As lifestyles change and consumer awareness of the importance of healthy living grows, consumers today are increasingly seeking food products that offer a balanced nutritional profile. Nevertheless, many consumers find it hard to follow a restricted diet or change their eating habits. How then can food manufacturers formulate more food products that can be easily integrated into existing diets, be convincing in taste and texture and carry a nutritionally optimised profile to cater to this demand? In this article, BENEO Asia Pacific Managing Director Christian Philippsen takes a look ahead and brings us through what we can expect of Asia’s food industry in 2016, highlighting the major trends shaping the region’s food sector.
All things natural
Today’s consumers demand natural and ‘less processed’ food and drinks. Natural food and ingredients are regarded as healthier and are preferred choices. Recent consumer research commissioned by BENEO confirms the high interest in natural products in the Southeast Asia region: The research showed that 94 percent of Indonesian and 91 percent of Thai respondents consider natural products as better, while 74 percent of Indonesian and 81 percent of Thai respondents actively look for natural products when making food purchase decisions. With consumer focus moving towards ‘all things natural’, chicory root fibres inulin and oligofructose are ‘on trend’ for providing digestive health, naturally. They are ingredients made by nature and are obtained via a gentle hot water extraction method from chicory root. This is why chicory root fibres differ significantly from man-made resistant starches or dextrins like so called “soluble corn fibre” or “soluble gluco fibre”.
Healthy waist, great taste
Weight management continues to be a key concern for many consumers, as reports indicate a growing self-awareness and self-consciousness among respondents of their own weight in Asia. According to World Health Organisation, a reduction of sugar consumption cuts the risk of overweight and obesity1. There are various ways to maintain a healthy weight. The most effective way in weight management is certainly calorie counting, but there are also other methods that should not be neglected.
Food producers can lower calorie count by limiting sugar content in product formulation by applying functional food ingredients such as sugar replacers (e.g. isomalt) or prebiotic fibres (e.g. inulin and oligofructose). Being soluble and having a mild sweet taste yet with only half the calories of sucrose, chicory root fibres inulin and oligofructose are ideal as sugar replacers as they help to cut down on calories while maintaining taste and texture. At the same time they add valuable prebiotic fibre
1 World Health Organisation (2015), ‘WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children’
content to the product. Also, with half the calories of sucrose, isomalt is the only sugar replacer derived from beet sugar and thus has a sugar-like sweetening profile.
Scientific studies have also shown that prebiotic fibres support weight management in the long run, with a particular focus on managing calorie intake. Indeed, oligofructose-enriched inulin (Orafti® Synergy1) and oligofructose have proven to have beneficial effects on energy balance, as they help to reduce spontaneous caloric intake in those who consume a non-restricted diet.
Moreover, leading experts confirm that low glycaemic diets potentially help consumers to manage their weight, control blood glucose in people with diabetes, as well as reduce the risks of type II diabetes and coronary heart disease. Low glycaemic carbohydrates such as Palatinose™ (isomaltulose), isomalt or chicory root fibres have proven to replace high glycaemic carbohydrates fully or partially, leading to a lower blood glucose response of food and beverage products.
Digestive health
More consumers today recognise that the way they look and feel is closely related to their digestive health and are prioritising products that promote digestive health in their food purchase decisions. The same Southeast Asia survey has also revealed that 74 percent of consumers in Indonesia and 80 percent in Thailand consider fibre as an ingredient that can help improve their digestive system.
An European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) authorisation exclusive to BENEO confirms that BENEO’s prebiotic fibre inulin contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency without triggering diarrhoea. This is due to inulin’s characteristic of resisting digestion in the small intestine yet being fully fermented in the large intestine. For many people, enhanced bowel function resulting from a more optimal fibre intake means a noticeable improvement of gastrointestinal health and general wellbeing. Food manufacturers can help consumers secure an increase in fibre intake and improve their digestive health without any change in their dietary habits by applying prebiotic fibre into their products.
Innovate and create
Today’s consumers are knowledgeable about nutrition and savvy when it comes to choosing and buying food items. The demand for natural and non-GMO functional ingredients that provide credible and scientifically backed health benefits will continue to grow. Consumers will continue to read nutrition label before taking purchasing decisions to ensure food products help manage their concerns around digestive health and overweight/obesity. Successful food manufacturers will be those that strive towards offering innovative products that can satisfy consumers in their demand for both palatability and nutritional benefits.
