READY, SET, GO! Health Ingredients Europe show preview 2010

If you're a trade show veteran, you may feel your chiropractor and chiropodist get more benefit out of them than you do after all the wandering around and standing about they require.

You'll know that covering every industry 'red letter day' would mean you'd never get anything else done. But you'll also be aware that the best of them are milestones in the calendar to be ignored at your peril, otherwise you end up missing something vital.

And there's certainly a lot to keep pace with. Overall, there's the progress of health claims across Europe. Then there's continuing nutritional breakthroughs across gut, bone, joint and cardiovascular health, plus rising demand to cater for nutrient-starved regions of the world.

Whatever your interest is, you'd be foolish to miss the combined Health Ingredients Europe (HiE) and Natural Ingredients (Ni) show.

The event attracted more than 7,300 buyers and 550 ingredients suppliers when it was last held in 2008. This year's exhibition provides more than 35 hours of educational content, covering everything from regulatory to scientific and technical advances.

Attendees will benefit from a line-up of 60 industry-leading speakers from organisations ranging from Nestlé and Unilever to Wageningen University and DSM.

But the attractions don't stop there. The show will be broken into sections to efficiently showcase food components and services. There's a Country Pavilion, focusing on regions such as China, France and the US. There's an Organic Pavilion, reflecting the growing interest in organic products. And a Food Ingredients Processing Safety Pavilion will explore innovations in manufacturing, safety compliance and quality assurance. But some of the most intense interest will probably surround the dedicated New Product Zone, which will give visitors the low down on cutting edge launches.

Perhaps it's no surprise that prebiotics and probiotics will assume a high profile. It may have yielded few positive results for EU health and nutrition claims, but it's a well established area that consumers grasp easily.

GUT HEALTH​

Suppliers are certainly swarming around the category. Among them, Syral will update visitors on the prebiotic health claims made by its Actilight Fructo-oligosaccharides on its stand. Reflecting the dominant trend towards naturally-derived substances, Colloides Naturels International is launching Fibregum, an acacia gum rich in soluble fibre.

Lonza is plugging its branded prebiotic fibres FiberAid and ResistAid, while Tate & Lyle is launching Stalactis, which delivers fibre and prebiotic functionality intended to improve intestinal regularity. The ingredient will feature in Enrich, a prototype yogurt drink, to illustrate how it can be delivered to consumers. For sufferers of intestinal discomfort and irritable bowel syndrome, Lesaffre will be pitching its probiotic yeast Lynside Pro GI+ into the market (patents pending and some scientific trials already complete).

With an eye on all ages, Danisco will be promoting Howaru Balance Plus, designed to support seniors' immune and digestive health, and its child-friendly Probiotic Bears, containing the Howaru probiotic blend of lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and bifidobacterium lactis HN019. If all this isn't enough, exhibitors covering satiety and weight management may well whet appetites with products that aim to do the exact opposite.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT​

Straddling weight management and gut health, Roquette will highlight its soluble and insoluble fibres, including the soluble Nutriose, which it claims contributes to digestive health, weight reduction and a decrease in hunger pangs. Again, a range of prototype products will appear. Bioserae is poised to reveal recent clinical results, which it claims confirm the weight management potential of its brown seaweed extract, ID-alG, for women at HiE.

Elsewhere, an array of new dietary supplements and functional dairy, beverage and bakery applications offering a 'body shaping' effect will be laid out by Lipid Nutrition, using its Clarinol conjugated linoleic acid ingredient. This new weapon in the war on weight was launched successfully in a US yogurt and approved by the European Food safety Authority (EFSA) earlier this year.

SUGAR/FAT REDUCTION​

Others are lending weight to the quest for weight loss, by slashing calorie and fat intake. Gelita will be exhibiting Vitarcal, a range of collagen proteins designed to help low calorie products keep the same taste and texture as more fatty alternatives. It can, for example, provide a creamy mouthfeel to boiled sausages or muffins. Of course, one of the problems for natural and artificial sweetener processors is how to avoid unpleasant aftertaste. But show delegates will hear Fenchem's NeuVia solution for the Reb A stevia extract.

Aimed at the enduring niche market for organic products, Beneo has launched its latest liquid organic fructo-oligosaccharide Orafti L58 Organic, which is close to gaining EU organic certification. Derived from organic sugar, it can be used as a sugar replacer as well as a prebiotic fibre to strengthen digestive health.

As it expands its operations in the sugar-replacement sector, Tate & Lyle aims to sweeten things up with its latest fibre launches, which bridge dietary health and weight management functions. Its Innovation and Commercial Group, created this summer, will be unveiling Sta-Lite Polydextrose, which boasts high fibre content and up to 30% sugar reduction, while not affecting taste, crunchiness or gloss. It will sit alongside the firm's Creamiz ingredient, devised to give dairy products a creamy, indulgent feel.

Cereal and cluster prototypes on the Tate & Lyle stand will aim to demonstrate how Sta-Lite ensures product stability in the bowl once milk is added. Sta-Lite is also aimed at cutting calorie and sugar content, while retaining taste, for baked goods, from cookie cherry fillings to muffin concepts.

PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS/SPORTS NUTRITION​

In the fight against flab, suppliers are clamouring to deliver solutions to the expanding fitness market, fuelled by increasingly health conscious consumers. The important area of protein enrichment will be represented by solutions such as Syral's Meripro soluble wheat protein. Its maker claims its low viscosity and neutral taste make it ideal for formulating tasty, filling food.

DSM Nutritional Products is introducing a flavoured version of sports nutrition ingredient PeptoPro, while Carbery is adding to its Optipep stable of whey protein hydrolysates for sports nutrition. Optipep boasts a clean tasting profile with low bitter taste, plus high levels of di- and tri-peptides, which rapidly deliver essential peptides for recovery and strength building. Carbery will also be displaying its Isolac whey protein range, for which it has recently increased processing capacity.

On subject of whey protein, there'll be lemon and lime and iced peach prototype drinks fortified with Volac's Volactive Hydrapro whey protein. The company will also provide new research on the potential for such products.

Competing in the field of beverages and snack bars, Solbar will be presenting new formulations based on soy protein isolate, while Fonterra will be showcasing ClearProtein for beverages and PowerProtein for bars and snack foods. And Roquette will promote the new version of its Nutralysis pea protein for dairy, dietary, slimming and sports enthusiasts. Prototypes on hand using Nutralysis will be VegBoost, its 100% vegetable milk alternative and AminoFuel, for sports product designers. The business will also proudly display Chlorella, a protein concentrate from microalgae, rich in vitamin B12 and lutein and chlorophyll pigments.

ENERGY​

For those pursuing the related and lucrative energy market, Martin Bauer Group's Plantextrakt business unit is presenting formulations containing performance-enhancing tea and herbal extracts. Its Energy range draws on mate, guarana and kola nut to provide fast-acting energy. With an eye on the shots sector, the firm has developed a natural product concentrating the caffeine in two cups of black tea into a 100ml shot by means of Darjeeling extract. In addition, Plantextract's Body Vitality range aims to support physical performance and vitality by drawing on baobab or rhodiola extract.

BONE/JOINT HEALTH​

Others will be touting ingredients which, while supporting the sports and energy markets, convey separate benefits for joint, bone and skin health. One example will be Rousselot's hydrolysed Collagen Peptan. The firm claims it can be integrated into any food and drink product and is aimed at the protein nutrition markets for sportsmen, weight conscious or elderly people.

Rising demand for 'natural' solutions has inspired newly formed business Activ'Inside to introduce Natural Mg'Inside, which boasts prior EFSA approval. Claims for sports nutrition; performance and energy; stress and sleep disorders; and bone health can all be based on the product.

Meanwhile, Gelita has chosen to use collagen peptides in its creation Fortigel, which is designed to help regenerate cartilage tissue, improving mobility and reducing pain, and is usable in liquid, solid or powder form. Separately, fresh research from Italy supporting Indena's Meriva, a proprietary complex of curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric, and soy phosphatidylcholine in alleviating osteoarthritis symptoms, will be unveiled.

COGNITIVE/CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH​

Such activity ties into the increased focus on ingredients to combat age-related ailments, and there will be a wealth of solutions available for that market. For consumers concerned about cognitive degeneration, Martin Bauer Group's Plantextrakt business unit will be showing off its Brain package of ingredients, embracing ginkgo; ginseng; and theogallin from green tea. A prototype green tea drink with added dextrose will be on display. You won't need to be too sharp to see the advantages of Martek Biosciences' algal omega-3 products, while DSM Nutritional Products is launching Ropufa omega-3 effervescent powder and chewable capsules.

DSM will also display its Fruitflow heart health ingredient, which is supported by EFSA Article 13.5 health claim approval. It can be used individually or with other nutrients for heart health from its Quali-Blends premixes, says DSM. Barley is the solution to some of life's ills for Cargill, though, which is showcasing prototypes, including fruit juices, cookies and cereal bars, incorporating its Barliv barley betafibre using beta-glucans. Studies suggest beta glucans help cut blood cholesterol in diets low in saturated fat. Also on display will be Cargill's CoroWise plant sterols, which have been clinically shown to reduce 'bad' cholesterol by 8-15% in as little as four weeks.

ANTIOXIDANTS​

At the same time a flurry of interest continues to surround antioxidants' health potential, which will be promoted by, among others, the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. The organisation will be plugging their ability to counter oxidative stress, believed to contribute to heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's.

Archer Daniels Midlands will be promoting the merits of its Decanox range of natural antioxidants, together with its CardioAid phytosterols and phytosterol esters. Having been approved by EFSA as a novel food ingredient, they help lower cholesterol.

Elsewhere, the virtues of the orange pigment beta-carotene, yellow pigment lutein and purple pigment anthocyanin all antioxidants contained within carrot juice will be the focus of Aureli's theme.

Beta-carotene and lutein support everything from eye to skin health, while, hailing from the flavonoid family, anthocyanins help defend against ultraviolet radiation damage and capillary fragility.

IT'S ONLY NATURAL​

Aureli is not the only specialist dedicated to the appetite for clean-label ingredients. GNT will be introducing visitors to its Garden of Colours, comprised of its Exberry range of clean-label compatible colouring foods, derived from fruits, vegetables and other edible plants.

Meanwhile, Sisterna's stand will exhibit its newly developed technology to make high lipid, oil in water, natural colour emulsions with long-term stability. For those casting their net wider, Starlight Products will be speaking about its procurement services specialising in sourcing tropical and African raw materials, botanicals and other natural ingredients.

SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES​

Starlight won't be alone in providing illumination for those seeking technical solutions and services. A host of other industry luminaries will be dotted around HiE, such as Fortitech, which boasts of being able to source more than 1,400 ingredients. Its premixes integrate vitamins, minerals, amino acids, nucleotides and nutraceuticals and cover everything from cereals and dairy products to snacks and confectionery.

Plus, for those tinkering with consistency and texture, Beneo will be launching BeneoPro VWG wheat gluten, which offers improved dough strength, viscoelasticity, water absorption and shelf-life. The new creation is aimed at everyone, from bread to pasta makers and provides added protein benefits.

There's truly something for all. Are you eager to peruse the latest research and development equipment? Armfield will be introducing innovations in laboratory-scale processing, from carbonating and filling to heat treatment. And Revtech Process Systems will be discussing the merits of its heat treatment kit, designed for anything from decontamination and drying to roasting and toasting. Curious about spray drying? Nutriprocess can run down the options it provides in this area, as well as in powder processing, encapsulation, agglomeration and coating.

So dust off your best shoes and limber up those legs it looks like all that walking around might pay off after all.