Saupiquet, Crown combine for packaging first 

US-based packaging manufacturer Crown Holdings claims a first with the new retortable, peelable, rectangular Peel Seam lid for Saupiquet mackerel fillets. The new 170-gram package runs on Saupiquet's existing canning and filling lines. 
The Peel Seam opening system consists of a rectangular aluminum ring, sealed with a peelable flexible aluminum lid seamed to the aluminum body. The lid is an aluminum foil laminated with polypropylene film on the inside and lacquered on the outside. The The lid has a small tab for easy lifting. By grasping the tab and peeling off the lid, the consumer is able to open cans smoothly. 
All printing is directly onto the smooth lid and the foil tab itself using advanced gravure printing processes. The Saupiquet package breaks new ground because the heat-sealed flexible lid withstands the difficult constraints of a retort process. 

Innovation as contact sport 
Sparkling performance in UK 
Sweet smell of success 
Basmati rice cut with other varieties
UK restaffs science council
Tester checks peel strength 

Innovation 

Innovation as contact sport 

There is growing evidence that innovation is directly proportional to the number of different sources that provide input to the process. 
Thus anyone who want to increase his department's innovative output should try to maximise the number of contacts to which the development team is exposed. 
It's not just schmoozing and networking at industry conferences. It also means paying more attention to the physical layout of the work space, says Umut Toker, who has just completed an PhD funded by the National Science Foundation on the interplay of physical space and innovation at six US university research centres. 
He found that even the placement of the coffee pot, the refrigerator, the microwave, the group printer, the whiteboards, and all the other items that draw people together are key contact points where casual conversations can spark bright ideas. 
"Clustering such attractions in the open common areas helps to increase the number of chance encounters," says Toker. "More encounters mean more impromptu conversations about technical issues. And more conversations, in turn, mean a higher rate of innovation, whether measured by quantitative factors such as the number of published papers per unit time, or by subjective assessments such as How innovative is the research done here? 
Another potent conversation-enhancer is increased visibility, especially in the hallways and lounges, says Toker. "Spaces with clear sight lines lead to more eye contact, which means that questions pop up, and people start discussing things." 
Toker hopes that these findings will be incorporated in architectural principles for research buildings. "It's more effective is researchers have their offices and their laboratories intermingled rather than separated by a couple of floors or buildings." An animation of Toker's software tool for analysing sightlines is available online at http://nsfvideo.nomex.net/toker_visibility/video/toker_visibility.avi

Water

Sparkling performance in UK 

The British bottled water market produced champagne-worthy figures for 2003, according to the Well Well Well report just released. Per capita consumption rose from 30 to 35 litres/y or a total of more 2,080m litres, while sales value shot up to GBP1.2bn, or just over 39 pence a litre, compared to tap water at just three pence. 

The long hot summer Britain enjoyed certainly improved the year=s sales, and the industry reckons it could add another 1000m litres by 2007 and again by 2011. 
Given global warming, it could be right, unless the PR disaster that accompanied Coca-Cola's launch of Dasani (tap water purified using reverse osmosis with minerals added back) scuppers sales. Coke apparently had GBP7m in promotional spending to back the launch; time will tell if it was well-spent, but for the moment, Dasani leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. 
Market share by water type seems to have settled down with still waters taking 85 per cent and sparkling the rest. Mineral waters command 65 per cent of the market with spring waters just holding off purified at 22 and 13 per cent respectively. I
n terms of packaging formats, the two litre PET bottle holds 26 per cent of the market, followed closely by the 1.5 litre and 500ml formats (18% and 17% respectively). However, 19 litre (five gallon) cooler sales have rocketed to take 21 per cent of the market. 
Own label brands account for just over half of all sales, leaving Evian the top brand with 17 per cent followed by Volvic (10%) and Highland Spring (7%). 

NPD 

Sweet smell of success 

Getting up close and personal may be a far more inviting prospect from now on, thanks to Breath-Rephresh, "the oral-hygiene breath-drink," made by US-based Tasker Capital, which has also just appointed James Burns vice president of sales and marketing. 
Burns says the breath-drink is unique in the fast-growing oral hygiene market. "Breath-Rephresh is a disruptive technology to the oral care segment, it's truly revolutionary," he said. "It's unlike any mouthwash or antiseptic because it is the only product designed as a breath-drink." 
A clinical trial showed that Breath-Rephresh reduced the volatile sulfur compounds known to cause bad breath. The drink contains Shiitake mushroom extract, citrus extracts, vitamin B6, vitamin C, xylitol, copper sulfate, ginger and spearmint, but no alcohol or sucrose. 

Fraud? 

Basmati rice cut with other varieties 

A UK Foods Standards Agency has found that one in six Basmati samples sold in the UK contained high levels of other non-Basmati varieties. The agency used a novel DNA test to establish the identity of the rice. 
Basmati rice sells for twice the price of other rices. 
Out of 363 samples examined, 63 (17%) had a non-Basmati rice content greater than the 20% maximum percentage allowed under the existing GAFTA (Grain and Feed Trade Association) code of practice. Some 31 samples (9%) had a non-Basmati rice content greater than 60%. 
Basmati rice currently accounts for about 37% of the UK dry rice market by value, worth £50m/y. The grain has a distinctive shape, which on cooking elongates to almost double its length while remaining the same width. It is also reported to be a good source of slow releasing carbohydrates. 

People 

UK restaffs science council 

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has appointed a 16-member team to head the UK government's top science advisory body, the Council of Science and Technology. 
Blair said "Science and technology are a foundation stone for future UK competitiveness and a better quality of life throughout the world," he said. The move comes as British governments are fighting a funding crisis as well as a growing shortage of good research jobs. 
The appointees, who will serve for three years are: Prof Sir John Beringer, Prof Geoffrey Boulton, Prof Janet Finch, Andrew Gould, Prof Wendy Hall, Dr Hermann Hauser, Dr Dieter Helm, Professor Alan Hughes, Dr Sue Ion, Dr Rob Margetts, Sir Paul Nurse, Sir Keith Peters, Dr Raj Rajagopal, Prof Michael Sterling, Prof Kathy Sykes, and Dr Mark Walport. 

Test equipment 

Tester check peel strength 

Lloyd Instruments has developed a new test instrument accessory to check the optimum peel strength of sealed lids on yoghurt packaging. The TG 5346 peel fixture fit easily onto a Lloyd Instruments universal testing machine. 
It accommodates different sized yoghurt containers and the sample clamping arm is fully adjustable horizontally or vertically. An upper fixture, connected by a non-elastic cord to the testing machine, grips the foil lid and the machine measures the peel forces in tension up to a maximum 500 Newtons (112.5 lbf). Results are captured and analysed using NEXYGEN MT software. 
Lloyd Instruments also make testers for other food containers and will custom design instrument fixtures according to an individual specification.