Nutraceutical Synergies—the Best of Both Worlds

Food manufacturers are increasingly capitalizing on health-and-wellness market drivers by adding the nutritious components of select foods to commonly eaten items—such as adding tea extracts to soda, probiotics in salsa, and omega-3s in a wide range of foods like orange juice and bread. And new fortification opportunities along these lines, such as adding microencapsulated, antioxidant-rich ingredients derived from cherries, blueberries and bananas to foods, continue to surface. Often, manufacturers are targeting products for specific health concerns, from weight loss to acid reflux and bone loss.

Collectively, these initiatives point to the increasing prevalence of highly targeted functional foods in the marketplace. But as manufacturers continue to explore such opportunities, they need to pay close attention to supporting evidence for any related claims, particularly those that appear on product packaging, while simultaneously ensuring that functional and fortified foods retain appealing sensory characteristics.