Beyond The Headlines: IFF produces anaerobic probiotic, CDI receives USPTO for upscaled wine-derivative

17 Mar 2023 --- This week in nutrition news, IFF successfully achieved industrial-scaled production of its strictly anaerobic probiotic strain. Crush Dynamics Inc (CDI) received a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its flavor-improving and nutrition-fortifying wine production derivatives. Meanwhile, CARE International revealed that women and girls worry more about food and nutrition security during a humanitarian crisis.

In brief: Nutrition news
IFF successfully produced a strict anaerobic probiotic strain at an industrial scale. According to the company, the milestone demonstrates its fermentation capabilities, downstream processing and formulation abilities in the probiotic space. The company further states that this identifies a new microbiome solution and establishes a safe and efficient production of a newly discovered, proprietary gram-negative Akkermansia probiotic species at the lab, pilot and industrial scales, which can improve immunity, insulin sensitivity and the gut barrier function. The company further touted the new capability stating that producing this strain of probiotic at scale had long been a challenge due to its complex and specific nutritional requirements.Botinkit has created the “world’s first” smart cooking appliance for pets.

CDI has been granted a USPTO for its system, method and process of producing nutrient-rich food ingredients from wine derivatives, which the company says is key to the future of agri-food tech, plant-based food, feed and the ingredient sector in Canada. Additionally, CDI states that its proprietary food ingredients enable customers to launch new food products that are cost-effective while meeting consumer demand for sustainability and nutrition and that its approach allows for the bio-transformation of wine-making derivatives into food ingredients with superior taste and texture. Moreover, the process can help the wine industry achieve zero-waste operations as the ingredients can be used in a wide variety of food formulations.

CARE International published a report detailing that women and girls are disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises compared to men and boys. The findings indicate that food security and mental health are bigger concerns for women than men during crises. In Ukraine, 52% of women surveyed said food security was a major concern, compared to just 29% of men. Meanwhile, mental health was three times more likely to be a concern for women than men. The report also highlighted the gendered dimensions of climate change and conflict and called for more opportunities for women to participate in decision-making during crises.

In brief: Business news
New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra has reported a half-year profit after tax of US$368 million, up 50% from the same period last year. The company attributed its performance to its diversification and ability to take advantage of favorable market conditions. However, a reduction in milk powder prices had hit the company’s forecast farmgate milk price range, down 1% to 1,465 million kgMS. The company also proposed a capital return to farm owners and unit holders of around 50 cents per share, subject to the sale of its Chilean Soprole business.Valio will test a methane-reducing feed for dairy cows.

Bayer launched cloud-based solutions for the agri-food industry, combining its AgPowered Services with the Microsoft Azure Data Manager for agriculture. The offerings are designed for use by businesses and organizations, ranging from start-ups to global enterprises, who can license and use the capabilities for their own internal or customer-facing digital solutions. Consumer goods companies can use the cloud offerings to build solutions that provide insight into nutrients, sustainability and production practices. Similarly, companies that develop on-farm technologies can use Microsoft’s new cloud infrastructure and core capabilities to build digital tools that support favorable agronomic outcomes for growers. The cloud-based enterprise solutions also allow value chain partners to apply insights into supply projections and sustainable sourcing.

In brief: Animal nutrition
Valio, A-Rehu, Natural Resources Institute Finland and the University of Helsinki are collaborating on a project to research the use of a feed additive to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows. The “climate-smart” feeding solutions aimed at the Finnish milk production sector are funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and focus on testing the feed additive Bovaer on 3,100 dairy cows at 43 farms. The feed additive, which is approved in the EU, can reduce ruminal methane emissions by up to 30%. The pilot study aims to address practical challenges to make the special feed widely available to different dairy farms in Finland. The project is also examining other dietary means to reduce ruminal methane emissions in the future. Methane accounts for about 50% of the climate emissions from dairy farms and reducing it could help achieve Finland’s carbon neutrality target.

A Care International says women should be involved in decision-making processes during crises.Botinkit launched Petco, stating that it is the world’s first smart cooking appliance for pets, designed to intelligently recommend recipes and prepare food according to a pet’s breed, age, skeletal structure and gender. Pet owners can customize the food plan to enhance their pet’s nutrition. The appliance is made of 7-series aluminum alloy and has a sandblasted and anodized, mobile phone steel finish. Petco will soon be available in many countries and regions worldwide, with the aim of solving the problem of  pets’ unbalanced nutrition.

In brief: Scientific studies
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 99 healthy Japanese adults and published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements aimed to examine the effects of highly bioavailable curcumin on common cold symptoms, immune function and inflammatory markers. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups and given either 150 mg a day of Theracurmin Super, Theracurmin or a placebo. Participants consumed four capsules of their assigned group daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the cumulative number of days for which common cold symptoms persisted and found that consumption of highly bioavailable curcumin for 12 weeks reduced the number of days for which common cold symptoms persisted in healthy Japanese adults compared to the placebo group. The study also assessed additional outcomes, including immune and inflammatory parameters, liver function parameters and physical examination results and found no adverse effects. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties and has been reported to exhibit immunomodulatory properties.

A research team from the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Science in Japan has established a method for detecting reactive polysulfides in vegetables, which can act as potent antioxidants, using mass spectrometry with a stable-isotope dilution method. The study, published in Food Chemistry, quantified the total reactive polysulfide content of 22 vegetables, including onions and garlic, and found that high levels of reactive polysulfides could be found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage as well. This discovery provides a basis for research on reactive polysulfides in food, whose detailed properties and endogenous production mechanisms have not yet been clarified, according to Dr. Shingo Kasamatsu, who led the research team. The researchers argue that the findings could contribute to the development of the research field and the creation of foods and supplements rich in reactive polysulfides with antioxidant activity.

By William Bradford Nichols

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