Trend report for functional foods Anuga FoodTec 2009
From alpha to omega: Functional ingredients promise health and well-being and provide growth impulses on the market
Today's consumers value healthy eating and drinking. And since probiotic yoghurts conquered the refrigerated shelves at the latest, every consumer has known that countless bacteria cavort in our intestines: They are called Digestivum essensis, Lactobacillus reuteri or Lactobacillus casei defensis. As probiotic additives in yoghurt and milk drinks, they should strengthen our immune system and regulate digestion. At the same time, consumers are increasingly asking for non-alcoholic beverages that meet the “functional” requirement. In order to meet this need, manufacturers of functional ingredients offer beverage producers various concepts in which the additional functional benefit comes from natural sources.
Probiotics belong to the lactic acid bacteria, such as those found in sauerkraut, sourdough, raw sausages and acidified milk products such as yoghurt or buttermilk. The health-promoting properties of probiotic bacteria have been known for a long time. Dairy products fortified with probiotics have been around in Japan for around 70 years.
Safely through the gastrointestinal tract
It is of central importance to process the food gently in order to maintain the vitality and stability of the microorganisms. In order to unfold their probiotic function, they should pass through the gastrointestinal tract intact. One possibility is to coat, ie encapsulate, the microorganisms with substrates in order to send them safely through the gastrointestinal tract. In the capsules, the probiotics are embedded in a network of natural wheat fibers or polysaccharides such as starch or pectins and also encased in a shell of protein and carbohydrate molecules. On the one hand, this ensures that the taste of the food does not suffer from the probiotics. On the other hand, the bacteria are protected from stomach acid. Encapsulation is understood to mean all processes for the complete encapsulation or embedding of liquid droplets, solid particles or gases in a solid enveloping substance (matrix). The capsule sizes vary between 5 and 500 m in diameter. The choice of the encapsulation method essentially depends on the properties of the core and shell material. Spray drying and extrusion have established themselves as the most commonly used microencapsulation processes in the food industry. Both can be used economically on an industrial scale both in batch processes and in continuous production.
So far, the germs have mainly been frozen or dried before they are added to a yoghurt as a powder in a highly concentrated form. Scientists at the Weihenstephan Science Center at the Technical University of Munich are taking a different approach and relying on the milk protein casein to microencapsulate the probiotic germs. However, it is not only the cover material that is innovative, but above all the gentle manufacturing process. In order to convert the casein into suitable microcapsules, the germs are mixed with the milk protein, which is intended to serve as the shell. After adding a special enzyme, transglutaminase, and creating a water-in-oil emulsion, a casein gel is formed in which the healthy bacteria are enclosed in a dense network. The small spheres, which are on average 150 micrometers in size, are then separated by centrifuging and washed. One gram of microcapsules then contains around five billion living germs.
Functionality as a trend in the beverage sector ACE drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, probiotic milk drinks, breakfast drinks, vitamin drinks, wellness drinks and waters with various active ingredients - there is truly no shortage of drinks with additional functional benefits that are trying to win over consumers market wrestle. The range of substances that are added to the drinks ranges from apple vinegar and aloe vera to St. John's wort, ginseng and guarana, from kombucha, caffeine and coenzyme Q10 to vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, ballast and secondary plant substances, from fatty acids to lemongrass.
For food manufacturers, this trend offers a wide range of opportunities to develop new functional food products that meet consumer demands. However, many functional ingredients place very high demands on processing in order to retain their nutritional properties. These are often heat-sensitive ingredients that are added to functional foods. Special dosing systems enable, for example, the aseptic inline dosing of liquid additives after the base product has been finally heated, immediately before it is filled into the packaging. The dosing is done through a sterile tube connected to the bag containing the product to be dosed. A sterile needle injects the additives into the base product. Vapor barriers maintain aseptic conditions throughout the process. The heat-sensitive functional additives are therefore no longer heated. So far, probiotic bacteria have mainly been offered in yoghurt or products made from fermented milk. Thanks to these dosing systems, fruit juices or smoothies can now also be enriched with lactic acid bacteria. And so, in 2006, the first probiotic orange juice hit the market in Ireland.
Credibility is crucial for success Market analysts confirm that the market for functional foods is still very dynamic. According to information from the Zukunftsinstitut in Kelkheim, there are forecasts that assume that functional food will make up around 2010 percent of the global food market by 25. By 2050 it should even be 50 percent. This prediction is not entirely unrealistic – after all, consumers are also working hard to make it a reality here in Germany: functional food has become so popular with German consumers that it is hardly perceived as such anymore. If you believe the market research institute AC Nielsen, the German market for functional foods is now the largest in Europe with a turnover of EUR 5,1 billion. Its growth potential is estimated at 20 percent per year. According to the industry report "Nutrition Trends 43" (Axel Springer), around 2008 percent of Germans already pay attention to the "health-promoting additional benefits" when buying groceries.
On the other hand, credibility is the real sticking point in the German functional food market. According to a survey in ACNielsen's representative household panel, around 50 percent of Germans who refuse to buy functional food products state that they do not believe in the effect - the higher price, on the other hand, plays a much smaller role. The results show that low credibility can be a real barrier to acquiring functional foods. In the medium term, the Health Claims Regulation offers the opportunity to support the credibility of functional food in the eyes of consumers. Because strict requirements for nutritional and health-related information on food are likely to have a positive effect on communication and ultimately also on consumer behavior.
Anuga FoodTec from March 10th to 13th, 2009 offers the international food industry an information and procurement platform that covers the entire technology and investment requirements for the production of all areas of the food industry. More than 1.100 exhibiting companies from around 40 countries are expected again, with around 50 percent of the suppliers coming from abroad. Anuga FoodTec occupies halls 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the Cologne exhibition center with a total gross area of 110.000 m².
Source: Cologne [Koelnmesse]
