Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, in the United States, claim to have identified a human receptor that can detect fat – irrespective of taste. Their research suggests that some people may be more sensitive to the presence of fat in foods. The researchers found that people with a particular variant of the CD36 gene are far more sensitive to the presence of fat than others. Their study is available online in the Journal of Lipid Research. The researchers studied 21 people... ...Read more »

A team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and Columbia University have estimated that a nationwide tax on sweetened beverages in the U.S. would prevent nearly 26,000 deaths each year. Their research was based on the findings of previous U.S. research which estimated that a ‘penny-per-ounce’ tax would reduce consumption of sweetened beverages by 15 per cent over a decade. However, it appears the authors of the later study have... ...Read more »

Queensland Government scientists and researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered new anti-microbial properties in a combination of natural-plant ingredients, including two common native Australian plums. A research team led by QAAFI food scientist Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa has discovered that when small amounts of the kakadu and Queensland Davidson plum are combined with organic acids they display new anti-microbial properties. The researchers are now looking at ways to extend the shelf-life... ...Read more »

EU researchers believe that whey protein’s future potential as a packaging material could reduce or replace the use of petrochemicals in food packaging. Researchers working on the EU’s “Wheylayer” project have developed a whey protein layer to replace a petrochemical-based polymer layer in packaging. The natural ingredients in the whey extend the shelf life of food products, and the whey protein layer is biodegradable. Currently, transparent multilayer films, in which each... ...Read more »

A new study by American and British scientists has found that colourful food appeals more to children than adults. The study, published in the January 2012 issue of the American journal Acta Paediatrica, found that meals with seven different items and six different colours are particularly appealing to children, while adults tend to prefer fewer colours ‑ only three items and three colours. Cornell University’s professor of marketing, Professor Brian Wansink and the study’s co-authors, Kevin... ...Read more »

The harmonisation of certain wine labelling and food regulation laws in Australia have helped improve the competitiveness of Australian industry, according to a new report from the Productivity Commission. A ‘discussion draft’ report, titled ‘Impacts of Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reforms: Business Regulation and VET’, was released today by the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission is the Australian Government’s independent research and advisory body. The... ...Read more »

Scientists from two Australian universities in collaboration with an international academic have discovered ancient wild cereal genes that could potentially allow less water to be used in conventional crops. In a report published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ today, University of Queensland’s Professor Robert Henry said there were global implications for the discovery. Professor Henry said that wild rice plants in hotter and drier parts of Australia tend to be more... ...Read more »

The findings just released of a nationwide survey by Australian consumer research group, Roy Morgan Research, reveal that Chinese is the most popular international cuisine among Australians. Roy Morgan Research sampled the views of 52,119 Australians between October 2010 and September 2011. According to the survey’s findings, the traditional ethnic cuisines of Australia’s earlier immigrants — Chinese and Italian — remain the most popular international cuisines among Australians. However,... ...Read more »

Following a cabinet reshuffle announced today by Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Australia’s Senator Kim Carr has lost his position as Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research to Australian Labor Party member Greg Combet. After the 2007 federal election, Senator Carr, also a member of the Australian Labor Party, was appointed Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research by the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Senator Carr was then re-elected in the 2010... ...Read more »

Australian and New Zealand ministers today put nutrition and preventative health at the heart of a plan to reform laws on packaged food and drink product labelling in Australia. Ministers met in Melbourne today to consider their response to the recommendations in the Food Labelling Review Report, Labelling Logic (also known as the Blewett report). This was the first meeting of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation (Forum). The Forum on Food Regulation replaces the Australia and... ...Read more »