Food Processing - December 2008
I NGRE D IE NT S
Functional ingredients for health are moving in two directions: a widening application of individual nutraceuticals and an increase in ‘condition marketing.’
By Mark Anthony, Ph.D., Technical Editor s we said a few pages ago, condition marketing has been growing as makers of foods and beverages recognize the interest consumers have in treating various health issues with foods. Until recently, aging, heart health, bone health, digestive health, blood sugar, brain health and energy were treated piecemeal. But the surge in marketing to baby boomers is taking condition marketing to the next level: multiple conditions addressed by single ingredients. This also has fed the research into ingredients, old and new, addressing these same conditions. The hot ingredients for the coming years are those ingredients able to hook into the pull from condition marketing while bene ting from the push from research. Vitamin K is one such ingredient. “Vitamin K2 has been shown clinically to reduce calci cation of the arteries and improve bone mass,” says Rodger Jonas, national business development manager for PL Thomas (
www.plthomas.com
), Morristown,
N.J. PL
Thomas’ MenaQ7, a natural vitamin K2, “actually helps move the calcium out of these areas and put it into the bones where it belongs,” he says. In one 10-year study, MenaQ7 reduced arterial calci cation by 50 percent. Decades of recognition of vitamin D and calcium for children’s bone health led boomers to realize staying young and active meant these compounds were needed not only for growing bones but aging ones. In addition, the closer look researchers gave D and calcium showed they were important to heart health, and calcium is showing bene t to colon health. Fiber also could be headed for a jump based on some new studies of resistant starches. “I think the
A
trend is that dietary ber is becoming segmented into particular bers and away from the commodity mindset that all ber is the same,” says Rhonda Witwer, senior business development manager for nutrition at National Starch Food Innovation (
www.resistantstarch.
com), Bridgewater, N.J. “The FDA approval of only select dietary bers for speci c bene ts, such as beta-glucan for cholesterol reduction, and not generic ber for colon cancer helps set the stage for this.” The newest point of differentiation for ber, according to Witwer, are the bene ts shown to result from fermentation of resistant starches, such as National Starch’s Hi-maize RS2 and Novelose RS3. Such starches have been shown to reduce cancer risk, increase insulin sensitivity, promote reduction of body fat through increased ability to metabolize fat and decreased deposition of fat for storage. Fermentation, however, adds a new wrinkle. Although some published studies have shown con icting data, there is some research that strongly indicates fermentation of resistant starches like Hi-maize and Novelose increases satiety. On the cancer front, a UK study published in October showed that a combination of RS2 resistant starch
PHOTO: DSM
Lutein has been shown to protect eyes against cataracts and macular degeneration. New research showing its protection against the effects of glare may prove a boon to outdoor activityobsessed baby boomers.
Food Processing’s Wellness Foods™
www.foodprocessing.com
December 2008 | W17
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