KARIM-NUTRACEUTICALS




 * Nutracetical Food Ingredients - "In 1989, Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D., now the head of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine, Cranford, NJ, coined the term "nutraceuticals" for foods fortified with ingredients that provide an inherent improvement in health and/or performance beyond their normal food value. The food industry recognized the potential, and, nearly 15 years later, that potential still has legs. The industry has successfully ramped up orange juice with calcium, fortified eggs with omega-3s and much more. Still one challenge remains: making more of these so-called functional foods taste as good as their original, unfortified counterparts". Read more...
 * Brimming Opportunities for Nutraceutical Beverages - "While it seems that many nutraceutical beverages coming to market fall into the “me too” category, this is one area of product development where entrepreneurial innovation continues to drive the market, especially in the category of energy beverages" (Food Product Design). Learn more...
 * Crafting Appetizing Nutraceuticals - "Anyone who has sampled those nutritional supplements or meals-in-a-bar knows that one of the big drawbacks is the taste. They're good for you, all right, but boy, do they ever taste like it. So, the food scientist needs to flavor these foods with things that can mask some of the off-flavors, and enhance some of the better ones. The result will be a nutraceutical packing palatability and consumer appeal" (Food Product Design). Read on...
 * Phytochemicals: Beyond Vitamins and Minerals -" Phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables and legumes are now gaining attention as a means of preventing myriad mental and physical ailments. Many potential health benefits and functions of phytochemicals have not yet been recognized; in fact, some of the compounds themselves have not been identified". (Food Product Design). Read on...
 * Dreaming of Perfect Fat - " If the perfect fat could be dreamed up, what would it be like? It would offer the correct ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids to meet nutritional recommendations. It would crystallize at the ideal temperatures for optimal flavor, texture and appearance. It would afford long-term stability during processing and shelf life, without adding antioxidants" (Food Product Design). Read on...
 * Friendly Colonization - **B**acteria - good for you? Absolutely. In fact, one nutrition expert even recommends "looking at the colon in the concept of a garden - the fertilizer is the prebiotic, the plant is the probiotic and the weed is the antibiotic." (Food Product Design). Read on...

Video on Demand - These are collection of recorded presentation on Prepared Foods website; the presentation is given by industry application specialist on the subject of funtional food/nutraceutical ingredients . This is the opportunity to listen to the experienced industry people because we cannot invite them to USM (no budget!). Feel free to listen to any of the presentation. Some of the presentations can be downloaded using Real Player (download the free version). You can even convert it to 3GP format so that you can view it on your handphone!! Hmm...how nice to learn nowadays...learn anywhere, anytime, even when lying on the bed! This is what we call now as **mobile learning**.

I suggest at least listen to a few presentations below (and the rest I hope you can explore at your convenience):
 * Your Fats and Oils Toolbox - Topics covered: A brief lipid chemistry; sources of vegetable oils; processing techniques; defining your needs and choosing your tool.
 * Omega-3 Fortification of Products for Children and Women - Issues and challenges in fortifying food with omega-3 fatty acids.
 * Formulating Beverages, Bakery Products and Snacks with omega-3 DHA - Topics covered: market overview; health benefits; product characteristics; developing formulations.