As consumers grow increasingly savvy about their retail purchases and seek out the products that are best value for money, it is ever more important for food and beverage firms to make sure that they are innovating to meet these growing demands.
Value today is found in far more than lower prices, but also in terms of the health, functional or nutritional benefits that a good quality product can provide.
This is where not only production technology but also the use of ingredients comes into play, and very often some foods can carry hidden benefits that would appeal to consumers but are not very widely known.
Here are three such items, backed by scientific evidence.
Sea squirts: Anti-ageing
Sea squirts, commonly known as sea pineapples, are a type of marine animal that is commonly found in East Asian countries, especially Japan (Local name: hoya) and South Korea (Local name: Meongge).
These are considered more a form of common street food or pub snack as opposed to a luxury delicacy (like sea urchins or uni), and are usually eaten raw like a sashimi or as a pickle.
The reason for its consumption is primarily due to its briny taste and chewy texture, but recently scientists have discovered additional benefits in sea squirts that could make these much more appealing to a more consumers.
“Sea squirts contain high levels of compounds called plasmalogens, a type of fat molecule that forms an important part of cell membranes. Their levels tend to decline as people grow older, [so] the team added plasmalogens to the diets of aged mice,” said researchers from Stanford University, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in a joint research paper.
“The results were striking. We observed substantial improvements in learning and visible physical changes as well.”
As such, sea squirts are now hypothesised to be able to play a significant anti-ageing role.
“Our research suggests that plasmalogens [in sea squirts] may not just stop cognitive decline, but may reverse cognitive impairments in the ageing brain. Additionally, aged mice fed with the plasmalogens grow new black hair that is thicker and glossier than aged mice not fed the supplement.” added study co-author Professor Lei Fu.
“We found that plasmalogens significantly increase the number of molecules that aid the growth and development of neurones and synapses in the brain, suggesting the promotion of neuroregeneration. There is also increasing evidence that plasmalogens [may] increase the fluidity and flexibility of synaptic membranes, affecting the transmission of impulses between neurones.”
It is still early days for us to see sea squirts emerge as a household food or even a supplement for its anti-ageing benefits just yet, as human clinical trials are still being planned, but the possibilities are indeed intriguing.
“”For the first time, we have shown that plasmalogen might be a potential intervention strategy for halting neurodegeneration and promoting neuroregeneration. This could be a feasible strategy to improve cognitive function [and offer] other anti-ageing benefits," he added.
Beans and lentils: Lowering hypertension
According to World Health Organisation data, around 1.4 billion or approximately one-third of all adults between the age of 30 to 79 worldwide suffer from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure or hypertension is a key risk indicator of and contributing factor to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney damage, causing millions of preventable deaths yearly.
On the other hand, legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, tofu, and other soy products are surprisingly common staple foods around the world, and new research has shown that this can be a ‘surprisingly powerful’ way to combat the risk of hypertension.
“High legume and soy consumption is associated with an overall lower risk of hypertension, [with maximum benefits seen at] intakes of around 170g of legumes per day and 60g to 80g of soy foods per day,” said the authors of the UK-Norway study, which was published in BMJ.
“These findings support dietary recommendations to increase the intake of legumes in the general population.”
The researchers concluded this after completing a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at clarifying the association between legumes and soy consumption and the risk of hypertension, a study covering over 300,000 subjects for legume intake and over 270,000 subjects for soy intake from across the USA, Asia and Europe.
“There was a clear dose–response relationship between increasing intakes of legumes and lower hypertension risk,” they said.
“For lentils, we saw a 30% reduction in risk at an intake of ~170 g/day, while for soy there was a 28% to 29% reduction in risk at 60–80 g/day, with no further reduction in risk at higher intakes.”
These results would be particularly interesting to food firms dealing in the manufacturing of plant-based products or using lentils/soy as a key ingredient, especially with many markets currently reporting an under-consumption of these legumes.
“Current legume consumption across Europe and the UK remains below dietary recommendations, with average intakes of only 8g to 15 g/day, far below the recommendations of 65g to 100 g/day recommended for overall cardiovascular health,” the study added.
NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health chief scientist and executive director Professor Sumantra Ray added that this is a strong boost in the evidence supporting the adoption of a plant-based diet.
“This research strengthens the evidence base for the cardioprotective benefits of plant-based diets. The authors have significantly added to the case for using legumes and soy as primary dietary strategies to mitigate the global burden of hypertension,” he said.
Monkfruit: Antioxidation effects
Monkfruit or luohanguo is likely familiar to consumers that have been on the lookout for sugar alternatives, as it is a commonly-used sweetener.
Other than its sweet taste, monkfruit is actually also considered a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredient for its ‘cooling’ benefits to reduce bodily heat or inflammation, and now researchers from China have uncovered even more reasons to consume it, tied in closely with its antioxidative compounds.
“Monkfruit contains substantial antioxidant levels, indicating many undiscovered potential advantages for human health, as the antioxidants can help protect cells from free radical damage,” said the report authors from Guilin, China.
The study was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, and utilised various techniques including network pharmacology to analyse key active substances, metabolites and potential antioxidant mechanisms in the pulps and peels of four different monkfruit cultivars.
The three main metabolite groups of interest were terpenoids, flavonoids and amino acids, and most interestingly each variant of monkfruit revealed different nutritional characteristics, indicating potentially different innovation pathways for each variant to be made into food or beverage products.
“Not all monkfruit is chemically identical. We found that the pulp of Suqiao monkfruits showed the strongest antioxidative effects, whereas the peel of Xingning monkfruits had higher levels of amino acids and terpenoids,” they added.
“Importantly, our pharmacology assessments suggested that there are 29 key antioxidant metabolites in monkfruit which can interact with 26 core targets in the body, and [can act on] specific pathways associated with cancer, especially breast and prostate carcinomas.”
This suggests potential anti-carcinogenic benefits from the consumption of monkfruit powered mainly by its antioxidation activity, which is also known to have benefits in areas such as anti-ageing and heart health.
