Fortifications Balancing Act

Living in one of the most-advanced countries in the world does not guarantee freedom from malnutrition. Many Americans find their health at risk due to under-consumption of vital nutrients. Today, food-product development teams are continually striving to provide these missing pieces to the health puzzle.

The fiber of health

The USDAs Dietary Guidelines for Americans stresses the importance of dietary fiber, including its role in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and its positive effects on laxation. Still, consumers typically do not reach the daily value (DV) of 25 to 30 grams per day (for 2,000 calorie and 2,500 calorie per day diets, respectively), and do not even approach the 28 grams per day recommended in the Dietary Guidelines. A study conducted by Columbia Universitys Institute of Human Nutrition, New York, showed the average Americans fiber intake peaks at 10 to 15 grams per day.

Fiber is either insoluble or soluble. Increased consumption of whole grains and both insoluble and soluble fiber contributes to reduced blood pressure. Further, insoluble fiber has a positive effect on digestive health by promoting regular bowel movements, helping evacuate toxins more quickly and balancing intestinal pH. Soluble fiber contributes to a more-healthy gut by acting as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of probiotic intestinal organisms. Soluble fiber creates a deficit of bile by hindering absorption from the blood, so the liver must pull cholesterol from the blood to synthesize replacement bile. This improves the ratio of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or good cholesterol) to low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol).

Sticks and stones?

Each year, approximately 1.5 million Americans suffer fractures related to osteoporosisa bone-weakening disease brought on by under-consumption of calcium during critical bone-development years. This is not surprising, since Americans typically consume half of the three servings of dairy per day needed to obtain the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Also, more than 30 million lactose-intolerant Americans often avoid milk products entirely.

Vegetarians face a unique problem in their pursuit of calcium. Spinach, rhubarb, sweet potatoes and beans contain oxylates; raw beans, seeds, grains, nuts and soy protein contain phytates. Both compounds can bind calcium and reduce calcium absorption. Further complicating the challenge of proper calcium intake is that its absorption hinges on the presence and metabolism of vitamin D.

Oh, the iron-y

Despite the overwhelming number of people missing the target for calcium intake, the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency anemia (IDA)an insuffi cient supply of iron needed to form hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells. Although less common in developed countries, several segments of the American population lack iron. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, IDA affects half of all pregnant women, and 20% of women of childbearing age.

Iron deficiency results from two broad conditions, the first of which is increased iron need. Periods of rapid growth, such as during infancy, toddler years and adolescence, create a greater-than-usual demand for iron. The other source of iron deficiency is decreased intake or absorption of iron. Dietary iron comes from animal and vegetable sources. Heme iron from meat, poultry and fish, however, is two to three times more absorbable than non-heme iron from plants. This is why strict vegetarians should increase their RDAs to 14 mg per day for adult men and postmenopausal women; 33 mg per day for pre-menopausal women; and 26 mg per day for adolescent girls.

No easy answers

One could argue that the answer is to improve our dietary habits. Unfortunately, todays fast-paced lifestyles deplete time once dedicated to wholesome meals. Todays consumers cry out for nutritious foods that can be consumed while walking from one meeting to another, or driving from soccer practice to piano lessons. And the food has to taste good.

While federally mandated enrichment programs have benefited consumers, the food industry must create new products to help bridge the gap between ideal and real dietary habits. Herb Woolf, senior nutritionist, human nutrition group, BASF Corporation, Florham Park, NJ, illustrates how nutrients can serve functional as well as nutritional purposes. Carotenoids, for instance, are increasingly more often used to enhance the nutrient pro- file and, at the same time, color products that would otherwise use synthetic colorants, he says. Beta carotene, lycopene and lutein are often used as antioxidant nutrients that can easily achieve these formulation goals in beverages, cereals, nutrient bars and ready-to-eat meals.

Double-duty is often a requirement, as fortificants can have varied effects on a food system, depending on the nature of the food itself. Large serving sizes suit beverages for delivering high levels of nutrients. Adding fiber, however, can quickly turn a low viscosity fluid into a sticky syrup. Ferrous iron (Fe2+) can oxidize during storage to the ferric form (Fe3+), resulting in off-colors and precipitates.

And, the most calcium-rich options for fortification can impart grittiness and cloudiness to many beverage applications. Such diffi culties are not limited to beverage applications. Iron fortification of cereals can create gray flecks that turn accompanying milk gray. Insoluble calcium can lend a soapy taste in fat-based and alkaline environments. Fiber added to breads can interfere with gluten structure and overall texture.

Careful sourcing can help developers overcome some challenges. Gum arabic and inulin provide soluble fiber with little effect on viscosity. This is not only critical in beverages, but avoiding a change in viscosity might be important in any fluid system, or even a material that processes as a flowable material and perhaps sets-up later in the process. Ferrous lactates and gluconates provide iron in a sequestered form that will not interact with their environment, reducing the potential for adverse reactions. Chelation with EDTA has been shown to not only inhibit adverse interactions within a food matrix, but also improve intestinal absorption by protecting the iron from inhibitors such as phytic acid.

Organic calcium salts, such as lactates and gluconates, offer soluble forms of calcium that will not cause adverse effects on texture or clarity. Increased solubility will, however, bring increased reactivity. Excess calcium ions can cause gelation of pectin in fruit purées, as well as color shifts in traditionally deeply colored products like grape juice. These reactions can often be avoided using specialized blends of soluble and insoluble calcium sources.

In some cases, problematic fortificants are modified to improve usability in a given system. Manufacturers of iron-fortified dairy drinks must confront the difficulties inherent in retaining good color and taste in the fortified products, says Udi Alroy, vice president, global marketing and sales, LycoRed, Orange, NJ. Highly dispersible iron-fortification formulas overcome these obstacles.

A combination of anhydrous and monohydrate forms of calcium phosphate yields a high calcium content with improved solubility for applications such as beverages, yogurts, sauces and dressings.

As Americans continue to replace veggies, fruits and fibers with beverages and bars, they will continue to seek the missing nutritional elements from the food manufacturing industry. Hopefully, development of innovative new fortification options will continue to keep pace with the ever-increasing needs of consumers.

R. J. Foster is a wordsmith with a B.S. in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and over 15 years of experience in the food industry. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].