LEFRANC-MILLOT C., WILS D., DEREMAUX L., BRIOIS E. and SANIEZ-DEGRAVE MH
ROQUETTE Frères, F-62080 Lestrem
In the current context of non-transmissible chronic diseases like epidemic obesity and type II diabetes(1), food industry is confronted with the necessity of developing strategies to help consumers eating better. Well-balanced diets are key factors for prevention or reduction of such life-threatening problems. Mainly, offering appropriate foodstuffs reduced in simple sugars, having decreased caloric value and promoting fibres consumption can be of real interest and remains a challenge for food manufacturers.
Among the various foodstuffs concerned by developing new nutritional strategies, beverages are well-appointed targets:
Therefore, they unfortunately contribute greatly to unbalanced diets and can have an appetite suppressant effect associated with a low nutritional value. Consequently, as ingredients manufacturers, we undertook to conceive a new solution for industry, able to bring added nutritional value to classical beverages, while preserving the pleasure of the consumer.
We therefore firstly developed a process leading to a new type of dextrin offering outstanding technological qualities in terms of stability towards industrial food processes and structural specificities in terms of digestibility. Then we followed a relevant step-by-step methodology, including the scientific demonstration of nutritional benefits of this non-viscous soluble fibre.. In this way, we were in particular able to demonstrate that a concentrated dilutable fruit drinks formulated with it elicits a glucose response of 10% compared to similar standard commercial product, when consumed after dilution in water. Moreover, this fibre has a weak insulinogenic effect and consuming the beverage brings a part of the recommended daily intake in fibres. Another type of beverage, called mid-calorie drink, reduced in sugar and enriched in fibres (2.2%), has also been formulated and tested, inducing a glycemic response of 64% that of a similar standard beverage.
While using this type of methodical and logical approach, it is possible to produce nutritional ingredients and thus nutritional foodstuffs meeting at once the regulation's requirements and the consumer's needs.
(1) Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Report of a Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Geneva, 28 January-1 February 2002