When Upscale and Nutrition Collide

That universal indulgence, chocolate, is now touted for health benefits due to its antioxidant content. While everyone loves chocolate, Kerner suggests that alcohol and fruit flavors add a special cachet to upscale chocolate-based products. “Pairing of an alcohol flavor with a complementary fruit flavor works very well,” she says, offering orange brandy, apple wine and pear vermouth as examples. Also, identifying the geographical source of the ingredient “adds interest and allows positioning for products such as Belgian chocolate, Tahitian vanilla and Kona coffee,” she says.

Five a day

One obvious intersection of upscale and health is in vegetables. “Vegetables play a big role in boosting both perceived and actual nutritional value,” says Dan Hemming, manager R&D, Gilroy Foods, Gilroy, CA. “The fresher and brighter the vegetable taste, the more they contribute to that upscale image of health and value.”

Soggy canned beans won’t make the cut, and the industry is turning to individually quick-frozen (IQF) vegetables. Vegetable processing techniques vary widely in the IQF vegetable industry, but they play a crucial role in retaining brighter colors and fresher flavors. Frozen vegetables are harvested at the peak of their freshness and are flash-frozen. Their nutritional content is generally higher than fresh vegetables, because nutrients are continually lost after picking in cold and ambient storage.

“The techniques employed by Gilroy Foods reduce water content, which concentrates nutrients, flavor and color,” Hemming says. “Nutritionally speaking, it takes one-third less controlled-moisture vegetables to deliver one vegetable serving, compared to fresh and IQF vegetables. When vegetables are processed using technology that decreases moisture content, their higher solids mean less syneresis, improving the quality of finished frozen and microwavable products.”

It’s important to note that vegetable preparation is a visual clue for upscale foods. Grill marks and some irregularity of size and shape can imply a handcrafted touch. “Grilling and roasting concentrates flavor,” says Hemming. This can “help add to the savory quality of prepared dishes without added salt or fat.”

Another strategy is to use vegetables as whole-foods substitutes to increase “clean-label” appeal—something that consumers perceive as higher quality. “Soft-frozen vegetable purées are a great choice for product developers seeking to cut down on less-healthful ingredients,” Hemming says. “For example, a concentrated mushroom purée could provide a natural source of glutamic acid, increasing umami in finished sauces or soups. Customized blends and ethnic flavors also add distinction to upscale formulations and create signature flavor profiles.”

Hemming suggests seasoning with chiles as a means to add flavors. The added health bonus is that, in some formulations, this increased flavor intensity can allow salt levels to be reduced, “making healthy foods, such as vegetable dishes, even healthier and more palatable to boomers with less-sensitive palates.”

Superfruits and natural nutrition

Many consumers, including baby boomers, admit to falling short on recommended fruit and vegetable consumption. It makes sense, then, that some would try to make up for a deficit by choosing more power-packed options. The price of pomegranate hasn’t hurt its appeal, and premium products make a perfect vehicle for adding exotic and generally more-costly superfruits.

“Superfruits—i.e., açaí, goji, mangosteen, noni, pomegranate, sea-buckthorn, dragonfruit, Indian gooseberry and yumberry, just to name a few—and their purported health benefits continue to gain notoriety as popular ingredients that target an array of health conditions,” Ram Chaudhari, Ph.D., FACN, CNS, senior executive vice president, chief scientific officer, Fortitech, Inc., Schenectady, NY, notes. “While clinical research on this category is still in its infancy, these fruits and their benefit claims, which range from promoting heart health to anti-aging and increased immunity, have been culturally upheld by the various ethnic groups whose diets include these exotic fruits.”

Besides the superfood berries, Emilio Gutierrez, R.Ph., vice president technical services, BI Nutraceuticals, Long Beach, CA, notes ingredients with strong antioxidant properties include alpha-lipoic acid and well-known herbal extracts, such as green tea, grapeseed, rosemary, lutein and lycopene. “These two categories have mass appeal for virtually all consumers, young and old, and lend themselves to be used in conjunction with a multitude of upscale products,” he says.