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as 2008 draws to a close, foodnavigator has been reviewing which articles generated the most interest amongst you, the readers. interest in sweeteners has been intense – from new science and market entrants in sucrose, to new possibilities for the market. splenda gut health study a rat study published in the peer-reviewed journal of toxicology and environmental health, part a , concluded that consumption of the sweetener splenda at doses within the us fda’s acceptable daily intake may suppress beneficial bacteria in the gut and cause weight gain.

a combination of gellan gum and magnesium chloride may lead to low-fat, low salt meat products, according to new research from mexico. the combination, which the researchers claim has never been studied before, could offering alternatives to food manufacturers using meat batters, as consumer and political pressures mount to reduce the fat and salt content of their products.

scientists have warned that food manufacturers should move quickly if they wish to reformulate their products befor the official calorific value for fibre goes up next october. the new value of two calories per gram has been established in a european union directive after scientists discovered more about how fibre ferments in the gut, and how energy is absorbed in the process.

the uk’s food standards agency (fsa) will have a new chair from next summer, as dame deirdre hutton has announced she will step down at the end of her term in july 2009. the fsa was set up in 2000 as part of a number of measures to improve food safety in the wake of the bse crisis. dame hutton has been at the helm since 2005. alan johnson, secretary of state for health, said that while dame hutton has been with the agency “it has become even more trusted by consumers and respected by industry as an independent guardian of our food.

four beef samples from irish farms using contaminated feed have higher levels of dioxins than those found in the pork which led to the recent irish pork product recall, said ireland’s food safety agency. the food safety authority of ireland (fsai) said it had reviewed and assessed the results it received following analysis of the samples by a uk laboratory, and reported that the dioxin levels detected were 30 to almost 350 times above the eu allowable level.

more stevia sweetened products are lining up for launch but campaigners are calling for the fda decision that signaled that the sweetener could be used in food and beverages to be reversed. the dr pepper snapple group is the latest company to join the stevia trend and said it expects to announce the launch of low-calorie drinks made with the natural, zero calorie sweetener in the coming weeks, according to reuters.

the impact of this year’s melamine dairy crisis has rumbled through the food chain and although quality assurance measures can benefit responsible firms, downturn in chinese dairy has still led to lost of ingredients sales. since the problem of milk contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine came to light in september, ingredients have come under increased scrutinised for their sourcing.

a flurry of activity has followed the fda no objection letters for the stevia-derived sweetener, reb a, to be used in food and beverages as two companies announce self-affirmed gras. blue california said it has completed its gras (generally recognized as safe) self-affirmation for its reb a 97 percent sweetener good&sweet. and glg life tech corporation also announced that it has completed the necessary steps to declare self-affirmed gras for its rebpure product which contains 97 percent pure reb a stevia extract.

cadbury has changed the mix of chocolates in its heroes selection but denies cost-cutting. the company admitted that cost was a factor in the selection shake-up but rejected claims by the mainstream press that it has weeded out the more expensive heroes to replace them with stingier options. in particular, the company has replaced crunchies and white chocolate dreams with bournvilles and eclairs, while also reportedly cutting down on the number of dairy milk whole nut chocolates.