Category: Scientific/Technical Items
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Second Butter Flavoring Implicated in Bronchiolitis Obliterans
A recent study has allegedly linked a second artificial butter flavoring— 2,3-pentanedione (PD)—to respiratory toxicity in animals, raising concerns about the diacetyl replacement’s potential effects on factory workers. Ann Hubbs, et al., “Respiratory and Olfactory Cytotoxicity of Inhaled 2,3-Pentanedione in Sprague-Dawley Rats,” The American Journal of Pathology, September 2012. After exposing rats to either PD,…
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Research Targets Sports Drink Availability in Schools
A recent study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has reportedly registered a significant decrease in the availability of soft drinks in secondary schools but “widespread access to other sugary beverages, such as fruit drinks and sport drinks.” Yvonne Terry McElrath, et al., “Trends in Competitive Venue Beverage Availability: Findings From US Secondary…
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Study Allegedly Links Diacetyl to Alzheimer’s Disease
A University of Minnesota study has reported that diacetyl (DA), a food additive used to mimic butter flavors, allegedly “intensifies the damaging effects of an abnormal brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease,” according to a recent American Chemical Society press release. Swati More, et al., “The Butter Flavorant, Diacetyl, Exacerbates β-Amyloid Cytotoxicity,” Chemical Research in…
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Study Compares Facts Up Front and Traffic Light Food Labeling
A Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity study has compared the U.S. food industry’s “Facts Up Front” labeling scheme to the “Multiple Traffic Light” system used in the United Kingdom, concluding that consumers found both front-of-package systems easier to use than no labels at all, while an enhanced Traffic Light system yielded…
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Caffeinated Oceans Generate Buzz
Researchers with Portland State University and Washington State University, Vancouver, have reportedly detected caffeine in waters off the coast of Oregon, raising questions about the presence of other potential contaminants in the vicinity. Zoe Rodriguez del Rey, et al., “Occurrence and concentration of caffeine in Oregon coastal waters,” Marine Pollution Bulletin, July 2012. The study…
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Study Allegedly Supports NYC Trans Fat Ban
A recent study has reportedly concluded that a New York City regulation restricting the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil by all food service establishments “was associated with a substantial and statistically significant decrease in the trans fat content of purchases at fast-food chains, without a commensurate increase in saturated fat.” Sonia Angell, et al.,…
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Researchers Allegedly Link New Poultry Viruses to Live-Attenuated Vaccines
University of Melbourne researchers have reportedly demonstrated that viruses from two live-attenuated poultry vaccines have combined in the field to produce new infectious viruses “responsible for widespread disease in Australian commercial poultry flocks.” Sang-Won Lee, et al., “Attenuated Vaccines Can Recombine to Form Virulent Field Viruses,” Science, July 2012. According to a July 13, 2012,…
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BPA Exposure Allegedly Leads to Inter-Species Mating in Shiner Fish
A recent study has reportedly claimed that two species of shiner fish exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) were more likely to mate in mixed-species pairings. Jessica Ward and Michael Blum, “Exposure to an environmental estrogen breaks down sexual isolation between native and invasive species,” Evolutionary Applications, July 2012. After collecting specimens from rivers throughout Georgia,…