Consumers most trust products with sound science behind them, proven to do what is claimed on the label. They also know that a lifetime of good health starts in infancy.
Functional ingredients have caught the attention of product developers in recent years. The “2005 Prepared Foods' R&D Trends Survey for Functional Foods and Beverages� reported that interest in dietary fiber and lycopene has increased by 55.8% and 32.9%, respectively.
Industry experts gathered in the Chicago area for a series of seminars addressing such food formulation issues as vitamin interactions, probiotic benefits and soy protein use. Included here are excerpts and examples from the range of topics pertaining to the nutraceutical industry.
The diet du jour has changed often as of late, but science has shed light on the Portfolio Eating Plan, which challenges current thoughts on nutritive and supplemental dietary ingredients and recommends antioxidants, omega-3s, soluble fiber, almonds and other ingredients.
Lurking among our dietary leafy greens is a key fat-soluble vitamin that allows humans to form bones and clot blood—vitamin K. Vitamin K's role in bone health has been the
Antioxidants possess almost mystical powers, and scientists continue to learn about their role in scavenging and quenching free radicals and reactive oxygen species, preventing disease. Astaxanthin, an antioxidant, is the
Antioxidants abound in the nutraceutical industry. How does one choose the ingredient that will pack the right antioxidant punch? Although many antioxidants show good in vitro results, or are touted
At one point in time, a daily tablespoon of cod liver oil was considered the cure-all for many ailments. Now research is showing that the benefits of many kinds of fats and oils are spilling over everywhere.
In May 2005, when consumers were asked by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation to list "foods or food components that reduce the risk of a specific disease or health concern,"the top 10 most healthful foods mentioned (on an unaided basis) included fiber in fourth place, whole grains in seventh place, and oats, oat bran and oatmeal were mentioned in eighth place.
It is not hard to find antioxidant compounds. Indeed, they are ubiquitous in plant and animal tissue since living organisms must fight to control the oxygenation process. Today, complex fruit extracts to "simple"? molecules such as coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone or CoQ10) find popularity in foods and supplements based, in part, on their ability to function as antioxidants.
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