Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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F ood Science Alum Discusses F iber in Dairy Foods

Jenny Norton graduated from VA Tech's Department of Food Science in 2003 and accepted a position as Food Scientist at TIC Gums, Inc. in Belchamp , MD. In a recent interview with Dairy Foods magazine, Jenny provided information about the possibilities that exist for increasing the fiber content of dairy products. Plant fiber can be processed into dietary ingredients that can be delivered to the consumer via dairy products. TIC Gums is a supplier of dietary fiber, thus the reason Dairy Foods Magazine contacted Jenny. Here's what she had to say on the topic:

Dairy Foods: Why is the time right to fortify dairy products?

Jenny Norton: Right now, manufacturers are developing foods that have a perception of being able to improve health. Consumers do not want to be on a diet anymore; they just want to eat healthier foods. Food companies are looking at this as an opportunity to enhance the products that are already on the shelf and familiar to the consumer. Fortification is one way that the dairy industry can add additional nutrients to already healthful products.

Dairy Foods: What dairy foods present the best opportunity for fiber fortification?

Jenny Norton: The most popular products right now for fiber fortification are cultured dairy products such as yogurt. Many fiber sources are considered prebiotics and are functional for the probiotic bacteria in the cultured dairy products. Fiber fortification is not limited to any particular dairy food. Fiber can be added to products such as ready-to-drink beverages and drinkable yogurts without changing the textural profile.

Dairy Foods: What fiber ingredients have application in dairy foods?

Jenny Norton: There are many sources of fiber for dairy manufacturers to use in their products. So far, the most common fiber choices have been those that provide soluble dietary fiber and contribute little viscosity to the finished product. This functionality allows fiber to be added without altering the texture of the finished product. Some of the fiber sources that meet these requirements are gums such as gum arabic and low-viscosity guar gum. Both are excellent fiber sources for yogurt, ice cream and nutritional beverages. They are cold water soluble and can be dry blended with other dry ingredients or added directly to milk or water with shear. Also, inulin has been in the spotlight recently because it is extremely compatible with dairy products and contributes little viscosity. It also is cold water soluble.

Dairy Foods: Look into your crystal ball. In five years, please describe some of the functional dairy foods that will be in the marketplace.

Jenny Norton: As more consumers learn that bowel health plays a huge role in overall health and well-being, the trend of healthy and functional foods will not go away. This is an area that will continue to grow over the next few years. Dairies are not only going to look into fortification of dietary fiber, but also tie in several key nutritive components to produce a product that will be the “one stop shop” for food. I think that dairy products will also venture into adding antioxidants and potentially all-natural ingredients that are known for helping maintain a healthy heart, body and mind.

Adapted from Dairy Foods magazine. Delivering Fiber via Dairy Foods. August 2006. Volume 107 (8); pp.72-84.

  HOT TOPICS/ CURRENT DAIRY ISSUES

  Genetically Modified (GM) Ice Cream?

Ocean pout is an eel-like fish that can survive the frigid temperatures of the Northwest Atlantic because of a naturally occurring ice-structuring protein (ISP). The protein from the blood of the fish can lower the temperature at which ice crystals form. Unilever UK , an ice cream maker, says the artificial equivalent of this protein allows processors to use less cream or fat while creating ice cream products with more intense flavor, a wider range of novel textures and more intricate shapes. The company also says it can improve the “healthiness” of ice cream by cutting the fat and sugar content. However, the process also carries additional health risks due to the uncertainties associated with gene insertion during the genetic modification of the fish protein.

A media contact for Unilever stresses that the ice cream is not genetically modified because there is no GM material in the finished product. To manufacture the ice cream, they use modified yeast that goes through a common fermentation process. The protein is removed from the yeast at the end of fermentation. It has nothing to do with fish, and therefore doesn't taste fishy. The level of ISP in the product does not account for more than 0.01% of the weight.

Unilever has published extensive data with experts in the field of food safety and allergenicity. The work covers all aspects of establishing the safety of proteins in the food supply. The information was provided to outside experts and regulatory agencies around the world. After getting approval from these agencies, Unilever Ice Cream U.S. began using the ISP in products in 2003 and continues to use the ingredient. There have been no consumer issues in the three years since the products were introduced. British and Canadian scientists disagree with the process, saying this could be an “immunological time bomb” because the protein is changed in the processing and could pose a danger. Allergenicity was studied in a cursory way, but there is a clear precedent for studying inflammation in the long term in both young and older animals. The protein undergoes glycosylation, which carries the potential for producing allergic or immune system responses. A protein produced in one species can have completely different glycolsylation patterns when produced in another species. The example cited was when a gene from a kidney bean was inserted into a pea plant, the proteins were thought to be identical, but had very different effects. The transgenic version from peas caused inflammation in mice, and if the GM peas had similarly caused inflammation or allergies in humans, they could have been lethal.

Unilever claims that the glycosylation pattern is typical of yeast, and since yeast does not cause immunity problems in humans, the sugar pattern imposed on the fish protein would likewise be harmless. This assumption may be true, but it's untested. Scientists point out that when yeast was used to create human pharmaceutical proteins, the glycosylation caused problems related to immunity and enzyme functioning. The yeast's sugar patterns had to be changed (humanized) to solve the issue. No such effort has been made with ISP.

Research by the FSA over the last few years has confirmed that genetic engineering produces a range of unpredictable biological side-effects with the insertion of new genes. In 1989, a GM version of an L-tryptophan food supplement (that did not contain any GM material in the final product) killed nearly 40 people and disabled over 1500 others because it contained a novel toxin that had not been identified.