As Americans continue to seek better foods to lead healthier lives, the food industry has followed this movement with more healthy choices for consumers. ICL Performance Products LP is helping food manufacturers develop these better options through a variety of ingredients that reduce sodium and include important minerals such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
“Over the past several years, the food industry has focused on creating products that can meet consumers’ demands for nutritious food,” says Barbara Heidolph, ICL Performance Products principal – food phosphate specialist. “ICL supports this effort with products that provide essential minerals without compromising flavor, including SalonaTM, the Levona family of products, Mag-nificent and Cal-Sistent.”
Salona is a natural, low-sodium sea salt derived from the waters of the Dead Sea in Israel. It allows for a 25 to 50 percent replacement of sodium chloride, so manufacturers can meet consumers’ dietary and taste demands. As a completely natural compound, Salona is minimally processed and low in sodium levels. Analysis shows there is 1.7 grams of sodium for every 100 grams of Salona compared with 39 grams of sodium for every 100 grams of sodium chloride salt. Salona can be used in a variety of foods such as baked goods, beverages, meat products and dairy applications.
Food manufacturers seeking additional healthy options for baked goods can try the Levona family of products. These leavening acids are offered in four grades and can help food manufacturers create healthy products by providing added calcium with zero sodium. Products that use Levona may be able to incorporate healthy messaging such as “a good source of calcium” without sacrificing flavor, volume, texture or convenience.
“An advantage of ICL’s ingredients is that they can be used in a number of different foods and beverages to combat health concerns such as sodium reduction, and can be used to promote heart and bone health,” says Heidolph.
Mag-nificent supplies magnesium to support the formation of bone and teeth by assisting with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. It can be used in nutritional supplements, vitamins, ready-to-eat cereals, geriatric beverages and infant formulas. Mag-nificent is also compatible with calcium phosphates, creating a balance of all essential minerals.
To fortify beverages, dairy and confectionary foods, formulators can use Cal-Sistent, which offers a calcium content of 38 percent. Cal-Sistent delivers calcium to phosphorus ratios equivalent to those found in human bones, without altering the key characteristics of consumers’ favorite foods and beverages. The calcium and phosphorus work synergistically to help prevent osteoporosis, a key health concern for many Americans, especially women.
