While most firms are still trying to get across singular functional food messages, such as heart or brain health, one expert is confident that consumers are ready for a more complex message.
"There are a lot of products with cholesterol lowering functions, but if you add other benefits then you get a new and improved product. I think we'll see healthy heart and low GI [glycaemic index] combined within the next year to 18 months," says Stephanie Lynch, global market manager, food and nutrition, at cellulosics supplier Dow Wolff. "There's definitely room for mixing fibres and having more than just one solution. For example, you can mix inulin with cellulose fibre," she claims.
But unfortunately for the company, Lynch explains that processors are not prepared to act until they see demand from consumers. "At the moment manufacturers are waiting for the consumer to tell them they want a product that will do more."
Legislation is also a barrier for cellulosics applications. "In Europe, things are a little slower than in the US and Australia. There's a fear around the ability to label products, so manufacturers are unclear about how to bring the benefits to market," says Lynch.
With accountability for the profit and loss of the firm's global food business, trend-watching is an important area for Lynch as she has to retain a steady focus on the group's strategy. She is also involved in business metrics; managing new products through from ideas generation to launch and branding; and customer testing, where she analyses how the firm's different brands are recognised.
Having spent nine years at Unilever in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, as a senior project leader in the Product Development Group before joining Dow, it's a pretty safe bet that Lynch knows what she's talking about. "I stumbled across Methocel while working at Unilever. It's under-utilised as a solution for stabilising," she claims. Methocel cellulose ethers are water-soluble polymers that bind, retain water, thicken, form films and lubricate. "Methocel can help manufacturers to make their products healthier," says Lynch. "It can be mixed with healthy oils and used to partially replace trans fats, which have received a wealth of negative press in recent months."
In addition to its Methocel ingredient, Dow Wolff is also seeing a good response for non-fermentable dietary fibre Fortefiber. "There's big need for non-fermentable fibres," says Lunch. "When a product is highly fermentable, it can end up causing discomfort to the consumer."
However, she believes that the company is losing out on valuable sales because of a misperception of the ingredient's function. "There are a lot of competitors and our product's name makes people think we're promoting a fibre, when it's actually much more than that because of its ability to reduce cholesterol," she says.
Nevertheless, the company has seen great success with its cellulose offerings, which Lynch puts down to the firm's good communication skills. "There's a lot of competitive activity in the health and stabiliser market, so being price competitive and sending out a clear message are vital," she says.
"The price per kilo isn't as important as the cost in use. Manufacturers think if it costs a lot per kilo, then it is too expensive, but they never actually look at the amount they need [per product], so it holds them back. Fortefiber isn't cheap, but a very low dosage is required, so when you look at pennies per product, it is cost-effective."
She is still confident that the future is bright for Dow Wolff. "There's a huge opportunity for cellulosics in the market place," she says. "It's about selling the ingredient as a healthy experience as much as a function."