Petitions were filed with the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that imports of citric acid and certain citrate salts from China and Canada are being sold at less than fair value, unfairly damaging the U.S. industry. The petitions, filed by Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, and Tate & Lyle Americas, ask the U.S. government to impose antidumping and countervailing duties against imports from China and antidumping duties against imports from Canada.

Commerce has 20 days to review the petitions and start an investigation. The ITC has 45 days to determine whether there is a reasonable indication that imports from Canada and China are causing or threatening to cause material injury to the U.S. industry. If the ITC determination is affirmative, the investigation will continue and Commerce will issue preliminary determinations regarding the degree of dumping and subsidies within three to five months.

The petition asks the government to impose tariffs of about 65 percent for Canada and 188 percent for China, based on the amount it's believed their products are being sold in the U.S. at dumped prices. The petition also alleges substantial countervailable subsidies on imports from China. If these margins and subsidies are confirmed, duties would be imposed on the imports at the time of entry into the U.S. Such measures would enable the domestic industry to compete with imports on a level playing field.

The NAFFS Convention committee has put together a great program for October where “Thinking Outside the Can” on beverage development will be explored along with ingredient challenges. The exciting lineup of speakers include: iTi Tropicals, DSM, TIC Gums, RQA, GNT USA and Scarinci & Hollenbeck.

Attendees will hear first-hand:

• Formulating Beverages – Beyond Flavor
• The Latest Buzz on Superfruits
• Vitamin Fortification & Functional Ingredients
• Stabilization Techniques – A Formulator’s Perspective
• Product Recalls and Related Crisis Management
• Overcoming Ingredient Challenges
• Optimizing Natural Colors
• Regulatory updates

This information-packed program will be held October 23-26 at The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, Fla.

Watch for more details coming soon or visit www.naffs.org.

A new study from Ireland suggests combining low levels of essential oils could enhance their antimicrobial power and remove adverse taste effects.

General consumer preferences for natural foods, legislative changes, and the isolation of antibiotic resistant pathogens are among the reasons turning the tide against chemical-based bactericides for food use and opening up opportunities for alternatives from natural sources.

Researchers from Dublin Institute of Technology say that combinations of essential oils at low concentrations show strong potential to be used instead. Paula Bourke and fellow researchers studied the efficacy of essential oil combinations, including rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, lemon balm and marjoram against food-borne pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Promising results were obtained from these initial experiments for oregano in combination with basil, thyme or marjoram, with an additive efficacy of the oregano combinations against B. cereus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa.

The researchers also reported that marjoram or thyme in combination with basil, rosemary or sage showed additive protection in terms of L. monocytogenes.

"Although none of the combinations showed clear synergistic effects, combining essential oils selected in this study, at lower concentrations than required for the essential oils alone, has potential for practical application to extend the shelf-life of selected foods," wrote the researchers.

The researchers say this result is important since a current limitation to the use of essential oils is the potential change in the organoleptic and textural quality of the food. Questions over interactions with other food components are also quoted as a limiting factor.

To test the potential of using low-concentration essential oil combinations in actual foods, the researchers evaluated the efficacy of plant essential oils in combination and to investigate the effect of food ingredients on their efficacy.

"The antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oils in this study was found to be a function of ingredient manipulation," they stated. As an example, higher protein concentrations and moderately acidic conditions were found to boost the anti-microbial activity of oregano and thyme. On the other hand, higher concentrations of potato starch or sunflower oil reduced the efficacy of the oils.

"This work shows that essential oils might be more effective against food-borne pathogens and spoilage bacteria when applied to ready-to-use foods containing a high protein level at acidic pH, as well as lower levels of fats or carbohydrates," stated the researchers.

The study was published by the International Journal of Food Microbiology (Elsevier).

Fruit extracts could soon be used to develop novel ingredients for sports recovery products, say researchers in New Zealand. Hort Research, a fruit breeding research organization, said it has identified properties of fruit that may counter the effects of over-training by promoting immune function, preventing inflammation and reducing the risk of infection. The findings could form the basis for the development of a new category of functional beverages for sports recovery, according to the organization.

While Hort Research has been looking into fruit for sports performance for several years, the researchers are only now getting to the stage where they are starting to understand the mechanism behind how fruit can influence sports recovery. The main fruits that researchers have been testing are those grown in New Zealand including kiwi fruit, apples, blueberries, black currants and boysenberries.

The group has already conducted in vitro and ex vivo studies to understand the benefits of fruit for promoting immunity and muscle recovery. Human clinical trials are also planned.

Hort Research said it is “actively seeking” industry partners for the development of functional ingredients and sports recovery products.

Be sure to save these dates when filling in your calendar:

June 5 – NAFFS/WFFC Food Safety Meeting, Holiday Inn, Newark, N.J.

October 23-26 - The 91st Annual NAFFS Convention, The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, Fla.