Blogging at Campden BRI

Have you been following our blogs? Each month a Campden BRI expert takes a look at developments in their area. And with such a wide-ranging portfolio of activities here, the blogs are very varied. For example, in October, Anastassia Johnson looked at sustainability issues, and particularly the government's introduction of mandatory carbon emission reporting for large companies. Our environmental experts can help companies with their carbon and environmental footprinting, whatever their size.

Previously, Sarab Sahi discussed how to measure enzyme performance in cereals-based products. Enzymes are being widely used in the cereals industry to improve processing performance and product quality in a range of food products. Industrial baking in particular uses microbial enzymes as processing aids to improve dough properties as well as to improve product quality and shelf-life, and is an area where there is strong growth.

Functionality was also central to Sarah Chapman's blog - but she focused on drinks, in particular sports drinks, during the London Olympics. Sports drinks aim to provide water, energy and electrolytes in a form that is both palatable and easy to absorb. Energy drinks generally claim a particular energy boost (from something like caffeine or guarana). We are often brought in to advise on ingredient alternatives - perhaps to improve the stability or shelf-life of the product or enable it to be processed in a particular way, without losing the functionality being claimed. The product innovation team regularly liaises with our legislation advisors about this - changing a formulation can often invalidate a claim, sometimes in quite a subtle way.