Healthy living The hidden benefits of natural astaxanthin
A naturally occurring dark red carotenoid, astaxanthin is primarily found in aquatic animals such as salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans and microalgae. One of the most powerful lipophilic antioxidants discovered, it has been shown to be 500 times stronger than vitamin E and stronger than other carotenoids such as lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene. Numerous studies have established that the use of natural astaxanthin can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases, improve cardiovascular health, better muscle strength and joint pain and has been shown to have anti- inflammatory and immune-stimulating effects, as well as promote healthy skin.
The dairy industry continues to face manufacturing and labelling challenges.
The impact of Natasha Case in point is the UK, where ‘Natasha’s Law’ came into effect in October 2021. Essentially it tightened up the existing regulatory regime by requiring food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods pre-packaged for direct sale on the premises. The law is named after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who passed away following a severe sesame seed allergic reaction, having not been made aware at the time that sesame seeds had been baked into the bread of a sandwich she’d just purchased. In addition to Natasha’s Law new HFSS (high in fat, salt and sugar) regulations came into effect in the UK on 1 October 2022. These restrict the display and in-store promotional locations of foods high in fat, salt and sugar. At Kraft Heinz meanwhile, much of the company’s diverse portfolio of ketchups, soups and sauces are inherently dairy and gluten free, as Miriam Ueberall, VP of R&D for Kraft Heinz International, is quick to point out. But she adds: “We are currently developing a vegan tomato soup where dairy ingredients are replaced with soy ingredients and have invested in our manufacturing capabilities, since the process of dealing with dairy ingredients is different than that of dealing with soy. “Processes differ slightly based on the product being developed. At KHC we are ‘consumer obsessed’ and always start by listening to our
consumers. We employ social listening strategies and engage in regular dialogue with our consumers to better understand their needs.”
Based on this information, prototypes are developed and tested with consumers and, after feedback, needed changes are made to them to meet their expectations. “We then make the product in our pilot plant before manufacturing it on an industrial scale,” says Ueberall. This forms part of Kraft Heinz’s strategy to be more agile at scale. Indeed, such agility can already be seen with the roll-out of a range of gluten- free products in Italy under the ‘BiaGlut’ brand as Ueberall notes.
Field of reality, not dreams Yet implementation of a free-from approach isn’t simply a just question of removing ingredients. Indeed, there are wider biodiversity implications too – best exemplified by Dr Schär’s Field100 Project, for example, where 100 different crops are being grown in a single field in the South Tyrolean Alps. As Dr Schär’s Bradley Grimshaw puts it: “Biodiversity is crucial not just for global food security, but also for our ability to serve diverse nutritional needs and responding to the increasing challenges posed by climate change. Today, 40% of all plant species are threatened with extinction.” Indeed, biodiversity loss is a very real issue and especially critical when it comes to agriculture. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), for example, just nine food crop species currently account for as much as 66% of total crop production. Such a dependence on a few plant species and the lack of genetic variation in farmers’ fields make the food system vulnerable, according to Grimshaw. As for the Field100 project itself, local oats and buckwheat have been grown together in harmony with Nepalese amaranth or quinoa from the Andes – right ‘on our doorstep’, according to Grimshaw. He adds: “At the end of the project, we donated the harvested seeds to the gene bank of the Laimburg Research Centre to ‘refresh’ their inventory and preserve them for the future. Field100 is our commitment to championing biodiversity.” From a macroeconomic standpoint, however, the free-from industry – heavily reliant (as it invariably is) upon the supply of raw materials such as grains – will continue to be negatively impacted by frayed global supply chains; leading to increased production and distribution costs. If this continues, the question then becomes whether increased prices will meet resistance from those consumers merely looking for lifestyle changes as opposed to those where allergen-free literally is a matter of life and death. The jury is still out. ●
42 Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
mama_mia/
Shutterstock.com
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