Development trend of functional food additives and ingredients

With the development of the economy and the improvement of life, the international community is paying more and more attention to the environment and health, paying more and more attention to food safety issues, returning to nature, advocating green and healthy eating has become a new consumption trend. Organic foods, green foods, functional foods, health foods and health foods have become new growth points in the food industry. The functionalization of food additives has also become the development trend of food additives in the world.

Since 1992, China's food additive industry has put forward the development policy of “natural, nutritious and multifunctional additives”. So far, functional food additives have become the focus of research and development and selection of local enterprises and science and education units. The national food industry's "10th Five-Year" development plan recently issued by the relevant state departments pointed out that the direction of China's food additive development is natural nutrition and multi-function, and is safe and reliable.

The former State Economic and Trade Commission also included natural nutrition functional food additives in the “10th Five-Year” new product development guide. At present, the food additives produced in China are classified according to the production methods, including chemical synthesis, biosynthesis (enzymatic method and fermentation method) and natural extracts. From 2002, China produced more than 2.4 million tons of food additives with an output value of more than 23 billion yuan. The total amount of biosynthetic products such as sodium glutamate, citric acid, vitamin C and yeast ranked first. The second place is natural extracts including natural pigments, flavors, sweeteners, hydrosols and the like. Products purified by petrochemical raw materials, such as saccharin, cyclamate, synthetic pigments, etc., produce about 200,000 tons, ranking third. The glutamic acid, citric acid, lactic acid and the like produced by the fermentation method have the same chemical structure and natural extraction, can be absorbed and metabolized in the human body, have certain nutritional and physiological activity functions, and are also known as internationally. Same as natural objects. Natural extracts are safer than synthetic, and many natural extracts have physiological activity and health functions.

In recent years, the variety and output of such functional food additives and ingredients in China have gradually increased. Not only the variety of food additives extracted from natural products has increased, but also the varieties originally produced by synthetic methods have been developed and extracted from natural products. For example, β-carotene, the products on the market in the past are mainly synthetic, but in recent years, the β-carotene extracted from natural products such as salt algae has increased; and the amaranth has been mainly synthesized in the past, and later introduced. Natural amaranth extracted from amaranth; many natural pigments extracted from plants have physiological activity. In the past 10 years, the number of natural colorants approved by the state has increased from more than 20 to more than 40. The country that approves the most natural colorants. Among them, varieties with disease prevention and disease resistance, such as turmeric have anti-cancer effect, safflower yellow has antihypertensive effect, capsicum red has anti-oxidation effect, chrysanthemum yellow has anti-oxidation effect, sorghum red has anti-oxidation effect, zeaxanthin has anti-cancer and anti-oxidation effect. Role, red yeast has the effect of lowering blood fat, sea buckthorn yellow has anti-oxidation effect, mulberry red has immune effect, peanut clothing red has coagulation effect, grape skin red has lipid-lowering effect, comfrey red has anti-inflammatory effect, chlorophyll has blood lipid-lowering effect Wait. Another example is vitamin E. In the past, it was mainly synthesized with an annual production capacity of more than 10,000 tons. In recent years, natural vitamin E extracted from oil and fat has been developed. Its tocopherol has the same function, but its antioxidant function is higher than that of synthetic vitamin E. The capacity of natural vitamin E built in all parts of the country exceeds 1,000 tons. China has approved hundreds of food additives listed in GB2760 national health standards. Although there is no functional additive in the classification, there are indeed many functional food additives with physiological activity, which have been separately listed. A list of health foods and medicines. For example, the coloring agent red yeast rice, the sweetener licorice sweet and xylitol are listed in the 2002 drug list.

China has a tradition of nourishing and cultivating food, and the relevant authorities have announced the management measures for special nutritious foods in 1992. In 1996, the regulations on health food management were promulgated. By 2002, the approved functions were: immunization, regulation of blood lipids, anti-fatigue, improvement of gastrointestinal tract, anti-aging, anti-oxidation, anti-hypoxia, regulation of blood sugar, inhibition of tumors, improvement of sleep, beauty, weight loss, improvement of memory, improvement There are 22 kinds of foods such as osteoporosis, blood pressure regulation and eyesight improvement, more than 3,000 kinds of foods with various health functions, and more than 300 kinds of nutritional supplements.

Although China's health foods include Jianzi's drugs, many varieties use traditional Chinese herbal medicines, and a large number of dosage forms are capsules and oral liquids, and food forms are less. However, there are many raw materials for health foods, and some use food additives approved by the state for inclusion in the GB-2760 health standard list.

In recent years, as functional health foods have received widespread attention from the society, relevant parties in China have held seminars on functional (health) food exchanges every year. In 2002, the International Symposium on Functional Food Technology and Development was held in Xi'an by the China Food Science and Technology Society. In addition to some comprehensive comprehensive and policy reports, major new technologies and new products are reported: anthocyanin stability of purple Sweet Potato, lutein extracted from marigold, plant isoflavones and osteoporosis, and enzymatic extraction of Tomato red Ganoderma lucidum mycelium lipid-lowering effect, eucalyptus leaf extract improves animal glucose metabolism, California almond antioxidant function, yam antioxidant activity, resveratrol estrogen-like effect and effect on bone formation, oligomerization Xylose and tolerance to blood sugar, biosynthesis of gamma aminobutyric acid, bamboo leaf antioxidant, toon extract on human sperm motility, L-carnitine weight loss, Pumpkin hypoglycemic factor, rye arabinoxylan Nutritional function, inulin function, etc. In summary, a large number of studies are the separation and extraction of functional factors of food function.

Since 1991, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has implemented a special food management method for health care, and has developed a variety of functional food additives for disease prevention and disease resistance for pregnant women, infants, the elderly, and patients. There are mainly oligosaccharides, lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, low molecular sodium alginate, casein phosphopeptides, sugar alcohols, tea polyphenols, eucommia leaf glycoside and the like. 289 kinds of functional foods have been approved for marketing, including 61 oligosaccharides, 50 dietary fiber, 55 lactic acid bacteria, 22 blood pressure lowering substances, 14 blood sugar regulating substances, and 14 kinds of regulating blood sugar. 13 species of caries. From 1997, sales amounted to 131.5 billion yen, and sales in 2001 reached 412 billion yen. The most sold is the variety of intestinal function, accounting for about 80% of total sales. Its end products mainly include: refreshing drinks, carbonated drinks, lactic acid drinks, various soy milk drinks, edible sugar, sausages, fish cakes, fried meatballs, seasoned vinegar, candy, chocolate, chewing gum, biscuits, etc. According to the statistics of the Japan Healthy Nutrition Food Association, the most popular products are functional beverages, accounting for 42%. The specific health food, regardless of the dosage form and packaging of the product, must indicate the name and effective content of the functional ingredients, daily intake. If there is a type of payment, the package should be specially marked. For example, a specific health food that regulates intestinal function with oligosaccharides, the label says "excessive consumption can cause diarrhea."

The internationally influential European food additives and ingredients exhibition has been held for 13 consecutive years. Since 2000, it has been changed to the Health Food Additives Exhibition, referred to as HI. This year, more than 400 exhibitors participated in the exhibition. The internationally renowned nutrition departments of Danisco, BASF, Roche, Seristar, Rohit, Langa Blanc and Cargill and ADM participated in the exhibition.

From the products on display, natural extracts are mostly inhabited and have nutritional and health functions. The most popular and prominent products on display are: soy isoflavones labeled with women's health, lowering blood lipids, improving cardiovascular disease, improving osteoporosis, lutein with eye protection, and free radical antioxidants Lycopene with an activity higher than 100 times that of vitamin E. Samples presented on the stand include: soy isoflavone-containing drinks, lutein-containing sugar tablets, isomalt and lycopene candy. In the academic exchange meeting held at the same time, reports on the cardiovascular health function include: the cholesterol-lowering function of oats; the role of long-chain gamma-polyunsaturated fatty acids; the relationship between plant sterols and cholesterol, and high-level carrots; The protective effect of sputum intake on atherosclerosis; the antioxidative effect of anthocyanins; the isomers of casein hydrolyzed against hypertension.

The second European exhibition of health food additives and ingredients, held in Paris in September 2002, is still so lively, with new developments in the variety. For example, there are 43 essential unsaturated fats and 8 microbial preparations of bifidobacteria.

Old varieties such as soy isoflavones increased to 47. In the academic reports held in the same period, there are many reports on improving cardiovascular diseases, eye protection, brain protection, and improving intestinal function. For example, the health function of hop xanthohumol, red grape polyphenols and vasodilation, supercritical extraction of sea buckthorn oil and cardiovascular health, isomerization of enzymatically hydrolyzed cheese peptides, clinical study of blood pressure lowering, effects of vitamins and antioxidants on brain behavior Supercritical extraction of lutein with eye protection function.

In the United States, the largest annual food fair and academic exchange (IFT) in the world, each session has thousands of companies to participate, there are thousands of academic papers. In recent years, the China Food Additives Association has participated in the delegation, and the development trend of the world food industry and food additives can be seen from the meeting.

The hot spots exhibited by IFT in June 2002 highlighted food safety and health. Exhibits include food supplements (vitamins, minerals calcium and magnesium and trace elements, various health products); functional beverages and foods containing physiologically active substances; plant-derived natural pigments and antioxidants; processed fruits and vegetables; biosynthetic functions Oligosaccharides and peptides, etc.

Soybean Functional Foods - In recent years, in the US food market, a soybean fever has been set up. Americans accustomed to drinking milk recommend milk containing soy flour for health (the soy flour is 40% soy flour). CARGILL, an internationally renowned Corn deep processing company in the United States, has introduced soy isoflavones in beverages and chewable tablets; ADM has exhibited a variety of meat-free simulated meat products (success) made from soy protein. In terms of the functional study of soy isoflavones, in addition to confirming that soy isoflavones have improved menopausal syndrome, prevention of heart and brain diseases and osteoporosis, recent animal studies have shown that soy isoflavones can inhibit due to their antioxidant activity. The aging of skin-derived cells and the risk of skin cancer.

Lycopene, a highly potent antioxidant extracted from tomatoes, has 100 times more antioxidant activity than vitamin E and is found in tomatoes and a few red fruits such as watermelon. Due to the low content of tomatoes, the international competition for the cultivation of tomato varieties with high lycopene content. Earlier, an Israeli company introduced lycopene to the market. In 2001, China began to market lycopene health care products, such as the anti-oxidant beauty capsules of Guangzhou Youbao Industrial Co., Ltd. approved by the Ministry of Health. At the IFT show, Roche launched Roche lycopene, which can be used as a functional additive in foods such as juices, beverages, dairy products, meat products, and salads. BASF has introduced a synthetic lycopene called LYCOVIT. It can be used for oil-soluble and various water-soluble foods, and this product is being approved by the FDA.

Green Tea Extract - There have been many discussions in the academic exchange about the antioxidant effects of tea polyphenols and the prevention of cardiovascular disease and the risk of cancer suppression. At the exhibition, there is a green tea extract exhibited by ITOEN, which is said to lower cholesterol, anti-allergic, antibacterial and other effects, such as adding in protein foods, to prevent protein oxidation.

Lutein, a natural yellow pigment extracted from the plant calendula, can prevent eye degenerative diseases. At the 2000 HI exhibition in Germany, Kemin Company of the United States exhibited this product. This time IFT has three companies, ROSSPRODUCT, SUNSWEETGROWERS, and COUNTRYPUREFOOD, all exhibiting eye-friendly beverages containing lutein. And indicate that each bottle of beverage contains lutein 500MG.

In the IFT academic report, a total of 77 proprietary nutrition and functional foods, including oral reports and written materials. The content involved is: a large number of antibacterial and anti-oxidant properties related to natural products. Such as green tea extract, honey, grape seed extract, blueberry, rice sugar extract, peptides and the like. The reported functional factors are mainly plant chemicals such as soy isoflavones, polyphenols, anthocyanins, oligosaccharides, etc. Soy isoflavones account for a large proportion.

In June 2002, the US Food and Drug Safety Office of the FDA announced the recognized safe food (GRAS) varieties declared by enterprises in 2001, in addition to 8 kinds of enzyme preparations and 5 processing aids, there are 14 kinds of additives. Grape seed and grape skin extract, sucrose fatty acid ester, fungal protein, coagulated hydrolyzed Potato protein, arabinogalactan, arachidonic acid, D-tagatose, lactoferrin, erythritol, β-ring Dextrin, octadecyl alcohol, shrimp chitosan, behenic acid (docosanonanoic acid), milk-based bittering agent.

According to the FDA, the above products can be added to general foods, and a few can be added to infant formulas to improve product quality and enhance health functions. Moreover, some usage is not limited, and may be added as needed. These 14 varieties, in addition to Tata sugar we are relatively strange, other varieties in China have most of the goods, or in the research and development process. We can see from the analysis of the raw materials, properties and uses of these products: most of the products have certain physiological activities and health functions, which are all extracted or processed from natural foods. Explain that the proposing enterprises can also explain the consumption trend of natural extracts and processed natural foods in the US food market, taking into account the international green and environmental research and development direction and consumption trends.

In summary, the development of functional food additives and ingredients, not only in the eastern countries with health care traditions such as China and Japan. Western countries have also felt the importance of diet to health in recent years. Since the introduction of fat substitutes and sugar substitutes in the past, food additives with health functions have been introduced as food supplements, and in recent years, a large number of foods and food additives with functional properties including natural extracts and biosynthesis have been developed. Consistent with the "natural nutrition and multi-functionality" proposed by China, it fully conforms to the international consumption trend of economic development. Since the 1990s, green tea extracts, oligosaccharides, grape seed extracts, etc. have been popular among various international technical exchange activities. In the past two years, a large number of soybean isoflavones, lycopene, lutein and other varieties have been introduced.