Keys to the formulation of functional foods
According to Mark Crowell, a highly experienced food product developer, there are certain points that need to be taken into account when designing the formulation of a new functional food.
There are two main questions that need to be asked when formulating the product. First, whether the concept is right or in other words, if the idea is a good one. Also, the product should have a good quality after production, which is achieved by a correct formulation in the first place. This implies dedicating some good time to shelf-life testing. In fact, most functional ingredients may suffer undesirable changes and the success of the functional food as such depends on the preservation of the active compounds. Therefore, the product must be launched only after it is known that the active substance will not loose or change its properties after certain time or conditions.
How do we choose the right base product? According to Crowell, inherently healthy food bases such as milk or bread should work better than those that are associated with poor health habits, such as a high-sugar or high-fat food. In addition, the functional ingredient should be somehow connected to the base, so that the combination of both products seems reasonable to the consumers. For example, calcium enriched orange juice contains food ingredients that may be easily related to breakfast and so it would seem fine to have calcium enriched orange juice for breakfast.
Indulging treats are also an example of how different base products can affect the success of a certain functional food: even though cookies and ice-creams are not the considered to be healthy food products, cookies may be seen as healthier than butter-fat containing ice-creams and so may work better as base products for functional treats.
Another important tip is to keep the formulation simple. Crowell suggests avoiding the use of multiple functional ingredients and also using mainstream base products that consumers are familiar to instead of using new sophisticated ones.
Finally, when getting to packaging and labeling stages, be aware that making too many claims about an ingredient or a functional food may not be a good idea. Too many functional benefits may be not relevant for the product and consumers may even not believe in it.
Source:
- http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/What-makes-a-successful-functional-food-product/?c=mWyVGQyLDCGfMVhaS2iSqg%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly
