Soybean oils with a similar nutritional profile to olive oil could be on the market in three to five years, according to biotech giant Monsanto.

The company is developing new transgenic soybeans under the Vistive III brand with high levels of oleic acid (55-75%), ultra-low levels of linolenic acid and just 6% saturated fat, said Eric Sachs, Monsanto's scientific affairs lead: "We're effectively turning down a gene for saturated fat by manipulating the enzymes responsible for fatty acid synthesis."

Whey ingredients could play a far more significant role in gut and immune health products in future, according to academics at WheyVolution.

While its nutritional benefits were grabbing all the headlines, the technical properties of whey were driving its usage in the confectionery industry, said Andrea Pernot-Barry, technical director at ZDS, the Central College of the German Confectionery Trade.

Innovative use of whey protein isolate (WPI) has helped US retailer Safeway create an own-label rival to branded 'slow-churn' low fat ice creams at a fraction of the cost.

Whey protein should play a more significant role in weight management products in the future, both as an appetite suppressant and a means of improving body composition, according to leading scientists attending WheyVolution. Dr Harvey Anderson, who has gained an international reputation for his work on the glycaemic index at the University of Toronto, said he was very impressed by the ability of intact whey proteins (taken before meals) to reduce blood glucose response after meals.

Food manufacturers have "barely scratched the surface" when it comes to realising the full potential of whey as a value-added ingredient, according to experts gathered at 'WheyVolution' in Paris. While some whey derivatives were showing double-digit growth and overall volumes were expected to grow 6% annually until 2010, many ingredients suppliers had "failed to convince mass market players about added value whey products", argued Iris Consulting director Richard Field, who has just conducted an analysis of the $5bn whey market. "Consumer awareness is low and there is a major marketing exercise to be done to bring whey truly into the mainstream as a health ingredient," he said. But the trade also needed educating: "If you asked the average UK supermarket buyer what he thought of glycomacropeptide [a bioactive from whey connected to cardiovascular health], I suspect you'd get some pretty blank looks."

Commercial quantities of a new prebiotic derived from wheat could be available by 2010.

Greenpalm, the trading scheme developed to promote the sustainable production of palm oil, has finally got underway, with the first certificates now available.

The health claims Regulation is not geared up to handle generic health claims about whole food groups such as dairy or fruit and vegetables, Ireland's National Dairy Council (NDC) has claimed.

Food Ingredients, Health & Nutrition and Food Manufacture are hosting an exciting new conference addressing all aspects of product development from how to decide which ingredients to use, to how to work with third parties to get winning products from concept to launch more quickly.

Bread made with selenium-enriched wheat flour could hit supermarket shelves shortly following a tie-up between crop scientists, upmarket retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) and a fertiliser firm.

The food industry has engaged in a last ditch attempt to halt the progress of EU proposals to restrict pesticide use, which it claims could cause crop yields to plummet at a time when food prices are already spiralling out of control. Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the Crop Protection Association, said. "We're lobbying at every level to get politicians to look at this again. Trade associations from right across the food industry have also written to [British prime minister] Gordon Brown urging him to take their concerns to [French president] Nicolas Sarkozy.

Scientists at the University of Newcastle are developing breads fortified with brown seaweed extracts (alginates) that decrease fat absorption, paving the way for a new breed of weight management foods.

Meat analogues have come a long way since the 1950s, but they have yet to replicate the unique texture of meat, according to vegetable protein specialist Tivall.

Manufacturers need something new to say about soy protein in order to revitalise the market as volume growth starts to plateau, according to soy giant Solae.

Protein needs to address its image problem if it is to broaden its appeal in the mainstream food and drink market, delegates at Europe's first Protein Innovation conference were told. The conference, which was held in Rotterdam last month, brought together leading consumer goods manufacturers, protein suppliers and academics, to discuss new applications of potato, soy, whey, canola, casein, gelatin, lupin and pea protein.

Combinations of gelatin and pectin can create unusual new opportunities for confectioners, according to gelatin giant Rousselot.

DSM Food Specialities is developing a new protein hydrolysate it claims has proven beneficial effects on mood, concentration and alertness.

Interest in the benefits of lupin is growing as manufacturers experiment with new sources of vegetable protein, according to a leading manufacturer of lupin-based ingredients.

As soon as food is ingested, the stomach fills; gastric distension increases and stimulates receptors that feed back to the hypothalamus. Food also stimulates the release of several digestive hormones, such as CCK.

New functional foods for the mouth could hit shelves as more is understood about oral bacteria, according to Dutch contract research giant TNO.

The number of new products making satiety claims has soared, with more than 40 new launches globally in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 60 for the whole of 2007 and 32 in 2006, according to Mintel.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has already received more than 30 applications to make health claims about ingredients claiming to reduce the risk of disease or boost the health and development of children.

Products that make satiety-related claims based primarily on studies showing their effects on gut hormones rather than subjective assessments of appetite or actual food intake are highly unlikely to succeed, Nestlé has claimed.

Fungi could serve as a more cost-effective source of omega-3 fatty acids than fish or microalgae, according to researchers at CABI: a not-for-profit organisation housing one of the world's largest collections of fungi.

The annex of nutrition claims permitted under the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation will be reviewed in the third quarter of this year, raising hopes that some glaring omissions in the list could be addressed.

Consumers in different parts of Europe like to talk about gut health in very different ways, according to a new survey commissioned by ingredients giant Syral.

GlaxoSmithKline is confident that it will not fall foul of the nutrient profiling clause in the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation with its new Lucozade Alert drink.

Nestlé will open a new research and development (R&D) centre in Beijing in July, housing more than 80 scientists.

Omega-3 fish oil suppliers are hopeful that a compromise will be struck this month that will end a legal dispute threatening fish oil supplies into the EU.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is actively seeking partnerships with entrepreneurs, academics, suppliers or other third parties to develop brands like Ribena, Horlicks and Lucozade as it builds an open innovation platform.

The big guns in confectionery will start lobbying in earnest this summer in a bid to prevent the nutrient profiling system in the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation from killing off the European functional chocolate market.

Martek Biosciences will conduct a new clinical study into the effects of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) on cognitive function in children, bosses have confirmed.

The company behind the Novel Food application for pulp from the baobab tree is preparing a second application to gain approval to market oil from the marula tree in food in the EU.

Probiotics will continue their journey from dairy into a wider range of products - from salad dressings and ice cream to cereals with chocolate - in the next 12 months, according to Lal'Food, the functional food business unit of French ingredients giant Lallemand.

A German firm with one of the world's largest databases of natural products is looking to partner with ingredients firms or food manufacturers seeking biologically-active ingredients from fungi, plants or bacteria.

More than a quarter (26%) of the planet's arable land will have to be devoted to fuel production by 2020 in order to meet current biofuel targets, sending food prices into the stratosphere, alternative energy experts have warned.

Retailers will be forced to think twice before they use emotive, unscientific and inflammatory rhetoric about E-numbers if the UK's second largest grocer loses a landmark case over the sweetener aspartame, according to a leading food safety expert.

Manufacturers have been warned against slashing the quality of ingredients in their products in attempts to offset soaring costs.

Soybean oils with a similar nutritional profile to olive oil could be on the market in three to five years, according to biotech giant Monsanto.

Marketing functional and health-giving foods by targeting consumers at certain life stages could bring some structure to a fragmented market, according to a leading market researcher.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the foods mothers eat during pregnancy could have a profound impact on the health outcomes of their offspring in later life.

A major new clinical trial into the effects of omega-3 and cognitive function in children has proved inconclusive.

Eating the right foods from an early age could significantly reduce the risk of developing certain cancers, according to food bioscientists.

The heart health foods of the future will have to address multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease instead of simply focusing on cholesterol reduction, Unilever bosses have predicted.

Adding rice bran to refined cereals, breads, baked goods, extruded snacks, pasta and cookies could be a key means of improving their fibre content and overall nutritional profile, according to nutritionists at Beneo Group.

A proposed amendment to the Nutrition Labelling Directive (90/496/EEC) finally looks set to provide industry with a much-needed EU-wide definition of dietary fibre.

The process of consolidating the mountain of health claims submitted under article 13 of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation could take until June, European Commission (EC) officials have confirmed.

Nestlé has opened a research and development facility dedicated to premium and luxury chocolate.

Manufacturers of high fat/sugar but nutrient-dense foods have scored a victory in their bid to have such products excluded from the nutrient profiling system in the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham, UK, are developing radical 'fast structuring' technologies that could enable 'late stage customisation' of a range of consumer products from spreads to cosmetics.

Premixes firm Fortitech will open new plants in California later this year and in Malaysia next year in order to meet growing demand for fortified foods and supplements.

Japanese starch processor Nihon Starch has struck a deal to use Danisco's patented technology to produce commercial quantities of a calorie-free sweetener called anhydrofructose for the Asian market.

Palm oil prices look set to reach stratospheric new heights this year as demand continues to soar and more crops are diverted into biofuel production, manufacturers have predicted.

Mustard oil could help manufacturers improve the shelf-life of everything from bread to cheese, fruit and pet food without having to use modified atmosphere packaging, according to researchers at the Technical University of Denmark.

Fish waste could prove an abundant source of high quality proteins for the sports nutrition market and selected savoury packaged foods, according to researchers in the north of England.

The first products containing new water-in-oil-in-water (WOW) fat replacers - novel emulsions with a significantly reduced fat content - could hit the market next year.

Plans for a collaborative research project into the use of structured lipid diglyceride (DAG) saturated fat replacers have been shelved because potential partners could not agree on sharing intellectual property (IP) rights.

The European Commission has published a proposed revision of the Novel Food Regulation in order to simplify and speed up the process.

New 'antifreeze' proteins from gelatin could help improve the quality of a range of frozen food by reducing the growth of large ice crystals, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Salba, a grey-coloured seed believed to be one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, could finally be approved for use as a food ingredient in Europe this year following almost five years of wrangling with regulators.

US-based biotechnology firm Dynamic Food Ingredients (DFI) is in talks with food manufacturers about commercialising a technology it claims could slash production costs for xylitol and erythritol by using electrochemistry.

New voluntary guidance on labelling for food manufacturers and other companies using nanotechnology will be launched this month.

The European Food Safety Authority is setting up a working group of 10-15 experts from the Member States to explore the risks and opportunities associated with nanotechnology.

Japanese firm Ariake has opened new factories in France and Belgium to make additive-free sauces, soup bases and bouillons.

Marigot has opened a new factory in Iceland to increase its production of natural mineral products.

Cognis has expanded sterol ester production with a euro10M investment at its plant in Illertissen, Germany.

Coca-Cola has opened a research facility in Beijing to draw upon traditional Chinese medicines to develop new wellbeing lines.

Production will commence at Chr Hansen's new euro40M cultures plant near Copenhagen in the spring. Growth rates in dairy cultures were in the double digits, said the firm.

Production has started at the first plant to produce highly functional, clean-label potato proteins for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Sales of Essensis, the first major launch of a 'beauty from within' food in Europe, have not set the world on fire, according to market researcher Euromonitor.

Brands that present themselves as green are also widely perceived by consumers to be more healthy, according to researchers at brand agency Dragon Brands.

Food manufacturers should devote far more resources to addressing the nutritional vulnerability of older people and the impact that poor nutritional status has on quality of life, according to the former chief scientist at Nestlé UK.

The business case for bioethanol could be substantially strengthened were manufacturers able to isolate high value proteins from products of this process and sell them to the food industry, according to Danish biotech firm Upfront Chromatography.

Chocolate giant Barry Callebaut is aiming to double its business in China within two years, chief innovation officer Hans Vriens has revealed.

Cognis hopes to gain regulatory approval to start marketing foods containing the weight management ingredient conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in Europe by next spring.

Deals between food manufacturers, cosmetics firms, pharmaceutical companies, diagnostics firms and providers of 'wellness services' will drive growth in health and wellness in the coming decade, according to life sciences advisory firm TSG.

Aspartame and sucralose could face some serious competition by the end of the decade if a more 'natural' rival gains approval for use in food in the US and Europe, according to PureCircle, makers of Rebaudioside-A (Reb-A), a sweetener derived from the stevia leaf.

The expert panel tasked with assessing health claims under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation may have to outsource large chunks of the work in order to meet its challenging deadlines, its chairman has admitted.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham, UK, are in talks with leading food manufacturers about commercialising a technology enabling them to more than halve the fat in foods such as salad dressings by using air filled emulsions.

Fruit fillings and glazes specialist Bakbel Europe has opened a new €6M plant in Brussels.

Irish researchers have resurrected camelina sativa - a medieval oil seed crop, also known as false flax - as a potential source of omega-3 in yellow spreads.

A new facility has opened in the Western Isles of Scotland boasting a unique two-stage process for making fatty acid concentrates of up to 99% purity from marine or botanical oils.

BASF has confirmed that its Japanese joint venture partner Takeda will stop manufacturing vitamin C by the end of 2007, leaving DSM as the only major vitamin C producer outside of China with its Dalry plant in Scotland.

Sports and energy drinks have consistently outperformed rivals in the European beverages sector over the last five years, showing average value growth of 14.5% a year in a soft drinks market growing at a modest 2.7% a year, according to new research by RTS Resource.

Scientists from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, believe a probiotic that occurs naturally in soy beans could prove an effective natural alternative to antibiotic treatments for ear and sinus infections.

CP Kelco has blamed rising costs and heavy competition for the closure of its UK xanthan gum plant. The price of xanthan gum, a hydrocolloid used for its thickening and stabilising properties, has remained low in recent years as the Chinese have increased their market share. However, prices are expected to rise again next year.

Prebiotics giant Orafti will raise prices for liquids by 6% and powders by 8% from October 1 owing to sharp cost increases in raw materials and energy.

German flavours and fragrances firm Symrise has acquired Unilever's dry seasonings and wet pastes business in the UK for an undisclosed sum.

Croda is hoping to gain approval under the Novel Food Regulation to market refined echium oil in Europe early next year. The omega-3 oil contains stearidonic acid (SDA), which is converted far more readily into the more beneficial EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) by the body than alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 found in plants like flax. Paul Kollesoff, marketing manager, Croda Health Care, said: "SDA is also interesting in its own right as it has anti-inflammatory effects. We are planning to conduct further clinical research in this area."

Chr Hansen has set up a new division focused on human health and nutrition. The firm, which has upped its R&D budget by 10%, said the cash would help it explore new applications for starter cultures, probiotics and metabolites.

Friesland Foods has struck a deal with Nandi Proteins to use Nandi's patented technology to create a new breed of whey protein concentrates that also serve as fat replacers.

Nutritional interventions at different life stages can play a decisive part in reducing the risk of developing degenerative diseases from dementia to diabetes, osteoporosis, cataracts and obesity.

Tate & Lyle will be first in the queue to snap up National Starch's specialty starches division if its new owners decide to raise a for sale sign over the division, analysts have predicted.

More functional foods would in future seek to tackle the underlying causes of disease rather than homing in on individual conditions, according to Dutch research organisation TNO Quality of Life.

DSM Nutritional Products is closing its vitamin manufacturing plant in Gonglu, Shanghai, and transferring production to its nearby Xinghuo site, which will be developed as a 'strategic manufacturing base' as part of a restructuring of its Chinese operation.

The marketing and testing of functional ingredients will become much more sophisticated in future to take account of genetic variability between consumers, according to experts in the relationship between diet and genes.

Food Ingredients, Health & Nutrition is launching a conference in Frankfurt on February 7 exploring how nutritional interventions at different life stages may play a decisive part in improving quality of life and reducing the risk of developing degenerative conditions of age.

DSM Nutritional Products has launched a new strategy to boost its bottom line through "accelerated innovation, enhancement of differentiation activities and cost reductions". Costs will be cut via new IT systems, manufacturing improvements, more efficient purchasing and the streamlining of business processes.

Orafti's Beneo Synergy1 (inulin enriched with oligofructose) will be used in a study exploring the effects of prebiotic infant formula on the development of the neonatal immune system and the incidence of allergy in infants as part of the EU-funded Earnest project. It is also the subject of a new US trial to evaluate its ability to reduce the risk of colon cancer in combination with probiotics.

Israeli carotenoids specialist LycoRed is promising to take microencapsulation to a new level with the launch of breakthrough technology for coating unstable functional ingredients. Its "next generation" technology, scheduled for launch in 2008, will enable manufacturers to add bioactive ingredients and vitamins to a far broader range of products, said microencapsulation global manager Shai Karlinski.

Piglets whose mothers get their heads into the trough once too often might help dieticians predict which mothers will give birth to children at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

LycoRed is looking for potential acquisitions or joint venture opportunities in a bid to expand its carotenoid empire. Udi Alroy, vice president of global sales and marketing, said: "We are generating growth by broadening the range of applications for lycopene and encapsulated vitamins and minerals.

LycoRed is in advanced negotiations with manufacturers interested in using glutamic acid from tomato juice - a waste product of lycopene production - as a flavour enhancer.

Hundreds of flavourings may have to be reassessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) after it emerged that statistical models used to evaluate their safety could be significantly underestimating daily intake levels.

LycoRed is still waiting for the regulatory thumbs up to use its lycopene oleoresin in food applications in Europe under the Novel Food Regulation, almost three years after it submitted its application.

Global food and drink companies will continue to gobble up smaller nutriscience companies in the coming year, according to Dr Seth Taylor, principal of life sciences advisory firm TSG Partners.

There is growing evidence that low-carb diets are bad for your health, according to experts on gut microflora.

Cognis has revealed plans to make a Novel Food application later this summer to use safflower-derived CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) in food and drink just weeks after rival Lipid Nutrition announced its own application plans. This has created the unusual situation of two Novel Food applications for what is effectively the same product at exactly the same time.

The European market for omega-3 fish oils could be wiped out overnight unless regulators change EU hygiene laws, suppliers have warned.

The company behind one of the most promising new entrants to the burgeoning weight management ingredients market is preparing to make a Novel Food application to gain entry into the European market.

DSM Food Specialties is launching a three-pronged attack on metabolic syndrome with new ingredients tackling type 2 diabetes and heart disease to complement its weight management ingredient Fabuless.