DSM Releases 3 Nutritional Solution Platforms

HEERLEN, NetherlandsDuring this weeks Vitafoods Europe, DSM released three nutritional platforms designed to help manufacturers target emerging markets with specialized nutritional blends that can be incorporated into functional foods and beverages or dietary supplements.

"Essentials for Vegetarians" was developed to specifically focus on nutrients that may be deficient in vegetarian and vegan consumers. The key ingredient in the vegetarian platform is life'sDHA, a form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derived from algae. Essential for brain, eye and heart health, this omega-3 is often lacking in vegetarian diets as the primary food source is oily fish such as salmon and tuna.

The other two platforms"Energize Your Mind" and "Relax Your Mind"focus on mental well-being. "Energize Your Mind" incorporates ingredients such as Ginkgo biloba, ginseng and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) shown to boost mental alertness; "Relax Your Mind" delivers ingredients including lemon balm and chamomile that can aid in relaxation. The new offerings are a complement to DSM's existing "Empower Your Mind" platform, which was featured at Vitafoods 2011.

"There is rising awareness of the role that certain nutritional ingredients can play in supporting mind health and the market for food, beverages and dietary supplements that energize or relax the mind is predicted rapid growth," said Jacob Bauly, global marketing manager at DSM. "Around 20% of the body's energy is required by the brain to support thought processes and give a sense of feeling awake and alert, and relaxation and sleep are also essential for health and well-being. 'Energize your mind' and 'Relax your mind' use the latest consumer insights to provide the combinations of ingredients that can help manufacturers tap into rising consumer demand for innovative mind health products."

More information on designing functional foods and beverages can be found in Food Product Designs Healthy Foods Content Library.