CONSUMPTION OF REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER IN ADDITION TO THE CONSUMPTION OF REGULAR PEANUT BUTTER

A set of factors has been identified to affect consumption of reduced-fat peanut butter in addition to regular peanut butter. We found that consumption of reduced-fat peanut butter, which is an imperfect substitute for regular peanut butter, may expand total demand for peanut butter. Interestingly, for those who usually buy the same brand of peanut butter, their consumption of reduced-fat peanut butter is more likely in addition to consumption of regular peanut butter, implying promotion of a specific brand of reduced-fat peanut butter tend to increase total demand for the same brand of peanut butter.reduced-fat peanut butter, regular peanut butter, Consumer/Household Economics,

AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF U.S. IMPORTS OF BUTTER AND MILK FAT PRODUCTS

This study developed a model to explain monthly imports of butter and butter substitutes. The U.S. imports butter and other high milk fat products that can substitute for a strict definition of butter. These products include dairy spreads, butter substitutes, anhydrous milk fat, and food preparations. The U.S. imports these high milk fat products under a tariff-rate quota system (TRQ) implemented by the World Trade Organization (WTO). This study quantified all the milk fat contained in U.S. butter and butter substitute imports. A conceptual model was developed to explain imports of these products under a TRQ system. And an econometric model was estimated to analyze the economic factors that drive over-quota imports. The model found that the wedge between U.S. and world butter prices explains much of the incentive to import overquota butter and butter substitutes.International Relations/Trade,

Aroma-active secondary oxidation products of butter

Butter contains vitamins, minerals and unsaturated lipids, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs). However the oxidative stability and consequently the shelf-life of milk products are inversely correlated with their PUFA and CLA content. The objective of this study is the evaluation of the oxidative stability and sensory quality of PUFA/CLA-enriched butter versus conventional butter, with both types of butter being produced at ALP. For this purpose, new chemical and sensory-based methods will be developed, as well holistic complementary methods. This paper focuses on a preliminary study achieved using conventional butter, subjected to a long storage and to oxygen and light exposure, to develop a gas chromatography olfactometry (GC-O) method able to detect the aroma-active compounds originated from oxidation. This will be one of the methods used for the evaluation of the oxidative stability of PUFA/CLA-enriched butter

N=2 Conformal Superspace in Four Dimensions

We develop the geometry of four dimensional N=2 superspace where the entire conformal algebra of SU(2,2|2) is realized linearly in the structure group rather than just the SL(2,C) x U(2)_R subgroup of Lorentz and R-symmetries, extending to N=2 our prior result for N=1 superspace. This formulation explicitly lifts to superspace the existing methods of the N=2 superconformal tensor calculus; at the same time the geometry, when degauged to SL(2,C) x U(2)_R, reproduces the existing formulation of N=2 conformal supergravity constructed by Howe.Comment: 43 pages; v2 references added, acknowledgments update

EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE 2007 RECALL ON THE DEMAND FOR PEANUT BUTTER BRANDS

The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed in February 2007 that a major foodborne illness outbreak was caused by two peanut butter brands, Peter Pan and Great Value, manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc. at its Sylvester, Georgia, processing plant. As a result, on February 14, 2007, ConAgra voluntarily issued a nationwide recall of its Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter products produced since May 2006 and sold through grocery and retail stores throughout the United States. Using the ACNielsen Homescan Panel for calendar years 2006, 2007 and 2008, this study investigates the impacts of the recall on the demand for peanut butter by estimating a second degree polynomial distributed lag with a lag length of three and endpoint restrictions imposed. The estimation results showed that the recall did have a statistically significant positive impact on the demand for peanut butter as a category. Also, the recall appeared to have had a statistically significant demand-enhancing effect on the Jif peanut butter brand and a demand-diminishing effect on the Skippy peanut butter brand. In all the cases, the maximum impact of the recall took place one to two weeks after the release of the recall.food recalls, polynomial distributed lag model, consumer behavior, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, Marketing,

DEGREE OF COMPETITION IN THE U.S. PEANUT BUTTER INDUSTRY: A DYNAMIC ERROR CORRECTION APPROACH

Reforms in the U.S. peanut program entail a reduction in support price of peanuts. The degree to which price reduction is passed on to final consumers of peanut butter is directly related to the degree of competition in the peanut butter market. To assess the impact of changes in the peanut program on final consumers, it is necessary to know the degree of competition in the peanut butter industry. A dynamic error correction model (ECM) developed by Steen and Salvanes is estimated using nonlinear-three-stage-least-squares procedure to measure the degree of competition. Results indicate that the market is characterized by perfect competition in the short-run. The hypothesis of perfect competition is rejected in the long-run, although the long-run solution is close to a perfectly competitive behavior. This result has important implications for the peanut butter industry. Reductions in the support price of peanut may not be fully passed on to peanut butter consumer, but the consumers' welfare gain will certainly be much higher than what it would have been if the market was collusive in structure.Agribusiness, Industrial Organization,

Assessment of processing technologies which may improve the nutritional composition of dairy products – Overview of progress

Among consumers there is a growing demand for food products with a natural nutritional-physiological advantage over comparable conventional products. As part of an EU funded project, ALP is examining the possible impact of processing on nutritionally valuable milk components, using the example of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). The extent to which processing influences the CLA content of the end product was determined by literature research and own investigations of organic and conventional butter. Furthermore, new chemical, sensory-based and bio crystallization methods were evaluated by ALP and the University of Kassel to determine the oxidation stability of butter. In a further step the storage stability of CLA enriched and conventional butter was examined and the different methods will be compared. As a third objective a process for low-input CLA enrichment of milk fat (with a focus on alpine butter) has been developed. Since the process selected for the work is a physical enrichment process, it is accepted by international organic farming and food groups. Among the many benefits ascribed to CLA, it is believed to be an effective agent against cancer. The demand for foods with properties that promote human health is growing. The dairy industry has the opportunity to meet this demand by developing new dairy products with a nutritional-physiological function for the functional food market