Blog

SCFIC & SCIFTs Suppliers’ Night – March 8, 2017

We hope you had the opportunity to attend at least one of the premier events SCIFTs put on in Anaheim, CA this March. This was the 30th anniversary of these events and it was one of the best. The Conference held the first half of the day was a wealth of information on topics of…
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The Great Protein Quality Opportunity

When I first started selling soy protein in 1996, I had to learn what protein quality was.  In the old days we used PER – a measure of the effectiveness for protein to maintain health in rats.  I am sure mothers around the world would have been comforted in knowing that the nutrition of their…
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SPI Group enjoys food safety music

Yes, we really listened to food safety music!  Every year we support the Northern California IFT section’s joint event with the UC Davis Food Science Department.   We love sponsoring food science students and having the opportunity to talk with them over dinner. This year’s event was one of the most entertaining IFT events we have…
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SPI Group visits NASA food labs

At SPI Group, we are strong supporters of local IFT events – and we may have just been to our favorite events with the Alamo IFT section! We loved going to Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX to hear Dr. Shannon Walker discuss her experience with long duration space flight. Dr. Walker described how she…
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Psyllium fiber: digestive and heart health, functional ingredient

Psyllium is a soluble fiber made from the seed husks of the Plantago ovata plant. It’s considered a soluble fiber and helps move food through the digestive system so that your body can break it down and convert it into essential nutrients. Without enough fiber in a person’s diet to help move food though the…
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The Great Protein Opportunity

The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970.  It was organized in response to population growth with an eye toward the impact every human makes on the Earth.  Denis Hayes, the chief organizer of the first Earth Day said at that time, “It is already too late to avoid mass starvation.” The FAO and the…
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My Food Job Rocks! Podcast featuring Russ Nishikawa

SPI Group is honored to have podcaster/food scientist Adam Yee feature Russ Nishikawa, VP of Business Development, on his podcast My Food Job Rocks! The My Food Job Rocks! Podcast was developed to inform people about cool jobs in the food industry. Every week, Adam interviews people from all walks of life from jobs ranging from Product…
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Shelf Life Naturally: Ingredients for Processed Deli Meats

Most meat processors are dealing with cleaning up their labels while battling with pathogen and spoilage control in their RTE deli products. Because of the need for additional hurdles to protect against pathogens, proven antimicrobials like lactates and diacetates are used in combination with high pressure pasteurization. (HPP). These hurdles have their side effects. High…
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What Is Saccharomyces boulardii?

Saccharomyces boulardii from Ohly is a yeast based probiotic that balances the naturally occurring bacteria located in the intestines. It strengthens the intestinal immune system and restores normal bowel functions. Saccharomyces boulardii both treats and prevents diarrhea. In cases of viral or bacterial types of acute diarrhea Saccharomyces boulardii acts to effectively treat the condition…
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6th annual Puget Sound IFT Brew Night on October 18th

Strike up another successful night of brewing and BBQ for the Puget Sound IFT group. That’s held each year at Gallagher’s Where-U-Brew in Edmond’s Washington. The brewing event was sponsored by 8 Ingredient companies and included an award winning BBQ ribs and pulled pork meal, with all the sides and various hot sauces you’d hope…
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