Using the dietary fibre Fibrex in bread and other baked goods has many benefits. This view from the company behind the fibre, Danisco Sugar AB, is now supported by the German food technology institute BILB (the Bremerhaven Institute of Food Technology and Bioprocessing) which confirms the positive influence of Fibrex in a new report after extensive testing in frozen doughs. According to the study, dough and bread tolerate freezing much better with the addition of Fibrex.

Can butter be packed in anything other than aluminium laminated paper or a plastic tub? The supermarket chain Carrefour has turned its board-based butter tub into a successful product. The design of the board-based container and the consumer-friendly packaging concept are the result of years of product development work.

Swedish camera manufacturer Victor Hasselblad AB today announced at Photokina 2000 that they have combined efforts with Silicon Valley-based Foveon, Inc. to create the Hasselblad DFinity, a digital camera developed through the cooperation of two companies who are leaders in their fields. The new camera will be the embodiment of Hasselblad's tradition of developing highest image quality camera solutions for the professionals with the ability of Foveon to develop unique image capture technology.

Global telecom and broadband operators will be given new business opportunities by offering customers IP-based extended services such as Video-on-Demand, e-commerce, on-line gambling, etc. The Kreatel broadband service gateway called Tornado/K5 is currently undergoing practical tests and will be ready for shipping during the fourth quarter.

The successful launch of new products on the ready-cooked food market requires packages to be better designed and more functional. Many consumer groups are attracted by multi-compartment ovenable packages, increased use of colours and different shapes and digital printing. A number of new packaging solutions enabling the range of ready-cooked and frozen products to be considerably expanded have been developed as a result of the joint development work between Huhtamaki Van Leer and Stora Enso.

Machinery and plant design involving compressed air-driven vacuum pumps can be greatly facilitated by the new P3010 vacuum pump, according to the vacuum technology company PIAB, which has introduced a range of pumps with an emphasis on modularity and efficiency.

Very low inhalation and exhalation resistance is one of the advantages that characterise a new full face protective mask, called the SR 200. The mask is light, offers a wide field of view and minimises the risk of contact allergies, according to the Swedish manufacturer, Sundström Safety. This mask is now being launched on several European markets.

It will now be quicker and more efficient for American manufacturers of corrugated board to apply tape directly in the corrugator. This follows from the release by the Swedish company AssiDomän of the Wellpack Taper, its successful tear tape applicator, onto the American market. The unveiling will take place at the industry exposition, SuperCorrExpo 2000, in Atlanta at the end of October.

· FAM Funds to increase exposure in Swedish market through new Government-backed pension scheme· FAM Sweden moves to larger premises to handle increasing business opportunities

Stora Enso's Baienfurt mill is the first European box board producer to gain accreditation by the German RWTÜV for the introduction of stringent risk assessment systems normally applied in the food industry.