food

ingredients 43
■ Probiotics and prebiotics:
targeting probiotic properties
as well as efficacy and viability
of probiotics in food products.
(Professor Seppo Salminen).
Additionally, there are services
to assist product development
for small and medium sized
food companies and a research
unit of international law
specialising in functional foods.
Broadening the field
The Forum also has a centre for
SME research interests
specialising on local products. And
its research has been broadened
in scope by the addition of a
research professorship in the area
of Seinäjoki some 400km north of
Turku, from where consumer
research is carried out in Finland,
Sweden and the Baltic countries;
collaboration with SMEs; and the
Foodwest Center of Excellence for
product development. This has
opened up new dimensions in
covering research fields more
thoroughly and the head of the
team, Marjo Mäkinen-Aakula is
also part of the management team
of a large EU-network focusing on
SMEs and their R&D needs.
Local specialisation
The Forum has been developing
rapidly and the core research
teams collaborate with other
specialists around the world. They
also receive funding for their work
from many different countries. The
success of the different teams has
been rapid: innovative and
interesting findings that affect all
parts of the world are being
reported continuously. The teams
specialise in the use of local raw
materials (oats, forest products,
dairy and meat) as well as
collaborating with local consumer
science research experts. Overall,
a strong emphasis needs to be
placed on the sensory evaluation
of functional foods and
components. This is to ensure that
the health effects are
encapsulated within a food
product that is not only healthy
but offers a superior sensory
experience. This is important in
terms of making the food
acceptable to the target group of
consumers. They do not
necessarily put health benefits at
the top of their priorities when
choosing food, and indeed, if food
is not enjoyable, they will not eat
it no matter how healthy it is.
Health benefits therefore have to
be included as a ‘given’, so that
when consumers eat food, it gives
them a general sense of wellbeing.
It is also important to take into
account the fact that people’s
different values have a significant
impact on the type of food they
choose, so consumer research
plays an important part in food
research as well.
Current status
The FFF comprises several
interlinking teams of expertise
that support each other and draw
from collaboration with other
University and University Hospital
departments. There are currently
some 60 people working in the
Forum, and together with their
partnerships and relationships all
around the world, they constitute
a significant research platform in
each of their respective fields of
excellence. ■
Professor Seppo Salminen
Functional Foods Forum
University of Turku
www.utu.fi