ANA LUCIA ORLANDINI PILLEGGI DE SOUSA*
The increasing search for health, well-being and product innovation by consumers has motivated the industry to develop new solutions to update products that are already being consumed. According to Euromonitor collaborating analyst Simone Broke (2016), the trend towards health and well-being has brought the issue of food intolerances and allergies to the forefront of consumers’ minds.
For cases of lactose intolerance, there is a growing demand in search of lactose-free products and also the consumption of soy products as an alternative substitute for dairy products. Among the challenges of soy-based products are the fact that they do not have the same concentration of vitamins and bio-available calcium, with vitamin and mineral supplementation in the diet being necessary (Casé, F et al .; 2005; Mathiús, LA, et al.2016), and from the sensory profile different from milk-based products, which requires adjustments to improve the sensory profile and acceptance of the final consumer.
Another factor that has been driving the supply of products with health and well-being appeal in Brazil is in the set of government actions, in isolation or in conjunction with companies, aimed at reducing the excessive intake of sugar, fats and sodium. A good part of the products recently introduced into the Brazilian food and beverage market have some type of reduction of ingredients.
It is important to emphasize that the total or partial substitution of ingredients represents a huge challenge for the industries, mainly due to the technological complexity that involves the development of a solution that offers a product as similar as possible to the traditional one, maintaining attributes such as body, color and flavor, among others. In addition, the processing conditions also have to be adjusted (VIALTA, 2014).
Thus, the trend of reduction and substitution of certain ingredients is apparently increasing irreversibly in the global food and beverage market, causing a significant impact in finding technological solutions that fulfill the same functions of the reduced or substituted ingredients in the formulations.
According to the reports of Brazil Food Trends 2020, prepared by the Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos (ITAL 2010, 2014), sugar, fat, sodium and milk are among the main ingredients in the scenario of market macro trends, aligned with the concepts of innovation, with suitability of the existing products to the new demands of the market. From the biotechnological point of view, dairy products probiotics and lactose-free products, such as milk, butter, cheeses and other fermented products stand out (Barreto, L.C.O; et al 2016).
A HealthFocus International study in 2012 found that in Latin America approximately 50% of consumers valued claims indicating absence or reduction of sugar. This trend has led to the need to reduce and replace caloric sweeteners through the development of new ingredients that, alone or in group, are capable of sweetening food and beverages, as well as exercise other important functions of sucrose, such as bestowing body, texture, caramelization, etc. (ITAL, 2014, OZDEMIR, 2013).
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the ABIA have guidelines for the consumption of free sugars to reduce the risk of chronic non-transmissible diseases in adults and children, with a particular focus on prevention and control of weight gain and dental decay.
The recommendation covers all types of sugar (sucrose, glucose and fructose) from foods such as table sugar, honey, fruit juices and pulp, milk sugars (lactose and galactose) or added to industrialized products. To follow the recommendation,consumers should, on average, reduce their daily sugar intake to one-sixth, which is currently 150 grams per day, on average (WHO HEALTH ORGANIZATION, 2014 a, b).
According to data from the Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Alimentos para Fins Especiais e Congêneres (ABIAD), the market for for light and diet products is great, highlighting the potential for products destined to weight control and loss, with growth of 800% in the last ten years (ABIAD, 2011).
A national leader in the manufacture of aromas and products for the food and beverage industries, Duas Rodas, invests in the research and development of technological solutions that allow its partners to meet pressing consumer needs and tendencies. Projects are developed utilizing a strategy of of collaborative innovation, reinforced with trend and consumer data..
Among the most recent platforms, within the appeal of healthiness, is that of technological solutions that promote the reduction of sugar for dairy products, meeting criteria such as technical feasibility, maintenance of the characteristics of the products and their acceptance by the final consumer. As a specialist in the development of aromas, Duas Rodas incorporates technologies that support the maintenance of sensory attributes of of healthier formulations in relation to regular products, contemplating both flavor variety and the desire of the consumer for constant innovation..
ANA LUCIA ORLANDINI PILLEGGI DE SOUSA*
Researcher of Special Projects of the Innovation Center Duas Rodas
Bibliographical References:
ABIAD – ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DA INDÚSTRIA DE ALIMENTOS PARA FINS ESPECIAIS E CONGÊNERES. “ ABIAD lança cartilha que esclarece dúvidas sobre adoçantes” 2011.
Baroke, S. “O FUTURO DOS PRODUTOS LÁCTEOS SEM LACTOSE”. Revista Aditivos&Ingredientes, p.6-8.01, Maio.2016.
Barretto, L. C. O, Reis, M.F.T, Moreira, J. J. S, Santos, J.A.B. Tendências Biotecnológicas da Industria Láctea a partir da Prospecção de patentes e artigos. Innovation to Inpire and Implant, Aracajú/SE, vol.3, n.1, p-119-124.
Casé F, Deliza R, Rosenthal A, Mantovani D, Felberg I. Produção de “leite” de soja enriquecido com cálcio. Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment. 2005; 25 (1): 86-9.
ITAL, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos. Relatório Brasil Food Trends 2020, Campinas, 2010.
ITAL, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos. Relatório Brasil Ingredients Trends 2020. Campinas, 2014.
Mathiús, L.A, Montanholi, C.H.S, Oliveira, L.C.N, Bernardes, D. N. D.A, Pires, A, Hernandez, F.M.O. Aspectos Atuais da Intolerância à lactose. See Odontológica de Araçatuba, v.37, n.1, p.46-52, jan/abril 2016.
OZDEMIR, Y. Trends in the market for sugar reduced products. Webnar Innova Database, Nov. 2013.
VIALTA, A. BRASIL INGREDIENTS FOOD TRENDS 2020.capt.4 In: BALANÇAMENTO DA DIETA, p.91-119.
WHO HEALTH ORGANIZATION
“Draft Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children”b. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2014/consultation-sugar-guideline/en/
“WHO opens public consultation on draft sugars guideline”a. Disponível em: http://www.who.int/nutrition/sugars_public_consultation/en/#
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