Runners Welcome
A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine reports a natural food ingredient significantly reduced upper-respiratory tract infection symptoms in marathon runners, while increasing vigor and overall health. Subjects consumed Wellmune WGP®, a unique functional food, beverage and supplement ingredient from Biothera. Previous published research shows physical and psychological stress reduces key immune system components, weakening immune defenses. The data collected in this study demonstrates the ability of Wellmune WGP to naturally enhance the body’s immune system, resulting in broad protection from stress-induced health challenges, according to the company. Wellmune WGP is GRAS, and is kosher- and halal-certified, as well as non-allergenic and GMO-free. Biothera, the Immune Health Company, 651-256-4606, www.biothera.com
Smooth Operator
There is good news for those seeking to differentiate their food brand with functional ingredients backed by proven health claims. Croda’s Ωmelife™ concentrated omega-3 ingredient is manufactured using state-of-the-art micro-encapsulation technology, making this goal a possibility. Including Ωmelife Smooth into a food recipe guarantees a concentrated, stable and fresh-tasting omega-3 ingredient that is readily bioavailable and increases the potency claims of an end-product, says the company. Whether included in soups or smoothies, muffins or muesli, the end result is the same--a concentrated omega-3 offering that complements and enriches the brand--while never compromising on taste. Croda Europe Ltd., +44 0 1405 860551, www.croda.europe.com/europe
’Whey’ the Options
A new range of whey protein ingredients for the health and wellness sector is being launched this year. Carbery Food Ingredients’ family of ingredients is targeted at clinical nutrition and weight management, as well as focusing on improving the nutritional profile of everyday food and drinks. The company’s Optipep® is a hydrolyzed whey protein (a pre-digested protein that ensures fast absorption) that delivers valuable functional advantages. It dissolves quickly, has excellent heat stability and overcomes shelflife and moisture retention issues associated with native whey proteins, according to the company. Carbery Co., Cork, Ireland, www.carbery.com
Pea Partnership
A new ingredient partnership is designed to bring quality pea ingredients to food, beverage, pet and snack food manufacturers. Marroquin Organic’s partnership with Best Cooking Pulses Inc. will feature a product range that is inherently gluten-free and will be available as organic or non-GMO. The range includes green and yellow whole pea flours; green and yellow split pea flours; pea fiber; and chickpea flour. Pea flours are versatile and can be used like wheat flour in countless applications, including muffins, breads, tortillas and pasta. Moreover, pea products are inherently high in fiber and protein, but low in fat. Marroquin Organic International, 831-423-3442, ext.17, www.marroquin-organics.com
Pure Performance
A transnational supplier of phosphoric acid, phosphate salts and related chemicals has major production facilities located in Europe, North and South America, Israel and China. In North America, ICL Performance Products LP is one of the core operating segments of ICL, representing about a third of the parent company’s total revenue. Product lines include food-grade phosphoric acid, phosphate salts, food additives and hygiene products, as well as specialty products based on aluminum oxide and other raw materials. The company’s food additives contribute to the appearance, texture, taste and preservation of a wide variety of foods, including processed meat, fish and seafood, and cheese and milk products. ICL Performance Products LP, 800-244-6169, www.icl-perfproductslp.com
Extraordinary Extracts
A nutraceuticals company has added four new extracts to its library of more than 200 GRAS ingredients. BI Nutraceuticals’ elderberry, rosemary, mangosteen and yerba mate extracts provide antioxidant properties, and the yerba mate, mangosteen and elderberry are water-soluble, for use in beverage applications. Also, the yerba mate extract is engineered to have a very clean taste for food and beverage applications and has been standardized to 20% caffeine. BI Nutraceuticals, 310-669-2101, www.binutraceuticals.com
Savory Salads
One company makes salad dressings and marinades with an Asian influence. Palcha’s unique and delicious products complement a wide variety of salads, side dishes and meats. The salad dressings also work as marinades for pork, steak, chicken and seafoods and are ideal for developing recipes that incorporate a salty, sweet taste, says the company. The dressings and marinades are soy-based, with a tamari wheat flavor. Palcha’s original SoyCha or its spicy, red-pepper ChiliCha give the “extra kick” popular in Korean cooking and can turn a salad into a savory meal. Palcha, 434-984-2202, www.palcha.com
Supplement Surety
A supplement manufacturer has announced its product was found to meet label claims, in a recent review of 23 probiotic supplements by a North American natural products industry watchdog group. The supplement, Jarro-Dophilus EPS®, manufactured by Institut Rosell-Lallemand on behalf of Jarrow Formulas, was ranked among the highest quality probiotics in this independent product review. It was found to contain the listed amount of probiotic organisms and to be free of microbial contamination. The test results showed eight products did not provide the labeled amount of live probiotics at time of testing--some showing as few as 7-10% of the claimed amount. Lallemand Inc., Institut Rosell, www.institut-rosell-lallemand.com
A Creamy Foundation
Diehl Food Ingredients® can help product designers make a cream-based product without the cost, instability or availability of dairy-based ingredients. Plus, Diehl can design a creamer base to meet specific needs, with regard to both functionality and nutritional qualities, including the full line of Richmix® creamer bases. Sensory Effects/Diehl Food Ingredients, 800-957-3130, www.sensoryeffects.com
Meat Preserver
One company introduced a unique combination of rosemary and green tea leaf that retains the maximum flavor and color of meat. Kemin Food Technologies’ agronomists have progressively propagated and refined a proprietary variety of rosemary, combined with a patented extraction method, to create the most efficacious rosemary extract on the market today, says the company. This unique combination curbs lipid oxidation in fresh meat and preserves the red color of meat better than rosemary or green tea alone, according to Kemin. Kemin Food Technologies, www.kemin.com
Good News for Gluten Intolerance
One gluten-replacement solution is set “to improve the diet of millions.” Dow Wolff Cellulosics (DWC) Food&Nutrition’s METHOCEL™ gluten replacer promises to put an end to flat and stodgy, or dry and tasteless, gluten-free food options--a bonus for manufacturers and gluten-intolerant consumers. METHOCEL can actually enhance food-providing moistness throughout its shelflife, preventing collapse during baking and avoiding the bloating effects associated with many other sources of fiber, according to the company. Dow Wolff Cellulosics, www.dowwolffcellulosics.com
Color It Natural
A complete line of high-performing, natural, plant-derived pigments is now available. Through an exclusive distribution agreement between Food Ingredient Solutions and Colarome, VIVAPIGMENTS™ are available in the U.S. The VIVAPIGMENTS line contains a patented technological innovation, developed by Colarome, which makes it both odorless and flavorless, with high color strength. The new product line is produced from food-grade ingredients, is kosher-certified and available in a wide array of colors. It also contains no allergens and no aluminum salt found in artificial dyes. Colarome, www.colarome.com, Food Ingredient Solutions, www.foodcolor.com
Grain That Sustains
Today, there is international demand for healthier, more nutritious foods. A unique partnership between ConAgra Mills and Caremoli Group is an opportunity to broaden the use of Sustagrain® in international markets. Caremoli Group’s expansion of its CareGrain™ line now includes pre-cooked, whole Sustagrain kernels, a proprietary, ultra-high fiber, whole-grain ingredient from ConAgra Mills. With more than 30% total dietary fiber (TDF) in both soluble and insoluble forms, the company claims Sustagrain has three times the TDF and soluble fiber of whole oats, and up to eight times more fiber than other whole grains. Caremoli Group, www.caremoligroup.com, ConAgra Mills, www.conagramills.com
Seal of Approval
One biosciences company has received a unanimous positive vote from the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) of the EU for additional novel food approval of life’sDHA in Europe. This is a significant action that will provide for new uses of Martek’s DHA-rich algal oil in bakery products, cereal bars and beverages, including milk-based and milk analog drinks. This expands the current categories approved in 2003, which include breakfast cereals, spreadable fat and dressings, dairy products (excluding milk-based and milk analog drinks) and food supplements. Martek Biosciences, www.marktek.com, www.lifesdha.com
Something to Smile About
A tooth-friendly tea beverage has just been launched. Good For Me, from BENEO-Palatinit, containing Palatinose™, is a tooth-friendly, fully digestible sugar derived from pure beet sugar and carries the Happy Tooth label by Toothfriendly International, which means the product is guaranteed to be non-cariogenic and non-erosive. Produced by Bischofszell Nahrungsmittel AG (BINA), the drink has just been launched and is now available throughout the major Migros supermarket chain in Switzerland in two flavors, honey and orange. Palatinose gives a rounded, sugar-like sweetness and pleasant mouthfeel to tooth-friendly beverages, even in those having a high pH value over 5.0. BENEO-Palatinit, www.beneo-palatinit.com
Omega-3s Clear and Stable
The introduction of clear, water-soluble EPA plus DHA omega-3 fatty acid ingredients specifically formulated to enable their incorporation into ambient, shelf-stable beverages has been announced. Hormel Foods Specialty Products Division has released its new ETERNA™ OMEGASOURCE™ beverage solutions, which, in addition to the use in refrigerated and frozen applications, have been scientifically demonstrated to provide greater than six-month stability in numerous shelf-stable, non-refrigerated and non-frozen beverage applications, says the company. To make the omega-3 ingredients appropriate for clear beverages, Hormel increases the total hydrolipophilic balance (HLB) of the EPA/DHA environment, resulting in reduced oil properties and increased water properties for the EPA/DHA. By increasing the water properties of the EPA/DHA, the product becomes more water-soluble and less visible. Hormel Foods Corporation, 507-437-5355, www.hormeleterna.com
Ancient Kombucha Beverage is Making Big Waves in Hot Drink Market
A Denver-based tea industry think-tank and publisher, Sage Group® LLC, has just released its latest specialty publication, the “Kombucha Market.” The business-to-business (B2B) report targets trends, history, production basics and sensory analysis of various brands, with a comprehensive analysis of this complex beverage. “After years of obscurity, as natural foods aficionados produced their own kombucha at home, a handful of savvy entrepreneurs have commercialized production over the last few years. With sales barely reaching a few million dollars in 2001, the ready-to-drink market for kombucha is rapidly approaching sales of $100 million dollars on an annual basis,” estimates Brian R. Keating, Sage Group publisher. Keating suggests kombucha may signal the arrival of a new generation of functional beverages. “Like yogurt, kefir, and similar products, kombucha may well represent a new type of wellness or functional product, unlike any other seen previously. To view an expanded table of contents or to order the new Sage Group “Kombucha Market” report visit: www.teareport.com. Sage Group LLC, Brian Keating, 303-333-1998, usteareport@aol.com
Soyfoods Beneficial for Breast Cancer Patients
A major new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Shu, XO, et al. 2009. Soyfood intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA. 302(22):2437-43) finds that women with breast cancer would be well-served by including soyfoods in their daily diet. Benefits increased when women consumed up to about 11g of soy protein (about two servings) per day. “The Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study”--led by Xiao Shu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and the Shanghai Institute of Preventative Medicine in China--evaluated 5,042 breast cancer patients aged 20-75 to participate in the study some six months after their cancer diagnosis and tracked their health over four years. Women in the study who consumed higher amounts of soy protein had a 7.4% mortality rate and an 8.0% cancer recurrence rate. In contrast, the women who consumed the least amount of soy had a 10.3% mortality rate and 11.2% recurrence rate. Thus, soyfood intake was associated with about a 30% decrease in risk.
Made the Old-fashioned Way
This delicious honey mustard pretzel recipe is just the thing for a tasty, spicy treat with a home-cooked feel. The Bachman Company has a 125-year tradition of making quality pretzels and snacks. Its signature Rolled Rods and Twist Pretzels are “made the old-fashioned way, not extruded, but actually rolled or twisted by our heritage bakery machines, then brick-oven flame-baked, ensuring a distinctive, crispy bite,” according to the company. Bachman recently introduced some favorite snacks in new on-the-go, smaller-sized packaging, including Pita Pretzel Squares, Butter Twist, Multigrain Tortilla and more. The Bachman Company, www.bachmansnax.com
Honey Mustard Pretzel Recipe
4 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp spicy mustard
4 tbsp honey
.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
.25 tsp garlic powder
1 box Bachman Sourdough Hard Pretzels
Heat oven to 250°F. Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine butter, mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder in medium bowl. Stir ingredients together. Add pretzel pieces and toss until well coated. Place the pretzels in the baking dish. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Cool completely.
Winter Warmth
There are many combinations and possibilities, when it comes to winter soups. Using ingredients that are in season is ideal, for both optimal taste and price. For a hearty and warming winter dinner, give this soup recipe a try. Spigola Ristorante, www.spigola.net
Roasted Fennel Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cup chopped fennel
4 oz Chablis
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
.5 tsp pepper
1 liter chicken stock (about 34oz)
Combine oil, butter, salt, pepper and fennel in a heavy-bottomed stock pot. Slowly cook for about 10 minutes, until fennel is tender. Add white wine, chicken stock and bay leaves to the pot. Simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes, until fennel is cooked through. Remove bay leaves and ladle the soup into a blender. Puree in batches. Pour into a soup tureen and serve. Opportunities in a New Nutritional Segment
Nutritional Opportunities
Editor’s note: The following is a condensed version of an article that first appeared in the December 7, 2009, issue of E-dition, Prepared Foods’ electronic newsletter.
At present, nutritional management is more a concept than a well-defined market segment, yet it represents a clear opportunity for food manufacturers, clinical nutrition players and supplement providers alike. For example, with companies like Danone showing significant sales growth in products aligned to this area, competition in this segment is likely to intensify in the near future, forecasts Business Insights, in an industry report titled, “Opportunities in Nutritional Management: Food and Drinks to Aid Disease Recovery.”
Characterized by the medical supervision of diets, nutritional management begins when enteral feeding is no longer required, but foods for specific medical conditions are either required or are beneficial and are recommended by healthcare professionals. At present, this area is not well-addressed; clinical nutrition products tend to focus on enteral feeding, and functional foods do not target this area presently, nor are their benefits specific enough to allow them to do so. Crucially, consumers’ needs and wants are often overlooked and are not reflected in product design. However, regulatory guidelines are encouraging healthcare professionals to close the gap that exists between the recognition that improved nutrition can aid disease management and recovery, and actual practice. Increasingly, this means they will seek products that help with this goal.
The Business Insights report identifies and estimates the size of what is set to be a growth area and establishes the crucial steps to developing successful marketing strategies in this area. The report provides unique analysis on the patient audience for nutritional management products (both now and in the future); it also identifies the latest research on the role of ingredients and products and sets clear steps for companies to further develop research and marketing plans, if they seek to target this area. For food companies, developing pharmaceutical-style research capabilities and building channels to market will be key, once effective products have been identified.
A crucial skill companies need to develop is the ability to incorporate the requirements of future marketing strategies with consumers’ needs, and translate them into the product and research design phase. This will allow the maximum benefit from scientific testing to be gained in future marketing. This market segment is of interest to both clinical nutrition players seeking to develop products more suited to non-tube feeding and food manufacturers with functional food products (who may wish to either extend opportunities for their current brands or launch new products into new areas). It also is attractive to supplement manufacturers. As such, the Business Insights report also focuses the analysis with respect to these three main interested groups of readers. To discover which new ingredients and products, by disease, are most likely to play a role in nutritional management in the future and assess which disease areas provide the best opportunities, in terms of patient targets and the scope for product development in the future, please see the report.
For more details, go to http://bit.ly/6r9b2F. To subscribe to E-dition, go to www.PreparedFoods.com/enews. pf
