Appetite for functional foods set to grow
A raft of new functional foods which help to improve bone, heart and gut health, protect against cancer and provide weight control, look set to emerge in the UK from next year, following new ingredient developments that were on show last week at the Food Ingredients Europe show in Paris.
Although not yet launched in the UK, DSM Food Specialties’ Fabuless weight management ingredient is one product likely to find favour among those consumers who find it hard to control their calorie intake. Triggering a process called the ‘ileal brake mechanism’ to suppress hunger, it uses a patented combination of palm and oat oils, that is claimed not to have the unpleasant physical side effects - notably “bowel leakage” - of other food products that use a different approach to stop the body absorbing fat.
“Fabuless is a natural way to eat less … and is not subject to regulatory approval procedures. It is safe and is not a novel food,” said DSM’s business manager for weight management Rob Minnee. “We have done factory scale trials to make yoghurt and dairy drinks,” he added. Fabuless can be taken with breakfast. After a couple of hours it triggers the body’s natural appetite control mechanism and the effect lasts for about eight hours, claimed Minnee.
Orafti has relaunched its dietary fibre containing Raftiline inulin fat substitute and Raftilose oligofructose sugar substitute under the Beneo brand. The inulin prebiotic is already used in breakfast cereals and dairy health drinks, but is expected to witness increasing use by manufacturers.
Beneo Synergy 1 - a patented blend of inulin and oliofructose - is being targeted at bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis. It is claimed to significantly increase bone mineral density and content, by improving calcium uptake. Recent research has also suggested it helps to protect against colon cancer, claimed Orafti.
Meanwhile, chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut has developed new processes, which enhance the retention of polyphenols, the flavanols or active ingredients found in cocoa beans. Chocolate made using the Acticoa process will be available in the UK from February next year.
New research commissioned by Barry Callebaut has shown that polyphenols help to improve cognitive function and reduce the likelihood of contracting diseases such as prostate cancer due to their powerful antioxidant effect. According to the company, cocoa contains four times the level of polyphenols as tea and twice that of red wine.
“The Acticoa process preserves the original high levels of active polyphenols in cocoa, which are often lost during normal cocoa and chocolate processing,” claimed Barry Callebaut's chief operations officer Dirk Poelman. Acticoa is said to reduce the polyphenol losses that occur during fermentation, roasting, alkalisation and liquid storage. The process guarantees a minimum of 3.2% of polyphenol content in dark chocolate and 1.1% in milk chocolate, said the company. “We have increased the polyphenol content by 50%,” claimed Poelman. “We have a natural process that retains what is already there, but at a higher level.”
