Health and <strong>Wellness</strong>By TorbenB. Lund,Sales andMarketingManager,Dairy FruitThe ratio of lifestyle related diseasesis exploding. Many of our times’ diseasescan be related to our lifestyleand eating habits. As such, obesityhas never been more widespread inthe western countries than it is rightnow. And unfortunately, this developmentseems to continue. In thewake of this development, we arealso seeing a number of diseases thatcan be directly related to obesity. Itis a well-known fact that the risk ofcardiovascular diseases increases significantlyas the weight goes up.Number of productsAs a natural part of this development,the food industry has displayeda huge interest and creativityin an attempt to meet the risingdemand for healthy and nutritiousproducts. This development is wellsupported by health and lifestyleexperts, who constantly underlinethe importance of living and eatinghealthier.The dairies have managed to followup on this development andhave for several years now offereda number of products that accommodatethe request from consumersfor dairy products that support ahealthy lifestyle. First and foremost,the result has been a number offat-reduced products. As such, yoghurtproducts with a fat content of0.5% or less is the accepted choicetoday in most European countries.Lately, there has been an interest inlaunching products with reduced orno sugar. This interest is mainly theresult of diet and nutrition opinionsof experts like the American scientistAtkins. Sugar has become the centreof focus, as the elimination of sugarwill reduce the number of calories.ChallengeFor Dairy Fruit, who is a manufacturerof fruit additives, the reduction ofsugar has a great impact on the overalltaste experience. Sugar enhancesthe taste of the fruit and for severalyears now, the consumers have becomeused to the sweetness of thesugar. To compensate for the lackingsweetness, artificial sweeteners suchas aspartame, acesulfame K and mostrecently sucralose have been addedAloe Vera is known for its positive effecton the general well-being. Here usedin ecological yoghurt marketed in theNetherlands. Ecological products arecurrently experiencing very successfulprogress in several European countries.A natural development in the wake ofincreased focus on health and wellness.to the dairy products as well as otherfoods. However, not everyone prefersthe artificial sweeteners, whichis why alternatives like concentratedfruit juice are often used instead. Inthis way, the natural fruit sugar of theraw material is exploited to sweetenthe product. Based on experience,Dairy Fruit finds that the use of fruitsugar in drinking products is a goodchoice. However, the problem oftoo many calories is not solved withthis solution, but by using naturalfruit sugar, the doors are opened formarketing the products as productswithout granulated sugar.The texture of the products willchange, when the sugar content isreduced. So in addition to tryingto preserve the taste, we also needto focus on preserving the texture,mouth sensation and stability of theproducts. For fruit mixes this oftenmeans the use of other ingredientsthan the regular ones (e.g. stabilizers).Extensive work in the field ofresearch and development is thereforeoften required before a productcan be launched as a sugar reducedproduct.The market is largeIn addition to developing fruitmixes with low calorie content, themarket also offers a number of otherdairy products with a positive effecton the general well-being. Creativityand supply are large. The range ofproducts is wide, from omega 3 andplant sterol products with a positiveeffect on the blood circulation to vitamins,minerals, fibres and muchmore. The common denominatorfor all the products is that they aremeant to compensate for a poor lifestyle.For consumers it may be difficultto tell apart the many differentproducts. In many countries, legislationmakes it illegal to praise thebeneficial effect of the products un-30 Danish Dairy & Food Industry... worldwide 2006 NR. 16
on Everybody’s Lipsless the praise comes with scientificdocumentation.Future trendsAmong scientists, there is a widespreadinterest in developing newproducts to accommodate the largedemand for functional products.The most recent initiative in thefield of new foods is nutrigenomics,where the interaction between humangenes and nutrition is emphasized.However, the general opinionis that it will last several years beforethe first custom-made foods can bemarketed on the background of researchresults in nutrigenomics. Forthis reason, Dairy Fruit will continueto focus on the use of fruit and berrieswith functional characteristics.Acerola and Sea Buckthorn serve astwo good examples in this connection.The content of vitamin C ishigh in the two fruits, while otherfruits such as cranberries are usedwhen a product with a high contentof anti-oxidants is the desiredresult.Through the years, Dairy Fruit hasacquired an extensive knowledge inthis field and we continue to cooperateclosely with our suppliers to explorenew options and ingredients.Who is Dairy Fruit?Dairy Fruit is a state-of-the-art facilitywith 80 employees, who for morethan 30 years have produced asepticfruit mixes for the North Europeanmarket. More than 50% is exported.Our most recent initiative is a productionof liquid spice mixes as additivesfor dairy products.Dairy Fruit would like to be thenatural choice of the customers,who look for a supplier of fruit mixesfor the dairy, ice-cream, confectionaryand dessert industries. At DairyFruit, the development of new ideasand products has our full attention.Hence, in 2005 Dairy Fruit launchedmore than 100 new products in cooperationwith our customers for thebenefit of the consumers. ■NR. 16Danish Dairy & Food Industry... worldwide 2006 31
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