HeartHealthy Formulating

By Cindy Hazen, Contributing Editor

My neighbors made a surprising announcement at a recent potluck: Weve gone vegan," referencing cardiovascular health and the books theyve read that prescribe an animal-free diet for a healthy heart. While my neighbors' approach may seem extreme, it is evidence that heart-health is top of mind for many people.

Given the relationship of food and heart health and diet, some people eliminate foods; others simply modify their diets. Choosing foods with heart-healthy ingredients is one way to protect the cardiovascular system. Heres a look at a few key components of a heart-healthy diet that provide a guideline to formulating products that address this concern.

Fats first

The cornerstone of any heart-conscious diet is reduction of saturated fat and cholesterol. General consensus calls for consuming less than 10% of calories from saturated fat and an average of 30% or less of total calories from all fat. Cholesterol should be limited to 300 mg or less per day.

The numbers tighten for individual foods that make a claim. FDA recognizes two types of health claims; the difference between them is the amount of expert consensus. Significant Scientific Agreement (SSA) claims are supported by evidence that is widely agreed upon by experts. Qualified health claims may be made with less scientific agreement as long as they are qualified" in such a way that they are not misleading. Both types of claims link a specific food with a health-related condition.

To make a heart-health claim, foods must meet stringent requirements. Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 101.62 expounds on the concept of fat-related nutrient content claims in 134 paragraphs and nearly 7,000 words.

In short, a meal or main dish that claims to be low in saturated fat contains 1 gram or less of saturated fatty acids per 100 grams and less than 10% of calories from saturated fat. Total fat and cholesterol must be disclosed.

Low cholesterol verbiage (low in cholesterol, low cholesterol, etc.) is dependent on the reference amount customarily consumed. If the amount is 30 grams or greater than 2 tablespoons and contains less than 13 grams of total fat per serving, the food contains 20 mg or less of cholesterol. Heres a twist from saturated fat designations: A food can claim to be low in cholesterol if it contains 2 grams or less of saturated fatty acids.

The requirements to make a health claim relative to dietary saturated fat and cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease are spelled out in CFR 101.75. The claim uses terms like may" or might" reduce the risk of heart disease" or coronary heart disease." In specifying the nutrient, the claim uses the terms 'saturated fat' and 'cholesterol' and lists both," according to the CFR. The claim does not attribute any degree of risk reduction for coronary heart disease to diets low in dietary saturated fat and cholesterol. The claim states that coronary heart disease risk depends on many factors."

Beware that sodium levels might disqualify a health claim. For meal products, do not exceed 960 mg per serving size. For main-dish products, 720 mg is the limit.

Omega-3s

Many people are taking unappetizing fish oil supplements on the recommendation of their doctor. Basically, the doctor is prescribing omega-3 fatty acids to improve cardiovascular health. In fish oil, the key ingredients are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) is an omega-3 found in flaxseed, canola, soy and walnut oils. In the body it is partially converted to EPA.

FDA allows a qualified health claim EPA and DHA, but has not yet included ALA: Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of [name of food] provides [x] grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. [See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content.]"

Customers who want to incorporate a heart-health benefit into their products are struggling with using flax or fish oil, both of which have serious limitations due to flavor, odor and stability," says Willie Loh, vice president marketing, Cargill Oils & Shortenings, Minneapolis. Cargill has developed an oil that combines flax with our proprietary high-oleic canola oil to deliver a rich source of short-chain (ALA) omega-3, superior flavor and high stability."

This canola oil contains 30% omega-3 fatty acids. It provides at least 160 milligrams of ALA in most applications. When fortifying a product with at least 0.6 grams per serving of this canola oil, a good" source of ALA omega-3 statement may be made. An excellent" source may be claimed if the food contains at least 1.2 grams per serving. The amount of omega-3 fatty acid in a serving, and the daily value for the specific omega-3 fatty acid, must be specified.

Sterols

Scientific evidence establishes that plant sterols and stanol esters in the diet help to lower blood total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. For specific guidance in making a related heart-health claim, look to CFR 101.83.

Cargill offers plant sterols in two versions: free sterols and sterol esters. Plant sterols block the absorption of cholesterol and may reduce LDL cholesterol by 8% to 15%," explains Carol Lowry, senior food scientist, Cargill Health & Nutrition. Cargills plant sterols are used in a wide range of products, including orange juice, milk, snacks and spreads.

Free sterols are in the form of a fine waxy powder that can be used in milk, orange juice, bread and yogurt.

When we add a fatty acid to a free sterol molecule to make the sterol ester, the physical properties change," Lowry says. It becomes thicker in consistency and is now fat-soluble with a lower melting point. This is a better ingredient for muffins, cakes, spreads and oils. However, because the fatty acid takes up 40% of the molecule, you need more of the sterol esters by weight to achieve the cholesterol-reducing equivalency of a free sterol. Because the amount of plant sterols needed to meet the health-claim minimum inclusion level is fairly lowcurrently 400 mg on a free sterol basis per serving (though FDA has proposed an increase to at least 500 mg per serving)formulation changes are rarely needed, and taste, texture and flavor are unaffected."

The sterol ingredients can be customized with specific fatty-acid profiles or to make specific sterol ingredient forms for food products.

Steve OBrien, product manager, natural health and nutrition, ADM, Decatur, IL, suggests starting any development project with a call to the ingredient manufacturer since the sterol product needed for a dairy beverage would be different from the type needed for a bread or sauce, for example.

Because of their waxy nature, some sterols can be a challenge to incorporate in food. ADM has recently launched a water-dispersible sterol primarily for use in beverages.

Fiber

FDA also recognizes a relationship between diets that include soluble fiber from certain foods and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). FDA offers guidance in CFR 101.81.

Eligible sources of soluble fiber include beta-glucan soluble fiber from oat bran, rolled oats, whole-oat fiber, oatrim, whole-grain barley, dried-mill barley, barley betafiber and psyillium husk. Whole oat or barley foods must contain at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per reference amount customarily consumed. Psyllium food shall contain at least 1.7 grams of soluble fiber.

Chitan-glucan fiber was the subject of an abstract presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association San Diego (Circulation, 2012; 125:AP307). Results suggest that chitin-glucan, a novel insoluble fiber, may significantly reduce LDL-cholesterol levels, which may have therapeutic implications for patients at risk for CHD or other diabetes complications.

We do not currently have an FDA-approved health claim; however, we are continuing research to support future claims," says Ibrahim Abou-Nemeh, Ph.D, director new product development/applications and customer support, Novus International, Novus Nutrition Brands, LLC, St. Charles, MO. Our current clinical data supports the use of the fiber for clean, healthy arteries."

Chitan is composed of repeating units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine linked via beta-1,4 linkages. Beta-glucan consists of repeating units of D-glucose linked via beta-1,3 linkages.

The ratio of chitin/beta-glucan is 30 to 35/60 to 65," says Abou-Nemeh. If someone were to take 4.5 grams per day of the chitan-glucan fiber, then 2.9 to 3.15 grams is beta-glucan, though it is in the bound form with chitan, which is water-insoluble."

 This ingredient can be added to breads, muffins and cookies, at the levels from 1 to 2 grams per serving. Fruit beverages, smoothies and juices can incorporate 1 to 4.5 grams per serving.

Unlike other fibers, this fiber is a rather easy drop-in ingredient to work with, and particularly, in baking," Abou-Nemeh says. As it is the case with the majority of fibers, water level needs to be adjusted since it absorbs about seven times its weight water."

Its generally understood that diets high in fiber contribute to the hearts well-being. Researchers at Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, offered confirmation at a presentation at the 2011 American Heart Associations Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Scientific Sessions. Studies of adults between 29 and 59 years found that those with the highest fiber intake had a significantly lower estimated lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest fiber intake.

Betsy Jones, research food scientist, Cargill Health & Nutrition, suggests that inulin can be used as an invisible" fiber in a wide range of beverages, bakery, dairy items, snacks and confections. Cargills inulin is extracted from chicory root grown in Belgium, and belongs to the fructan group of oligo- and polysaccharides," she says. The extracted inulin is refined into various powder and liquid product forms with differing functional properties based on chain length or degree of polymerization (DP), giving product developers an incredibly capable, versatile fiber option for almost any product application."

Inulin can replace sugar and fat in formulations without sacrificing taste and texture. Whether its acting as a bulking agent or fat mimetic, or helping to reduce calories and sugar in products aimed at consumers looking to manage their weight," Jones says. 

Weight management is also important to heart health, but looking at ways to formulate low-calorie foods is another topic for another day.

Cindy Hazen, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, is a freelance writer based in Memphis, TN. She can be reached at [email protected].