Spring 2002 Issue — Health-Promoting Food Ingredients

Geraldine Schenk

Business Development Officer, Emil Flachsmann AG.

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In comparison to the past, today, the significance of and the outlook on nutrition have changed considerably. Awareness with regard to one's health and wellness has increased tremendously. The key word of the 21st century is well-being, a combination of a good mental and physical condition. Weight control products such as "low fat" and "light" products, products for strengthening the mental and physical performance or products that enhance mental well-being enjoying a high popularity.

At the same time the number of people living in the Western hemisphere and suffering from what are often referred to as "widespread diseases" has risen. Numerous facts can be attributed to this development. Two factors, however, are significant: On one hand, the population in the western countries is growing older and consequently, diseases coherent with old age are increasing; On the other, diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, heart diseases, or cancer are often a result of our affluent society and unbalanced nutrition.

Moreover, several of the named diseases are under-diagnosed. A good example to state here is high cholesterol that is rarely screened.

The US NCEP guidelines recommend that adults over 20 should have their total blood cholesterol level checked every five years. This disease can only be identified through a blood test. The costs of carrying out such blood tests for the whole population would be enormous and could not be covered by an official institution [Datamonitor. Food as medicine, 2000; 75]

A possibility to reduce the costs of health care is prevention. Health-promoting food ingredients can be an alternative to avoiding some diseases from the very beginning.

Nutraceutical Ingredients

Health-promoting food ingredients (HPFI) are sometimes also referred to as "nutraceutical ingredients". They can be vitamins, minerals, different probiotics, prebiotics, herbal extracts or any other ingredient that gives food an added value. The major advantage of nutraceutical ingredients is that the intake occurs during a meal. It is neither about the image of taking pharmaceutical preparation nor about the non favoured procedure of swallowing tablets or capsules. It is about enjoying a meal that supplies an added value. The effect of the added value helps to reduce the risk of becoming infected with one of the aforementioned illnesses. As a result, the costs of certain therapies could be reduced and the public health sector would be exculpated from the increasing financing burden. At the moment, the world of health and functional food is still at the beginning; however, progress is being made at tremendous pace.

Vitafoods 2002 - Preview

At Vitafoods 2002 in Geneva, Emil Flachsmann AG will be presenting a very interesting range of herbal extracts that serve as health-promoting food ingredients, in particular the red vine leaf extract.

Under the motto "Everything your Heart Desires - Red Vine Leaf" Emil Flachsmann AG will inform visitors of the broad spectrum of indication areas and application possibilities of its red vine leaf extract. According to the French Paradox, the red vine leaf plays an important role in diminishing or preventing the risk of certain coronary heart diseases. The French Paradox refers to the phenomenon that the incidence of death due to coronary heart disease is relatively low in France, despite the fact that risk factors such as a diet rich in saturated fatty acids as well as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and smoking are just as frequent in France as in other countries. The statistical analysis of the various factors has shown that the consumption of red wine could be one of the contributory causes of this phenomenon. In addition to the French Paradox, in-vitro studies have shown that certain active ingredients of the red vine leaf extract have a favourable effect on the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The protective substances found in the red vine leaf and chemically classified as polyphenols, anthocyanins (red pigments), and trans-resveratrol are said to be responsible for those effects. It has been experimentally demonstrated that trans-reserveratrol inhibits the oxidation of LDL (low density lipoprotein). Recent findings seem to show that exactly this oxidative modification of LDL to oxidised LDL plays a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis.

Trans-resveratrol is produced by grapevines as protection against fungal infection and UV rays. In addition to the positive effect on atherosclerosis, trans-reserveratrol also shows anticarcinogenic activity that is attributed to antioxidative and antimutagenic properties. All these three substances are found in relevant amounts in the red vine leaf. Furthermore, polyphenols and anthocyanins possess pronounced antioxidative activity.

Application Possibilities

In the past and in folk medicine, red vine leaves were used to treat diarrhoea, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, and capillary weaknesses. Therefore, the red vine leaf extract of Emil Flachsmann AG possesses a broad spectrum of application possibilities and is also of high interest for the food industry. Because of its composition and characteristics, the special red vine leaf extract EFLA® 945, opens a broad range of application possibilities within the food industry. Its excellent solubility in water, for instance, enables the creation of unique soft drinks with an added value, based on the triple standardisation of the ingredient.

Plant extracts - such as the red vine leaf - combined with an optimal choice of flavours that are also produced by Emil Flachsmann AG give foods an extraordinary touch. Our over 60 years of experience in producing, creating and developing flavours and herbal extracts for the pharmaceutical industry as well as for the food industry makes us the right partner for customers who want to create successful products with an added value.

We are looking forward to welcoming you at Vitafoods 2002 in Geneva, stand no. 7035 / hall 7.

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