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Anyone who develops new products for a living must be aware of a multitude of influences. Acknowledging this, we cover

scientific discoveries

consumer trends

product design and formulation

engineering technology

process engineering

manufacturing

filling and packaging

logistics and distribution

retail merchandising

end of life disposal

Then there are the legal and regulatory issues, such as safety and labelling, as well as intellectual property rights, brand management, competition and international trade that we have to take into account.

But it all means nothing without the creativity and insights of men and women who can put things together in new ways to create new products that improve our lives.

We celebrate those people.

Ian Grant

Publisher

Nestlé licenses infant formula from Martek
Wal-Mart gives 18 months to tune into RFID
McDonald’s swops golden arches for Olympic rings
Cordis opens door to 1.3bn euro fund
Fluorescent fungi key to novel QC method
Picture this—

Business

Nestlé licenses infant formula from Martek

Swiss food company Nestlé has signed a global deal to use US-based Martek Biosciences’ FDA-approved technology relating to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) in infant formulas. The agreement provides for an initial cash payment, consisting of a licence fee, inventory prepayment and ongoing royalties based on Nestle's sales of infant formula containing Martek's oils.

Martek uses microalgae to manufacture products like the oils that contain the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, DHA and ARA, both of which are found in breast-milk. Some clinical studies have demonstrated benefits for those infants receiving DHA and ARA supplemented formula.

Logistics

Wal-Mart gives 18 months to tune into RFID

Wal-Mart chief information officer Linda Dillman said last week that its top 100 suppliers have until 1 January 2005 to put RFID tags on pallets and cases.

Wal-Mart is partly sponsoring the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop the use radio frequencies to identify products. This is the first sign that it is close to commercialisation.

Wal-Mart takes in about one billion cases a year from its top 100 suppliers. Dillman said the company would probably not issue a compliance order next year, but that RFID compliance would become mandatory, “like EDI (electronic data interchange).” The roll-out will start in the US and spread quickly to Europe, she suggested. "This is absolutely a global directive for Wal-Mart.”

RFID uses the new Electronic Product Codes (EPC) to identify items. EPC is expected to take over from bar codes for article numbering.

Health

McDonald’s swops golden arches for Olympic rings

McDonald’s wants us to align fast food with fleet feet with the first exclusive sponsorship of the Olympic Day Run, an annual global event that encourages sports participation.

The run takes place on 21-22 June in more than 150 countries. McDonald's participation will vary by country. This year it will help National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with local store marketing and use its restaurants for runner registration and celebrations.

Since the first run in 1987, up to one million people, including some disabled, have run on the day. The youngest was an 18-month-old from Romania and the oldest an 86-year-old man from Taiwan. Distances have varied from 100 m in Yugoslavia, to over 20 km in Ecuador and Switzerland.

Nanotechnology

Cordis opens door to 1.3bn euro fund

Cordis, the European Commission's research and development information service, has launched a dedicated service covering nanotechnology and the nanosciences funding and other opportunities worth more than 1.3 billion euros.

Apart from links to funds, the new service, which is integrated in the FP6 portal, offers central access to specific information, working documents, publications and useful links. Users can review information on events, identify local support initiatives and find links to help them submit proposals. The service also provides an overview of over 2,000 funded projects from previous programmes. For more, go to http://www.cordis.lu/nmp/home.html.

Quality control

Fluorescent fungi key to novel QC method

A Scottish biotechnology company has developed a novel, proprietary, biological detection and analysis system that uses light-emitting fungi. It is looking for partners to co-develop the Informative Light (InLit) screening technology. 

InLit provides better information on the identification of chemicals, their toxicity, and mode of action. It is useful for screening and as a biosensor in drug discovery, waste, water, contamination analysis, and process control in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, oil and gas, food and water, among others.

InLit technology is a whole cell based screening method based on fungi transformed with the aequorin gene. Aequorin is a calcium (Ca2+) sensitive photoprotein, which on binding free calcium ions, emits blue light proportional to the concentration of Ca2+ present. InLit measures various combinations of parameters in its analyses, giving greater depth and breadth of information per test.

Details from Kirsty Hall at Stirling University Innovation Park Ltd.

Innovation

Picture this—

Forget the icing and piping—today’s chefs use inkjet printers to decorate their products with photo-quality images, thanks to new technology.

Decojet, a novel inkjet printer specialised for food applications, mixes edible inks to make confectioneries look more entertaining or appealing. The printer has a resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi and fixes stickiness and freezing that trouble other techniques.

Working with the University of Bologna, Aster developed innovative water-based inks, as well as special surface treatments and primers. The university took care of the production and property costs and improved printing media sheets. These edible sheets, previously used for cake decorating, are made from gums and sugars.

Aster intends to develop more special food inks for multi-layer edible supports, based on sugar, starches and flavours, that are better for printing chocolate and biscuit surfaces. The company is looking for licencees. Details from Leda Bologni at Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Tecnologico dell'Emilia Romagna Area di Ricerca di Bologna.