8 rules for creating fortified, functional products that work

Fortified and functional food and beverages can offer huge benefits to consumers. But for the brands and formulators making these products, they also offer immense challenges in terms of regulations, taste, potency, shelf life and more.

At the SupplySide West educational panel, “Conquer food and beverage science challenges: From fortification to food safety,” four experienced food scientists shared lessons and solutions that they and their clients have seen work — and warnings about what didn’t. The panel discussion was moderated by SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal Content Director Audarshia Townsend.

Know the line between fortified and functional

The boundaries between food and beverages and supplements can seem gray at times, but it has big implications for both regulations and consumer expectations. Jessica Cusovich, senior R&D scientist at Caldic North America, said she helps clients understand the divide this way.

“Fortification is replacing what should be there, getting typical nutrients from whole food products, but isn’t in our agricultural products today because of soil, how it’s being grown and harvested — things like that,” she explained. “Supplementation is more about health, elevating health and an increase of well-being.”

Related:Functional foods, beverages take center stage at SupplySide East

Is the line always clear? Definitely not. But keeping it in mind can help you determine where your product fits in the marketplace and what ingredients to prioritize to help you get it there.

Don’t do it alone

Think you have what it takes to develop a product and navigate the federal, state and international regulations about the ingredients it contains? You probably don’t and that’s OK. All of the speakers were insistent that this gauntlet requires a team effort and willingness to put your ego aside and ask for guidance.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Beasley Photography

“It’s not just the thoughts of one person; it takes a whole group to figure out these challenges,” Cusovic said. “Talk to a lot of different people and understand who’s good at the different aspects of these challenges. Collaboration is the key and getting as much as information as you can to solve the problems you face.”

Don’t let functionality overshadow taste

A promising ingredient like a novel fiber may look game-changing on paper. But the exact qualities that make it “healthy” may also make your product look, taste or smell awful to consumers. All four experts pointed to numerous examples of functionality gone wrong and advised keeping taste near the top of priorities at all times.

“Everyone is willing to buy once, but you’re in the business of selling multiple bars (or other products), not just one bar to one person,” food safety expert, Tia Glave, president and co-founder of Catalyst LLC, explained.

Related:Consumer demand drives explosive growth in functional foods, beverages market

Know when it’s OK for something to taste 'appropriately bad'

This flies in the face of “taste is everything,” but according to Sam Kressler, founder of the culinary consultancy firm Stir Innovation, a new generation of functional products have brought different taste expectations.

“There are times where, especially with things like shots, if it doesn’t taste slightly bad, consumers think they don’t work,” he explained. “So, you actually have to maintain some bitterness or medicinal-ish qualities in order for consumers to have buy-in.”

Be selective with ‘natural’ ingredients

Adding food-derived ingredients like powdered vegetables, mushrooms or alternative flours can be a tempting way to add certain nutrients to a product while maintaining a “natural” sheen. But Glave said she has seen many cases where this unexpectedly led to a product, in terms of taste, nutrient profile or shelf life — and not always for the better. In some cases, a simple nutrient pre-mix would have worked best.

“A lot of times when people want to add things to the product, they find it’s no longer the product that they want it to be,” she said. “Pre-mix can keep your product the way you want it to be without the other stuff.”

Related:Flavors are essential for the success of healthy beverages

Know your packaging

Threats to the viability of a fortified or functional product can come from unexpected places, such as packaging. Kressler brought up the example of cannabidiol (CBD), an ingredient that skyrocketed to popularity in recent years, but not always in ideal conditions.

“CBD is photosensitive,” he said. “So, you had people putting it in clear plastic bottles of water that go to the gas station, and when people would get the water, it had no CBD left in it.”

Unfortunately, the downstream effects of a situation like this doesn’t end with a single defective product. “People say, ‘Well, it doesn’t work’ or ‘It’s fake.’” Kressler explained. “And so, an entire specific ingredient that might actually be efficacious when handled properly gets blanketed as snake oil.”

Know your product’s breaking point

Candy Schibli, a former chemical engineer who founded Southeastern Roastery Coffee Lab, said her background in the lab plays a huge role in helping her make mushroom coffees and other products that she and her customers can trust. But only because she’s willing to take product testing to its extremes.

“For me, it’s all about pushing any product that I make to the limit of failure so I know where it breaks, how it breaks and how best I can prevent the product,” she said.

Remember that safety never ends

All four experts were adamant that creating functional or fortified food products is an immense responsibility that entrepreneurs should not take lightly. The average cost of a product recall is $10 million, according to Grocery Manufacturers Association, but the risk of making a consumer sick or worse is incalculable.

“Food safety is a thread that’s woven through every piece [of what you do],” Glave explained. “But if you actually incorporate it into every part of your business, you’re able to sleep — and you and your consumers can have confidence that your product is safe.”

Kressler puts it slightly differently. “When we talk about FSQA, or Food Safety and Quality Assurance, the ‘FS’ comes before the ‘QA,’” he said. “Never forget that part.”