Nutrient density and dairy foods: the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has expressed concern that many Americans are consuming excess calories, but not meeting nutritional requirements. A look at some of the advantages and challenges in the development of the concept and possible labeling of nutrient-dense foods is provided

Prepared Foods, August, 2008 by Susan Zaripheh, Greg Miller

RELATED ARTICLE: Formulating for Health.

Formulating foods and beverages with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, omega-3s and other good-for-you components has been a popular marketing strategy. However, the challenges for R&D have just begun, once the decision is made to offer a fortified food product. Issues such as taste, viscosity changes and stability concerns are just a few that may arise.

Over 60 "how to" seminars will be offered October 20-22, 2008, in Itasca, Ill. (not far from Chicago's O'Hare airport), as part of the 2008 R&D Applications Seminar-CHICAGO. Here are just a few titles of the generic presentations that will be given.

* Natural Colors: Health Benefits and Application Guidelines

* Gluten-free Strategies

* Nutritious Smoothie Cakes

* Healthy Bread Trends & Products

* The Fact of the Matter, the Facts are in the Nutrition Panel

* Long-chain Omega-3s in Functional Foods

* Regulatory Compliance Boundaries

* Pre- & Probiotics for Digestive & Immune Health in Beverages

* Baby Boomers: Trends & Health Ingredients

* Masking Flavors

* Nutrition Ingredients-How to Survive Processing and the Focus for Addition, Based on Age Demographics

* Formula Optimization and Nutritional Labeling--A Case Study in the Nutrition Industry

* Plus--many more on nutrients, flavor and texture considerations-- as well as trends and regulatory issues.

--Claudia D. O'Donnell, Chief Editor

Susan Zaripheh and Greg Miller, National Dairy Council/ Dairy Management Inc.

Zaripheh and Miller are nutritional professionals with the National Dairy Council/Dairy Management Inc.