case-control studies had found a possible protective effect of coffee on these cancers.
Coffee is said to be a complex mixture of more than 1000 compounds, and these have potential genotoxic and mutagenic properties but also antioxidant and antimutagenic activities, any of which could affect colorectal cancer risk. The relationship between coffee consumption and colorectal cancer risk has been widely studied in recent decades, with several case control studies showing a reduction in risk, but cohort studies showing no association. It is pointed out that although the data from case-control studies are relatively consistent, such studies can suffer from recall bias over coffee consumption and selection bias with respect to the control group.
In an article in the International Journal of Cancer, Je et al. describe the results of a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies published up to June 2008. This included 12 eligible studies derived from searching the Medline database and covered 646,848 participants and 5,403 cases of colorectal cancer. Four were conducted in the US, 5 in Europe and 3 in Japan. The relative risks (RR) of developing colorectal cancer were compared for high vs low categories of coffee consumption.
The combined results from the 12 studies found a relative risk (RR) of 0.91 comparing high vs low coffee consumption, which the authors describe as showing no significant effect of coffee consumption on colorectal cancer risk. By geographic region, Japanese studies showed a tendency toward a lower risk of cancer with high coffee consumption (RR 0.83). By cancer site, colon cancer showed a weak inverse association (RR 0.90), while rectal cancer showed no association (RR 0.98). Although no significant differences by sex and cancer-site were found, there was a small inverse association between coffee consumption and colon cancer in women, (RR 0.79), particularly Japanese women (RR 0.62) who had a 38% reduced risk.
Commenting on the results, the authors said that the studies which had controlled for the effects of smoking and alcohol use, and those with a shorter follow-up, showed slightly stronger inverse associations between coffee consumption and colorectal cancer. (Int. J. Cancer: 2009, 124(7): 1662–1668).
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Folic acid fortification and colon cancer risk
In 2000, the Chilean Government introduced a programme of mandatory fortification of wheat flour with 220 micrograms of folic acid/100 g of flour, However, in Chile, as in the US and Canada which also have folic acid fortification programmes, a rise in the incidence of colon cancer has been reported.
Folic acid fortification was introduced by the United States and Canada in 1998, on the grounds that it would help to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida in the fetus. Folic acid depletion had also been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, examination of hospital discharge data on colon cancer rates for Chile for periods from 1992 – 1996 (before fortification) and 2001- 2004 (after fortification) showed substantial increases in colorectal cancer rates after fortification. For instance, Dr. Sandra Hirsch and colleagues from the University of Chile, Santiago, reported that cases of colon cancer increased by 162% in people aged 45-64 and by 190% in people aged 65 – 79, after fortification. A 2007 paper also suggested that there had been increases in colon cancer rates in both the US and Canada after mandatory folic acid fortification was introduced, although notes on the research in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology (EJGH) point out that no causal relationship can be proven on the basis of this data.
The editor of the EJGH, Dr Reinhold Stockbrugger points out that there are other possible explanations for the rise in colon cancer in Chile including increases in obesity and other risk factors. He is also somewhat sceptical about the accuracy of hospital discharge data since they are, he said, influenced by healthcare politics. He states that the study provides only a weak, indirect indication of a causal relationship between folate enrichment and colorectal cancer, though similar to that reported in the US and Canada.
The above study is also discussed in The Examiner (29/03/09) where it is noted that European countries have yet to decide whether to impose mandatory folic acid fortification or continue to try to educate women of childbearing age about the need for an adequate intake of folic acid. In a recent paper published in Public Health Nutrition (2009 Apr;12(4):455-67), Harvard University researchers considered four health outcomes resulting from folic acid fortification: neural tube defects (NTD), myocardial infarctions (MI), colon cancers and vitamin B12 deficiency maskings. They concluded that the health and economic gains of folic acid fortification far outweighed the losses for the US population, and that increasing the level of fortification from 140 μg/100 g enriched grain to 700 μg/100 g deserves further consideration to maximise net gains.
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Vitamin D, autoimmune disease, inflammation and athletic performance
Recent reports on vitamin D have generally acknowledged the beneficial role this vitamin plays in many aspects of health maintenance. So surprisingly, this week comes a suggestion that supplemental vitamin D might, in fact, exacerbate autoimmune disease in the long term. Back on the positive side, the vitamin appears to help prevent inflammation in women and improve athletic performance.
Vitamin D deficiency has been regarded as being a contributing factor in the development of autoimmune diseases. However, researchers at the non-profit Autoimmunity Research Foundation (ARF) in California report that low levels of vitamin D in patients with autoimmune disease may be a result of rather than a cause of disease, and that supplemental vitamin D could actually exacerbate the problem. Notes from the ARF state that the form of vitamin D derived from food and supplements is 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and this is a secosteroid hormone and not a vitamin. Molecular research has shown that in this form 25(OH)D inactivates, rather than activates, the vitamin D nuclear receptor (VDR). The VDR is now known to transcribe more than 900 genes and largely control the innate immune response by expressing the majority of the body’s antimicrobial peptides. The Human Microbiome project has shown that within the body of a healthy adult, microbial cells are estimated to outnumber human cells by a factor of ten to one. These bacterial communities, however, remain largely unstudied, leaving almost entirely unknown their influence upon human development, physiology, immunity, and nutrition. It is postulated that by deactivating the VDR and subsequently the immune response, 25(OH)D lowers inflammation in the short term but allows the bacteria to spread more easily throughout the body in the long run. Because the bacteria implicated in autoimmune disease grow very slowly, the long term harm caused by 25(OH)D has gone unrecognised. (More details at Eurekalert.org 08/04/09, with links to a paper entitled “Vitamin D: the alternative hypothesis” and to the web site of the Autoimmunity Research Foundation).
In the Archives of Internal Medicine, (2009;169(6):626-632) an article describes the analysis of data from the US NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Study) which has suggested that 75% of Americans do not get enough vitamin D, and that this deficiency may impair immune and cardiovascular function and raise cancer risk. Work published in 2008 by Dr Catherine Peterson from the University of Missouri also showed that even healthy women who have insufficient levels of vitamin D, have increased levels of the inflammatory marker TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-alpha). Peterson believes the results support the need to re-examine the biological basis for determining the dietary reference intake (DRI) for vitamin D. (Journal of Inflammation, July 2008).
Sports scientists from the Universities of North and South Carolina have reviewed the role of vitamin D in relation to athletic performance and their findings have been published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (03/04/09, published ahead of print). According to the authors’ summary, numerous studies, particularly in the German literature from the 1950s, show vitamin D-producing ultraviolet light improves athletic performance. Furthermore, the literature indicates that physical and athletic performance is seasonal; it peaks when 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels peak, declines as they decline, and reaches its nadir when 25(OH)D levels are at their lowest. Vitamin D also increases the size and number of Type II (fast twitch) muscle fibres. Most cross-sectional studies show that 25(OH)D levels are directly associated with musculoskeletal performance in older individuals. Most randomized controlled trials, again mostly in older individuals, show that vitamin D improves physical performance. It is concluded that Vitamin D may improve athletic performance in vitamin D-deficient athletes. Peak athletic performance may occur when 25(OH)D levels approach those obtained by natural, full-body, summer sun exposure. The authors suggest that such 25(OH)D levels may also protect the athlete from several acute and chronic medical conditions.
RSSL's Functional Ingredients Laboratory provides vitamin analysis in a wide range of matrices including drinks, fortified foods, pre-mixes and multi-vitamin tablets. Storage stability studies can be used to ensure that the required levels of vitamins are still available at the end of shelf life. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
RSSL's Vitamin Team can analyse. For more information call Customer Services on 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com.
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Chicken collagen can lower blood pressure
Ai Saiga and colleagues from Nippon Meat Packers Incorporated and Hiroshima University, Japan, have conducted a study to investigate the potential action of collagen taken from chicken legs in lowering blood pressure. The study has recently been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and has been discussed in Science Daily.
High blood pressure (or hypertension) has long been known to be a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. It affects a huge number of people, thought to be in the region of 1 billion worldwide. Life style and diet are key factors that can contribute to blood pressure and it is possible that small changes in these can have very beneficial affects. Some foods such as sardines and skipjack tuna have been identified as containing components that can have antihypertensive effects. Such foods are now being marketed as functional foods that can help people suffering with high blood pressure.
The authors had previously reported the potential role of chicken breast muscle hydrolysate in decreasing blood pressure. The peptides responsible for this action were found to be angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE is an enzyme that causes vasoconstriction in the body, narrowing the blood vessels and so increasing blood pressure. By inhibiting the action of this enzyme, the blood vessels will remain dilated and therefore the blood can flow more freely, so that no increase in blood pressure is observed.
In the study they prepared chicken collagen hydrolysate using collagen from chicken legs, and examined its activity after treatment with digestive enzymes. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were treated with the collagen hydrolysate to examine how effective its antihypertensive action was.
The team were able to identify four peptides with ACE-inhibitory activity in the collagen hydrolysate. Oral administration of the low molecular weight chicken collagen hydrolysate significantly reduced the blood pressure of the SHRs. This supported the idea that ACE inhibitory peptides in the collagen can still be effective at lowering blood pressure after gastrointestinal digestion and absorption. The collagen taken from the chicken legs was also just as effective as that from the breast muscle.
The authors concluded that their results strongly support the theory that collagen peptides can lower blood pressure. They emphasise the importance of diet and life style in contributing to hypertension and believe that adding ACE-inhibitors into the diet could be greatly beneficial.
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New vitamin E form found in kiwi fruit
A study by scientists from two universities in Naples, Italy and published in Food Chemistry reports the identification of a new form of vitamin E found in kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis). Vitamin E is known for its free radical scavenging and antioxidant capabilities and this discovery adds to the total antioxidant capability associated with kiwi fruit.
Recent research has shown that a diet high in plant products can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Consumption of vitamin E has been shown to contribute to antioxidant activity and several recent studies have shown that vitamin E consumption may decrease the risk of certain cancers. The term vitamin E is used to describe a family of 8 fat soluble and structurally related molecules, these being tocopherols (α, β, γ, δ) and tocotrienols (α, β, γ, δ). α-tocopherol is the main source of vitamin E in the European diet whilst γ- tocopherol is most common in the American diet. α- tocopherol is the form of vitamin E mainly found in supplements. Kiwi fruit is one of the few fruits that are a good source of vitamin E. Fiorentino et al sought to examine the pulp and skin of kiwi fruits for vitamin E compounds.
Fruits were collected just after harvest and stored at 4oC at 98% humidity. The fruits were sliced and peels were dried over night. Compounds in the peel and pulp were extracted using hexane. The study states that α-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol were identified in the peel extract along with a new vitamin E named δ-tocomonoenol. This compound was identified and characterised using a variety of analytical techniques including EIMS, TIC chromatography and NMR. The researchers then sought to investigate the concentrations of this new vitamin E form and its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity in both peel and pulp. Using GCMS, Fiorentino et al showed that whilst α-tocopherol is present in similar concentrations in both peel and pulp, δ-tocopherol and the newly identified δ-tocomonoenol were present in higher concentrations in the peel than the pulp.
The researchers sought to discover the antioxidant capacity of δ-tocomonoenol and compare this to the other vitamin E forms found in kiwi fruit using five different measures. These measures sought to determine the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging capacity (using the Brand-Williams Cuvelier and Berset method), superoxide radical scavenging capability, total antioxidant capacity (using spectrophotometric evaluation), inhibition of auto-oxidation of methyl linoleate and determination of TBARS. The study states that the radical scavenging capacities of the newly identified δ-tocomonoenol and δ-tocopherol are quite similar. All three compounds studied inhibited the lipoperoxidative process and whilst α-tocopherol was the most effective, δ-tocomonoenol was slightly more active than δ-tocopherol.
In conclusion the study indicates that the identification and characterisation of this new vitamin E form in kiwi fruit along with a demonstration of its radical scavenging and antioxidant capacity indicated its involved in the total antioxidant activity associated with kiwi fruit. (Fiorentino et al. Food Chemistry, 2009, 115 (1): 87-192).
RSSL's Functional Ingredients Laboratory provides vitamin analysis in a wide range of matrices including drinks, fortified foods, pre-mixes and multi-vitamin tablets. Storage stability studies can be used to ensure that the required levels of vitamins are still available at the end of shelf life. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
RSSL's Vitamin Team can analyse. For more information call Customer Services on 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com.
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Product recalls and alerts
**Marybake recalls batches of yoghurt coated fruit
**From Australia and New Zealand
**From Canada
**From the US
**European Rapid Alerts for week 16
**Links to recall web sites
**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods
**Marybake recalls batches of yoghurt coated fruit
Marybake has recalled batches of its yoghurt coated fruit, because the products contain whey powder and lactose. However, they are not labelled as being derived from milk. This makes the products a potential health risk for people with a milk allergy. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
**From Australia and New Zealand
- Nut Producers Australia is conducting a voluntary recall of Tree Nut (Pistachio) Value Pack Dry Roasted and Salted Pistachios in response to information from their supplier that the imported product from the USA potentially contains Salmonella bacteria.
- Nocelle Foods is conducting a voluntary recall of certain nut product in response to testing from their supplier in the United States which indicates potential contamination of Salmonella bacteria.
**From Canada
- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to peanuts or sesame seeds not to consume certain Choripdong brand Biscuits (Rice Puffs). The affected product contains peanuts and sesame seeds which are not declared on the label.
- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Dollarama are warning people with allergies to peanut proteins not to consume certain Bergen brand Almond Cookies. The affected product may contain peanuts which are not declared on the label.
**Pistachios and Salmonella contamination
See the CFIA Website for recalls linked to Salmonella associated with pistachios supplied by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc.
**From the US
- Olde Cape Cod Foods of Ayer, MA is voluntarily recalling Old Cape Cod Sweet & Bold Grilling Sauce, because it contains trace amounts of an undeclared seafood allergen (anchovy).
- Cub Foods is voluntarily recalling Cub Foods brand Queen Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos because the jars have the potential to be contaminated with glass. The affected product was sold at Cub Foods stores in Minnesota and Iowa.
- Mrs. Grissom’s Salads is recalling all lots of the certain cheese products due to undeclared anchovies.
- Amalgamated Produce, Inc. (API), Bridgeport, CT, announced a voluntary recall of its Specialty Farms, Vermont Sprout House, Nature’s Promise and BroccoSprouts (noted as distributed by API, Bridgeport, CT) sprout items with sell by date codes of March 31 through April 27, 2009. These sprouts are being recalled because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).
- Fine Land Corp is recalling Mong Lee Shang Brand Dry Bamboo Shoots because it contains undeclared sulphites.
- Little Ferry, Castillo Distributor Inc has announced the voluntary recall all the products Monell’s Teething Cordial (in Spanish named as Cordial de Monell para la Denticion ) . The Company began recalling the mentioned product as a precautionary measure due to an increase in the number of reports of adverse patient reactions that may be associated with the product. Adverse patient reactions have included infants becoming lethargic.
**Pistachios and Salmonella contamination
See the FDA Website for recalls linked to Salmonella associated with pistachios supplied by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc.
**European Rapid Alerts for week 16
The results of rapid alerts for week 16 (up to 10/4/2009) are now available on the Europa web site.
**Links to recall web sites
For UK product recalls visit the Food Standards Agency’s Food Alerts and Allergy Alert web sites.
For US product recalls visit the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web sites.
For product recalls in Australia and New Zealand visit the FSANZ web site.
For Canada go to The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
For Ireland go to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods
Food e-News does not cover product recalls and mislabelling alerts for Kosher or Halal products. If you need information on these please go to the London Beth Din Kashrut Division where there is a facility on the home page to access the kosher alerts system. For US Kosher alerts please go to Kashrut.com and follow the link labelled 'Consumer Kashrut Alerts' for Kosher alerts. For Halal alerts go to the Muslim Consumer Group web site, which also outlines the criteria used to judge if products are halal or not.
RSSL's Emergency Response Service (ERS) helps customers deal with a wide range of product emergencies and offers advice on crisis management. It operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. To request an ERS presentation or find out more please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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Food safety
**Methyl yellow found in food spices
**US Food recalls: ignored by 40%
**Another case of food poisoning in Singapore
**Allergies, including food allergies on the increase
**Germany bans planting of GM corn
**Over 50s most at risk from food pathogen outbreaks
**Canada bans bisphenol A in baby bottles.
**FDA forms rapid response partnerships with six states
**Update from Pesticides Safety Directorate
**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
**The Food Safety Network
**Methyl yellow found in food spices
Food spices containing the banned food colouring methyl yellow has led to recalls in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Germany. The article on the Food Quality News website has stated although not affecting finished foods for now, the issue is reminiscent of the Sudan Red recalls of 2005. Recalls were carried out on curry pastes and curry based spice mixes after routine checks by the Belgian food safety authority found that curry powder imported by a Belgian company from India contained the banned colour. The maximum level detected in the contaminated products is 1600 ppb of methyl yellow.
**US food recalls ignored by 40%
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 75 million citizens become ill and over 300,000 are hospitalised and around 5000 die each year from food poisoning. Despite the fact that this suggests that nearly all Americans have been victims of a food-borne infection, a recent survey by Rutgers University, New Jersey has indicated that less than 20% think they have been made ill by eating contaminated food. Nearly 85% of respondents say they pay attention to food recalls but only 60% say they search for recalled foods in their homes. The authors of the report, funded by the US Department of Agriculture and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, indicate that their results show that consumers need clear instructions on how to act following a food recall. (Reuters)
**Another case of food poisoning in Singapore
Twelve people are being treated as outpatients in Singapore after eating at the same local steamboat restaurant. Local media have reported that they all exhibited signs of food poisoning, including vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. The incident is now being investigated by Singapore's Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency. (China View)
**Allergies, including food allergies on the increase
Doctors in the UK now claim that up to 40% of the population, including children, now suffer from allergies. According to researchers, the number of children with food allergies has tripled in the past 10 years and the inclusion of more exotic foods in the diet could be to blame. Muriel Simmons, chief executive of the charity Allergy UK is quoted as saying that there is evidence that the growth in the number of children suffering from severe allergies could be due to eating a more diverse range of foods at a much younger age. Other research, which found that asthma deaths peak during summer months, indicates that global warming may be increasing fungal spore and pollen levels during this period, these being known causes of asthma. Also, according to new studies, eczema affects up to 40% more people than 4 years ago and this is being seen as a gateway which can enable other allergies to take hold. (Telegraph.co.uk and BBC Health News).
**Germany bans planting of GM corn
Germany has joined a number of other EC countries by banning planting of GM corn variety MON 810. Ilse Aigner, German Agriculture Minister said the government had come to the conclusion that corn from MON 810 constitutes a danger to the environment. Planting bans on MON 810 have also been imposed in France, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Luxembourg and the Welsh assembly has declared the principality to be ‘GM-free’. The European Commission, supported by the governments of the UK, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden, claim the planting bans were unjustified as the strain has been declared safe by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). MON 810 was developed to resist a corn-boring moth larva, against which there is only one approved insecticide. It was first approved in the EU in 1998 and permitted as a commercial crop in Germany since 2005. The European Commission said it was going to consider the decision and decide on the most appropriate follow up. (Guardian)
**Over 50s most at risk from food pathogen outbreaks
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked food-borne pathogen outbreaks since 1996 and have just published the findings on the FoodNet reporting system for 2008. Scientists thought that children under four years of age were most at risk, since such cases are seen by doctors at a much higher rate. However, when a more targeted analysis was performed, it appeared that this may have been due to worried parents taking their kids to the doctors and in fact hospitalisation and death rates were significantly higher for the over 50s. For those infected with Listeria, 86% of those over 50 were hospitalised compared to 52% of those under 4. For deadly strains of E coli and Salmonella, the comparisons were 53% vs. 31% and 40% vs. 19% respectively. The report found no significant change in the number of food-borne illnesses from 2007, this being 25% down on the 1996-1998 numbers. A CDC spokesperson indicated that there had been a steady decline in the number of illnesses but that the trend levelled out in 2005. (USA Today).
**Canada bans bisphenol A in baby bottles
Canada is expected to become the first country to officially declare that bisphenol A is hazardous to human health and will inform the manufacturers of baby bottles that the substance cannot be used in their products. This announcement comes 6 months after the government announced its intention to impose a limited ban. At the time of the initial announcement, Health Minister Tony Clement was quoted as saying that while most Canadians need not be concerned about the effects of bisphenol A, this was not the case for newborns and infants. Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, said that the expected declaration was a good start but that evidence continues to mount concerning the effects of bisphenol A in adults. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in September 2008 indicated that there was a ‘significant relationship’ between exposure to bisphenol A and heart disease, diabetes and liver problems. (Canada.com)
**FDA forms rapid response partnerships with six states
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has formed partnerships with six states to create rapid response teams to streamline investigations into food-borne illnesses. The FDA’s associate commissioner for foods, Dr David Acheson, indicated that California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina had received FDA grants to establish a pilot program and that the FDA hoped to add another three states to the pilot. The program is modelled on a long standing arrangement between the FDA and California which allows federal and state investigators to get to a facility quickly to conduct a joint investigation. The pilot aims to eliminating duplication of effort and to build inspection capacity, improve response times and develop standards for inspectors. (CIDRAP).
**Update from Pesticides Safety Directorate
Helena Cooke from the Consumer Safety and European Policy Branch of the Chemicals Regulation Directorate reports that the Secretariat to the Pesticide Residues Committee PRC) is now part of the Health and Safety Executive’s new Chemicals Regulation Directorate and the email address is now prc@hse.gov.uk. She also notes that the 2009 Open Event will be held on 13 May at the National Railway Museum York, also that the monthly results for grapes and pears for January and February 2009 have been released.
**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
Regular global updates on food poisoning outbreaks and animal diseases, such as avian influenza, foot and mouth, Ebola, SARS, and Anthrax can be found on the International Society for Infectious Diseases ‘ProMED-mail’ web site.
**The Food Safety Network
The International Food Safety Network (iFSN) at Kansas State University provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues. An international repository of food safety-related information, FSN offers consumer, student and industry outreach services, information research, on-line resources, collaborative projects, evaluation and analysis, and a capacity to address current and emerging food safety concerns.
RSSL's scientists are able to assist food businesses to manage food safety issues more effectively. The laboratories have considerable experience in the detection and identification of foreign bodies, heavy metals, allergens, toxins and chemical residues. For more information on any of these services and RSSL's Emergency Response Service, please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com
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Legislation headlines
**ECJ ruling on red rice
**Allergen labelling for wines
**Recovery plan for Mediterranean tuna
**EFSA opinions on fish welfare
**EFSA consults on guidelines on food enzymes
**Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) and iron absorption claim
**France adopts 'Fed without GMOs' label
**ECJ ruling on red rice
According to Dr Gareth Morgan, a partner in the London office of European law firm Taylor Wessing, a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) verdict may have a liberating effect on the European food supplements market. The ECJ decision is likely to lead to a relaxation of the policy pursued by European medicines licensing agencies to borderline products, saving companies valuable market lead time and costs. The decision should minimise the fragmentation of product markets across Europe, reducing the number of cases where products are classified as medicines in some member states, but food supplements or cosmeceuticals in others. The product in question in this case was a fermented red rice food supplement. It was known that the product contained low levels of a type of statin, a medication used to lower cholesterol levels. On this basis it fell into the category of a borderline product, at the interface between a food and a medicine. More details in NutraIngredients.com (08/04/09).
**Allergen labelling for wines
Notes from the Anaphylaxis Campaign state that a draft Commission Regulation amending Directive 2007/68/EC on allergen labelling was agreed at a meeting of the Standing Committee on 27/03/09. For the labelling of egg and milk ingredients used as fining agents in wines, the provisional arrangements which would have expired on 31 May 2009, have been extended to the 31 December 2010. Egg and milk ingredients used as fining agents in wines failed to gain permanent exemption from mandatory allergen labelling in 2007. At that time a panel of experts advised the European Food Safety Authority that the evidence provided for the non-allergenicity of the fined wines was weak. The panel was worried that the absence of known cases of allergic reactions to fine wines may be due to under-reporting and lack of awareness that egg and milk can be used in the wine making process. The panel said the available experimental data was preliminary and not sufficient to exclude residual allergenicity. The extension was agreed following strong representations by the UK wine industry and is expected to save wine businesses thousands of pounds associated with the costs of re-labelling product ranges.
**Recovery plan for Mediterranean tuna
Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 of 6 April 2009 gives details of a multiannual recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and amends Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 and repeals Regulation (EC) No 1559/2007.
**EFSA opinions on fish welfare
The European Food Safety Authority’s panel on animal health and welfare (AHAW) has published opinions on species-specific welfare aspects of the main systems of stunning and killing of farmed Atlantic Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Seabass and Seabream.
**EFSA consults on guidelines on food enzymes
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a public consultation on draft guidelines for the safety evaluation of food enzymes. The guidelines will specify the type of information that industry should provide to enable EFSA to carry out the safety assessments on enzymes. This includes the description of chemical composition, properties and toxicological tests. Comments can be made online via the EFSA web site, and must be submitted by 8 June 2009. The full text of the guidance document on enzymes is also available on the web site.
**Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) and iron absorption claim
The European Food Safety Authority’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) and improved iron absorption. The applicant, Probi AB, submitted 5 publications to substantiate its claim. Four were human studies which focused on the effect of the strain on non-haem iron absorption from different products. Two of the studies corresponded to published data and the other two were unpublished. The fifth study corresponded to an in vitro unpublished study. The weaknesses of the studies, such as short intervention periods, differences in the doses of L. plantarum 299v, limited number of subjects, and conflicting findings, were identified by the Panel as factors restricting the studies value in substantiation of the claimed effect. On the basis of the data presented, the NDA Panel concluded that a cause and effect relationship had not been established between the consumption of L. plantarum 299v and the improvement of iron absorption.
**France adopts 'Fed without GMOs' label
The Conseil National de la Consommation (CNC), a consumers group which is attached to Ministry of Finance and Consumer Affairs in France, has announced a new labelling scheme for meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products from livestock that have not been given feed containing genetically modified organisms. The "Nourri sans OGM" (Fed without GMOs) label was adopted on 3 April 2009. There is no regulatory requirement in France to declare to consumers if products are from livestock fed on GM crops, but many farmers and manufacturers of premium, Label-Rouge, products have already implemented a GM-free segregation system. AgBiotech Reporter (subscription, 13/04/09)
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Other headlines (15/04/09)
**Fuel created from banana waste
**Soybean component reduces menopausal symptoms
**Pigs may be freed from zoonoses in future
**Capsaicin plus green tea combination may aid weight loss
**Diet sodas linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes
**US experts propose tax on sugar-sweetened beverages
**Quackwatch on detoxification schemes and scams
**Children who eat porridge for breakfast 'get better exam results'
**Fuel created from banana waste
Bananas are a staple crop of Rwanda. The fruit is eaten raw, fried and baked, and can be used to produce banana beer and wine. Around 2 million tons are grown each year but the fruit is only a small percentage of what the plant produces. The remaining skins, leaves and stems are left to rot as waste. Now scientists at the University of Nottingham, UK, are looking at ways to use that waste to produce fuel, developing simple methods of producing banana briquettes that could be burnt for cooking and heating. PhD student Joel Chaney in the Faculty of Engineering has developed a method of producing the briquettes using minimal tools and technology, which could be used in communities all over Africa. (Quoted direct from UON press release).
**Soybean component reduces menopausal symptoms
Soy isoflavone aglycones (SIA), a group of soybean constituent chemicals, have been shown to promote health in a rat model of the menopause. The research, described in BioMed Central’s open access journal Nutrition & Metabolism, shows how dietary supplementation with SIA lowers cholesterol, increases the anti-oxidative properties of the liver and prevents degeneration of the vaginal epithelium. (From AlphaGalileo.org 07/04/09).
**Pigs may be freed from zoonoses in future
Pigs are carriers of Yersinia enterocolitica which can infect other pigs and humans. Eating improperly-cooked pork can cause human infections and in serious cases can cause arthritis among other illnesses. A scientist from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Professor Truls Nesbakken, is studying how to rid pigs of this bacterium. Several measures have been introduced by Norwegian abattoirs to improve slaughter hygiene, although two people who ate pickled pork for Christmas in 2006 died of yersiniosis. Understanding, prevention and control of zoonoses, or diseases spread between animals and man is central to Veterinary Public Health. (Science Daily).
**Capsaicin plus green tea combination may aid weight loss
A study by researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands, published in Clinical Nutrition has found that a combination of green tea and capsaicin could promote the feeling of fullness and sustain satiety, which could mean it could be successful for weight management. Twenty seven people with an average age of 27 were randomised to have three weeks of negative (less calories consumed than used) and three weeks of positive energy balance (more calories consumed than used). The researchers tested the effects of capsaicin, green tea, CH-19 sweet pepper, capsaicin plus green tea, or placebo on appetite, energy intake, body weight and heart rate on 10 test days of the study and found that only the CH-19 and the capsaicin plus green tea combinations produced a reduction in energy intake during the positive energy balance period. Westerterp-Plantenga et al found that the combined supplement suppressed hunger and increased satiety, and this was greater during negative than positive energy balance. They are quoted as saying that these results suggest that bioactive ingredients (capsaicin, green tea, CH-19 sweet pepper) may help in reducing energy intake to prevent body weight gain and may support body weight loss by relatively sustaining satiety and suppressing hunger. (NutraIngredients.com).
**Diet sodas linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes
Data retrieved from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) by Jennifer A. Nettleton and co-authors from several US academic institutions have suggested that daily consumption of diet sodas (artificially sweetened beverages) was associated with significantly greater risks of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The study, of more than 5,000 US adults, found that those who drank diet soda daily were 67% more likely than those who did not drink them, to develop type 2 diabetes over the next few years. They also had higher odds of blood sugar elevations and weight gain around the middle of the body. The current findings, note Nettleton and her colleagues, do not prove cause-and-effect, and further research is needed to understand why diet soda and diabetes are connected. Diabetes Care, 2009. 32: 688-694, 2009. DOI: 10.2337/dc08-1799. Summary in Reuters Health (10/04/09))
**US experts propose tax on sugar-sweetened beverages
Writing in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Kelly Brownell of Yale University in Connecticut and New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden suggest that putting a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks could help fight obesity by cutting consumption and raising billions of dollars to help state and local governments pay for programs. The authors claims that taxes have been shown to reduce smoking and are just as likely to help adults and children choose healthier drinks, which are now usually more expensive than sodas and other sweetened beverages. It is suggested that a tax of one penny per fluid ounce (30 ml) on drinks such as soda, sports drinks and sugar-sweetened fruit juice and iced tea could reduce consumption of sugared beverages by more than 10%.
**Quackwatch on detoxification schemes and scams
An online newsletter from Quackwatch, dated 8 April 2009, explores the validity of claims made for products aimed at colon cleansing, colonic irrigation, ionic cleansing, sweating out alleged toxins, campaigns to outlaw amalgam dental fillings and chelation therapy. Quackwatch is compiled and edited by Dr Stephen Barrett and is always an interesting read!
**Children who eat porridge for breakfast 'get better exam results'
The Telegraph (09/04/09) reports on children who eat porridge for breakfast. It suggests that those who followed such a diet before their third birthday had improved scores in reading and problem-solving tests compared to their peers. In a study that provides some of the strongest links yet between nutrition and academic performance, academics said it also increased the likelihood of remaining in education for longer. It had a particular effect on girls.
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