Gut health has played a major role in the evolution of functional dairy products in recent years but claims about pro- and prebiotic content have now penetrated the cereal market as well. Indeed, one of the key players in the development of dairy probiotics is now applying its expertise towards probiotics for cereal instead. "The change of direction of the business was a strategic choice," explains Lal'Food technical development manager, Anne-Laure Clair. "There is a lot of competition in the dairy market, and price is an issue as well. When we decided it was time to find another niche it was only natural that we should turn to cereals since we already have the relevant contacts through our yeast business. It seemed like a good move."

Attitudes to infant nutrition among health professionals and the wider population seem to suffer from a time-lag. Both groups appear to find it difficult to shift some very different sets of prejudices. Medical director at Nutricia UK Tahsin Yasin explains his perspective on this: "A lot of the existing dogma against infant formula goes back to the 1980s. But in fact, there have been massive advances when it comes to areas such as protein technology, fat content and prebiotics."

Starch is the Julio Iglesias of the food world. It's been around forever, but no one's really convinced of its talent and most people are a bit miffed as to how it got to be so much in demand. Yet take it away and you'd be swamped with complaints. National Starch urges manufacturers to explore the ingredient in more detail. "Yes - we sell white powder. It's not sexy, but ultimately what it goes into is something great!" says principal applications technologist of the firm's wholesome and culinary division Janette Callagan. "Manufacturers don't take the time to understand starch," adds National Starch development chef Chris Lightfoot. "They use it because they've always used it."

The market for vegetable proteins is currently dominated by soy (60%) and wheat (30%), but major market forces are opening the way for other vegetable proteins to exploit an upsurge in interest in non-animal sources. The first set of drivers is to do with health and wellness. Health-conscious consumers increasingly want to get their daily protein without it being associated with things like cholesterol or animal fats. Proteins are already being added to products to increase satiety and help with weight management, while preliminary research suggests that some vegetable proteins may even offer specific medical benefits in the management of conditions such as metabolic syndrome. Like egg and milk-based proteins, soy and wheat both pose problems in terms of allergen labelling, while some of the alternatives promise clean labels.

The concept of "good bacteria" in the gut has been accepted by a large number of consumers. So much so, that the probiotic drinks segment has been one of the fastest growing areas in functional foods in the past few years. To remain successful, however, it is essential that consumers trust probiotics to actually deliver beneficial effects. But this trust can only grow if individual consumers experience the claimed benefits and if claims are based on solid evidence. Probiotic strains have been shown to have beneficial effects on health. However, the effects vary among strains, which is why a tailor-made approach is required in the research with a specific strain.

You've heard of the Maguire Seven, the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four. Now meet the Southampton Six: Sunset Yellow (E110), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Allura Red (E129), Ponceau 4R (E124) and Tartrazine (E102).

At consumer level, retail and foodservice sales of ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, cereal bars and oats in the 15 original members of the EU reached euro 7.2bn in 2007, having grown by an average of 3.8% per year since 2002. By volume, consumption has reached 1.9Mt, having grown by an annual average of just 1.2%. Average European consumption per person now stands at some 5kg and the market value compares with EU consumer expenditure on canned fish, butter or petfood.

While foamers, whipping agents and topping bases are not quite as sexy as the blemish-busting and fat-fighting bioactives elsewhere in DMV International's portfolio, they certainly keep the bean counters happy, says R&D and quality assurance director Hans Westerbeek.

Given their unique vulnerability to rising oil prices (the production process is very energy intensive), fierce competition from low-cost Asian producers and rocketing cereal prices, bulk sweeteners might not look like the smartest game in town right now.

Protein has an image problem. While the bodybuilder's nutrient of choice has also been linked to a wealth of other benefits from weight management to cholesterol reduction, the average consumer, it seems, has not got the message yet. Indeed, as an exclusive survey of UK consumers compiled for FIHN by Harris Interactive reveals, most adults aren't even sure which foods actually contain protein, never mind whether it's good for them.

When we think of fungi in the context of food, the first image that springs to mind is probably mushrooms. The second is usually how to prevent food going mouldy and mould inhibitors have found a very useful place in the market, reducing spoilage, prolonging shelf-life and keeping down prices in the fresh produce and bakery sectors. However, delve beneath the surface and fungi can be found to have an enormous number and range of uses, though nowhere near approaching the 100,000 or so species of the fungi themselves. Their capacity to grow anywhere, from the richest of soils, to the bleakest of environments, from air conditioning systems to the Antarctic have required them to employ a remarkable range of chemicals in order to survive.

Virtually every type of fruit contains substances that confer some kind of health benefit. If the extent of the benefit is proportionate to the publicity it attracts, it appears that the more exotic the fruit, the bigger the hype. So what chance does the humble apple have of entering the superfood stakes? Thanks to its unique combination of bioactive components, a surprisingly good one, according to a growing number of scientists and businesses convinced that the apple can give its Amazonian rivals a run for their money.

Five years after it was first brought forward (July 2003) the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation is finally being implemented. What started out as a wheeze to enable a few major manufacturers under pretext of consumer protection to overcome local advertising rules and make strong claims to help market their wares has led to an avalanche of claims being submitted for authorisation: a staggering 43,000. Not quite what regulators had in mind.

Givaudan has developed more than 500 unique vanilla flavours building on research from 4,000 consumers in 20 countries. Reasearch into more than 75 market-leading vanilla ice creams has also fed into the firm's ongoing TasteEssentials Vanilla programme, which attempts to push the boundaries of traditional vanilla flavours with new concepts.

Sales of sugar free gum in Germany have risen by 12% since 2006 to 85% of the market, while sugar free now represents 90% of the Italian and Turkish markets and 100% of the market in Spain and the Czech Republic, according to Beneo-Palatinit.

A natural extract of red yeast rice has been proven to control cholesterol levels and give significant heart health benefits in those who had previously had a heart attack. In a study of almost 5,000 Chinese adults, red yeast rice reduced deaths from cardiovascular events by a third. Levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol were reduced, while levels of 'good' HDL cholesterol increased.

DD Williamson has launched a purple sweet potato colourant suitable for beverages, fruit preparations, sherberts, salad dressings and sauces.

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK, have found laboratory evidence that almonds may be effective prebiotics. Using an in vitro system that mimicked the digestive tract, the team found that finely ground almonds significantly increased the population of Bifidobacteria and Eubacterium rectale. Human tests are now needed to confirm this.

After successful in vitro and animal trials, the ability of Frutarom's wild green oat extract Neuravena to improve human mental fitness has now been confirmed in a clinical trial.

Vegetarian, 5-a-day, 3-a-day, Fairtrade, Organic, Protected Designation of Origin - the list goes on. There are literally hundreds of logos used on food packaging today and it's set to continue as further EU-wide initiatives are introduced. Consumers must be suffering from 'image overload' - and without any policing of the situation, when will it end?

The trend for manufacturing halal food and drink products continues as German seasoning manufacturer RAPS Consortium has launched a seasoning range aimed at the Islamic market.

As the market for naturally coloured drinks expands, so has the natural colour palette of Chr Hansen, which has launched a hibiscus extract.

The first supplement containing a beta-glucan that is so effective at strengthening the immune system it has been stockpiled by the Pentagon in case of biological attack, has been launched in Europe. The active ingredient in Glucasan+ from Vitalize Health Products is beta-glucan 1-3, 1-6: a polysaccharide and immuno-modulator derived from the cell wall of baker's yeast. This stimulates the innate immune system, which is the body's first line of defence against invasion by bacteria and viruses, claimed Dr Paul Clayton, president of the food and health section of The Royal Society of Medicine and scientific director of the Szent-Györgyi Institute in Budapest.

Dairy giant Friesland Foods, milk proteins specialist Lactive and Wageningen University & Research Centre have teamed up to research and develop new functional food ingredients that could help boost the immune system.

Smoothies, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, fruit fillings, sauces and desserts containing pulp from the African baobab tree could soon find their way onto shelves in Europe now the fruit has finally gained Novel Food status.

DHA, the most sought after long chain omega-3 fatty acid, could become far more widely used in the food industry following the launch of a low-cost, plant-sourced version, according to leading players in the healthy oils market. Under a deal struck last month, Martek Biosciences and Dow AgroSciences are hoping to beat rivals DuPont, BASF and Monsanto to be the first to market with a vegetarian source of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) made from plants.

Feeling full

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.