Beneo targets Indian functional carbohydrate market
Marketed as Palatinose, the ingredient is the only low glycemic carbohydrate providing longer lasting energy in the form of glucose, according to the company.
The presentation will take place at the International Conference on Innovations in Food Processing & Ingredients towards Healthy India (IFPIHI) in Mumbai on January 5th 2011.
Although Palatinose is not yet approved for sale in India, a country with more than 31m cases of diabetes, the company sees strong growth potential.
“We believe that balanced energy supports a healthy lifestyle,” said Anke Sentko, vice president nutrition communication and regulatory affairs. “Therefore, we are delighted to attend such a recognized conference to introduce the physiological benefits of our next generation carbohydrate to an international and experienced audience.”
Food or beverages
Whether used in food or beverages, isomaltulose is a fully available carbohydrate leading to significantly low blood glucose and insulin response after consumption, according to a recent study by Holub et al published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Beneo concludes that this is: “…a valuable nutritional property, not only for people with diabetes but for the general population.”
The study also showed that the functional carbohydrate is slowly yet completely digested. “Therefore, it can be said that isomaltulose is the first disaccharide carbohydrate which has low glycaemic characteristics and delivers the full carbohydrate energy (4 kcal/g) in a more balanced way over a longer period of time,” said the company.
Derived from sugar beet, isomaltulose is said to have distinct physiological properties due to an enzymatic treatment. It can also be found as a natural constituent of honey and sugar cane extract.
Functional and wellness food
The product is said to be suitable for all sport, functional and wellness food and beverages from instant to ready-to-drink formulas, breakfast-on-the-go, cereal and chocolate bars.
It is approved in all continents in all major markets as safe food but has yet to gain approval in India. The ingredient was launched in Europe in 2004.
Meanwhile, India suffers from a prevalence of diabetes with 31.7m cases accounting for nearly 19 per cent of all diabetics worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
An annual growth rate of 2.5 is predicted over the next 19 years.
India now has the globe’s highest number of diabetics, according to the leading UK website diabetes.co.uk.
Impaired glucose intolerance is also a mounting problem in India, it adds. The prevalence of IGT has been estimated at 8.7 per cent in urban areas and 7.9 per cent in rural areas.
About 35 per cent of IGT suffers later develop type 2 diabetes.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online: 09 March 2010
“Novel findings on the metabolic effects of the low glycaemic carbohydrate isomaltulose (Palatinose™)”
Authors: Andrea Gostner, Stephan Theis, Leszek Nosek, Theodor Kudlich, Ralph Melcher and W. Scheppach
