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Scent for the slimmer
1m euro prize up for grabs
Powerade tightens grip at World Cup
Oz wins (again!)
Sensory number crunching made easy
Vending machines dispense health
Innovation
Scent for the slimmer
More details have emerged from the
innovative joint venture between Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido and
Coca-Cola’s Japanese office (InnOvations FishWrap).
In a press statement the two
companies said they “will conduct joint development and marketing of a
new brand under the unified concept of "diet by the use of
scent" for the Japanese market”. In addition they will work
together “leveraging their extensive experience and track records in the
cosmetic and soft drink businesses”.
The new products are based on the
"theory relating to slimming by the use of scent" developed by
Shiseido. Shiseido and Coca-Cola Japan plan to launch a body care product
and a soft drink, respectively, under the same brand name in April 2004.
“The collaboration between the
two leading companies from different industries represents a new type of
marketing that enables the development of products and marketing programs
from a completely new perspective,” the statement says. “In addition
to the brand name, both companies will implement product development and
package design based on the shared concept while jointly conducting
advertising, communication and market activation programs to achieve a
synergistic effect.”
1m
euro prize up for grabs
A
one million euro cash prize is open to researchers worldwide who develop
“an outstanding technological achievement specifically directed to the
advancement of society and its ability to sustain people’s quality of
life”.
Known
as Millennium Technology Prize, it is set up by the Finnish Technology
Award Foundation. The prize will go to a
technology-based innovation, which, in the judges’ opinion, has the
broadest impact on advancing living conditions, humane values and economic
development. It will come from contributions to energy
& the environment, communications and information, new materials &
processes, or health care and life sciences.
The prize will be awarded after an
international conference to explore “the societal opportunities and
challenges offered by groundbreaking technological paradigms” from 13 to
15 June 2004 in Helsinki, Finland. The conference will also seek to
generate insights on our technological future and its positive potential
for living standards.
For more details go to http://www.technologyawards.org.
Powerade
tightens grip at World Cup
Coca-Cola’s Powerade sports drink
division has launched a new gripper bottle to celebrate the brand's status
as official sports drink of Rugby World Cup now scrumming down in
Australia.
The new squeezable pack, featuring
the Wallaby Gold Rush flavour, has a special grip. It also has a sports
cap so consumers can control the flow rate but retains the wide mouth for
those who prefer to slake their thirst fast.
Coke also plans to launch Powerade
Sports Water and POWERADE Light in the new gripper bottle.
Beer
Oz wins (again!)
An Australian barmaid has become
the world champion Stella Artois Draught Master for 2003, beating men from
Dubai and France into the minor places.
Kerrie-Ann Watts outdrew Saleh
Setiawan and Kevin Barbry at the Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels last week to
skim top prize of a free trip to anywhere in the world.
The competition rates the best
bartenders from five continents on tapping skills, bottle-pouring and
table-serving protocol. Every step of the perfect pour is carefully
scrutinised and scored by a team of expert judges from six countries.
The participants to this year's
final came from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Dubai, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand,
Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, The Netherlands, Ukraine and the USA.
Research
Sensory number crunching made easy
Researchers often use multivariate
methods to compile data from sensory panels, but it can be hard to relate
the sensory data to the nature of the product tested. Graphical depiction
of the results can help, writes Richard Brereton in the latest issue The
Alchemist.
Taking beer as an example, he says
it is not easy work being a member of a sensory panel, as there are often
more than a hundred possible criteria. These can be grouped into different
categories such as odour, taste, mouthfeel and aftertaste.
The advantage of graphing the
results of multivariate methods is that a huge amount of information can
be compared graphically. If we study 100 characteristics from 50 beers
that are tasted on four occasions by 15 panel members, there are about 300
000 sensory measurements. Computerised the data and plotting it quickly
provides guidance about the relationship between beers and their sensory
characteristics.
For more see http://www.chemweb.com/alchem/articles/1066206799887.html.
Health
Vending machines dispense health
Students in Rhode Island state in
the US last week became the first to benefit from a new idea in vending
machine contents – healthy food.
The move is a collaboration between
Stonyfield Farm, the nation's largest organic yoghurt company, Kids First,
a local nutrition education organization, distributor United Natural
Foods, Rhode Island school administration, and high school students.
Stonyfield Farm is subsidising a
three-school pilot where the machines dispense organic yoghurt, string
cheese, dried fruit, soy nuts, and pita chips, among other low-fat and
low-sugar products. Each item has met nutritional standards from Kids
First and a student taste test. They are essentially lean sources of
protein and/or complex carbohydrates with 10% of at least one of calcium,
vitamin C, vitamin A, iron or fibre. The vending machine pilot is part of
Stonyfield Farms’ “Menu for Change” programme, which encourages
better school food.
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The
US Food & Drug Administration has give cautious approval to the
cholesterol-lowering claims for Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid Premium Heart
Wise orange juice.