Beverages

USDA-ARS Prototype Prevents Mycotoxin Accumulation During Malting of Barley

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0500

Incorporating a novel “bio-fumigation” method based on a natural compound produced by mustard plants, the micro-malting machine effectively addresses mycotoxins while preserving quality. USDA is working with industry to scale the prototype for widespread adoption.

UK Study Detects Mycotoxins in 100 Percent of Analyzed Plant-Based Products

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:02:00 -0500

Although generally detected at low levels, mycotoxins were present in all plant-based meat alternative and beverage samples, suggesting that cumulative exposure may pose health concerns.

Tetra Pak Announces Landmark Use of Aseptic Packaging with Sustainable Paper Barrier

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:11:10 -0500

Tetra Pak has unveiled the first-ever use of its paper-based barrier technology for a juice packaging application by García Carrión. The Tetra Brik Aseptic Slim Leaf carton comprises 92 percent renewable materials and reduces carbon footprint by 43 percent.

GEA Launches Predictive Monitoring Tool for Dairy, Beverage Production

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:16:58 -0400

GEA InsightPartner EvoHDry is a digital condition monitoring tool developed to support operational reliability in facilities producing items like infant formula, cream, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cheese.

UK to Ban Energy Drink Sales to Kids Under Age 16

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:06:32 -0400

The UK Government has proposed rules that would prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16, intended to “prevent obesity in up to 40,000 children and deliver health benefits worth tens of millions of pounds.”

FSANZ Announces Changes to Food Standards Code; Provides New Guidance for Seafood, Cell-Cultured Sectors

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:01:10 -0400

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has received official approval for four changes to the Food Standards Code. It has also provided new targeted guidance on microbiological safety and hygiene for seafood and cell-cultured products.

FDA Proposes Amended SOI for Pasteurized Orange Juice to Address Modern Grower Challenges

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:12:03 -0400

FDA has issued a proposed rule to amend the Standard of Identity (SOI) for orange juice, reducing the minimum Brix requirement from 10.5 to 10. This addresses modern agricultural challenges making it difficult for manufacturers to meet Brix content requirements.

A 40-Year Hangover: Efforts to Revive 1980s Advocacy About the Potential Negative Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Tue, 06 May 2025 07:00:27 -0400

The current campaign to require a cancer warning on alcohol containers will likely be hampered by the complex and thorny congressional action required to update the health warning statement. Nonetheless, alcohol industry members will need to carefully implement public relations, legislative, and litigation strategies to respond to this emphasis on the potential harms related to alcohol consumption.

FDA Testing Finds Bottled Water Samples Do Not Exceed EPA Limits for PFAS in Drinking Water

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:18:05 -0400

FDA carried out a sampling and testing assignment of bottled waters for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 2023–2024. Although PFAS were detected in ten samples, no bottled waters were found to have levels of “forever chemicals” exceeding EPA maximum limits for PFAS in drinking water.

Utah Bans Fluoridated Drinking Water

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:06:28 -0400

With the passage of House Bill 81, Utah will ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water systems beginning May 7, 2025. Community water fluoridation has come under scrutiny in recent years due to concerns about its affect on children’s IQ.

First-of-its-Kind Study Finds Higher Rates of Cancer in Areas With PFAS-Contaminated Drinking Water

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 10:56:20 -0400

In a first-of-its-kind study analyzing large population-level datasets, researchers from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine estimated that communities exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -contaminated drinking water experience up to 33 percent higher incidence of certain cancers.

Proposed Rule Would Require Mandatory Labeling on Alcoholic Beverages for Big 9 Food Allergens

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:02:57 -0400

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has proposed a rule that would require mandatory labeling on alcoholic beverages for the “Big 9” food allergens. The proposed rule is open for comment until April 17, 2025.

Study: Millions of Americans Exposed to Unregulated Chemicals in Drinking Water, Especially Hispanic Communities

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:13:48 -0500

A recent study has revealed that nearly 100 million people in the U.S. are exposed to unregulated chemicals in their drinking water—including solvents, refrigerants, and PFAS—with Hispanic populations most disproportionately affected.

Study Shows Tea Bags Release Millions of Microplastics When Brewed

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:04:49 -0500

A recent study has demonstrated that millions of nano- and microplastics are released by polymer-based commercial tea bags when infused with hot water, and that these plastic particles are readily taken up by human intestinal cells.

Toxicity is Unknown for One Pervasive Contaminant in U.S. Drinking Water, Researchers Warn

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 17:00:23 -0500

A survey of municipal drinking water in the U.S. has revealed the pervasive presence of a little-understood contaminant, chloronitramide anion. The researchers call for urgent research into its toxicity—especially considering its structural similarity to other toxic compounds.

CFIA Unable to Confirm Source of Contamination in Fatal Listeria Outbreak Linked to Plant-Based Milk

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:01:53 -0500

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its root cause investigation of the summer 2024 listeriosis outbreak linked to plant-based Silk and Great Value milks. The agency was unable to confirm the primary source of the contamination, but found that the production facility was not compliant with testing requirements.

New TruStream™ Drum Port Extracts Liquid Samples While Eliminating Airborne Contamination

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:26:44 -0400

QualiTru Sampling Systems® has launched the new TruStream™ Drum Port, engineered for the quick and safe extraction of liquid samples without exposing the product to airborne contaminants.

New NEMO® MY Magnetically Coupled Pump Conveys Highly Viscous Liquids Without Leaks

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:26:19 -0400

NETZSCH Pumps and Systems has released its new NEMO® R. MY Magnetically Coupled Pump, a hermetically sealed pump that can convey liquid products and slurries with viscosities up to 20,000 centipoise (cps).

Reducing Spoilage of Plant-Based Milk with Flash Freezing

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:00:00 -0400

Food spoilage is the result of several factors, one of which is the level of moisture in the food. Flash freezing can be used to reduce spoilage in plant-based milk. Several interventions can improve quality and safety, especially with regard to packaging.

National Association of Wine Retailers Make the Case for Changes to U.S. Regulations of Alcohol Sales

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:58:03 -0400

The National Association of Wine Retailers (NAWR) has published a paper that provides a comprehensive overview of U.S. regulation of alcohol sales, the challenges within the current system, and possibly beneficial regulatory changes.

KROHNE OPTIWAVE 7500 Radar Level Transmitter for Difficult Liquid Applications

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 11:54:18 -0400

KROHNE Inc. has introduced its OPTIWAVE 7500 frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar level transmitter for demanding liquid applications.

E-Tongue Can Detect Wine Spoilage Microorganisms Much Sooner Than Human Sensory Panels

Mon, 27 May 2024 09:00:00 -0400

A recent study has demonstrated the superior capability of “electronic tongue” (e-tongue) technology when detecting spoilage microorganisms in wine, in comparison to traditional human sensory evaluation.

New Smart Inline Pressure Measurement System for Beverage Inspection in Clear Bottles

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:44:07 -0500

Antares Vision Group has introduced a noninvasive, inline pressure measurement system providing reliable, high-speed inspection for beverages in glass and plastic bottles. Applicable for all transparent and semi-transparent bottles, the company’s PCS700-IOT utilizes advanced laser spectroscopy technology to precisely determine whether a container headspace has appropriate pressure levels.

New Microscopic Detection Technique Reveals More Plastic in Bottled Water Than Previously Known

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 11:32:29 -0500

Using a new microscopic technique that can detect minute particles of plastic, Rutgers Health and Columbia researchers have discovered that bottled drinking water contains 10–100 times more plastic particles than previous estimates have suggested.

Two People Die After Drinking Panera’s Highly Caffeinated Lemonade, Chain Faces Lawsuits

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 11:09:42 -0500

Panera Bread is facing wrongful death lawsuits after two customers in vulnerable populations suffered fatal cardiac events following the consumption of the chain’s Charged Lemonade drinks. The lawsuits assert that the drink is not advertised as a dangerously caffeinated beverage.

Hygiena Dairy and Beverage Kits First to be AOAC-Certified for Entire Product Testing Workflow

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:27:33 -0400

Hygiena’s Innovate RapiScreen Dairy and Beverage Kits are the first methods to be awarded the AOAC RI Performance-Tested MethodsSM (PTM) Certification for the entire product testing workflow.

Study of Common U.S. Beverages Find Levels of Toxic Metals That Exceed Standards

Thu, 25 May 2023 09:00:00 -0400

A study led by Tulane University recently found that some commonly consumed beverages contain levels of toxic metals that exceed federal drinking water standards. The study was conducted to fill knowledge gaps, as there are few peer-reviewed studies examining the contents of U.S. beverages.

Case Study: Methanol Poisoning from Adulterated Liquor

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 17:00:00 -0400

Traditionally, food safety issues associated with alcoholic beverages focus on chemical or physical hazards from the processing line. Intoxication with alcoholic beverages, as it relates to food safety, is less reported in the literature. However, the addition of cheap methanol to illicitly produced liquor—a rising issue in Asia—is increasingly being studied as a food safety and food adulteration issue.

MadBrew STONE ACID Removes Scale and Hard Water Deposits

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 12:33:00 -0400

Madison Chemical recently premiered its MadBrew® STONE ACID, a low-foam acid blend that can aid in the removal of hard water deposits and scale.

Juice Safety and Cold Chain Management

Tue, 04 May 2021 09:00:00 -0400

We take a close look at the safety and cold chain management of an Italian export—blood orange juice—to determine how these challenges are met.