Oftringen (Switzerland)– With Omyaforte™ 100, the Swiss mineral manufacturer presents a highly concentrated, functionalised calcium ingredient with enhanced bioavailability. It offers a new mineral composition and structure, and can be used for a versatile range of applications to support bone health. One such example is a prototype that combines Omyaforte ™ 100 with Gelita’s specific collagen peptides FORTIBONE®. The result is a cocoa-containing beverage powder for improved bone stability and flexibility.
Nowadays, most consumers take a proactive and preventive view of health and wellbeing, and see it as an ongoing process. Fortified foods, beverages and dietary supplements can easily meet these needs. Calcium is one of the best known minerals, and essential for many bodily functions. An increasingly ageing population means global demand for calcium supplements and other calcium-enriched products is set to continue to rise. Yet other groups, including seniors, athletes and expectant women, may also be deficient in calcium and would therefore benefit from targeted nutritional support. Omyaforte™ 100 offers a solution for all these groups – from sports nutrition to vitamin and mineral mixes, and many other kind of supplements.
Compared to other products, Omyaforte™ 100 offers a higher proportion of elemental calcium and enhanced bioavailability. It contains 39% calcium – almost twice as much as calcium citrate – which means only a small amount is needed to reach recommended daily intakes: 770 mg of the natural ingredient is required to achieve 30% of the recommended 1000 mg calcium per day. This amount can be easily incorporated into different formulations, without affecting sensory properties or texture of the end product. Thus, Omyaforte™ creates numerous possibilities for manufacturers looking for nourishing, physiologically valuable ingredients for bone health, and ones which promise ease of processing too. To perfectly illustrate this, Omya has developed a cocoa drink with collagen specialist Gelita, resulting in an excellent calcium source for for promoting bone health. The beverage powder prototype combines Omyaforte™ with Gelita’s specific collagen peptides FORTIBONE®. As neither of these ingredients has a noticeable effect on taste and texture, they can be easily used in a wide variety of product concepts. Available as “on demand content”, visitors can access an Exhibitor Showcase on “Bone health: Highly bioavailable calcium source” held by Innovation Manager Lalit Sharma.
As a second focus, the company’s R&D experts will present a clean label distribution portfolio focusing on increasing consumer demand for vegan food solutions. Vegan vitamin D3 for example, perfectly complements Omya’s natural mineral ingredients such as those in the Calcipur® range. These calcium carbonate particles provide anti-caking properties for powdered applications, and have a positive influence on the texture and colour of bakery products, extruded snacks, convenience food, beverages and much more. Additionally, natural colours and colouring foods, such as safflower yellow or purple sweet potato, will also be showcased. The substrates are an ideal ingredient for plant-based meat alternatives and other vegan and vegetarian food colourings. Completing the portfolio, natural yeast extracts add taste and bring out flavours in savoury and meat alternative products, while allowing for salt reduction.
