OMEGA-3 OIL AND PROBIOTICS THROUGH MILK-A NEW DEVELOPMENT

Probiotics and Omega-3 fatty acids are currently the hot favorites of health food industry and during the last few years several products have been launched containing one of these nutrient ingredients. While probiotics are invariably added to yogurt type of products, Omega-3 oils are used to fortify juices and other processed foods. Probiotics are basically Lactobacillus cultures which are stabilized before incorporation and act in the intestine once ingested enriching the gut microbial colony for imparting some of the beneficial attributes associated with them. However the major constraint with such products is their limited shelf life. Similarly Omega-3 oils, mostly derived from some fish varieties, do have trace aroma of fish still lingering, deterring its use by consumers averse to fish. New technology now being developed in Australia attempts to overcome the above problems and open up vast opportunities to the industry to turn out increasing varieties of food containing these nutrients with no adverse effect on the native texture or aroma. Here is a take on this latest innovation. 

"Adding probiotics to manufactured dairy and juice products can improve digestion and general gut health, and boost the immune system. However, such products are not currently possible, as milk and juice products with probiotics go sour within days. "And even though existing food products fortified with fish-based omega-3 oils only have small amounts added, a residual smell and taste is common. "The key advantage of Progel ingredients is that they don't affect the quality, texture, taste or smell of the product, and products containing Progel encapsulated actives may provide sufficient levels of active nutrients to provide a beneficial source of probiotics and omega-3 to consumers," Professor Bhandari said. "Probiotic and omega-3 juice products made possible by the Progel technology also include calcium, so they would offer many of the health benefits of calcium, probiotics and omega-3 to consumers who do not regularly consume milk and yogurt or oily fish." 

It is true that there are serious questions regarding the true health benefits of preparations containing probiotics in yogurts and almost all claims have been rejected by the EU authorities for lack of adequate scientific evidence. Similarly inclusion of Omega-3 oils in processed foods may raise some issues regarding its necessity and efficacy. More than the actual content of Omega-3 fatty acids, there is some evidence that it is the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids that is more crucial than the absolute content of either of them. The stand that those who do not take yogurt or fish are prone to serious diseases is based on faulty premise as there are millions of consumers who do not consume either of them and still live without any health handicaps. But in the relentless pursuit of "value addition" in food processing, it may be important for the industry to come up with such products which may help their bottom line. Probably these fortified products might be more beneficial to those consumers suffering from deficiency diseases rather than normal ones consuming a mixed diet.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

PROBIOTICS AND CHILDREN-NEW DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR BENEFITS

Probiotics and Prebiotics are touted as the best things that have emerged on the health front and there are thousands of foods created incorporating these ingredients. They are supposed to work to protect the gut health and prevent development serious GI tract related diseases. Only recently that the EU food safety agency disapproved most claims to be printed on the label of such products because of lack of conclusive evidence. Still consumers have the perception that these foods really work in protecting health in many different ways. This logic has extended to Children also and many parents believe that by feeding children foods containing probiotics can help evolving a beneficial colony of microorganisms as they grow and thus ensure good health when they become adults. This belief has been rebuffed by recent studies and it turns out that feeding children with probiotic foods regularly and religiously does not benefit them in any way. Here is a take on this interesting development.

'Probiotics are very common in yogurt now-a-days, but are they safe for your kid? Well, they don't pose much of a risk to children, but they don't benefit them much either, scientists say. Some studies showed that probiotics may be beneficial in treating and preventing diarrhoea, but the effects are modest.But, a new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found no evidence that probiotics provide any relief for kids with constipation, chronic ulcerative colitis, infantile colic or Crohn's disease. In the end, attempts to change the community of bacteria in kids' tummies and consequently their health with probiotics may prove futile, the researchers said. "Given the level of evidence, I can categorically say that I would not recommend parents going out of their way to give probiotics to children," Dr Frank Greer, a professor of pediatrics at Meriter Hospital in Madison, the US, was quoted as saying by LiveScience".

While discussing this issue it may not be out of place to mention that probiotics have been found by many scientific studies to be useful in avoiding many stomach related ailments though clinical studies with human subjects are yet to be taken up on a large scale. The issue is further clouded by the fact that there are different areas in the small intestine and colon where different microorganisms colonize and any study using a single strain of probiotic bacteria cannot be expected to give the true picture. However it may be common sense to expect that a large population of beneficial or friendly microorganisms of different types in a closed environment as that exists in the GI tract can "crowd out" small number of pathogens or "unfriendly" microbes that may gain entry, avoiding any damage due to uninhibited proliferation of the latter. Besides role of probiotics to help rehabilitate the gut colony of microorganisms after antibiotic therapy is well recognized. May countries allow labeling of products containing microorganisms like Lactobacillus (LAB), Bifidus bacteria and others as probiotic foods, provided there are at least 1 billion live cells per gm of the product. But classical food microbiologists insist that there should be at least 10 billion Colony Forming Units per gm of the product. Obviously such high concentrations are necessary to factor the likely destruction of these bugs during their transit through the highly acidic environment of the stomach.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE PRE-BIOTIC REVIVAL-HEALTH CLAIMS BEING FINE TUNED?

The terms Probiotics and Prebiotics cause lot of confusion amongst the minds of ordinary consumers and with the recent stand taken by the EU authorities not to allow health claims for these products, the industry is also affected to some extent due to consumer doubts about the effectiveness of these food ingredients. Probiotic foods had a headway compared to prebiotics because consumers have been used to consuming them expecting advantages in protecting gut health. However scientific findings about the beneficial effects of prebiotics emerged relatively recently and there are some controversies surrounding these findings. While claims regarding the effect of consuming prebiotic fibers on cholesterol reduction and cardiac protection are more or less established, that these fibers can also act in the small intestine to generate beneficial chemicals like butyrates that protects against cancer is some what debatable. All said and done whether health authorities admit or not consumers seem to have adopted prebiotics in a big way as reflected by 20% plus annual growth the industry is clocking currently.

End use aside, the big three – inulin, oligofructoseand ploydextrose – are all forecast for growth by Euromonitor International in pure volume terms. It's a minor conundrum but its answer may lie in the fact that many prebiotic ingredients are dual purpose – sold as much for their healthy bacteria-building potential as their starch and sugar replacement ability. Or to benefit gut health as fibres. Or as texturants. Ewa Hudson, the researcher's head of global health and wellness research said global inulin volumes would double from 100,000 tonnes in 2009 to 200,000 tonnes in 2014. In the same period oligofructose would grow from 200,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes and polydextrose would show steadier growth from 80,000 tonnes to 85,000 tonnes. In Europe alone, Frost & Sullivan says prebiotic ingredients used exclusively in foods and beverages, not supplements, would surge from €295.5m in 2008 to to €767m in 2014, or 205,000 tonnes – a compound annual growth rate of 14%. "Prebiotics may not have the consumer recognition and appeal as probiotics, but in a way they are getting a probiotic boost because companies like Danone are adding them to products such as infant formulas,"Hudson said.

But these forecasts were made before the severity of the European Food Safety Authority's rulings became apparent and may therefore be in need of some revision given the agency is yet approve a single purely pre- or probiotic claim to date.

It is amazing that in countries like China, Indonesia, India etc there are hundreds of launches of new products with claims of prebiotic advantages and even in Europe and the US the growth of this sector continues unabated. What is of concern is the claims by some scientific groups that over consumption of prebiotics like fibers can be dangerous though there are not many takers for this line of thinking. The developments in the prebiotic food area throws up an interesting fact that consumers can take their own view irrespective of what governments say when it comes to health claims. In contrast consumer community expects governments to guide them on safety aspects of foods with the latter having the necessary power and wherewithal to haul up manufacturers and retailers peddling foods with doubtful safety credentials.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com