functional beverages

26 NBR Vol. 2 Issue 1. 2015

We find little comfort when we look to theyounger population; more than 40 millionchildren under the age of five were overweightor obese in 2012 (WHO). Obesity is amultifactorial condition with behavioural andenvironmental factors — such as urbanizationand government policy — that play a huge rolein the epidemic.

Raised body mass index (BMI) is a major riskfactor for cardiovascular diseases (mainly heartdisease and stroke), diabetes, musculoskeletaldisorders (especially osteoarthritis) and somecancers (endometrial, breast and colon). Thegood news is that obesity is preventable — bymaking healthier food choices and gettingregular physical activity. Nutritioninterventions to address the metabolicdysregulations associated with obesity are ofincreasing relevance. Foods to be avoided arethose that are high in saturated fats, trans fats,cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars.Healthy eating plans advise staying within yourrecommended daily calorie needs and typicallyemphasize heart healthy fats such asmonounsaturated and polyunsaturated fattyacids, fibre and wholegrain.

Wholegrain intake, which is essential for abalanced diet, has been associated with anapproximate 26% lower risk of diabetes, lowerBMI and lower central adiposity (USDA);however, most individuals are not gettingenough wholegrain in their diet. Kerry hasbeen researching and developing nutrition

solutions for more than 30 years. For example,we formulate nutritional beverages that aredesigned to help a growing number of peopleachieve their goals of reaching and maintainingtheir optimal weight in a healthy andsustainable manner. To successfully develop abeverage from an initial marketable idea to asuccessful consumer-preferred product relieson many technical aspects, such as compatibilityof raw materials, ease of factory processing andlong-term shelf-life considerations (flavour andcolloidal stability, for example). At the veryleast, consumers expect the product to be greattasting, whilst addressing their nutritionalneeds.

In general, the more complex theformulation, the more difficult this is toachieve. Nutritional beverages require evenmore careful consideration when formulating.Let’s take wholegrain as an example.Formulating wholegrain into a liquid beverageis certainly not a straightforward task. This isbecause when heated, cereal starch granulesabsorb water and swell, and the beveragesolution will become viscous and difficult toprocess. For fibre fortification, it is necessary tocarefully consider solubility, dispersability andboth heat and acid stability to achieve abeverage that remains stable throughout itsshelf-life. Likewise, developing a protein-basedbeverage is not without challenges.

Several factors, such as compatibility withother ingredients, the pH of the beverage, the

FORGING NEWFRONTIERS FORNUTRITIONALBEVERAGESObesity is the most common nutritionaldisorder in the world; 65% of the planet’spopulation live in countries whereoverweight and obesity are majorcontributors to mortality. And, accordingto WHO, global obesity levels havenearly doubled since 1980 with 1.4billion obese adults in the world

Emergingevidence hasstrengthened thecase that dairyprotein plays abeneficial role inbody weightmanagement,glycaemicmanagement andmetabolic control

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Vol. 2 Issue 1. 2015 NBR 27

buffering effect of the protein, the taste impact,the viscous effects of the protein and long-termcolloidal stability, demand consideration. Thedownstream effects of ultra-high temperature(UHT) processing on the flavour and stabilityof the beverage must also be evaluated. Toaddress these formulation concerns, Kerry hasdeveloped a palette of nutritional solutions thatare custom-designed for nutritional beverages.

WHOLEGRAIN AND FIBRE SOLUTIONSHarvest Solutions was developed with the goalof offering the goodness of wholegrain in anutritional beverage. Our proprietary beveragetechnology means that the wholegrain can bedelivered in a smooth, great tasting andconvenient format. Further benefits ofwholegrain include improved digestive health,improved weight management and hearthealth. Harvest Solutions is compatible withcow’s milk, soy milk and skim milk proteins. Inaddition, it can be incorporated into acidicjuice-based beverages or dry instant beverageformats. It delivers the wholegrain nutritionalbenefits of grains such as oat, rice and quinoain a beverage compatible format.

Harvest Solutions can be further enhancedwith EmulGold Fibre, Kerry’s soluble dietaryfibre solution. The importance of adequatefibre intake as part of a balanced diet is widelyknown. EmulGold Fibre is gum acacia fibre of100% plant origin, which is all-natural andGMO-free. EmulGold Fibre has a highconcentration of soluble dietary fibre, with aminimum content of 90% guaranteed. Itcontains no sugar or net carbohydrate and hasa low caloric value, making it beneficial forweight management applications. It has aglycaemic index of zero, an importantconsideration for diabetics and can be used in awide range of applications. It has no taste, smellor odour and is an easy-to-use agglomeratedpowder, which has no reduction in efficacyunder mechanical stress, in extremetemperatures or pH. EmulGold Fibre can beused in dairy or juice-based formulations and,compared with other fibres, is resistant to acidhydrolysis.

DAIRY PROTEINSEmerging evidence has strengthened the casethat dairy protein plays a beneficial role in bodyweight management, glycaemic managementand metabolic control. A source of dairypeptides, Kerry’s Ultranor MPI/MPC productsare ultrafiltered, intact, spray dried proteins.

Dairy peptides have been shown to havebioactive properties, which are beneficial to theimmune system. Ultranor MPI/MPC haveexcellent functional characteristics with clean,neutral flavours. They exhibit enhancedstability in ready to drink (RTD) applications,with excellent dispersion characteristics andsuperior emulsification properties. Theycontain 100% dairy based protein sourced fromIreland, world renowned for its natural andsustainable dairy production.

TASTE IS KEYWorldwide, 57% of females and 48% of malesare concerned about their body weight andshape (Datamonitor) and, as a result, arelooking for products to help them reduce theiroverall energy intake while still meeting theirnutrient requirements; however, they are notwilling to sacrifice taste for health benefits.Taste remains the most important motivator forconsumers when choosing food or beverages.One of the key challenges associated withmaking healthier products is that it often has anegative impact on taste and consumerenjoyment of the food or beverage. Kerry takesan integrated approach that combines science,innovation and applications expertise to enableour customers to develop low sugar, salt andfat, as well as functional, products, withoutcompromising on taste, texture and ultimatelyconsumer enjoyment.

Our industry leading portfolio of flavourtechnologies includes fruit flavours, botanicalextracts, fmt (flavour modulation technology),freeze-dried fruit and vegetable powders,brown sweet notes and dairy flavours. Ourrange of fruit flavours (100% FTNFs) includescitrus, orchard, red fruit, berries, tropical andsuperfruit flavours. We have a wide range ofbrown sweet flavours spanning vanilla,chocolate, coffee and other notes such as nut,biscuit and cereal. Kerry’s fmt is a proprietaryflavour modulation technology designed toprovide customers with solutions around healthand wellness. fmt imparts flavour and interactswith the taste receptors on the tongue tomanipulate overall taste perception, tasteimpression and flavour profile. Modulationapplication includes sugar, fat and saltreduction, masking, mouthfeel and texture. Itcan mask the attributes of high intensitysweeteners and undesirable notes such asbitterness, saltiness and metallic notes fromvitamins, minerals, and protein.

With our fundamental scientificunderstanding of ingredient functionality andour unmatched processing capabilities, Kerry’srange of specialty functional ingredients isdesigned to help our customers create healthierproducts with optimal flavours and texturesthat optimize the overall taste experience forconsumers.

functional beverages

CONTACTDeclan GoodeDirector of BeverageApplications Kerrywww.kerry.com

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