A European-backed study aims to scientifically assess claims that polysaccharide fibres can boost the immune system. [ + ]

Marrying food intake styles and consumer desires with healthy food options is not always simple. Consumers are eating more discretionary food and snacking more. According to market research company The NPD Group, more than half the US population is snacking two or three times a day. [ + ]

Bananas ripen, soften and rot into an unappetising mush, seemingly in the blink of an eye - but a solution may be at hand. Chinese scientists are developing a spray-on coating that consumers could use to delay the ripening of bananas. [ + ]

A proof-of-concept clinical trial of an ‘anti-hunger’ ingredient for yoghurt, fruit shakes, smoothies and other foods that makes people feel full longer and eases their craving to eat has had promising results. [ + ]

CoMac’s kegging, bottling and canning equipment is popular with the wine industry, and particularly with producers of wine kegs. [ + ]

Bosch has updated its Elematic 3000 S case packer. Designed for organic product manufacturer Rapunzel Naturkost, this version of the machine is engineered to handle glass jars. [ + ]

Over 58% of all soft drink product launches recorded by Innova in 2011-12 had some kind of health claim, with many products using passive and active health claims together. [ + ]

University of Warwick chemists have taken out much of the cocoa butter and milk fats that go into chocolate bars, substituting them with tiny droplets of juice measuring under 30 µm in diameter. [ + ]

Opening packages is taken for granted by most. But Arthritis Australia asks that we all be cognisant of those members of society who struggle with opening packs. [ + ]

Sensors that work flawlessly in laboratory settings may stumble when it comes to performing in real-world conditions, according to researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [ + ]

Even if milk has been pasteurised to kill off microbes that can cause food spoilage and disease, certain bacterial strains can survive the heat shock as spores and cause milk to curdle in storage. Now it seems that higher pasteurisation temperatures may aid spore germination. [ + ]

Since the mid-1990s, Denmark has reduced animal consumption of antimicrobial agents by 60% without reducing its agricultural output. Bearing in mind that the global consumption of antimicrobial agents for animals is almost twice the size of human consumption, Denmark’s efforts are a shining light in the global struggle against antimicrobial resistance. [ + ]

When looking to tighten its contamination detection capabilities, John Morley Importers approached Mettler Toledo for X-ray inspection solutions. [ + ]

A new slippery technology that has been shown to prevent more than 99% of bacterial slime from forming on surfaces may prove a boon in food processors’ battles to keep surfaces hygienic. [ + ]

Along with minimal packaging, consumers like recyclable packaging, environmentally friendly packaging materials and to support consumer packaged goods companies that bring sustainability to the production floor with improvements to reduce energy usage or air and water waste. Following, some of the food packaging industry’s major players reveal some of their environmentally friendly materials and innovations which can improve productivity while reducing carbon footprints. [ + ]