Readers of the Hartford Courant and Washington Post may recently have come across a profile on a research lab that we opened in New Haven, Conn., in 2010. The lab has eight full-time scientists whose work focuses on finding ways to make snack foods more healthful. The article quotes three scientists who are also Food Frontiers bloggers: Mark Pirner, Eric Milgram and Jeff Zachwieja. The article reads, in part: “PepsiCo officials say the lab is part of a pattern toward offering more healthful fare. In expanding its product line, Pepsi has bought part of Sabra, a company that makes hummus; its Frito-Lay division now offers sunflower seeds and several types of nuts. And the company recently bought Wimm-Bill-Dann, a Russian dairy company. Placing a greater emphasis on science, Pepsi hired Mehmood Khan in 2007 as its chief scientific officer. Khan, who had worked as an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, has... Read more

As Mehmood Khan wrote last fall, we honored several members of our R&D team at PepsiCo’s inaugural Academy of Science awards in September. We have previously highlighted a team that took a classic Indian drink called “nimbu paani” and packaged it for on-the-go consumers, and another that worked in China on a locally sourced cereal that appeals to the local palette. Today we wanted to recognize another team for its development of a new Gatorade product for use after workouts. Recovery is a critical step for the body after a workout. Basically, adapting to the repeated stress of exercise applied during workouts is how performance is improved. Protein provides the amino acids muscles need to rebuild and repair, while carbohydrates replenish the muscle’s energy stores. The goal of the project was to develop a refreshing beverage, to be consumed post-workout, that delivered the protein and carbohydrates needed to... Read more