Food Science in the News: Taco Bell, Transparency, and Trehalose

I hate the "don't eat it if you can't pronounce it" mentality. I took organic chemistry, I can pronounce some pretty terrible chemicals just fine, but I have trouble saying "quinoa" and "acai" correctly. Oh sure, I'm not your typical consumer, but like most consumers I do favor greater transparency into what I may choose to consume.

This increasing consumer demand for transparency is why I applaud Taco Bell's emphasis on providing nutrition and ingredient information on their website.

Taco Bell Nutrition Information

When it comes to transparency about what's in their meat, the full story is best reported by Food Business News:
Taco Bell, trehalose and the trend of transparency, by Monica Watrous

Taco Bell Nutrition FAQs

Visit the Taco Bell Nutrition page and see for yourself how much information is readily available. Click here--> The More You Know, The More You Live Mas?

MORE INFORMATION ON TREHALOSE:
(1) Use in one of my favorite products; (2) PubMed Trehalose review of properties, history of use and human tolerance, and results of multiple safety studies; (3) Food Science of Trehalose by Cargill: Chemistry, Functional Benefits, Labeling, Regulatory Info and Nutritional Benefits

OTHER TACO BELL "FOOD SCIENCE IN THE NEWS" STORIES:
The Power of Protein

Why do we fall? NFL Perspective

"If gymnastics was easier, they'd call it football." During the NFL Draft, I enjoyed watching the footage of all the drills and conditioning college and pro-football players go through, but can't help thinking of all that gymnasts put their bodies through. For perspective. GreenEyedGuide.com

Elite Gymnastics- Why do we fall?: http://youtu.be/n4ihPazJFrQ

Energy Drink of the Month -- May 2014

It just stopped snowing in Wisconsin a few days ago but somehow I've already missed all the swimsuit sales. Headed to Florida for a 3-day weekend (which is as close as I'll get to Spring Break in Grown-Up Land) and forced to fork over more than I intended for a nice swimsuit, I was looking for a bargain wherever I could. I found it at 7-11 where, aside from my pre-flight protein shake, I found a collection of tropical-looking energy drinks that were 10 for $10! Colorful, affordable, low-cal and, better yet, they passed the Food Scientist Label Inspection (meaning they actually had substance and not just amateur combinations of caffeine and sugar) – SOLD!

The Energy Drink of the Month for May 2014 is vitaminwater® energy beverage Berry Punch.

READ MORE (click here): 3 Pros and Cons of vitaminwater® energy drink - from a Food Science, Product Development and Quality Perspective

John Oliver and Pom vs Coke Legal Battles

This is HILARIOUS! ESPECIALLY if you're in the food business and have been following these lawsuits and news stories (which are real).

John Oliver on Misleading Labeling of Food Products: http://youtu.be/_JLxHgsEjzw

FitFluential - 10 Things No One is Telling You About Energy Drinks

Let’s play a game. If I say “energy drink,” what comes to mind? Extreme sports athletes? Teenagers in the hospital? Green tea? News outlets often portray energy drinks as dangerous concoctions of sugar and caffeine but this isn’t the whole picture. While some energy drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine, the truth is there were over 200 different energy drink brands in the US as of 2009, and some of those are more like green tea than the sugary caffeine-loaded product portrayed. Since many popular energy drink ingredients are also popular in fitness/health supplements, it’s time to consider the energy drink facts no one is telling you.

 Read the Rest: FitFluential.com

Learn the 10 things no one is telling you about energy drinks at FitFluential.com

Energy Drink of the Month -- April 2014

Could you pick an energy drink out of a line-up? Every so often, I read a news story that makes me either laugh or grit my teeth because of how energy drinks are portrayed as dangerous concoctions of sugar and caffeine. To me this portrayal seems like saying all water tastes exactly the same. Ocean water, bottled water, carbonated water etc. While some energy drinks do contain extreme amounts of sugar and caffeine, condemning all energy drinks without addressing the specifics is both folly and counter-productive to safe caffeine consumption. To combat this grievous over-generalization, each month I try to highlight an energy drink that breaks the mold and counters the stereotype.

The Energy Drink of the Month for April 2014 is Avitae ("ah-vee-tay") caffeine+water.

"Energy Kick" with 45 mg caffeine

"Energy Boost" with 90 mg caffeine

"Energy Blast" with 125 mg caffeine

There are currently no flavored versions (and thus ends, temporarily, the pomegranate theme I've had going since January's pick). There are three caffeine levels of this Avitae line available: 45 mg, 90 mg and 125 mg.

As far as energy drinks go, it doesn't get much cleaner or simpler than this. With the three levels of caffeine available, this product line is suitable for Level 2, 3 and 4 of the 5 Levels of Fatigue.  Also note that since it comes in a bottle, you can sip it and reseal it, regulating your caffeine intake in ways that aren't possible with an open can or a hot coffee.

For more, see:

Redefining "Energy Drink" -- 5 Qs with Avitae

Redefining "Energy Drink" - 5 Qs with Avitae

Are you a big fan of caffeine but not a fan of added sugars or artificial colors/flavors? Are you looking for an energy drink with a clean label and a simple ingredient line? Pronounced "ah-vee-tay", Avitae's line of caffeinated waters might be your solution.  

Wandering through the halls of the 2014 Natural Product West Expo, I was looking for something to grab my attention. With over 45,000 booths of products all chasing the same consumer trends ("natural", "gluten-free", "non-GMO", "Vegan") I was looking for something unusual. As a food scientist, I love reading labels, especially when it comes to anything caffeinated or supposedly ergogenic. Unexpectedly, it was one of the simplest products that captivated me most: water, caffeinated.

Food Science in the News -- Death and Freggies

Would you believe eating 7 servings of fruits and vegetables ("freggies") a day can reduce your risk of death by 42%? This stat comes from research by the University College of London and, while it bugs me when news headlines use extreme terms like "death" to catch attention, this research on mortality and freggies is worth discussing.

Read more-->

Thought this was an art display. Nope, just vegetables...from outer space?

Combating Obesity in Professional Baseball Players - The Onion

To celebrate April Fool's and to help you Angels fans get over that horrific 10-3 loss to the Mariners on Opening Night, I thought I would share one of my favorite nutrition and health pieces from The Onion:

“Michelle Obama Introduces Exercise Program to Combat Obesity in Professional Baseball Players”

Enjoy and remember, if you're going to pull your own April Fool's Day tricks, make sure the mean doesn't outweigh the funny.

What are YOUR favorite April Fool's Day tricks?

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Food Science in the News - Food Spoilage Red Light Green Light

Food waste is a major problem and expiration date confusion is one of the contributing factors. At a meeting of the American Chemical Society one scientist proposed smart-tags which could indicate whether food is spoiled. This innovation could alleviate some of the expiration date confusion and subsequent food waste. My only concern is that red means "fresh" and green means "spoiled".

For the full story, please see "Knowing whether food has spoiled without even opening the container" http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2014/march/knowing-whether-food-has-spoiled-without-even-opening-the-container-video.html

For more on food waste and stability studies, see previous blog: Stability Studies - Food Scientist Life