Health Ingredients Europe: Nutritional shakes, vitamin E and olive oil fact

Claire Phoenix reports from Health Ingredients Europe in Amsterdam.

At the DSM stand Jacob Bauly, global marketing manager vitamins, spoke about the folate Metafolin – launched at Health Ingredients Europe.

It can be used in nutritional milk shakes for pregnant women to help those who have a genetic disposition to lack iron. It is already available in the US and Asia and has just been introduced into Europe.

We also discussed vitamin E (known as the ‘antioxidant vitamin’) as their study reveals that 80% of the population do not take in enough of this naturally – although it is available in oils, nuts and grains. Interestingly it is the type of oil you use that has a substantial effect. In vegetable oils for instance, three months after production, half of the vitamin E value has gone.

Striking fact: When olive oil is heated it breaks down the polyphenols and so is considerably less healthy than when consumed cold.

“For frying, I use sunflower oil,” said Jacob but olive oil is great for salad dressings and dipping. It is the packaging that is also important,” he explained. “Its vitamin content is best preserved by smaller more airtight glass packaging – so a glass 500ml bottle is better than a 2 litre plastic bottle when it comes to vitamin E retention.

So what does vitamin E do for you? The study shows vitamin E can help prevent Alzheimer’s and slow progression of fatty liver disease. On a global basis, although naturally found in avocado, wheatgerm and some pulses it is not consumed enough, and yet is important in preventing cardio vascular disease – especially for those with diabetes.

The theme for the future for DSM is identifying those with a certain genotype and creating products to meet their needs.In application examples for instance they have produced Oatwell crispy hearts, a snack offering beta glucan to help reduce cholesterol, increase satiety, aid with digestion and keep blood glucose sugar levels down. Of course Oatwell is also being used more in smoothies as a health product that consumers trust.

Claire Phoenix is FoodBev Media managing editor – magazines. This is a personal blog and views expressed are her own.