Research shows measurable improvements in driving performance for professional racecar drivers

Givaudan, a global leader in taste and wellbeing, has announced the results of an open-label clinical study, conducted with Michigan State University (MSU) and PitFit Inc, a premier training facility for professional racecar drivers in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The study used state-of-the-art tools to, in part, assess the impact of Cereboost™, Givaudan’s patented American ginseng extract, on the drivers’ reaction time.

Notable improvements in driving performance with Cereboost^TM

The study revealed notable improvements in driving performance among drivers who took Cereboost^TM for two weeks, including a significant reduction in the fastest lap time (3 seconds) and significantly faster throttle application on corners.

After taking Cereboost^TM participating drivers also reported in a subjective questionnaire feeling positive effects:

• 94 % agreed Cereboost^TM effectively enhanced their focus
• 91 % perceived the effects faster than other products they have tried in the past

Jim Leo, CEO of PitFit, commented: “As the industry leader in human performance coaching for motorsports, PitFit has always taken a proactive approach to researching anything that might improve our clients’ performance. Given our strong interest in supporting drivers’ performance, we began exploring research on nutritional supplements that could assist us in our quest. Cereboost^TM was an obvious choice, as it’s backed by peer-reviewed research to support attention and focus.”

Cereboost^TM: think faster, perform better

“Working with Michigan State University and PitFit gave us the opportunity to evaluate the real-world benefits of an already clinically studied ingredient and understand how athlete drivers perceived its effect, getting us closer to understanding consumer perception” said Romain Le Cozannet, Mind & Energy Category Technical Leader at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing.

Full results of the new study are available here and all the Cereboost^TM clinical studies in one review here.

The European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP), a leading industry initiative dedicated to advancing the circular economy within the PET bottle value chain, announced the launch of its Circularity Test Protocol. This new protocol marks a pivotal milestone in supporting the PET value chain efforts toward sustainable development and resource efficiency.

Meeting ambitious environmental goals

The launch of the Circularity Test Protocol provides industry stakeholders with a powerful tool to meet ambitious environmental targets. EPBP’s Design for Recyclability Test Protocol already aligns with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the Circularity Test Protocol can be seen as the next evolution towards true circularity.

“With this new protocol, EPBP reinforces its commitment to fostering sustainable packaging innovations that embody true circularity,” said Antoon Spiessens, co-chair of EPBP representing UNESDA.

“This protocol offers industry stakeholders a reliable framework to assess and improve the circularity of PET bottles during their R&D phase,” said John McClelland, co-chair of EPBP representing PETCORE EUROPE.

Advancing circularity in PET recycling

Circularity is defined as maximising resource use, minimising waste, extending product lifespans and enabling effective recycling, and forms the cornerstone of European Union (EU) policies and packaging legislation. The Circularity Test Protocol is designed to simulate multiple recycling loops and better address the evolving needs of the PET industry as the content of recycled PET (rPET) increases under EU policies and associated legislation.

Transitioning to the Circularity Test Protocol

EPBP will initially offer both test protocols to applicants seeking a recyclability or circularity assessment. EPBP will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to establish a transition period for the newly developed PET Circularity Protocol and its associated design guidelines. This transition period will enable the industry to prepare for the new design-for-circularity guidelines. These will be announced by EPBP in the near future.

During this transition period, applicants may choose whether to validate their packaging innovations based on either the recyclability or circularity protocols. However, EPBP strongly encourages applicants to begin adopting the circularity protocol. Innovations successfully validated under the recyclability protocol may face challenges when reassessed against the circularity protocol, emphasizing the importance of early adoption.

For over 17 years, EPBP has played a vital role in providing design-for-recycling (DfR) guidelines and evaluating innovative PET bottle packaging solutions based on the PET Recyclability Test Protocol to ensure the production of high-quality recycled PET (rPET). EPBP is proud to be a liaison organisation with the Technical Committee on Packaging within the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). EPBP actively contributes to the development of standards and the exchange of best practices across the industry. Evolving the PET test protocol from recyclability to circularity will provide the value chain with a clearer direction in the future, considering the reality of multi-loop recycling.

EPBP remains dedicated to facilitating the understanding and adoption of PET innovations that support recycling efficiency, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Results of the first orange and grapefruit maturity tests for the 2022-2023 season, using only regular bloom fruit, are listed below. Sample groves and trees remain relatively constant from season to season. Fruit was picked from trees throughout the citrus growing region on August 29-30, 2022. Each sample was weighed, juiced, and tested by the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service (FASS) on August 31, 2022, and September 1, 2022.

Please download the results under www.nass.usda.gov.

Starting in mid-July 2022, GEA and Israeli start-up Better Juice will conduct product tests on behalf of beverage manufacturers looking to lower the sugar content in drinks. To provide the service, the new GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid, which the industrial systems supplier developed based on the Better Juice process, has been installed at the GEA Test Center in Ahaus, Germany. With this innovative solution for the juice industry, GEA is raising the profile of the Ahaus facility as a key hub for piloting aseptic processing and filling of sensitive foods and beverages.

Test Center provides solutions for unique product requirements

“We can now collaborate with our customers at the Test Center to strike the ideal balance between a sweet note and reduced sugar content,” says Gali Yarom, co-founder and joint CEO of Better Juice. To that end, the microbiologists from Better Juice will join forces with GEA’s specialist engineers to support and guide companies in running trials. The GEA Test Center at Ahaus will provide laboratory services dedicated to testing all important analytical parameters.

“It’s often necessary to initially demystify innovative solutions like the Better Juice process. That’s why it’s all the more important to make the case for the technology with manufacturers in person,” says Sascha Wesely who leads the Non-Alcoholic Beverages business at GEA. “The Ahaus trials help us optimize process efficiency right from the outset. By running scalable tests under real-life conditions, we significantly cut the time to market.”

A scalable, enzymatic solution to removing up to 80 percent of sugar from fresh juices

Thanks to a patented enzymatic process, this is the world’s first solution that naturally reduces the sugar content of fruit drinks by up to 80 percent, without affecting its nutritional value or authentic taste. The juice flows continuously through a bioreactor containing GMO-free, immobilized microorganisms which convert simple sugars into prebiotic, non-digestible molecules that benefit the intestinal flora. As a result, the GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid succeeds in removing up to 80 percent of the sugar in natural fruit juices, concentrates as well as fruit-based mixtures, such as purees. At the end of 2021, the partners won their first commercial order from a company in the U.S. where, once integrated into production, the system will create juices with much less sugar.

Now revised and updated

One of the most common tests conducted in the juice manufacturing industry is the measurement of soluble solids by refractometry. It is not only used for the assessment of a quality parameter but it is also commercially important where used in yield assessment. IFU method number 8 describes this method. The principle is that the dry soluble solids content of a sample is estimated from its refractive index, with reference to the refractive index of a pure sugar solution. The refractive index is proportional to the solution concentration (following the theory of Lorentz and Lorenz). In fruit juices the refractive index is therefore dependent upon sugar concentration and also upon the concentration of other soluble materials (organic acids, minerals, amino acids etc.).

The method has been recently revised to include a weight per litre table.

The correction of soluble solids for malic/tartaric acid and salt is still under discussion but will be available in the near future.

Keep your test methods up to date download IFU #8: www.ifu-fruitjuice.com