By Donna Berry, Contributing Editor
Nutrition bars. Some consumers love them, others equate them with less-than-tasty supplements. Some consumers would rather indulge in empty calories, pop some supplements and hope the body cannot differentiate.
However, nutrition bars are proving an excellent delivery vehicle for important vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, such as protein.
“What makes bars attractive to so many different types of consumers is ease of use in terms of incorporating them into a daily regime, accompanied with their portability," says Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president and chief scientific officer, Fortitech, Schenectady, NY. “But they must taste good. A bar can be formulated to be nutritional on so many different levels, but if it doesn’t taste good, no one is going to buy it."
Rachel Marshall, marketing manager-nutrition, Fonterra USA, Rosemont, IL, adds: “Historically, bars have done a good job of delivering nutrition, but many had poor sensory properties. This confined many of them to a niche market of consumers who were willing to sacrifice enjoyment for benefit."
Before a formulator sets out to develop a bar, it’s wise to identify the target consumer and their desired nutritional claims. “Key nutrients depend on what you’re looking to get from a bar," says Andy Hart, project leader, International Food Network, Ithaca, NY. “For example, meal-replacement bars should deliver a meaningful percentage of the Daily Value for most of the nutrients required on the Nutrition Facts. Exercise-bar formulations will vary by their intended time of consumption: before, during or after exercise."
Carbs and protein
According to Tonya Armstrong, senior applications scientist, Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine, IA, “Pre-exercise bars will contain a high percentage of carbohydrates with a moderate to low protein and fiber content, as they need to be easily digested while exercising. A recovery bar usually contains more protein and a concentrated level of carbohydrates. Protein content is usually more than 15 grams per bar, with a moderate to high level of carbohydrate in the bar for rapid absorption after exercise.
“Maltodextrins and corn-syrup solids provide readily digestible carbohydrates for such sports-nutrition bars," continues Armstrong. “They also aid in controlling sweetness, and improve texture and binding in granola and enrobed bars."
Athletes need protein as an energy source and to help with muscle-building and recovery. But not all proteins are created equal.
“The quality of protein is especially important for athletes, and whey proteins deliver excellent nutrition," says Marshall. “Whey proteins are also the highest natural source of the branched-chain amino acid leucine, which has been shown to be critical for muscle synthesis and recovery."
Many studies show protein “plays a major role in weight management and satiety, or that feeling of being full or satisfied," says Marshall. “Further, addition of protein to a high-carbohydrate food can improve blood-sugar control, helping to avoid energy spikes and subsequent troughs caused by some simple carbohydrates."
With protein, flavor is an issue formulators may have to address. In Feb. 2010, Fonterra surveyed U.S. consumers and found that 7 out of 10 believe protein bars are a healthy snack; however, 50% want to improve the current taste of bars. That requires innovation to broaden their appeal and to make them more indulgent, “including the use of multiple layers such as coatings, nuts and caramels," says Marshall. “By doing this, the protein is often forced into a smaller portion of the bar, as more traditional dough components are displaced with other layers, resulting in a tough, chewy dough layer in many cases." To help solve this, one ingredient supplier developed a 10%-protein layering caramel to provide caramel indulgence while contributing protein to the bar composition.
Different dairy protein ingredients can be added alone or in combination with each other to deliver a range of different textures. Marshall describes a new whey protein concentrate that permits high levels of whey protein in bars without making them chewy. “The ingredient has excellent stability and provides the softening qualities of whey protein hydrolysate without the associated flavor issues," she says. Milk protein concentrates can also reduce the chewiness of bars while making soft dough more manageable without causing hardening. “For aeration, we have a functional milk protein that offers an alternative to egg white to deliver light, fluffy, whipped textures," she says.
And, of course, bars continue to be a primary delivery vehicle for soy protein, especially in bars targeted to women. Isoflavones (mainly genistein and daidzein) in soy exhibit estrogen-like effects which lead health researchers to suggest they could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis, and alleviate menopause-related hot flashes. However, the isoflavone content of soy protein ingredients, such as soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate, can vary depending on how the ingredient was processed. Ethanol-extracted soy proteins typically have little to no isoflavones, but those made with an aqueous extraction tend to retain the isoflavones.
Regardless of the isoflavone content, however, FDA allows a health claim for soy-protein-containing bars (Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 101.82): “The claim specifies the daily dietary intake of soy protein that is necessary to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and the contribution one serving of the product makes to the specified daily dietary intake level. The daily dietary intake level of soy protein that has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease is 25 grams or more per day of soy protein."
Focusing on long-term health
In addition to bars designed for sports nutrition and to satisfy hunger pains, manufacturers are developing products that appeal to an aging population.
“One way for a manufacturer to stay competitive is to create products that address specific long-term health trends, such as bone health, cardiovascular disease and even anti-aging," adds Chaudhari. “There are also opportunities with gender- and age-specific formulations. For example, there is a trend toward formulating bars targeted to aging women. These products focus on a wide range of concerns, ranging from osteoporosis to menopause."
One heart-healthy granola bar includes “barley beta-glucan and omega-3 fatty acids from a specialty blend of canola and flaxseed oils," says Laura Daly, marketing manager, snacks, bars and cereal, Cargill Inc., Minneapolis. “These ingredients have historically been difficult to incorporate at significant levels in the typical granola bar serving size. The prototype qualifies for two claims: high fiber and good source of omega-3."
