The 1980s commercial tagline: “Milk. It does a body good” helped to educate the American population about the health benefits of milk. However, the wellness-boosting nutrients found in milk, such as calcium and vitamin D, are not limited to what you find in the dairy aisle at the local grocery store.
Advancements in soluble fibers have given beverage developers a whole new set of tools for delivering products that help to fill the fiber gap. Although even the savviest of consumers might not know the difference between inulin and oligofructose, they are beginning to explore the growing number of fiber-rich options available outside of the bread and snack bar categories.
In a broad sense, You’ve probably heard fiber categorized as insoluble and soluble, but the classifications are even more complex. Fiber can be subcategorized in a number of ways including by viscosity, fermentability, physiological effect, source or chemical structure. Understanding fiber through these various lenses is the key to producing products that can speak to today’s consumers, experts note.
People of all ages know by now that fiber is “good for you,” and that they should be consuming more of it. A new study from Tate & Lyle, Decatur, Ill., revealed that nearly 90 percent of Americans believe that their digestive health is a top priority, and that consumers are interested in buying products with a “nutritional punch” of fiber.
For the fourth consecutive year, digestive health is the top trend in the health and nutrition segment, said Gregory Leyer, global business development director of consumer healthcare for Danisco, now a part of Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont, during the Pre & Probiotics 2012 Virtual Conference on Feb. 1.
As legend has it, the Fountain of Youth is a spring that restores youth to anyone who drinks from it. Because the fountain is a bit difficult to find, many people have settled for beauty treatments such as lotions, serums and plastic surgery. However, what’s arguably more important than looking young is keeping the human mind young, and beverage-makers are creating drinks that help do just that — and they’re not nearly as difficult to find.
Hydrocolloids provide solutions for new formulations
February 13, 2012
As beverage-makers dream up new formulations to address the gamut of consumer requests, such as natural, diet, functional or indulgent products, new recipes often can spur the need for new solutions from ingredient suppliers. In response, hydrocolloid manufacturers have developed portfolios of binding ingredients that are able to perform in new applications.
Answering consumer demand, creating new formulations and leveraging growth opportunities are among the reasons why beverage-makers plan to launch more new products in 2012 compared to 2011, according to the results of Beverage Industry’s annual New Product Development survey. A planned increase in launches was cited by 59 percent of respondents, which is a 14 percent rise from last year’s survey results.
Consumers continue to search for ways to fit health and wellness values into their often too-busy schedules, which has led to a thriving marketplace for better-for-you products.