TU scientists found a gentle way of transporting lactic acid bacteria through the digestive tract to the intestines with as little damage as possible, so that they can develop the health-promoting effects ascribed to them there

Soft drinks with vitamins A, C and E or margarine with plant sterols are examples of novel food products that have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are often grouped under the fashionable term "functional food". What they all have in common is the idea of ​​providing food with an additional benefit, so to speak. By adding certain nutrients or ingredients, foods should have a special health-promoting effect when consumed.

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Nobody wants moldy food - especially not with products they have just bought. But even preservatives do not let consumers break out in a storm of enthusiasm. Packaging researchers are now leaving the fight against germs to coated films. Such products will be presented at the "K" trade fair in Düsseldorf.

At first glance, an operating room and food packaging do not have much in common. But if you see the enormous effort with which packaging materials are sterilized, the analogy to the operating room is not far off. Because precisely where the food borders on the packaging, germs nest and multiply rapidly from here. In order to put an end to unwanted settlers, preservatives such as benzoic or sorbic acid are added to some foil-packed foods. Critical consumers, however, want as few additives as possible in their food.

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In Germany, Europe and the USA, the therapy guidelines of the medical societies for high blood pressure are outdated. In these guidelines, missionary advice is still given to save salt. However, the data is one-sided and completely outdated and no longer corresponds to the current state of scientific knowledge, complained Professor Dr. Karl-Ludwig Resch, Bad Elster, at the 12th Aachen Advanced Training in Dietetics.

Because if you look at existing studies, there is no clear connection between the amount of salt consumption and blood pressure: "Two Cochrane reviews updated at the beginning of this year came to the conclusion that there is hardly any association between blood pressure and salt consumption," Resch pointed out. For example, the systolic blood pressure fell by only a few millimeters under a strictly low-salt diet and only in people with high blood pressure, not in healthy people and, moreover, only in short-term experiments. Results from long-term studies are currently not available at all.

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Drinking water uses more energy. The consumption of drinking water also leads to an increase in energy consumption in overweight people - in Germany about two thirds of adults. Drinking tap water can therefore help with weight loss. Drinking water contains no calories, but "burns" additional energy. People of normal weight who want to maintain their weight also benefit from this effect. The so-called thermogenic effect of drinking water on overweight people was documented by a new study(a) by the Charité, Berlin. It was funded by Forum Drinking Water e. V. supported.

A team of researchers at the Charité, Berlin, and the German Institute for Human Nutrition, Potsdam-Rehbrücke, examined the effect of drinking tap water on the energy metabolism in nine overweight, healthy volunteers.

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The European Commission has approved a financial package to fight animal diseases in the EU. This EU budget for 2005 will be used to combat transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) and other animal diseases that affect human and animal health. A total of EUR 188 million will be made available, an increase of EUR 41 million compared to 2004, demonstrating the importance attached to animal disease control and public health protection.

Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne said: "We are stepping up animal disease control for 2005. Healthy animals are key to safe food. Today's decision shows our continued commitment to pro- use active surveillance, preventive measures and disease eradication.”

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Prices significantly higher than last year

The supply of young bulls was rather tight for the demand at the beginning of September, but it then increased from week to week and was well enough for the demand towards the end of the month. In the first half of the month, the slaughter companies paid significantly more in some cases in order to obtain the required quantities of animals for slaughter, after which the quotations for slaughter bulls remained at the level at best. The development of slaughter cows was also divided in September: after fortifications in the first two weeks, prices then tended to weaken. Domestic beef trade has been steady in recent weeks, but has remained without momentum.

The prices paid by the slaughterhouses for young bulls in the R3 trading class rose by 2,72 cents from August to September to an average of 38 euros per kilogram of slaughter weight, surpassing the previous year's level by 3 cents. For class O2,09 cows for slaughter, producers earned a monthly average of EUR 38 per kilogram slaughter weight, three cents more than in the previous month and also 2003 cents more than in September 3. For class R2,51 heifers, the slaughterhouses paid an average of EUR 23 per kilogram , that was three cents more than in August and XNUMX cents more than a year ago.

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US stocks at high levels

Pig production in the United States is increasing. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the most recent livestock census in early September recorded 61,4 million animals, which corresponded to an increase of 0,9 percent compared to the previous year. The number of breeding sows increased by 1,1 percent. The US pig population was at its highest level since 1998.

Slaughter pig prices have fallen sharply in recent weeks, but in the third quarter they still exceeded the corresponding level of the previous year by 27 percent. In the fourth quarter, the lead is likely to be smaller.

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Revenues are now below the previous year's level

Compared to the previous year, 2004 got off to a slightly better start for German poultry farmers - not least because of the after-effects of the avian influenza in the Netherlands in spring 2003. At least that's true if you just look at the proceeds. However, if you include the cost side, in particular the sharp rise in feed costs, 2004 has been anything but a good year for poultry producers.

In January, local producers received an average of one euro per kilogram live weight without VAT for turkey hens weighing 8,5 kilograms in January, but in September it was only 94 cents. Average prices for the first nine months of 2004 were 97 cents per kilogram, five cents higher than in the same period last year. The price trend for 18,5-kilogram turkey roosters was similar: 1,08 euros per kilogram were achieved for them in January and 1,02 euros in September. The average for the first nine months of EUR 1,06 was six cents higher than in the same period last year.

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Udo Folgart from Brandenburg elected

On October 8, 2004, the ZMP supervisory board elected Udo Folgart, the president of the Landesbauernverband Brandenburg eV, from among its members as its new chairman. Folgart has been state farmer president since March 2003 and a member of the state parliament since September 2004. In addition, since 1991 he has been managing director of Agro-Glien GmbH, an agricultural business in Paaren/Glien. Folgart was born in Nauen in 1956, he is married and has two adult children.

Folgart replaces Wendelin Ruf, who has had a significant say in the fortunes of the ZMP since 1998. Ruf comes from Baden and was President of the Baden Agricultural Association until the end of 2003.

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Top-class DLG congress event on 16./17. March 2005 – Focus on trends and innovations

As part of the Cologne FoodTec Days, the German Agricultural Society (DLG) is organizing a top-class international congress event “Convenience Food 2005” with an accompanying foyer exhibition next year. The two-day event takes place on 16./17. March 2005 in Cologne. Trends and technical innovations for the growth market of ready meals and self-service packaged fresh products will be presented there. Due to the ongoing trend towards saving time when preparing meals, the market for ready meals and meal components will continue to develop positively, which underlines the topicality of the DLG Congress. 

The target group of the DLG congress event are specialists and executives from the entire convenience food value chain. Manufacturers of ready meals and self-service packaged fresh products, their suppliers, distribution partners and retailers. However, the event is also aimed at undecided market participants who are still in the conceptual phase with the subject of ready meals and self-service packaged fresh products and are currently still weighing up which product concept can be used to open up this growth market.

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Significant price fluctuations

The supply of veal for slaughter was higher in September than in the previous weeks. At the beginning of the month, the offer could be marketed without any problems, interest was mainly from the gastronomy sector. Producer revenues remained just over 4,50 euros per kilogram. From the second decade of the month, however, the prices fell from week to week, by almost 30 cents in total.

For slaughter calves billed at a flat rate, producers received an average of EUR 4,38 per kilogram slaughter weight in September, six cents more than in August. However, the previous year's level was missed by six cents.

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