Taking the pulse of functional markets - IFi Apr/May 10

We asked research companies and manufacturers to give us their opnions on three key functional areas – digestive health, cardiovascular health and satiety – and to talk about what’s ‘hot’, what are the challenges, the impact of European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) regulation and what the future might hold. Their responses are illuminating.

 

Rianne Ruijschop, project manager, NIZO food research, Netherlands

 

In terms of functional foods, satiety and weight management can best be described as an emerging market. Proteins and fibres are the ingredients traditionally associated with weight management, delaying the time till the next meal. But our research shows that the sensory properties of a product can also have an effect on satiety – increasing the perception of fullness during meal consumption and accelerating meal termination, implying a reduction in portion size and food intake.

We see the challenge as being how to combine multiple satiety-enhancing triggers in a food: integrating sensory product properties and ingredients is the optimal approach to delivering durable appetite suppression. For us at NIZO, that means working with our food industry customers and combining multiple disciplines - the sensory properties of the food, stomach digestion, macronutrient compositions and digestion in the small intestine and fermentation of, for example, fibres in the large intestine - to integrate and translate satiety concepts into valuable food products. One of the most important benefits of these products is that the food will bring a real reward to the consumer. People will feel satisfied by consuming it!

EFSA legislation means that a lot of the satiety and weight management claims that are currently being made are likely to be rejected – which may mean changes to some food packaging. A recurring EFSA comment is that there is not enough evidence that a certain ingredient does indeed deliver the claimed health effect: a cause-effect relationship is not apparent. In many cases more evidence is therefore necessary, and that’s an area where we can assist with our experience of conducting in vitro, in vivo and human intervention studies.

l Rianne Ruijschop will be speaking at Fi Conferences’ Weight Loss Management and Satiety conference, Rotterdam,

28 April 2010, www.fiweightloss.com

 

Emily Tellers, global business manager Fabuless & Teavigo, DSM Nutritional Products

 

With more than 1 billion people overweight, the issue of weight management remains a major international focus. Satiety, in particular, has been in the spotlight over the last couple of years, and we see continued interest in this area, spurred on by the emergence of branded ingredients with realistic claims and proven functionality.

In the past, the satiety ingredients sector was dominated by appetite-suppressing pills and dairy products to make you feel fuller for longer. As the market continues to evolve, we expect expansion into new application areas to address the consumer need for natural and convenient appetite control products.

There are, though, no magic remedies in weight management, so managing consumer expectations is paramount for manufacturers. Fabuless is a combination of oat and palm oil, and is backed by a growing body of scientific evidence. It was recently shown to prolong food passage time from mouth to large intestine by 45 minutes. It can easily be added to a wide range of every day products such as yoghurts, cereal bars and meal replacement drinks, and is designed to complement a sensible attitude to maintaining a healthy weight.

Small but sustainable lifestyle changes, such as staying active and introducing good eating habits are key for successful long-term weight management.

 

Anja Dahten, project manager, analyze & realize, Germany

 

The evolving epidemic of cardiovascular disease calls for the development of innovative as well as effective preventative products as much as for cures – and for the most part, that means antioxidants, especially ‘superfruits’, and omega-3, for which new effects are still being discovered almost daily. Omega-3 has recently shown itself capable of slowing cellular ageing in people with coronary heart disease. This all-round ‘wonder-ingredient’ is already very much in consumers' awareness and is still gathering momentum.

Among superfruits, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) from berry extracts such as cranberry, goji or açai are receiving attention currently for being especially effective in terms of anti-atherosclerotic action. Moreover, tea - notably green tea - is known to increase the artery's ability to relax and expand. Combinations of prebiotics and soy proteins have shown promising LDL-cholesterol-lowering action.

Beyond these, old contenders such as vitamin D are still receiving attention with new stories on cardiovascular indications.

The changing regulatory landscape will, however, have an effect on the market. Claim approval is a higher hurdle than ever, since a successful claim application requires the knowledge and resources for solid substantiation. As in all other segments, this is expected to stifle new product development for cardiovascular health products and may even force established products off the market. The effect will be particularly felt by smaller manufacturers who may not be able to afford the clinical studies required for claim substantiation. However, as manufacturers adjust to the new regulatory situation, the next five years will see well-substantiated new products in the cardiovascular health segment as much as in other segments.

[analyze & realize is a consulting company specialising in regulatory affairs, scientific research and clinical trials for functional foods.]

 

David Jopling, global business development manager - functional foods, Croda

 

The 2009 recession saw a leveling-off of new product launches of foods containing omega-3, but an improving European economy and EFSA’s positive opinions on food labelling references should mean more new product development activity in 2010 in functional foods and beverages. The forecast annualised growth for omega-3 (EPA/DHA) sales is 16.9% to 2013.

That said, the regulatory challenges are greater in Europe than they are in North America, where the FDA has long extolled the virtues of omega-3 for heart health, and thousands of US foods use this on-pack claim. Despite the submission of burgeoning clinical evidence and scientific studies, EFSA has yet to allow this most important of the omega-3 health claims to be allowed on food packaging in Europe. However, food manufacturers are proactively preparing for the eventual regulatory approval of omega-3 (EPA + DHA) health claims. We’re getting closer to manufacturers being able to claim the “one a day” or “100% of RDI for omega-3”. And this year has seen a marked increase in the number of European food manufacturers using our Omelife concentrated omega-3 (EPA/DHA) micro-encapsulated emulsions in NPD.

 

Roberta Re, nutrition research manager, Leatherhead Food Research, UK

 

In digestive health, it’s all about probiotics and prebiotics. The global probiotics market has continued to grow in recent years, and is valued at over $20 billion. Asia Pacific has the largest share of this. Europe is more developed than the USA, although the latter is developing rapidly. One notable change in the market has been the way in which yoghurt featuring probiotics were first aimed at health-conscious women. Now, the industry is focusing on children, and will in future perhaps focus on ‘vulnerable’ groups such as pregnant women. Notable products include Yakult, with a live probiotic strain called Lactobacillus casei Shirota; Actimel, with L. casei Imunitass cultures; and Activia, which features Bifidius ActiRegularis. Another change has been the inclusion of probiotics in a variety of food matrices, including chocolate and cheese.

In terms of prebiotics, oligofructose continues to lead, followed by inulin.

What are the challenges? There are several. What should be the recommended dosage? What are the optimum delivery systems? Then there’s consumer education: what is the difference between probiotics and prebiotics?

So far as probiotics are concerned, a significant challenge lies with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). Several claims have undergone review but, to date, none has been accepted. Correct identification of strains and species is of key importance as the observed effects in the host are species- and strain-specific. Several probiotic claims failed on the grounds of insufficient characterisation.

The future for probiotics looks good, though. Probiotics are slowly being incorporated into a variety of foods, and in the near future those might expand to include snack bars, chewing gum, mints and chews, biscuits, spreads and so on.

 

Tim Van Der Schraelen, marketing and communication manager, Beneo-Orafti

 

We see digestive health products as the leading trend in a wider ‘healthy’ market that is showing excellent growth – and that’s despite the uncertainty that’s being communicated to the market by EFSA.

We welcome increased regulation of health claims, but there’s too much confusion at present, especially in terms of the timetable for implementation: we can’t even tell our customers when EFSA will judge our claims. There’s also confusion about transition periods, and whether approved claims will be adopted by the EC in batches, or all at once.

This uncertainty leads to manufacturers taking a conservative approach and, if it continues, could really damage innovation in Europe. That can’t be good for consumers. Innovation is the key to success in this industry: that’s why we have launched the Beneo Institute, which enables our partners to access tools that are essential in new product development.

It’s no surprise that inulin and oligofructose are the ‘hot’ ingredients. They’ve been highly studied, they’re natural, they have no adverse effect on taste, can create texture, and can be used to replace both sugar and fat. We are also excited about the future, as both ingredients have featured in a significant number of new product launches in North America, Australasia and Eastern Europe during 2009.

 

It appears that at least these segments of the functional and nutraceutical ingredients market are in excellent health, with innovation and growth going hand in hand. Whether these trends will continue, however, in the face of uncertainty about the impact of EFSA regulation, remains an open question. If the industry’s enthusiasm for what it does is anything to go by, however, it is hard to see the future being other than positive.