AZTI-Tecnalia offers companies a comprehensive service for the design and development of new functional elements: differentiated healthier products, which help to improve the consumer’s well-being and health, at a competitive price.

• Reformulation of traditional food and dishes with improved nutritional properties, studying the incorporation of nutrients such as Omega 3 / Omega 6, vitamins, minerals, fibre (wheat, tomato, etc.) and the reduction of sodium, saturated fat, trans fatty acids, etc., maintaining the flavour, texture and appearance.
• Studying the influence of changes made to the nutritional composition of foods on their physical and chemical, sensorial and nutritional properties and microbiological quality.
• Design of food with health benefits that incorporate bioactive compounds (antioxidants, conjugated fatty acids, plant extracts, etc.) in the potentially effective doses required to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc. Study of the interactions between the bioactive component and other ingredients in the food matrices.
• Production and demonstration of the innocuousness and effectiveness of new bioactive compounds for use as food ingredients with potential health benefits.
  
• Evaluation of the impact of processing and conservation on the stability of the bioactive compounds incorporated in new foods. If necessary, the application of New Alternative Technologies to prevent deterioration.
  
• Application of different edible coatings to permit the incorporation of bioactive components that provide the desired health properties in ready-to-eat natural and fresh foods, with minimal processing, avoiding restructuring.
  
• Demonstration of the effectiveness in the body of the new food that purports to offer health benefits, through a team of experts created for each case, so that these benefits are guaranteed through nutritional intervention trials on humans.
  
• Processing of patents and advice for the application of nutritional and/or health claims as well as scientific support marketing for commercialisation.

Why focus on Functional Foods?

The increase in consumer demand for functional foods means that these products are experiencing significant growth in the market.

The statistics confirm this fact: in Spain, in 2007, functional foods achieved a market share of 26% of total spending on food. And these figures are increasing: global sales of functional foods are expected to increase from €75 billion in 2007 to €109 billion in 2010.

Responding to all kinds of needs

Whatever your current needs or the stage of your project, at AZTI-Tecnalia we can help you. Here are just a few of the many possibilities:

• Viability studies: technological monitoring of the market and analysis of the technical/economic/commercial/legal viability of new products.
• Design and development of products/prototypes on a pilot scale (experimental kitchen) with a new composition that improves their nutritional profile or makes them healthier. Formulation strategies to incorporate the effective quantity of bioactive compounds capable of providing the expected benefit. Edible coatings to incorporate bioactive components. Use of by-products as higher value-added ingredients owing to their nutritional or health benefits. Reduction and/or substitution of certain nutrients with others that provide nutritional or health benefits. Innovation and improvements in products, and the development of new products.
• Nutritional, physical/chemical and sensorial analysis: assessment of the impact of reformulation on nutritional composition, physical/chemical properties: colour, rheology, texture, emulsion stability, etc. and the sensorial quality of new prototypes.
• Assessment of the impact of processes and conservation on prototypes: study of the stability of pure bioactive compounds as well as designed products. If necessary, alternative strategies can be applied (antioxidants, coatings, etc.) or new technologies that prevent these compounds from breaking down.
• Industrial Scaling and the design of new facilities, optimisation of processes and food quality, as well as food safety management systems. Product validation on a pre-industrial scale.
• Nutrition intervention trials on humans and monitoring of product effectiveness in consumers.
• Legal advice for commercialisation and the Marketing/Dissemination of claims on labels, and publicising the nutritional or health benefits attained. Patentability Analysis.

Market launch

All the knowledge generated enables the food industry to develop new food products with potential added value in the market. One of the most significant aspects is the development of designer foods, in other words, products with nutritional properties (unsaturated fats, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals) and health-beneficial properties (Omega 3, antioxidants, vegetable extracts, conjugated linoleic acid, etc.) in order to guarantee the health benefits (obesity and cardiovascular disease). With our help, you can comply with the Spanish Government’s Strategy for Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Obesity (NAOS Strategy) and the Self-Regulating Code for Food Advertising Aimed at Children, known as the PAOS Code.

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