Beverage Fortification
June 2013 US$39.00
SPECIAL REPORT Beverage Fortification: Enhancing Nutritional Quality & Consumer Appeal Years ago, fortification was implemented in staple items such as flour and milk as an effective strategy to help stave off widespread disease resulting from malnourishment. With today's increasingly savvy consumers looking to glean nutritional benefits in everything from tea and juice to bottled water, beverage fortification has taken on a whole new life.
by Cathianne Leonardi and Frank Del Corso Beverage Fortification: Enhancing Nutritional Quality & Consumer Appeal According to the World Health Organization (WHO), food fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing content of an essential micronutrient in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. Historically, foods have been fortified to prevent diseases. More recently in the United States and other developed countries, fortification of foods and beverages has shifted to deliver benefits making the user feel, perform or even look better. This report examines the changing market of fortification in the United States—from one where the main driver is preventing diseases in the masses, to one where the driver is adding function for a niche market. Strategies are also explored for beverage scientists to create great-tasting drinks to meet the demands of this new market.
Introduction and History of Fortification by Cathianne Leonardi
umans traditionally fortify their bodies with nutrients found in food. We demonstrate increased understanding of nature by modifying H our food supply in favor of desired qualities. Activities including seed selection, propagation and invention of species by artificial selection and hybridization have long been established as beneficial in yielding increasing food supplies required to nourish a boundless growth in population. Embedded in man’s manipulation of food is the ability to deliberately choose fortifications upon identification of dietary deficiencies. Thoughtfully selected fortifications or enrichments One of the earliest have successfully reduced, or in some cases eradicated, ailments records of fortification of noticed scarcity. One of the earliest records of fortification beneficial to the U.S. beneficial to the population was vitamin D in milk. The addition of vitamin D U.S. population was allowed the body to absorb naturally occurring calcium in milk. The combination acted to calcify bone structure, resulting in vitamin D in milk. reduced instances of rickets, a disease in which bones are softened due to lack of calcium absorption.
Beverage INSIDER • Beverage Fortification 2 naturalproductsinsider.com Another historic example of improved health of the U.S. population follows Napoleon’s belief that an army marches on its stomach. During the precarious years prior to World War II, the U.S. selective service rejected one-third of all men for military service based on malnutrition. Noted effects of poor diets included pellagra, a dermal disease, that reached epidemic proportions in America's Southern states. To correct this while strengthening the lines of defense, the War Foods Administration issued the first War Food Order requiring enrichment of flour and white bread, effective January 1943. Enrichments of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron led the path to reduction of diseases of malnourishment. By 1949, reported cases of pellagra in the South were lowered from 10.5 to 0.5 percent per 100,000. FDA concluded Our modern society often views these fortifications as quotidian. We accept them because in our short lifetimes, they have always that items enriched existed; they are familiar products of a great generation and rarely with 0.14 mg folic breed controversy. Bracelets, ribbons and 5-kilometer races do not exist in support of finding cures for pellagra or rickets. We have acid could claim a done that by examining nature and our place in it—and acting health benefit, while accordingly for the majority’s benefit. supplements would A fortification that dictates specificity in population segment is folic acid. Diets supplemented with 0.4 mg folic acid retain their levels decrease neural tube defects in fetuses of pregnant women. of 0.4 mg. Conversely, the recommended dose of folic acid negatively operates in elderly populations by masking deficiencies in B12. The conflict presented an opportunity to devise a way to strengthen the progeny of a very particular population while doing no harm to their parents or grandparents. FDA struggled with recommendations for fortifications for years. Considerations ranged from assuming all women to be pregnant to providing folic acid as a supplement once pregnancy was confirmed. Solely relying on supplements discriminated against women of the lowest income level; the item needed to be safely and affordably included in everyday diets. In October 1993, FDA concluded that items enriched with 0.14 mg folic acid could claim a health benefit, while supplements would retain their levels of 0.4 mg. In this instance, the term "nutraceutical" and the nature of selecting sub-threshold supplement level fortifications addressing specific health issues for narrow population sections were born.
Beverage INSIDER • Beverage Fortification 3 naturalproductsinsider.com Formulating for Fortified Beverages by Frank Del Corso
ortifying beverages with new and different ingredients presents many challenges from stability and taste perspectives. Traditionally, only small F amounts of vitamins or minerals were used to fortify bread, salt or milk, but today’s market demands more from beverage scientists. In order to stand apart from other beverage brands, consumers continually want more things added to their formulations. A complex combination of vitamins, minerals and sport supplements are combined in some beverages today to deliver a multivitamin in a bottle. Other brands choose one main supplement to convey a simpler message to potential customers. In the early days of the new-age beverage boom, small amounts of herbs and vitamins were added for “label romance.” Simple extracts of botanicals were added at very low levels in order to list them in the ingredient line. Since then, there seems to be a shift from the pixie-dust mentality to one where consumers want more research-based and effective doses of ingredients. Many highly purified or standardized botanicals can add bitterness to a beverage, and some minerals such as A complex calcium can add chalkiness. This can present a challenge for any combination beverage scientist trying to add some of these highly concentrated ingredients and still make the beverage taste great. Fortunately, of vitamins, from years working on the bench, any good food scientist has minerals and sport formed a sound strategy to modify taste and combat the lingering metallic aftertaste, bitterness or chalkiness from the addition supplements are of some of these nutrients. combined in some Some beverage technologists use a four-tiered approach to modify taste to create an overall pleasant drinking experience. beverages today to This four-tiered strategy involves reviewing and choosing the deliver a multivitamin right combination of sweeteners, acids, modifiers of flavor and other ingredients (SAMO) in order to modify taste and create in a bottle. great-tasting fortified beverages that meet a marketer’s demand for function. The SAMO strategy to taste modification is a method used successfully in many fortified beverages on the market today. A major factor in the ingredient selection involved in this strategy is the marketing and branding of a beverage. Understanding the positioning of a beverage is the first step in the process of creating it; only when this is fully understood can a beverage developer move ahead with applying this approach.
Beverage INSIDER • Beverage Fortification 4 naturalproductsinsider.com Sweeteners Different sweeteners can be used to help shape the taste of fortified beverages. Both nutritive and non-nutritive sweetener options have a place in the taste modification needed for some fortified beverages. Each sweetener has its own taste and sweetness perception. Sucrose (sugar) is considered the gold standard in sweeteners and is given a sweetness value of 1. All other sweeteners are compared to sucrose in terms of their sweetness impact and mouthfeel, as well as how the sweetener impacts flavor perception. The monosaccharide fructose (not high fructose corn syrup), for example, is given a sweetness value of 1.2 to 1.5, so it is approximately 20 to 50 percent sweeter than sugar. However, the flavor and Different types of acids mouthfeel of fructose is somewhat thinner and has a shorter can improve the overall sweetness perception curve than sugar, and so will impact the overall taste of a beverage differently. Fructose can be used to taste of a fortified impart a greater sweetness than one would expect from the beverage by creating a number of calories it provides. Fructose will also impart a clean taste and is a very good choice for a sports drink since it delivers a diverse taste experience fresh sweetness profile that is not syrupy. Non-nutritive, high due to each acid's unique potency sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame and stevia also have different sweetness and taste perceptions than sugar. Each flavor and acidity profile. high-potency sweetener has its own unique taste perception, as does each combination of sweeteners. Some are better-suited at covering up bitterness or lingering aftertaste than others, and some can contribute their own bitterness and lingering—making sweetness selection for a fortified beverage a very important component of creating a great-tasting, fortified beverage.
Acids Food scientists also use sweetness and acid balance to help alleviate off-notes and prevent cloying. Different types of acids can improve the overall taste of a fortified beverage by creating a diverse taste experience due to each acid's unique flavor and acidity profile. Acids such as citric, malic, lactic, phosphoric and tartaric can be used independently or in combinations to help modify the taste of beverages and help to mask unpleasant notes contributed from fortification. Citric, malic and tartaric acids are commonly used in beverages and lend a tart pucker to a beverage at higher levels. Citric acid, which is found naturally in citrus fruits, gives the impression of lemon flavor in a beverage when none has been added. Malic acid can help to alleviate sweetness linger contributed from high-potency sweeteners due to its longer acid perception curve. Phosphoric, lactic and sodium acid sulphate will impart a smoother taste without pucker, but will lower the pH similarly to the more tart-tasting acids. Depending on the type of off-note imparted by fortification, there is an acid or combination of acids that will help to improve the taste of a beverage.
Beverage INSIDER • Beverage Fortification 5 naturalproductsinsider.com Functional Drinks: Market Value by Category for 2004-2013 In Billions of U.S. Dollars Overall Categories 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Growth Energy Drinks 4.0 6.6 9.7 12.0 13.0 13.1 13.9 15.0 16.3 17.8 348.23% Sports Drinks 4.4 5.5 6.0 6.3 6.2 5.6 6.2 6.9 7.9 9.1 107.26% Nutraceutical Drinks 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 56.52% Total 9.10 12.80 16.50 19.10 20.00 19.50 21.00 22.90 25.20 28.00 208.72%
*Note: Forecast data is in italics Source: Datamonitor Consumer
Flavor Modifiers Many food ingredient companies have developed their own bitter masks and taste modifiers to help combat any off-notes created by adding high-potency botanicals or other bad actors into beverage systems. Talin® (Thaumatin) is one such modifier that can be used to mask bitterness or off-notes from fortification. Approved as a sweetener in some countries, Talin has been named a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) flavoring agent in the United States and has flavor-modifying properties at very low levels, usually at or below 1 ppm. It has the unique ability of adding sweetness, as well as modifying off-tastes, and is one product in a class of flavor modifiers available to a food scientist attempting to mask or modify off-tastes in fortified beverages. Salt (sodium chloride) has been used historically to enhance flavors in cooking and is also a useful option in beverages. Other salts can also be used to enhance and modify off-flavors or to round out a beverage's overall taste. For example, sodium citrate can be a useful option to help minimize the lingering licorice notes contributed by stevia extracts.
Other Ingredients Some ingredients can offer distinctive taste experiences and contribute their own perceived sweetness, acidity (sourness), bitterness, saltiness or umami. (While umami is not always associated with beverages, we do not rule it out as an option to use for taste modification of fortified beverages.) Tea can lend astringency and flavors to improve mouthfeel in “thin” tasting beverages, and the range of tastes from different teas is enormous in and of itself. Hydrocolloids can add viscosity to a beverage to help keep unpleasant nutrients
Beverage INSIDER • Beverage Fortification 6 naturalproductsinsider.com from staying on the tongue too long. Fruit and vegetable juices can offer complex flavors and mouthfeel that are very difficult to replicate using flavors alone. Certain flavors can evoke a perceived sweetness, and some can layover off-notes to lessen their negative taste impact. A beverage scientist’s toolbox to modify and improve taste can be extremely large and is only limited by the imagination. Certainly it needs to be, as the market has raised the bar for fortified beverages. With the shift in market demands, beverage scientists and flavor chemists need to work harder than ever to make fortified beverages taste great while containing the function necessary for winning brands.
Cathianne Leonardi is a senior flavorist at Allen Flavors Inc., a beverage-development and ingredient-supply house offering concept-to-marketplace services to the beverage industry. She is also a certified member of The Society of Flavor Chemists, active in the technical committee of Women in Flavor and Fragrance Commerce, and loves creating flavors that make the world taste better. Frank Del Corso is director of product development at Allen Flavors, where he has been integrating functional ingredients into great-tasting beverages for 15 years. He specializes in concept-to-production beverage development for all markets and delivery systems.
References Fennema OR, editor. Food Chemistry. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.; c1996.
Junod SW. "Folic Acid Fortification: Fact and Folly." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2001. http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/Product Regulation/SelectionsFromFDLIUpdateseriesonFDAHistory/ucm091883.htm
ThaumatinNaturally.com. "Where can Thaumatin be used?" 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2013 from: http://www.thaumatinnaturally.com/thaumatinblog/?tag=gras- approved
World Health Organization (WHO). "Guidelines on Food Fortification with Micronutrients." 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2013 from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/ publications/2006/9241594012_eng.pdf
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