Wellness Foods - August 2008 - (Page 9)

Formulating for Boomers Note to Marketing Never call a boomer or any adult by a term that has an age-related connotation. Boomer participation in health and wellness reflects a pragmatic selection based on their individual filters stemming from personal experiences and lifestyles. Study your audience carefully before you substitute their Tang with omega-3 fortified orange drink – not all boomers are comfortable with fish oil. Youthfulness is far more captivating. A high-fiber flaxseed Pop Tart may be far more appealing to boomers than a high-fiber flaxseed Digestive Biscuit. And be careful about making health-benefit claims. The FDA has just 12 approved health claims and cracks down regularly on marketers who try to stretch the truth. fermentation method and crucial for digestive health across all ages. “Busy lifestyles, large meals, late dinners and other stresses can lead to an overworked digestive system,” points out Kathy Oneto, co-founder and vice president of marketing for Attune Foods Inc. (www.attunefoods.com), San Francisco. Attune incorporates probiotics from Fonterra, a New Zealand-based marketer of dairy ingredients, to promote digestive health, ease discomfort and boost general immunity. Fonterra’s collaboration with Danisco (www. danisco.com), New Century, Kan., on the latter’s branded Howaru probiotics also is good news for processors seeking a boost in this space. Howaru is a range of probiotic strains – health-enhancing bacteria that today are widely used in dairy, dietary supplements and nutritional products. Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli and other strains have been specially developed for improved functionality and bioavailability. Big Horn, Wyo. -based Gourmetceuticals’ (www. gourmetceuticals.com) GLPH-1 is a polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of yeast (Candidus utilis) and is clinically proven to boost immune health. With anti-inflammatory activity via multiple mechanisms, the polysaccharide approved for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical consumption in Europe, comes in liquid or water-soluble powder forms for drop-in formulation into foods such as cereal and bars. Whey contains a range of proteins – including beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, glycol-macropeptide, albumin, immunoglobulins and lactoferrin – each with unique composition and functionalities that include immunity boosting. LactoMune is a whey protein concentrate from Stolle Wellness Products (www.smbimilk.com), Cincinnati. Research Vice President Bob Stohrer says dairy cows treated with immune stimulants produce milk with greater proportions of certain components with enhanced biological activity. Stolle Wellness’ proprietary processing methods allow for minimal heat to reduce damage during extraction. The milk protein concentrate from the same milk is marketed as MicroLactin for joint health support. LactoMune (self-affirmed GRAS) is a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-process and soluble protein with four to five times the biological activity of soluble whey proteins. The MPC Microlactin (selfaffirmed GRAS) has a creamier mouthfeel and is especially robust in acidic beverages when homogenized with small amounts of hydrocolloids such as pectins, alginates or carrageenans. Both ingredients are popular in a number of commercial food and beverage products in Japan and are being investigated for commercialization in the U.S. “Regardless of how healthy the product, what boomers put in their mouths has to really taste very good,” says Karl Gradon, vice president of business development in Fonterra’s (www.fonterra.com) U.S. office in Schaumburg, Ill. Fonterra is rolling out several ingredients to help processors resolve every complaint on the palate front of nutrient-rich functional beverages. Clean-tasting notes are particularly important for beverages enriched with proteins and vitamins – nutrients that tend to have undesirable taste. Memory retention ranks high in the boomers’ quest for retaining vitality. Researchers at the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School, both in the UK, found blueberries can effectively prevent and even reverse age-related brain deficits including short-term memory loss. “Blueberries are a major source of anthocyanins and flavanols,” according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (www.blueberry.org), Folsom, Calif. “In addition to enhancing short-term and long-term memory, they may also reduce the risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, by preventing the effects of free radicals.” More on the Web Food Processing focused on baby boomers’ quest for youth in a June 2007 feature “Forever young” (www.FoodProcessing.com/articles/2007/124.html). In fact, typing the words “baby boomer” into the search bar at www.FoodProcessing.com will get you 57 stories, ranging from feature articles to market research to news items. We talk often about the 12 FDA-sanctioned health claims. A referral to an FDA page on that subject is at www.FoodProcessing. com/FDAhealthclaims. Food Processing’s Wellness Foods™ www.wellnessfoodsonline.com August 2008 | 9 http://www.smbimilk.com http://www.fonterra.com http://www.attunefoods.com http://www.blueberry.org http://www.gourmetceuticals.com http://www.gourmetceuticals.com http://www.FoodProcessing.com/articles/2007/124.html http://www.FoodProcessing.com/articles/2007/124.html http://www.FoodProcessing.com http://www.FoodProcessing.com/FDAhealthclaims http://www.FoodProcessing.com/FDAhealthclaims http://www.wellnessfoodsonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wellness Foods - August 2008

Wellness Foods - August 2008 Balance for Boomers Vitamins for Eye Health Nutraceutical Spirits New Views on Fiber

Wellness Foods - August 2008

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