Overcoming fortification challenges in pandemic-stricken world

22 Jul 2020 --- Food fortification is “one of the safest, most effective and affordable ways” to help consumers meet recommended daily intakes of micronutrients. Notably, it can be used as a preventive means of warding off obesity, immune diseases and anemia. Amid the “exciting opportunities” of fortifying food with vital minerals and vitamins, NutritionInsight speaks with industry experts about regional differences in consumer demand, the risks and challenges of fortifying foods and in what direction this trend is headed.

According to a 2019 DSM Global Health Concerns study, 43 percent of the 17,000 questioned consumers from 23 countries worry they do not get the right nutrients from their diet. Another 34 percent of consumers consider a product fortified with vitamins to be more nutritious. This demonstrates “an opportunity to support consumers in getting the right nutrients, in the right amounts through fortification,” says Rona Weekes, Global Director General Nutrition at DSM Nutritional Products.

A driver of the fortification trend is increased awareness for preventive healthcare, notes Dr. Christina Mesch, Product Manager at SternVitamin. Consumers are taking their health into their own hands and are increasingly relying on “alternative channels” to self-diagnose, to identify targeted health needs and to choose the right nutritional “support”. 

WHO data reveals that over 30 percent of the world’s population is anemic, many due to iron deficiency.“As we’ve seen, the pandemic is changing people’s consumption patterns and their focus on health issues. Health prevention is suddenly more important than before. That will not change after the end of the COVID-19 outbreak,” Dr. Mesch affirms.

Concerns of lacking fiber and iron 
The fortification of foods with minerals and trace elements provides an opportunity to address several health issues via diet optimization, says Dr. Sonja John, Product and Area Sales Manager Business Unit Food/Animal Nutrition at Dr. Paul Lohmann. “Especially iron deficiencies occur all over the world and cause serious diseases, such as anemia,” she flags. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two billion people – over 30 percent of the world’s population – are anemic, many due to iron deficiency. 

Meanwhile, adding soluble fiber to common foods is a logical step in the fight against overnutrition, says Dr. Laetitia Petrussa, Product Manager at IFF Health. “Soluble fiber is known to reduce appetite and can be a powerful ally in combating obesity. Very few people meet the recommended 25-38 g of fiber per day. Currently, dietary fiber intakes among US adults only average about 15 g per day.” Meanwhile, vitamins A, C, D, E, B12, folate, iron and zinc play important roles in the immune system. Hence, it is essential that older people get an adequate supply of these critical micronutrients.

Two of the most popular vehicles for fortification are cereal and dairy products like milk and yogurt, Weekes at DSM continues. This is thanks to their widespread consumer acceptance. “Substitutes like meat and dairy alternatives are also often enriched with nutrients to create plant-based solutions with a high-quality nutrition profile that resembles that of the original product.”

Risks and challenges of fortification
On the one hand, there are some risks in fortifying food, according to Dr. Mesch of SternVitamin. “There might be a risk for hypervitaminosis, especially for children, if a customer orders a micronutrient premix where the micronutrients highly exceed the Nutrient Reference Values (NRV), especially for fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A.” On the other hand, Weekes notes that as long as food is fortified in line with national regulations and standards, there is no associated risk. 

Despite the nutritional enhancement of food, fortification also bears some R&D challenges, says Dr. John. Mineral salts may influence the properties of the final application in terms of taste or texture, while Weekes adds that there are challenges in color and scent.

Cereal and dairy products are popular vehicles for fortification, thanks to their widespread consumer acceptance.This is because many vitamins are susceptible to stress factors that occur during a production process such as heat, humidity and oxygen. Dr. Mesch names vitamin B1 as an example, which is “very heat sensitive, so the losses after baking can be high.” 

Solutions to fortification challenges
Besides changes in organoleptic properties, high concentrations of iron and fiber fortification can also lead to gastrointestinal side effects, Dr. Petrussa details. “Gas and bloating are common side effects after increasing fiber in the diet suddenly. Finding the most suitable format for iron is also a real challenge, as these problems increase the likelihood of fortified products or food supplements with high doses of iron being rejected by consumers.”

In this space, IFF Health offers microencapsulated iron AB-Fortis, which protects the iron and keeps it stable by a natural, organic layer to avoid the release of free iron. As a result, there is no metallic taste and greatly reduced oxidation or negative gastrointestinal side effects.

For fiber fortification, IFF’s FenuLife is a unique source of deodorized galactomannans produced from fenugreek and contains 85 percent dietary fiber content, acting as a prebiotic. Because fenugreek fiber is fermented extremely slowly, it can help prevent gas build-up. 

Regional differences
Lastly, keeping up to speed with evolving regulatory requirements is a challenge in itself. This can vary between specific countries and regions – particularly regarding the recommended amounts of certain micronutrients. In the US, the biggest consumer health concerns include weight, energy levels and eye health, as well as resistance to disease, says Weekes of DSM.

Meanwhile, Dr. Petrussa identifies that both the North American and the European markets add iron to supplements and functional foods for women and children as well as vegetarian meat analogs. Asia and Africa add iron to commodity foods for general fortification to supplement the whole population, she adds.

The rise of the Plant-Based Revolution may also give way to micronutrient-deficient “elimination diets,” flags Weekes of DSM.Directly catering to the iron fortification demand, SternVitamin developed a product concept for dairy alternative drinks for the Latin American market – as plant-based products are a big trend there – with a premix containing iron, as well as other minerals and vitamins.

Future prospects
The experts identify the surge of one of Innova Market Insights Top Ten Trends for 2020, the Plant-Based Revolution, to coincide with increased fortified food product development. More consumers are adopting what Weekes calls “elimination diets,” coupled with flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. 

“Elimination diets can result in individuals missing out on essential nutrients. Fortifying plant-based food and beverages with essential vitamins and minerals helps consumers avoid the micronutrient gap. We expect to see a growing demand for free-from products, like plant-based or gluten-free solutions, that offer an improved nutritional profile.”

Similarly, Dr. Mesch at SternVitamin points to a recent study that showed that dairy alternative drinks lack the calcium and vitamins found in cow’s milk. “This means that indiscriminate substitutions might reduce intakes of certain micronutrients for consumer groups like older women. Thus, fortification is an option to provide important micronutrients, also with plant-based products.  

Ultimately, she concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened consumers’ attention to health and wellness topics and has pushed the increased awareness for preventative healthcare. Micronutrient-fortified products supporting these health topics will be even more in demand in the future. 

By Anni Schleicher