Culinology - June 2015 - (Page 22)

I t is an art to add just the right amount of chopped kale to a pasta dish or sprinkle enough toasted chia seeds on a salad to make them delicious and functional. It requires science to increase the fiber content of a breaded chicken nugget or include omega-3 fatty acids in a pasta sauce, and it's increasingly being done to appeal to consumers-especially baby boomers- seeking nutritionally dense convenience foods. Taste, price and healthfulness continue to be the leading drivers of food-purchasing decisions, according to results from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation's Food and Health Survey, which was published in early May. Whole grains top the list of what consumers are trying to get a certain amount or as much as possible of in their daily diet. It is followed by fiber, protein and calcium. This is good news, as the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report, published in February, identified several nutrients that are under consumed relative to recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. The shortfall nutrients include vitamins A, C, D and E, calcium, fiber, folate, magnesium and potassium. For adolescent and premenopausal women, iron also is considered a shortfall nutrient. Of the shortfall nutrients, calcium, vitamin D, fiber and potassium are classified as nutrients of public health 22 | Culinology | JUNE 2015 concern because their under consumption has been linked in the scientific literature to adverse health outcomes. The shortfall nutrients are those needed to prevent adverse health. There's a myriad of other nutrients associated with improved health and well-being that consumers are not getting enough of. For example, omega-3 fatty acids are associated with brain development in children and cognitive health throughout the lifecycle. Choline has similar benefits, as well as being associated with heart and liver health. Others include the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate, proanthocyanidins, lycopene and coenzyme Q10. Form follows function Scientists have been able to isolate and manufacture many of these nutrients into ingredients for use in functional foods. Interestingly, according to the IFIC survey, despite all the noise about genetically modified foods and "laboratory" foods, 66% of respondents agree that "the overall healthfulness of the food or beverage is more important to me than the use of food biotechnology," which was defined as "the use of science and technologies such as genetic engineering to enhance certain attributes of foods." Thus, the time may be right to use functional ingredients in prepared fresh foods sold

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - June 2015

Culinology - June 2015
Table of Contents
President's Letter - The art and science of collaboration
Emerging Trends - Broth is hot: No bones about it
‘Veg-centric’ cuisine on the rise
Five things to know about millennials
Flavor Trends - Spicy Complications
NPD Group: Hot sauce is universal
Functional Foods - Functional Formulations
Cannabis: An herb with benefits
Member Profile - Blg Flavors, Bold Delivery
RCA Images
Industry Images
Petits Fours - Yogurt and beverages lead IRI’s New Product Pacesetters
The state of snacking
Panera publishes ‘no no list’ of ingredients it will not use
Ad Index

Culinology - June 2015