Vitamin C fortification coming to dairy
products including milk with vitamin C, and is hopeful to see a
solution this year.
The Israeli based firm said there is a huge amount of awareness by consumers of the benefits of vitamin C, and manufacturers are looking for ways to add the vitamin to different types of food products. At the moment adding it to milk is a problem because of the structure of the carrier. Vitamin C is also prone to dissolving in dairy products over time. This causes problems for products with longer shelf lives of 30 days, for example. Another problem of developing a workable solution is the rising cost of the vitamin. Vice president of global marketing sales, Udi Alroy, told NutraIngredients.com: "When vitamin C was in the three to four dollar range it was not so bad, but now it is more expensive. "Every manufacturer wants to add vitamin C. We have been working on solutions over the past few years. In other beverages it is not a problem. But in dairy it just dissolves. There might be a certain amount of the vitamin on day one, but by the end of the month it will not be there. "I hope this year a solution will be finalised." The exact methods for how the fortification may be achieved has not been revealed. Vitamin C is essential to key mechanisms in the body and deficiency can lead to scurvy. The antioxidant has been linked to delaying the progression of advanced age related macular degeneration (AMD). Last November the company revealed it had developed an iron fortification to help beverage manufactures add the important mineral without interfering with taste and colour. The Israeli firm has already made inroads in beverage fortification and introduced a range of B vitamins into fizzy drinks last year, which overcame the vitamin solubility issue. This move will help companies target the growing problem of iron deficiency with palatable solutions.
