'Powering Up' with Dietary Antioxidants

CROWDED shelves and the continued introduction of new products present food marketing and R&D professionals with a challenging task  -  how to make their   products stand out. Product differentiation is a relatively simple idea if a  product offers a strong benefit or is attractive to the consumer. This helps  differentiate the product which could then make the consumer choose one product over another, as well as deliver repeat product purchase.

Today's technological developments in new ingredient application and processing methods, including the use of nanotechnology, microencapsulation and enteric coatings, will enable beverage manufacturers to offer wide  varieties of products containing antioxidant nutrients, as well as other functional ingredients that deliver optimum flavour, taste and mouth feel.

Specifically combining multiple nutrients to differentiate products and to capitalise on scientific advances allow companies to help improve consumer health and lower the risk of disease

Within the functional beverage category, 'added value' nutrients,  particularly antioxidants, B-complex vitamins and some minerals along with  herbal extracts, superfruits, omega-3, CoQ10 and prebiotics such as inulin, are now mainstream  products that have been developed to meet  specific health condition needs of a variety of consumer groups. Diet, age,  exercise,    UV light and other environmental factors affect the antioxidant status in  the human body. The antioxidant defence includes a variety of interactive  antioxidant system against free radicals, reactive oxygen species  and prooxidants.

Free radicals

Free radicals are a product of tissue metabolism, and the potential damage they can cause is minimised by the antioxidant capacity and repair mechanisms within the cell. Our cells can survive free radical attacks because they have developed antioxidant defences. A number of antioxidants working as a team make up these defences. Some antioxidants like enzymes and proteins are produced in the body. Others, like vitamin E, Vitamin C and phytochemicals (such as carotenoids and flavonoids) come from the diet.

Antioxidants protect against damage from free radicals in several ways:
* Prevent the formation of excess free radicals
* Scavenge the free radicals after they are formed before they damage other molecules
* Repair damaged molecules or replace them with new ones
Thus, in a metabolically active tissue cell in a healthy subject with an adequate dietary intake, damage to tissue will be minimised and most of the damage, if it does not occur, will be repaired. These observations suggest that the antioxidant nutrient requirements of the general population can be met by a generous consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Synergistic effect

We now know that antioxidants work much more efficiently when used in a group. In fact, there appears to be a synergistic effect when certain antioxidants are combined. This is especially true when antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are combined with flavonoids. Additionally, each antioxidant appears to operate in different cellular compartments, as well as within different tissues. Water-soluble antioxidants such as vitamin C, magnesium and other minerals, for example, exist mainly within the cytosol and plasma, whereas the fat-soluble vitamins are concentrated within the membranes and lipid  storage sites. This means that particular antioxidant effects on cancer inhibition are not only compartmentalised in the cell, but also appears to be  tissue spVêtements et équipement Lifestyle pour Femme