New Food Technology and its effects on eating a healthy diet

Clearly, food and dining will mean different things in the future than they do today. Because of an emphasis on diet and well-being, a need for quick and convenient meals, and a surge in the synthetic food market. The dietitian of the future faces uncharted challenges, including:

  • The mounting concern among consumers over food safety issues, ranging from fat substitutes to artificial sweeteners, may result in unbalanced eating habits. Overall nutrition could be compromised as consumers become issue-focused eaters and unknowingly avoid nutrients that are essential to their well-being.

  • Nutritionists and dietitians will have to reacquaint the public with the idea that food choices can be based on a search for positive nutrition and taste values, not only on nutrient and additive avoidance.

  • As consumers become selectively educated about the nutrient content of foods, they may adopt the "save and splurge" approach to eating. That is, skipping meals or entr�es to "pig out" on a favourite rich dessert. Moderation, balance, and variety will emerge as the theme of the 1990s.

  • Nutritional labeling will become widespread as food manufacturers bow to the health concerns of consumers and respond to strong directives. Food processors and distributors will find that products not labelled will become suspect. Nutrition labelling will spur interest in nutrition and make possible the tailoring of individual diets.

In the future, dietitians will have to keep up with a rapidly changing food supply to meet the challenges of the marketplace. Because of the extraordinary variety in food choices and eating habits that will be possible, they will be in demand to individualize diets.

Fat and Cholesterol

According to the 1989 Prevention Index report on the nation's health, only a small number of adults are conscious of all aspects of diet and nutrition. One area of marked gain from previous reports is cholesterol. Forty-eight percent of adults say they "try a lot" to avoid eating to many high-cholesterol foods. And, nearly half of the households purchased low-fat or low-cholesterol foods.

Table 2.7 Food technologies and products related to low-fat and low-cholesterol foods.

TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCTS

DAIRY

Simple substitution of low-fat milk for whole milk.
Ultrafiltration, a high pressure microfiltration process.
Converting cholesterol to its metabolic by-products through enzymes.
Supercritical fluid extraction, a cholesterol removing process.

Low-fat and/or low-cholesterol sour cream, butter spreads, ice milk, yogurt and cheese.

LIVESTOCK

Selection and breeding of genetically lean animals.
Hormonal treatment to induce leanness.
Feeding practices to reduce total fat and saturated fat.
Trimming visible fat to less than 1/4 inch.

Reduced fat and reduced cholesterol fresh meat.

PROCESSED FOODS

Extrusion, a high temperature and high pressure cooking process.
High-amylose, film-forming starch, which reduces oil absorption in fried foods.
Steam stripping to remove cholesterol from fats and oils.
Functional soy proteins and casein extenders.
Fat substitutes.

Potato chips and peanuts with less oil.
Luncheon meats made with soy protein and casein meat extenders.
Cholesterol-free "eggs".
Low-fat, Low-cholesterol baked goods.
Reduced-fat table spreads and salad dressings.
Tofu mayonnaise and dips.

Fat Substitutes

Many new food products are being developed to replace the use of fats in hot and cold foods. Simple pleasures is a frozen dessert made with Simplese, the first fat substitute approved by the FDA.



Simplese is made from egg white and milk protein blended and heated in a process called microparticulation, in which the protein is shaped into microscopic round particles that role easily over one another. The aim of the process is to create the feel of a creamy liquid with the texture of fat.

NutraSweet estimates that the full use of Simplese has the potential to decrease total dietary fat consumption by 14 percent and dietary cholesterol intake by 5 percent.

Procter and Gamble's fat substitute Olestra is a different matter. Developed for use in hot foods as well as cold, it is a new substance, that according to the company, is "almost a carbon copy of regular fat, but with a molecule of sugar at its core instead of glycerine."

Table 2.8 Fat substitutes.

  • Sucrose polyester or Olestra (by Proctor & Gamble Company),
    A noncaloric fat replacement that is totally nonabsorbable. Proposed uses include margarine, butter spreads, beverages, baked goods, dressings and frying.

  • Simplese (by The NutraSweet Company),
    Based on milk and/or egg white protein, with only 1� calories per gram. Simplese, recently approved by the FDA, can be used in products that do not require cooking, such as dressings, mayonnaise, margarine, butter, ice cream, dips and cheese spreads.

  • Trailblazer (by Kraft Inc.),
    Made from "all natural ingredients", (specifics are unknown but it appears to be an egg white and skim milk derivative.) Proposed uses include frozen desserts.

Sweeteners

The solution to balancing our tastes with our waists was thought to be a large selection of low-calorie and reduced-calorie food products containing artificial sweeteners. More than 78 million people use low-calorie foods and beverages today, and they continue to generate demands for new high-intensity sweeteners. [Gelardi, R.C.: The multiple sweetener approach and new sweeteners on the horizon. Food Technologies 41:123, 1987.]

Table 2.9 Food technologies and their application to low-calorie sweeteners.

SWEETENER

PRODUCT

Aspartame and saccharin are widely used today.
Acesulfame K is the latest nonnutritive sweetener to be approved.
Alitame may be among the next sweeteners to be approved for use. It is a high intensity, noncaloric sweetener (2000 x sucrose).
Chlorosucrose (sucralose) may also be among the next sweeteners to be approved.
Cyclamate.

Low-calorie carbonated soft drinks, milkshakes, juices, yogurt and reduced-calorie chocolate milk.
Unlike aspartame it can be used in baked goods.
Potential uses: beverages, baked goods, toiletries and pharmaceuticals.
Potential uses: beverages, baked goods, milk products, fruit spreads, toppings, tabletop sweetener.
Beverages, baked goods, fruit spreads, tabletop sweetener.

Dietary Fiber

Bowel cancer, elevated blood cholesterol and glucose levels, constipation, and weight control are influenced by dietary fiber. The number and types of products with extra fiber continue to proliferate. (See Chapter - Miscellaneous Substances).



Table 2.10 Applications of dietary fiber products with cholesterol lowering characteristics.

PRODUCTS

APPLICATIONS

Chitosan, a natural polymer found in shellfish and fungi, may have strong cholesterol lowering activity when consumed at 8 to 15 mg per day.
Rice bran and rice bran oil can reduce blood cholesterol levels. They may taste better, cost less, and be more efficient than oat bran.
Psyllium can also effectively reduce serum cholesterol.

High-energy food bars with multiple sources of dietary fiber.
Oat bran breads, muffins, and cereals.
High-fibre and whole-grain crackers and breads.
Microwaveable, high-fiber, low fat snack pellets made from grains and potatoes.
Psyllium cereals.

Salt

Salt consumption continues to be a health issue, especially to those who are prone to sodium-induced hypertension. The low-sodium market is growing rapidly. Approximately 182 products introduced in 1987 featured reduced sodium content. There is also an increasing demand for salt substances without sodium. According to Frost and Sullivan [Frost & Sullivan: The Health, Diet Foods and Beverages Market. New York, 1987.] the salt substitute and "lite salt" category is a $40 million market, constituting 30% of the table salt sector.

Table 2.11 Food technologies and products, and the development of sodium replacements.

TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCTS

Noninvasive tests to identify salt -sensitive individuals are currently under development.
Salt substitutes and replacers include:
� Potassium chloride
� Magnesium chloride and calcium chloride
� L-ornithylaturine (a synthetic "salty" peptide that is sodium free)

Salt substitute with 30% less sodium per teaspoon.
Sodium-free spices and herb mixes.
Low-salt canned luncheon meat.
Low-sodium commercial soups.
Reduced-sodium ham and bacon.