Functional Foods Incorporate Healthy Fats

Functional Foods Incorporate Healthy Fats

 by Heather Granato

From the pages of Consumer Reports to The New York Times, health writers are talking about the importance of consuming healthy fats to promote general wellness. The White House has even gotten in on the act, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to promote increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in its Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Pyramid.

There is very strong interest in nutritional oils, and demand is increasing, said David Lewis, business unit manager/North America with Lipid Nutrition. Companies are searching for ingredients with clinically proven health benefits that they can use to increase the efficacy and benefits of their products.

Nutritional ingredient suppliers are meeting the challenge, offering a broad range of nutritional fats and ensuring the ingredients meet safety and usage guidelines. A number of companies, such as Lipid Nutrition and Martek, have GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for some of their nutritional fat products while others are in the process of applying for selfaffirmation on their offerings.

Nutritional fats encompass a range of products. Primary among them are the essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are integrally involved in maintaining cellular health and promoting proper prostaglandin function. EFAs are polyunsaturated oils (meaning they contain more than one unsaturated carbon) and are chemically distinguished by the placement of their first double bond. Omega-3 fatty acids have their first double bond three carbons up from the molecules acid tail. Omega-3 EFAs include alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Omega-6s have their first double bond six spots up the tail; they include linoleic acid (LA) and gamma linolenic acid (GLA).

Deep, coldwater fish are the primary dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) such as DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in short-chain form in vegetable sources, including flaxseed, hemp and perilla oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to many health conditions, including cardiovascular wellness and brain health.

Vegetable oils such as flax, black currant and borage supply considerable amounts of omega-6 LA. Black currant, borage and evening primrose oil are also rich sources of GLA. Proper levels of omega-6 fatty acids are necessary for immune function and control of inflammatory processes. A derivative of omega-6 LA, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), is commercially produced through processing sunflower or safflower.

While fish oil has received a great deal of press for its heart healthy qualities, CLA is a strong second in the media sweeps. Many studies have linked it to decreased body fat and increased lean body mass. A recent study from Lipid Nutrition has also linked CLA (as Safflorin) to increased immune function.

According to Duane Fimreite, Tonalin CLA product manager for Cognis Nutrition & Health, inquiries from the food industry about using CLA are increasing in frequency. Some companies are looking for samples and doing development work, while others want to be informed when we obtain GRAS status, he said, referring to the companys Tonalin CLA. These healthier fats can be added to new products and still offer flavor and mouthfeel.

Incorporating Healthy Fats

Functional food and beverage companies are turning to suppliers for information about how to add these healthy fats to product formulations. According to the June 2003 edition of Healthy Living Monthly from financial analyst firm Adams, Harkness & Hill, the increase in research on healthy fats should help grow the market. The mainstream food industry already uses the ingredients to some extent in functional and fortified foods, the report said, but we expect to see a much broader selection of packaged foods containing fish oil, algal DHA or flax on the market within the next 12 to 24 months.

Bruce Miller Jr., executive vice president of Marine Nutraceutical Corp., agreed with this assessment. With a staggering 58-percent growth in omega-3 fatty acids in 2002, marketers are looking for new and unconventional ways to participate in the categorys growth, he said. Companies are exploring the category as never before.

As these companies explore a new category, theyre coming up against some formulation challenges. Some companies underestimate the technical challenge of incorporating nutritional oils and fats into their products, said Helen Zhong, sales and marketing manager with Sanmark LLC. It is important for manufacturers to have a good understanding of not only the nutritional benefits but also the technical properties and regulatory status of different nutritional fats before starting a project.

Of primary concern is the fact that the polyunsaturated nature of these healthy fats makes them highly susceptible to oxidative damage. Many companies control the extraction process from seed to oil, often running cold press operations in HACCP and GMP (good manufacturing practice) facilities to ensure quality. During production, suppliers also include antioxidants or use nitrogen flushing to eliminate possible oxygen that could cause rancidity in the oils.

Delivery form is another control point for suppliers to ensure quality of finished products. Some manufacturers offer EFAs in a powder form, while others are taking it a step further and offering microencapsulation to protect the contents. Microencapsulation and powder forms offer great value to manufacturers because they offer enhanced stability while delivering a desired fatty acid profile, said Carol Reynolds, marketing manager with Bioriginal.

Microencapsulation and other innovative delivery forms also address another manufacturer concernthe fishy odor and taste associated with some fish-based omega-3 products. Pronova Biocare, for example, noted it has microencapsulated some of its concentrated oils on a test basis for use in energy bars and other functional food products. Omega- 3 fatty acids tend to oxidize very easily when exposed to oxygen, so the best way to protect the oil is to microencapsulate it, said Baldur Hjaltason, Pronovas area sales director/United States. This does raise certain restrictions in applications, particularly when volume is important since a carrier can take up considerable volume.

Another possible cause for a strong fishy taste or odor is that an oil has already oxidized or was not fully deodorized. There is often a lack of awareness in the differences between the varieties of oils available, Miller said. At the low end are commodity grade oils that will taste and smell very poor. While the fatty acid profile may be identical on the products, there is far more to oil than a technical specification. In the final analysis, the consumer is now sold on the virtues of fish oil, but will remain a consumer only if the product is of the highest quality and purity.

Finally, there continues to be a disconnect between knowing the benefits and being willing to pay for added value. While healthier fats can be added to new products and offer flavor and mouthfeel, it is a challenge to get consumers to pay the premium price, Fimreite said. This is going to take a lot of education and retraining for a society that has been trained that fat is bad for you.

However, the benefits could be worth the investment. Consumers are becoming more aware of EFAs and want to be able to access these healthy fats in an alternative delivery system, Reynolds said. With new technologies and delivery systems being developed all the time, the industry needs to keep an open mind for nutritional fats in functional food products.

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