Food and beverage companies must find technical ways to maximise the impact of plant-based actives and make them more attractive to consumers.
This is the view of scientists at R&D consultancy Sagentia Innovation who has been exploring ways to overcome challenges surrounding the effective use of non-nutritive plant-based active ingredients also called phytochemicals.
More than 10,000 plant-based actives, which cause various physiological effects in the human body, have been identified. The impact of caffeine, a psychoactive stimulant, is well known. Other substances include the sensates menthol, gingerol, and capsaicin, derived from mint, ginger, and chili pepper, which trigger cooling, tingling, or heat sensations respectively. Plant-based actives also encompass flavours, fragrances, and sweeteners which work by activating taste and scent receptors.
While plant-based actives have a long history of use in food, they can present difficulties in a manufacturing context. From a performance perspective, they may be less potent and stable than synthetic counterparts, as seen with some natural colours. Additional problems include the off notes or bitterness associated with some plant-based actives, with masking agents required to smooth out the flavour.
The science-led techniques of encapsulation and food matrix modification can be applied to overcome these challenges and enable more effective use of plant-based actives. Louise Byrne, a scientist at Sagentia Innovation, says these solutions improve control of the delivery mechanism to maximise ingredients’ impact.
“Encapsulation protects the active ingredient against environmental degradation caused by oxygen and light,” Byrne explains. “This technique improves factors such as stability and ease of application, and it is already commonly used by flavour and fragrance suppliers. Modification of food matrices is another useful method which can enable sustained release of plant-based actives. For instance, solubility might be controlled to modulate the release profile so that the active substance is absorbed orally while chewing.”
Plant-based actives used in food and beverage applications can enter the body via the digestive tract, skin, and oral mucosa, but level of uptake varies. According to Mark Cohen, a principal consultant at Sagentia Innovation, R&D strategies need to identify the most effective route to deliver the desired effect with a given ingredient. For instance, while sensate phytochemicals are typically delivered through the oral mucosa, flavours are delivered through taste and scent receptors in the mouth and nose.
“Ingredient manufacturers offer a growing range of plant-based actives which can be used to boost product differentiation and consumer engagement,” says Cohen. “Achieving the intended effect is not always straightforward, but techniques like encapsulation and food matrix modification can make a significant difference.”
