Botanicals

RSS

In the search for sources of excess sodium, sometimes the saltiest culprits are the least expected foods. After all, when someone tears into a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips, they have probably already factored a relative sodium wallop into the bargain. Far less likely, though, do they expect to soak up as much as half a day’s sodium from, say, a single cup of chili.

Cargill’s Oliggo-Fiber inulin is a natural, invisible soluble fiber that is virtually undetectable in most foods and beverages. It is now available as a fiber syrup, as well as in the free-flowing powder form food and beverage manufacturers have been using to discreetly add fiber’s health benefits to a variety of products.

Applied BioClinical Inc. (ABC) is a new bioclinical research facility in Irvine, Calif., from FutureCeuticals Inc., a company involved in the research, development and manufacture of fruit, vegetable and grain-based products for the functional food markets. Zbigniew Pietrzkowski, Ph.D., will lead ABC’s research efforts as chief science officer.

Eating pistachios may help alter levels of potentially beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Plant and herb extracts have long been used to enhance the healthfulness, color, and even taste and flavor of foods, beverages and supplements. With an often “natural” positioning, their popularity is assured.

Research indicates that ß-glucans derived from oats, yeast and mushrooms play a positive role in modulating the immune system in athletes, allergy sufferers, and those who frequently contract colds and the flu. Strengthening the immune system can have significant impact on overall well-being, mood, and performance.

Stevia has been long cultivated as a sweetener. The extracts of the leaves, steviol glycosides, are responsible for its sweet characteristics; the main two steviol glycosides are stevioside and rebaudioside A (reb A).

A new product concept from the Martin Bauer Group, through its Plantextrakt business unit, promises new formulations and ingredients based on the performance-enhancing properties of natural tea and herbal extracts to boost both mental and physical performance.

NutraNews: Now available on NutraSolutions.com:

FDA researchers have carried out a new research which as revealed that many U.S. mothers fed their babies with herbal supplements or tea.