Wellness Foods - August 2009
Product Development
PHOTO: PURE CIRCLE
Taking basics beyond basic
Experts at National Starch Food Innovation (
www.foodinnovation.com
), Bridgewater, N.J., have noted that “breakfast cereal has evolved from basic akes and puffs into a range of products that provide an array of sizes, shapes, textures and, increasingly, customized nutrition for speci c consumer life stages and health bene ts.” Statistical information provided by National Starch states that “sales of cereals with nutritional bene t claims, such as added ber, heart health, satiety, formulated for men/women, increased by more than 13 percent in 2007 – double the growth of the cereal category as a whole.” Since grains are the usual building blocks, a lot will be happening on that front in the very near future. Coming in from the fringe will be new, betterfor-you grains. “One trend we’ve been seeing over the past few years is major growth – despite the economy – in demand for cereals that use kamut khorasan wheat,” says Trevor Blyth, CEO of Kamut International Inc. (
www.kamut.com
), Missoula, Mont. Kamut is a type of wheat that is higher in protein than other wheats plus richer in trace minerals, including the antioxidant mineral selenium. Blyth notes kamut khorasan wheat already is being used in the U.S. to produce many nationally and internationally distributed cereals such as Kamut Puffs and Kamut Flakes from Arrowhead Mills Inc., Boulder, Colo.; Erewhon-brand Kamut
The stevia extract rebaudioside-A is poised to play a role in keeping cereals sweet while reducing their calories.
Flakes from U.S. Mills Inc., Needham, Mass.; and is included in half a dozen Nature’s Path cereal products. Richmond, B.C.-based Nature’s Path Foods Inc. (
www.naturespath.com
) has been instrumental in moving healthier, unique grains and ingredients from the edges to the mainstream. The company plans to make increased use of quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, teff and sorghum. It is no coincidence that most of these grains are gluten-free. In addition to those old-fashioned grains, Nature’s Path also incorporates into many of its cereals superfruits and fruit peels for antioxidants. R&D director Bonnie Smythe also cites increased use of such natural, low-calorie sweeteners as stevia, erythritol, coconut sugar and agave. Smythe, too, sees more avor and functionality coming from natural sources such as yogurt and pomegranate, as well as from botanicals such as cardamom, allspice, ginger, mango and “exotic” tea powders. Even among the “standby” grains, ingredient makers are innovating with the combo of health and simplicity in mind. While the company provides multiple specialty starches, specialty ingredients, functional bers and whole grain ingredients for a wide array of cereal applications, one of the best examples of potential in this arena is National Starch’s Hi-Maize resistant starch, a highly functional form of starch from corn, which acts as ber. Research into resistant starch has shown it increases satiety not only through its berlike action but at a biochemical level in the body. It also has proven bene ts for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers, while improving bloodsugar balance. Better, resistant starch provides about 40 percent fewer calories than regular starches and can be substituted for 25 percent or more of regular ours in formulations.
WITHOUT GLUTEN
Even though only a few percent of the population has celiac disease — a severe allergy to the gluten protein found in wheat and some other grains — the category of gluten-free foods has shown solid growth in the past few years. According to the market research group Packaged Facts, gluten-free product sales have grown at an average annual rate of 28 percent since 2004, and reached \$1.56 billion in 2008. This strength is in spite of earlier difficulties in formulation that allowed products that were less than ideal to flood the gluten-free market. “Most gluten-free baked goods didn’t quite match gluten-containing products, especially when it comes to texture and shelf life,” says Bob Allin, marketing director for National Starch Food Innovation (
www.foodinnovation.com
), Bridgewater, N.J. But the company has taken its grain-product technology and produced gluten-free ingredients from corn, tapioca and rice. With other ingredient companies and food processors also making headway in quality, growth in this category is expected to continue well into the next few years at least.
WF-4 | August 2009
www.foodprocessing.com
Food Processing’s Wellness Foods™
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