Cargill, Minneapolis, MN, has been issued a letter of no objections to the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status of trehalose, which clears the way for it to market the multi-functional sweetener in the U.S. Haya­shibara International (HBI), the international division of Hayashibara Company of Japan that manufactures and markets trehalose in Japan, filed the GRAS notification with FDA in May. Under an agreement with Haya­shibara, Cargill has exclusive rights to develop and market trehalose for food use throughout the Americas.

In other news, the company is opening a new food application center in Iowa. The center will help food developers learn more about the use of starches, sweeteners and emulsifiers in food formulations. Testing capabilities will include texture analysis, viscosity profiling, microscopic analysis, HPLC and GC.