Inulin and oligofructose have moved into the mainstream of functional ingredients and now consumer education must intensify. That was the message of the opening presentations of the 5th Orafti Research Conference held at Harvard Medical School, Boston, in late September.
Milk can be efficiently processed into a variety of dairy foods with a little help from acid-producing bacteria and/or food-grade acidulants. Indeed, milk, an almost neutral fluid with a pH in the range of 6.4 to 6.8, can become hard cheese when it drops about one pH point; a soft, fresh cheese when it drops another; and yogurt when it drops a bit more.
Meal replacements have always been great for a meal on the go or to help with weight management. In a world of super-sized meals, they provide a convenient way to control portions, offering a healthy snack or a complete meal in the range of 100 to 350 calories.
Enzymes are proteins that speed up the rate of chemical reactions. Ice cream is made from a host of naturally occurring raw materials with enzyme activity, manufactured ingredients produced using enzyme systems and/or materials to which enzymes have been added.
The Dairy Foods staff recently agreed to stop using trademark (™) and registration symbols (®) in editorial. The primary reason is that often status changes from the non-legally enforceable ™ to the U.S. trademark office-approved ®, and we cannot monitor these changes.
The stabilization of dairy products is becoming increasingly important as opportunities for product innovation present themselves in the retail, foodservice and industrial markets. Performance expectations are more specific and product labeling is more demanding, making the design of stabilization systems more challenging.
As nutrition continues to drive innovation, the ever-present question is simple: What claims can I make? There are many practical challenges from a product development/palatability standpoint in regards to developing new foods with added nutrients such as calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and chromium picolinate.
Folks in the dairy industry often refer to the franchise we no longer own (calcium), the one we will always own (whey proteins) and the one we still have the chance of owning if we act responsibly, but also aggressively (probiotics). I would like to propose another one: chocolate.