EPA, DHA for the masses? Cargill unveils cost-effective ‘drop-in’ solution for F&B omega-3 fortification

While several rivals already offer fish-oil based food ingredients, many of Cargill’s customers were not happy with their options, either due to price (encapsulated omega-3 products can be expensive) or technical/sensory limitations (poor stability, flavor, odor issues), Kristine Sanschagrin, marketing manager of specialty seeds and oil at Cargill told FoodNavigator-USA.

“We wanted something that was easy to use at a low cost per serving that you could just drop into a formulation and not have to compromise on shelf-life or worry about a fishy taste or smell.​ ​

“IngreVita is a stabilized oil that can be stored in ambient conditions in a plant like any other oil and used in any product where there is oil. We’ve been working with some customers on this for over a year and had some terrific positive feedback."​

Easy to use at a low cost per serving​

She added: “We’ve tested it in a wide range of shorter shelf-life products including white bread, white whole wheat bread, and whole wheat bread, milk, and chocolate milk, as well as longer shelf-life products such as salad dressings, crackers, and meal replacement beverages.”​

The 32mg of EPA/DHA per serving that Cargill is targeting with IngreVita might not sound like much considering that the American Heart Association recommends 250-500mg/day, she said.

However, by adding fish oil to food and beverage staples such as bread, milk, salad dressings and crackers, consumers would cumulatively get a meaningful amount per day, she said.

Millennials are less interested in getting nutrition from supplements​

You could take a supplement [and get a higher dose], she acknowledged, but lots of people don’t want to get their nutrition from pills - “Millennials are less interested in getting nutrition from supplements​” - while not everyone likes eating fish.

“More of something is better than none of anything. If you had a sandwich with two slices of bread and a glass of milk, that’s almost 100mg of EPA and DHA, and for someone that’s not getting any long chain omega-3s in their diet, that’s a good thing, as we know most Americans do not get anything like 250-500mg/day - the average is more like 113mg/day.”​

The FDA recently frustrated many in the omega-3 sector by publishing a final rule that will ban (by December 2016) certain nutrient content claims for foods that contain DHA and EPA (eg. 'high in', 'excellent source of'), because such claims are by law only permitted for nutrients for which there is an established daily value.  Click HERE​ for details.

Click HERE​ for more details about IngreVita or visit the Cargill booth at IFT (#3141).