Health Benefits of Raisins; Face-to-Face: Meet Mel Jackson; IFT Live Show Daily

IFT Annual Meeting Digital Library
There’s so much to learn at the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting. If you are having a difficult time making it to all the Scientific Program sessions you want to, or you miss a key session, don’t worry because this year all the sessions are being recorded. All full-paid Scientific Program registrants will receive complimentary access to the Digital Library and all recordings for a full year. The Digital Library features audio recordings of 100+ symposia, including PDF slides; video recordings and PDF slides of the three Beacon lectures; and speaker biographies. If you do not have access to the Digital Library as part of your conference registration, you may purchase access separately for $299. Digital Library registrants will receive an e-mail linking to the Digital Library by late August.

Health Benefits of Raisins
There have been relatively few studies conducted on the health benefits of dried fruits; however, over the past few years research has begun to uncover the health benefits of raisins. Studies have shown that raisins contain significant amounts of the flavonols quercetin and kaempferol and the phenolic acids caftaric and coutaric. These compounds may be responsible for some of the health benefits that have been reported with raisin consumption. In a special supplement of the Journal of Food Science, several studies review the latest research on the health benefits of raisins. These studies reveal the nutritional and phytonutrient content of raisins, explore how they can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and dental caries, and evaluate raisins’ impact on satiety and energy intake.

Face-to-Face: Meet Mel Jackson
In this month’s Face-to-Face series, we will be introducing you to Mel Jackson, Vice President of Science at Sweet Green Fields. A seasoned industry veteran, Jackson brings more than 10 years of experience to the team and has logged considerable accomplishments for both Sweet Green Fields and the industry, including developing the only U.S. patent released to-date for high purity extraction methodology of glycosides from stevia. Before joining Sweet Green Fields, Jackson served as Director of Product Development and Services at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, a Sweet Green Fields partner. He holds a joint Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and economics as well as a Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of Keele in Staffordshire, England. Read IFT’s Face-to-Face interview with Jackson to find out where he sees the sweetener industry headed in the next decade.

IFT Live Show Daily
Whether you are attending the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo^® or not, make sure you visit IFT’s online show daily, IFT Live, for live reporting from the show. IFT Live brings you exclusive news, live reports, onsite updates, photos, video, and much more from the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo. If you are attending the show, the site can direct you to can’t-miss sessions, the latest new ingredients on the Expo floor, and interviews with your favorite speakers. And if you can’t make it to the show for one reason or another this year, IFT Live makes sure you don’t miss out on the trending topics and ideas to take your business to the next level. In addition to visiting the site on your laptop or phone at http://live.ift.org, you can also view a live feed of stories from IFT Live through the mobile event app.

Kelly Hensel
Senior Digital Editor
[email protected]