SPORTS NUTRITION: Protein: Beyond Bars, Beverages

FORMULATING FOODS

Formulating Foods explores the latest health and nutrition news and research—as well as the latest ingredient and food application innovations—to determine what consumers want (and need) from the food and beverage products they consume, and how industry can make it happen. 

Protein: Beyond Bars, Beverages

Rachel Adams

August 18, 2014 - Blog

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Everything’s coming up protein—and not just the sports nutrition market. Good-tasting, convenient new products that tap into the rising demand and provide choices beyond bars and beverages are well-positioned for success.

Protein provides a wide array of health benefits, including some recognized by consumers outside of bodybuilders and athletes. Not only does protein fortification signal increased strength and endurance, more and more it’s being associated with weight management, satiety and healthy aging.

Protein-fortified soups might be just the thing to shore up sales in that category. According to market research firm NPD Group, 30 percent of primary grocery shoppers said they want to see more types of protein-enriched foods in the future. Protein-enriched soup was the most-desired food item. Plus, a convenient heat-and-eat soup would appeal to seniors, a demographic that has a large segment in need of more protein in their diet.

Food Product Design’s FoodTech Toolbox offers a sample formulation: Lentil Power Soup, contributed by The U.S. Dairy Export Council, which combines the exotic, flavorful appeal of a vegetable-rich lentil-curry soup with the power of dairy proteins. The formulation uses proteins from milk protein concentrate and a concentrated casein ingredient, each serving delivering 20 grams of protein.

As a healthful bonus, the soup also provides 35 percent Daily Value of calcium.

SPORTS NUTRITION - PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS: Bars to Appease Protein, ‘Natural’ Demands

Bars to Appease Protein, ‘Natural’ Demands

Rachel Adams

July 14, 2014 - Blogs

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Protein is all the rage among consumers. It promotes satiety, and is recognized for its benefits to sports nutritionand weight management. But protein isn’t enough—consumers want convenience and taste, and many are seeking products with a natural flare. Enter bars, a convenient format to meet all—or at least many—consumer demands.
The market for protein-fortified and high-protein foods is booming. Nearly 3 percent of global food and beverage launches from March 2013 to March 2014 were marketed as “high protein" or “source-of-protein," rising 6 percent in the United States, according to Innova Market Insights research.

The growth is due to the general public’s heightened awareness on overall health, the increased availability of convenient, on-the-go formats, such as bars, and the growing number of studies supporting protein’s benefits, including its contribution to energy, satiety, weight management and sports nutrition.

Food Product Design’s FoodTech Toolbox offers a sample formulation, Toasted Honey Protein Bars, which capitalizes on the growing trend by using a blend of rice and whey proteins instead of a single source. The blend provides a balanced level of slow- and fast-releasing proteins, and a complementary amino-acid profile for optimal nutrition, as well as giving the bar a point of differentiation. Each 60-gram bar contains 10 grams of protein.

In addition, using a combination of brown sugar and honey as the sweetening and binding system gives the product a natural cachet. To increase the nutritional value, the bar also contains psyllium fiber, an ingredient widely recognized to provide heart health benefits by lowering risk of coronary heart disease.

HEALTH & WELLNESS: Protein Power Fuels Product Innovation

Protein Power Fuels Product Innovation

Judie Bizzozero

June 25, 2014 - Blogs

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Protein is associated with a wide range of health benefits, including aiding with weight management, boosting satiety, regulating blood glucose, helping muscle recovery, controlling blood sugar and more.

A new Packaged Facts’ Culinary Trend Tracking Series (CuTTS) report—“Tapping Protein Power For Product Innovation and Nutrition-Based Marketing"—paints a rosy picture for the protein sector as more consumers have turned their attention to protein to boost nutrition in their diets. In fact, 62 percent of consumers agree they are “making a point of getting enough protein" from the foods and beverages they consume.
Current lifestyle and demographic shifts open up fresh menu and packaged food opportunities related to protein, as does the heightened interest in vegetarian sources of protein, which extends the potential for innovation deeper into meal, snack and beverage territory.

“Americans continue to seek out protein for a variety of health and wellness concerns, and to increase maintenance, growth and repair functions of the body," said David Sprinkle, publisher of the Culinary Trend Tracking Series (CuTTS) and research director for Packaged Facts. “With the popularity of diets like Paleo, Primal and Atkins, protein has been the darling of lean diets for more than two decades now, and ties in more broadly to the consumer quest for health and wellness food and beverages to address specific health concerns. This presents a unique opportunity for food manufacturers, retailers and restaurants."

Targeted and nutrition-science based communication regarding the benefits of dietary protein tailored for specific needs and audiences will spur the success of these innovations. The report identified five key areas prime for growth.

Macho and high-protein drinkable yogurt. Yogurt continues to show strong growth in the wake of the Greek yogurt revolution, and Packaged Facts projects the U.S. yogurt market to total $9.3 billion by 2017. Niche segments, such as drinkable yogurt and kefir and yogurt marketed to men, are staking claim to their own share of the pie.

Almonds and nut butters. New nutritional perspectives have positioned nuts, and especially almonds, high on the good and good-for-you list. The healthy positioning of almonds and the natural flavor and texture they provide make them an ideal source of protein for consumers. Nut butters, driven by convenience and portability, are ideal as more indulgent protein sources.

Snack bars get heartier. High-protein snack bars are leveraging the rise of snacking and the healthful positioning of snack bars in the market.

Analogs for chicken protein. Alternatives to meat are gaining ground as delicious foods in their own right, and not just as more nutritionally correct substitutes. Alternative protein sources, including the eggless egg, are foods to watch.

Exotic meats as back-to-roots protein. Charcuterie is big and the salumi craft is holy ground within foodie culture. Wild boar is gaining popularity in fine dining restaurants as consumers explore new, less mass-produced sources of meat.

The global protein market is growing and is projected to reach $24.5 billion by 2015 with a focus on plant-based proteins. Rising costs, sustainability concerns and the ever growing consumer desire to eat clean are the reasons behind the nondairy, meat-free shift. To find out more about how food developers are creating protein-rich foods, download the free “Protein: A Plant-Based Look at this Power Macronutrient" report from Food Product Design’s FoodTech Toolbox. Protein has been a trending ingredient. Check out my blog earlier this month about2014: The Year of Protein Innovation.