Vitamins are important! You probably remember your mother’s orders: Don’t forget to take your vitamins! We’ve all heard similar things but we seldom ask ourselves: What exactly are vitamins and why are they so important?

After a thorough diagnostic analysis of a recent flop, including the verification of its possible causes and eventual repair of the product as described earlier (see part 1 of this paper in a previous issue), attention is given to the formulation of a new communal protocol for the formation of product development teams and steps to be taken to avoid future flops and to create successful new products. (...)

Health Claims have increasingly become one of the most debated topics in the Food Industry and we have been seeing many of our clients increasingly worry about getting Health Claims approved even before defining their brand positioning and understanding their target consumers’ driver and motivation. (...)

Despite the relatively small quantities required for micronutrients in the body, the challenge is the safe and effective delivery of them through food production and consumption; therefore, innovative technologies are always on demand. Microencapsulation is an enabling technology with promises in fulfilment of all technical requirements. We have then developed and successfully demonstrated a microencapsulation-based technology platform for fortification of typical staple foods on different size scales. Specifically, premixes containing selected multiple micronutrients and made by a series of encapsulation techniques, had matching physical characteristics when blended into market salt, sugar, or rice, as to be indistinguishable to the consumer. The processes have been scaled up and were successful in pilot and commercial scale tests in Asia and Latin America

In humans, n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) and long chain n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, play a crucial role in brain development and function. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a n-3, is one of the major structural components of the brain. Low levels of DHA may be associated with poorer developmental outcomes and neurological disorders. Arachidonic acid (AA) is the n-6 acid that is also a major structural fatty acid in the brain. This review will concentrate on the n-3 acid DHA. The human brain undergoes rapid growth spurts, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy and throughout the first 2 years of life. During the rapid growth period, large amounts of DHA are required by the foetus and are obtained prenatally from maternal stores via placental transfer. Indeed, the placenta preferentially concentrates DHA for the foetus in a process known as biomagnification (...)

The Mediterranean diet, consisting of high concentrations of natural polyphenols and flavonoids, is associated with a low incidence of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Olive phenolics, in particular hydroxytyrosol, demonstrate some of the highest free-radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory activities of known naturally-occurring antioxidants. Here we demonstrate that hydrolyzed olive vegetation water (Liquid Hidrox® or Hidrox®), a proprietary formulation of olive polyphenols rich in hydroxytyrosol, inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in an in vitro model of neuroinflammation. In contrast oleuropein, the principal phenolic in olive leaf, was significantly less effective at inhibiting cytokine production. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of hydroxytyrosol may impact neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Cereal grains and their products are important source of energy. They have various health benefits as well. Multiple studies have suggested that they may decrease the risk of various chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. The purpose of this brief review is to highlight some of the epidemiological evidence supporting the beneficial effects of cereals, chiefly whole grain cereals prevention of various chronic diseases. Possible biological mechanisms are also discussed.

Recent research indicates that antioxidants do not work in quite the way we thought, but may still have beneficial health effects through helping the body respond to and manage oxidative stress (covered in Part 1). This has prompted a rethink of antioxidants in the diet and how we can use them beneficially in the foods we eat. We discuss some examples of new science-based approaches to improving human health and the development and proof of efficacy of future functional foods targeted at assisting the benefits of physical exercise and slowing of the human ageing process.

BENEFITS OF LOW CALORIE SWEETENERS FOR DIET AND HEALTH. Low calorie sweeteners, palatability and calorie intake