Mainstream trends in functional food ingredients

consumers today expect more than just a good taste and a full stomach. According to
Packaged Facts
magazine
"
Health Foods
: Mainstream Trends in Ingredients , 90 percent of Americans believe that the health benefits of certain foods outweigh the basic nutrients they provide. Baby boomers and millennials are looking for products that provide good nutrition to optimize health while avoiding chronic, potentially life-threatening diseases.
a 2013
found that about a third of consumers tend to use health foods instead of certain drugs.As a result of innovations in food ingredients, a constant understanding of enhanced ingredients, and regulatory changes, functional foods will need to meet a wider range of consumers and their more diverse and pressing nutritional and health needs in

.
key nutrients and ingredients are destined to be the main character:lProtein lomega-
3
fatty acids lvitamin
D lmagnesium lmicroalgae consumers and marketers continue to focus on protein to address hunger control, persistent energy, weight loss and weight management, exercise recovery, and maintain muscle mass without age. While protein consumption in the United States is often considered excessive, this is reflected in the fact that
78% of
consumers believe they are getting enough protein, while one estimate shows that
15% to 38% of
adult men and
41% of
adult women fail to meet the recommended protein consumption requirements. Just as there is a greater emphasis on sustainable development, there is now greater interest in plant-based proteins in order to avoid known allergens coupled with vegetarian demand, which may be why
54
percent of consumers say they want to add protein to their diet.the benefits ofomega-
3
fatty acids for heart health, cognitive and brain health, and immunity are more widely recognized, and it is now known that most Americans are underemploying them, making this dietary component a frequent occurrence in the media, despite low consumer interest. Within the food industry,
omega-3
fatty acids are being noted because marine resources are considered unsustainable, prices are rising, and more algae resources are being developed.while
68
percent of consumers think they get enough vitamin
D
from their diets and supplements,
53
percent want
to
more. In fact, only
32
percent of people actually get enough. Vitamin D
known
mainly because of its role in bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis. Government agencies have proposed changes to the nutritional list, and if approved, vitamin
D
will receive more attention and more food manufacturers can be expected to add this nutrient to permitted foods, especially dairy and cereal products. Magnesium is a key substance in converting vitamin
D
into its active form and functions in more than
300
enzyme systems to regulate numerous bio-chemical reactions in the body. Therefore, it is very important for bone health, including osteoporosis, and studies have shown that it is also beneficial for type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, inflammation, high blood pressure, asthma, colon cancer and promoting brain health. It is estimated that only
60
% of
to 80
percent of Americans get enough magnesium, although it is generally abundant in their diet, especially nuts, which provides manufacturers with an important opportunity to label their products as providing a high-quality ingredient.most exciting category of food
with
potential for development is microalgae. Microalgae food ingredients are just beginning to enter the market, and this new addition creates opportunities for functional food and beverage manufacturers to provide customers with traditional, significantly reduced fat carrier foods, cholesterol and saturated fat, along with proteins, micronutrients and antioxidants, which essentially help simplify ingredient declaration without introducing genetically modified organisms or allergens.Mainstream trends in ingredients
include an understanding of the latest science related to health and wellness, new developments and innovations in food ingredient technology, recently launched new products related to these ingredients, consumer awareness and interest in these ingredients, and, if any, recognition of market opportunities.