Issue_1_2016

ingredients 27
Jump-start your juice: Enhancing beverages
with oat beta glucan
From energy-packed juices to meal-replacement smoothies, functional beverages are increasingly
becoming part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only do they offer a variety of nutritional benefits including
digestive health, satiety and cholesterol management, functional beverages align with trends for
convenience and portability. 1
As manufacturers launch new
products to meet demand in this
category, fibre is rising to the top
of their ingredient lists. In fact,
there was a 56% increase in
beverages launched containing
fibre globally from 2010 to 2014. 2
And while there are many fibre
ingredients that may be
appropriate for this category, oat
beta glucan is an ideal option
because of the many nutritional
benefits it provides.
Oat beta glucan helps maintain
healthy blood cholesterol and
promotes healthy post-prandial
glycaemic response. It can also
support gastrointestinal health and
assist in weight management
through calorie and fat reduction.
Emerging data also indicates that
intake of oat beta glucan may help
promote satiety. 3
However, not all oat beta glucan
ingredients work well in beverage
applications. While taste is a main
purchase driver for many
consumers, it is imperative that
manufacturers choose an oat beta
glucan that doesn’t impact the
final taste and texture of their
beverage. This can be achieved by
keeping the following in mind
during testing:
Claims and purity
Before adding oat beta glucan to a
beverage, manufacturers should
consider the quantity needed to
qualify for specific health benefit
claims. In order to reach the
desired quantity, concentration will
be calculated based on serving
size. The smaller the serving size,
the more concentrated the oat
beta glucan, and the thicker the
drink. A higher-purity beta glucan
won’t require as much of the
ingredient to be added, which may
alleviate ‘thickness’ and ultimately
provide a cleaner taste and
texture.
Solubility and stability
For beverage applications, it is
1 Euromonitor Passport; Corporate Strategies in Health and Wellness, December 2014.
2 Innova Market Insights, 2015.
3 EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation
of health claims related to beta-glucans from oats and barley and maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol
concentrations (ID 1236, 1299), increase in satiety leading to a reduction in energy intake (ID 851,
852), reduction of post-prandial glycaemic responses (ID 821, 824), and “digestive function” (ID 850) pursuant
to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2011;9(6):2207.
also extremely important to
consider solubility. The beta glucan
ingredient selected should be
highly soluble, with clean taste and
smooth texture, with no grittiness.
In addition to solubility,
manufacturers should look for a
beta glucan that is acid- and heatstable
to allow for easy integration
into beverage formulations.
Viscosity
Oat beta glucans provide viscosity,
so manufacturers should consider
the final viscosity desired in the
beverage and take this into
account when using beta glucan
ingredients at claim levels. Beta
glucan works well in a smoothie
because consumers expect a
thicker mouthfeel from this type of
drink and, ideally, formulating with
oat beta glucan should yield a
clean taste and rich mouthfeel.
Formulating with oat beta glucan
can be an easy way to add a
variety of nutritional claims to
functional beverages, but all the
claims in the world won’t sell a
product that doesn’t taste good.
By working side-by-side with a
supplier to carefully choose the
right ingredient based on claims,
purity, solubility, stability and
viscosity, manufacturers can
achieve the best of both worlds –
better nutrition and great taste. n
Heidi Cullip
Marketing Manager, EMEA, Innovation &
Commercial Development
Tate & Lyle PLC
www.tateandlyle.com
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue one | 2016