Cargill ~ Heart Healthy Prototypes

MINNEAPOLIS Cargill debuted a number of product prototypes at this years IFT Food Expo, demonstrating how companies could incorporate certain ingredients into finished goods to increase their nutritional profile. The company noted consumers are increasingly looking for foods that provide heart-health benefits, but with great taste and texture.

In one application, Cargill demonstrated how a granola bar could be made heart healthy by including Clear Valley® omega-3 oil and Barilv barley beta-fiber. Cargills blend of canola and flaxseed oils avoids the fishy" taste of some marine-based oils and extends the product shelf life beyond what is seen with straight flaxseed oil; Clear Valley omega-3 oil enables a claim of good" or excellent" source of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. It can also be difficult to formulate a significant amount of fiber into the small serving size of a bar; Barliv is a nearly invisible soluble fiber with a minimum of 70 percent barley beta-glucan soluble fiber, which can be incorporated into the formula without affecting taste or texture, while meeting the level necessary for a high fiber" claim.

Beverages are another hot area of product formulation. Cargill formulated a creamy, dark chocolate beverage that delivered 0.4 g of CoroWise plant sterols per 4-oz. serving, a level that meets FDA approval for a heart healthy claim. The plant sterols do not impact taste or texture, or interfere with the sensory experience of the beverage.