Fonterra Co-operative Group, New Zealand, has filed for a United States patent on a method for producing a dairy powder or concentrate. The pH of the liquid dairy starting material – comprising casein and whey proteins – is adjusted if necessary by addition of acid or alkali to a pH in the range 5.0-8.0. The pH adjusted material is then heat-treated to denature whey protein in the presence of casein. This treated material is either retained or dried to form a powder or concentrate. The ingredient may be used for forming a product such as a processed cheese, spread, yoghurt or dairy dessert. In this process, the ingredient is dissolved/suspended (if necessary) and its pH is adjusted to 4.5-6.5. The material may then be cooked to form a molten mass, which is then cooled to form a milk protein gel.

Source: www.flexnews-food.com

Coconut Power, an organic evaporated palm sugar from Navitas Naturals in the United States, is a healthy new alternative sweetener that is lowglycaemic and rich in nutrients. This new organic product is made from the sweet juice of coconut palm blossoms. The sweet nectar is harvested by gently slicing the flower. Once collected, the nectar is kettle-boiled into a thick caramel and then ground into a fine brown crystal.

Navitas claim that Coconut Power is a pure cane sugar alternative that is 100 per cent organic, unprocessed, unfiltered, unbleached and contains no preservatives. The product is naturally low on the Glycemic Index (GI), with a rating of 35, which is about half that of cane sugar (GI 68). Coconut Power is especially high in amino acids, potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron and is a good natural source of the vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C. Contact: Navitas Naturals, 9 Pamaron Way, Suite J, Novato, CA 94949, United States of America. Tel: +1 (888) 645 4282; Fax: +1 (415) 883 1083; E-mail: info@navitasnaturals.com.

Source: www.npicentre.com

Studies have found that the calorie-content of yoghurt could be reduced by more than 50 per cent using Etenia, an ingredient developed by Avebe Group. In the Netherlands, researchers from NIZO Food Research BV, DSM Food Specialties and the Avebe Food Innovation Centre, independently tested the quality and functionality of Etenia. The researchers investigated the perception of creaminess in yoghurts formulated with the ingredient in order to reduce the fat content of the final product.

Mr. Arno Alting from NIZO food research, the lead author of the study, said that the ingredient “is a serious candidate for fat replacement.” Etenia, derived from potato starch, may be labelled as ‘starch’ rather than ‘modified starch’, meeting clean label requirements that are being put in place by manufacturers and retailers. Etenia is said to have both gelling and thickening properties. Moreover, it has some of the same properties as gelatine, the most common gelling agent, but is vegetarian.

The researchers formulated a low-fat yoghurt with amylomaltase-treated starch (ATS) ingredient. The low-fat yoghurt, containing 1.5 per cent fat, was found to have the same perceived creaminess as full-fat yoghurt with a fat content of 5 per cent. Moreover, in yoghurts with a fat content of 3 per cent, the ATS was found to be “four times as effective as maltodextrin,” which is a current fat replacer in set-style yoghurt. “The perceived creaminess resulted from in-mouth melting of these ATS domains owing to a combined effect of their physical melting and hydrolysis by amylase present in the saliva,” the researchers have reported.

Mr. Alting and colleagues say that the energy value of the resulting low-fat yoghurt would also be about half that of the higher-fat yoghurt, since polysaccharides have a lower energy value than fats. Assuming a conversion factor for fat of nine, compared with four for polysaccharides, they calculated that “replacing 3.5 per cent fat in a 5 per cent fat-yoghurt with 2 per cent ATS will result in a reduction of the fat-related energy value from 45 to 21.5 kcal/100 g”. The ingredient could be used in different yoghurt types.

Source: www.ap-foodtechnology.com

The Combining chitosan and modified lecithin could offer interesting nano-encapsulators for a variety of ingredients, according to a new study from Japan. The spontaneous self-assembly of the ingredients into stable nanoparticles was investigated and encapsulation of ingredients was found to be as much as 63 per cent in some cases.

The study by scientists from University of Tsukuba and National Food Research Institute looked at the formation of nanoparticles through the selfassembly of modified lecithin and chitosan. It produced nanoparticles that ranged in size from 123 to 350 nm. The particles “exhibited excellent stability at over an extended pH (3 to 6) and ionic strength range,” report the researchers.

Dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate, bovine serum albumin and Coomassie brilliant blue were used as model compounds to test the ability of the selfassembled nanoparticles to encapsulate ingredients with no charge (non-ionic), or a positive and negative charge, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency ranged from 8.7 to 62.7 per cent. Model water-soluble compounds could be entrapped within the nanoparticles at fairly good efficiency, the scientists noted.

Source: www.beveragedaily.com

Researchers from the Universities in Reading, Naples and Barcelona have reported that treating the insoluble cereal fibre with Trichoderma enzymes produced soluble feruloyl oligosaccharides, which displayed bifidobacteria and lactobacilliboosting properties when tested in a model gut system. If human studies confirm the pre-biotic potential of the new fibres, it could see the soluble feruloyl oligosaccharides from durum wheat joining the growing list of pre-biotic ingredients.

The scientists treated durum wheat fibre (DWF) with Trichoderma harzianum strain 22. This produced soluble feruloyl oligosaccharides. These soluble fibres were then tested in a model gut system, which mimics the microbial environment of the human colon. Results showed that the enzyme-treated DWF (ET-DWF) did stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. No effect on short-chain fatty acids formation was recorded by the researchers.

Website: www.nutra ingredients.com

Prof. Michael Zemel, Director of the University of Tennessee Nutrition Institute, the United States, has invented Innutria, an all-natural ingredient that he says will help make people less efficient at storing fat while giving a boost to metabolic and cardiovascular health. “It is true we can do that by eating a really good diet all the time, but we are creating an alternative for the 90-plus per cent of individuals who don’t do that, said Prof. Zemel.

Prof. Zemel plans to market the ingredient to food and beverage companies through Nutraceutical Discoveries Inc., a licensee of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. He expects to develop a family of Innutria products aimed at different markets like men’s and women’s health, weight loss and active living. The business is targeting such beverages as water and teas, as well as foods like oatmeal and beans. “We want to put it in better-for-you foods. We want ‘powered by Innutria’ label to mean something,” said Prof. Zemel.

Website: www.knoxnews.com

Quest International Services B.V., the Netherlands, has applied for a United States patent on particulate flavouring compositions having, based on the total weight of the composition, 0.1-40 wt per cent of flavouring substances, 10-90 wt per cent of hydrocolloids and 0.1-50 wt per cent of a lipid material having a melting point above 75º C. These flavouring compositions are claimed to be particularly suitable for application in food and beverages, as well as in confectionery products such as chewing gum. Other aspects of the invention relate to a method of producing a particulate flavouring composition, to a food product containing such a flavouring composition and to a process of manufacturing a reconstitutable food product.

Source: www.flex-news-food.com