Tomato Lycopene For Heart Health

A report published in Atherosclerosis in 2003 states that growing urbanization and industrialization in Asia is leading to a concomitant rise in the serum total cholesterol (TC) levels, which will inevitably result to a rise in coronary heart disease (CHD). It says Singapore has showed a rise of serum TC similar to the US and the UK between the 1950s and the 1980’s. Deaths due to CHD are still running high in the country, which is comparable to rates found in the Western countries. However, clinical studies published at the Journal of Nutrition in 2003 and the American Journal of Hypertension in 2001 have shown that a greater intake of lycopene-rich tomatoes is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, which may also offer additional benefits in a blood pressure management program. A study published in the British Medical Journal in 1997 has also found that low levels of lycopene in blood serum were associated with increased mortality from heart disease.

“While food cannot substitute appropriate medical care in serious health conditions, diet has long been known to play an important role in health and disease prevention.” says food technologist Dov Hartal, scientific adviser to LycoRed Ltd. “And that’s why published research results point to the need to look closely at the potential protective benefits of a lycopene rich diet”.

Clinical studies show that a greater intake of lycopene-rich tomatoes is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, which may also offer additional benefits in a blood pressure management program.

Heart-friendly tomato lycopene

Lycopene, present in antioxidant carotenoids that are abundant in tomatoes, is a key ingredient to heart-health. “As the human body is unable to synthesize lycopene, people need to consume lycopene-rich food in order to enjoy the heart-health benefits. Although lycopene is present in fruit such as watermelon and pink grapefruit, it is found more abundantly in tomatoes.”

Scientists believe that lycopene, enhanced by its synergy with the other tomato antioxidant phytonutrients, is responsible for fighting reactive oxygen species that are identified in degenerative diseases, including those that affect the heart.

Many products are sporting heart-friendly labels for the health-conscious consumers.

Studies show tomato lycopene inhibits atherosclerosis

Research published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease in 1997 and Antioxidants & Redox Signaling in 2000 have demonstrated the synergy of tomato phytonutrients such as lycopene, phytoene and phytofl uene in preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which, in the process known as atherosclerosis, is deposited in the arteries as plaque. And plaque is known to build up over time that blocks blood flow, resulting in heart attack. A recently patented proprietary ingredient containing a natural combination of tomato carotenoids called Lyc-O-Mato by Israel’s LycoRed has found to effectively inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis by inhibiting the deposition of plaque from oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

A large scale Harvard Medical School study involving 39,876 middleaged and older women has previously suggested a role for lycopene in the prevention of heart disease. The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition in July 2003.

The researchers found an inverse relationship between cardiovascular disease and a diet high in tomato-based products, suggesting that dietary lycopene or other tomato phytonutrients consumed in oilbased tomato products provided cardiovascular benefits.

Lycopene and hypertension

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is expected to increase by 60% over the next two decades, according to one The Lancet report that was presented at the European parliament and endorsed by 12 global medical groups last year. This means the condition could potentially trigger a global epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

“These troubling figures should serve as a wake up call, alerting us of the need to implement the necessary changes in lifestyle and diet to support normal blood pressure and overall heart health, ” says Hartal.

In a double-blind placebo controlled study published in the American Journal of Hypertension in 2001, the principal investigator found that eight weeks of daily intake of Lyc-O-Mato standardized tomato lycopene complex in soft gels was linked to a significant drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

Authors of the study assumed that this antihypertensive effect is a result of the antioxidant activity of the tomato extract. As longer and larger studies with more diverse populations are required to establish and conclusively define the role of tomato extract as an antihypertensive agent, its possibilities as a dietary ingredient to help support normal blood pressure for optimal heart health are promising.

“The most promising avenue for lycopene fortification is in functional beverages, dairy products, which offer nutritional support for a healthy heart,” says industry fortification specialist Zohar Nir (Ph.D).

Nutritional support for a healthy heart

Many products are sporting heart-friendly labels for the healthconscious consumers. “Tomato lycopene holds great promise as an ingredient for the fortification of a variety of foods and beverages from dairy products to bakery and snack foods. The most promising avenue for lycopene fortification is in functional beverages, dairy products, which offer nutritional support for a healthy heart,” says industry fortification specialist Zohar Nir (Ph.D).

Aging baby-boomers will also offer a huge market for fortified foods and beverages that can help them stay strong, vital and in the pink of health. Continued scientific investigation of the relationship between tomato lycopene and heart health will only further the sales potential of products fortified with this key nutritional ingredient.

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Clean-Label Flavors

Promoting tasty, healthier, clean-label products can boost product branding and marketing.

BY GEOFF ALLEN, GROUP EXPORT MANAGER, SYNERGY

Consumers are traditionally known to be unwilling to compromise on taste and flavor for more health or functional benefits. Industry players are therefore investing heavily in research and development in order to develop new ingredients that can enhance flavors and maintain premium taste profiles.

Some manufacturers are able save on costs by making simple changes to their product formulations. General Mills for example claims to have made savings in some of its recipes by reducing its pasta shells by 50% and replacing pecans with cheaper alternatives such as walnuts.

However, it would require more than just simple changes for manufacturers to respond to the growing demand for products with label claims such as ‘no artificial ingredients’ and ‘lower fat, salt and sugar’. Reducing or removing such ingredients will inevitably affect the taste profile and sometimes the texture of a product. Flavor companies therefore play an integral role in product development – while flavors deliver taste, they are also intelligent solutions that can balance or boost formulations for consumer appeal.

Consumers are traditionally known to be unwilling to compromise on taste and flavor for more health or functional benefits.

Market demand for clean labels

Promoting tasty, healthier, clean-label products can boost product branding and marketing. In recent years, products with natural ingredients have led to growing market demand among health-conscious consumers. However, these natural ingredients are generally more costly than synthetic alternatives. The global price hikes of raw ingredients are also slowing the take-up of more expensive ingredients and additional operating costs that are associated with using natural ingredients.

Manufacturers are also under the pressure to improve the nutritional profile of their products. Traditionally, products that contain fat, salt and sugar provide the desired taste and texture profile. As additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and artificial sweeteners used in product formulations are increasingly being frowned upon in the clean-label age, manufacturers are finding natural alternatives in order to maintain their market share.

In bakery products, salt contributes to their texture, volume and taste. Maintaining product appeal as manufacturers reduce the salt content in their product formulations would be a complex task. However, flavor companies such as Synergy has bread aromas that would allow manufacturers to reduce salt by up to 20% without impacting negatively on taste in varieties such as crusty bread, sour dough, soda farls and dough.

http://us.synergytaste.com

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Functional Konjac Hydrolysates

Enzymatic hydrolysates from konjac flour do not swell in water and provide a soluble fiber that promotes probiotic bacteria growth.

BY FARAGE AL-GHAZZEWI, RESEARCH SCIENTIST AND RICHARD TESTER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GLYCOLOGIC LTD

Konjac glucomannan is a polysaccharide extracted from the Amorphophallus konjac plant (group of plants), which is a member of the Araceae genus. Konjac corms are grown in Asia as a source of food; the flour produced is used as a gelling and thickening agent that is also permitted as a food ingredient in Europe (E425).

Farage Al-Ghazzewi, research scientist, Glycologic.

The molecular weight of the native polysaccharides typically exceeds 1 × 106 daltons. The constituent sugars (mannose and glucose) are arranged in blocks of mannose residues interrupted with one or two glucose residues. These are ß-(1–4) linked with 1.6:1 mannose to glucose residues within the polysaccharides. Acetyl groups are esterifi ed to C3 of the sugars at about every 19th residue.

There are two basic nutritional approaches that define the digestive consequences of polysaccharides in the human body. First, starchy or digestible polysaccharides that could be broken down by digestive enzymes are absorbed in the small intestine. If the starchy polymers are crystalline, they might be carried to the large intestine where they are also fermented, which are referred to as “resistant starch”. Secondly, non-starchy or non-digestible polysaccharides that cannot be digested in the small intestine are carried to the large intestine to be fermented. Non-starch polysaccharides and resistant starch form the “dietary fiber”, which promotes gut transit of food, provides bulk and satiety and creates a fermentation matrix in the colon.

This fermentation by anaerobic bacteria releases short-chain fatty acids that might be absorbed into the blood stream. Growing evidence show it has beneficial effects against conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and gut cancer. Glucomannan polysaccharides are also fermented in the large intestine.

Figure 1. Difference in growth of probiotic bacteria on konjac glucomannan hydrolysate (bottom) or inulin (top).

Figure 2. Growth of probiotics subcultured from ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk containing konjac glucomannan hydrolysate (left) or inulin (right).

Terms defined

Prebiotics are generally defined as non-digestible food components that affect the host beneficially by stimulating the growth of lactic acid bacteria (gut friendly bacteria) in the colon. They include neosugars, inulin, soy-oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, lactosucrose, raffinose, sorbitol, xylitol, palatinose and lactulose.

Probiotics are health promoting lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) of the healthy human intestinal microflora, which have a positive and beneficial effects in the gut. Foods containing prebiotics and probiotics might be consumed together to promote the colonization of the probiotic bacteria in the gut. The combination of these two components has been termed “symbiotic”.

Figure 3. Ratio of short chain fatty acid (SCFA) from konjac fiber in human faecal fermentation systems.

Konjac hydrolysates

The swelling of the konjac native glucomannans progressively decreases as the polymers are hydrolyzed. The production of these lower molecular weight materials can be achieved by acids or enzymatic hydrolysis. Konjac glucomannan hydrolysates (GMH) are rich in mannose but unlike the native polysaccharides, they do not swell. They provide a soluble fiber source that effectively promotes probiotic bacteria growth. Pathogenic organisms in the gut are therefore restricted in their capacity to multiply, and they bind to the mucosa.

In Asia, Glycologic Ltd has researched and found microbiological and health benefi cial properties of konjac-derived carbohydrates to:

• Stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria in vitro (in food products) and in vivo (in the body).

• Prevent the growth of pathogens such as Salmonella sp. and E. Coli, as GMH stimulates probiotic growth.

• Be used in probiotic food systems at a much lower dose (~1/10 or 1/20) than inulin to create the same growth stimulation effect (e.g. live yogurts).

• Be used at a low dose of usage, thereby being cost effective.

• Produce no bloating, unlike inulin.

• Be used in applications such as food and drinks, feed, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

• Promote growth of “body friendly” bacteria.

• Prevent bacteria binding to the gut mucosa and urinary tract.

• Remain stable when exposed to heat and acid (i.e. retains its basic structure and properties).

• Be flexible in food systems, as GMH interacts well with other food components without obvious change in the physical or sensory properties.

• Have a pleasant, slightly creamy taste profile.

• Have potential medical applications such as glucose management, lowering cholesterol lowering, preventing colonic cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative, colitis and constipation, and aids in treating carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome.

www.glycologic.co.uk

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