Capico International Update

Coffee rebounds after dollar gains against euro

2008-07-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

Coffee prices rose for the first time in five days Thursday after the dollar weakened against the euro, attracting new buyers seeking commodities as an inflation hedge.

Coffee futures for September delivery added 1.5 cents to settle at $1.415 a pound on the ICE Futures U.S. exchange, after earlier trading as high as $1.4215.

Coffee edged higher after the greenback fell against the euro, which bought $1.5786 late Thursday. A weak dollar encourages buying of hard assets like commodities, which are viewed as a safe-haven investment. A falling greenback also makes commodities less expensive to overseas buyers.

Chocolate makers focus on the technology of making better chocolate

2008-07-16T13:29:00.002-04:00

Manufacturers are taking control of the entire process in hopes of producing a better product.

MEET THE new Willy Wonka: Timothy Childs is a former space shuttle technologist who's building a 29,000-square-foot chocolate factory on prime waterfront property in the Embarcadero. He stands in the factory's laboratory inspecting a sample of split-open cocoa beans, pointing out the ones that have been properly fermented and talking intensely about the hedonics of chocolate -- as in the hedonistic sensation of eating it, how it melts in the mouth, when it starts to break apart and the way in which flavors and sugars are released. "We're freaks about it," says Childs, chief chocolate officer (his official title) of Tcho.

He's not the only sweet tooth/techno-tinkerer with chocolate on the mind. In fact, Childs is one of a generation of new Willy Wonkas, a recent crop of American bean-to-bar chocolate makers who are building their own factories -- sometimes their own machinery -- and tracking down cocoa beans to transform them into bars of chocolate (also known as couverture), for eating and for making confections.

There's no mistaking these chocolate makers for traditional chocolatiers, who create confections such as bonbons and truffles. Instead of enthusing about ganache, they're wont to talk about cacao genetics, or the advantages of a roller mill versus a ball mill during chocolate refining, or the stability of certain types of crystalline structures in chocolate.

These entrepreneurs tend to be excited about a just-found piece of vintage machinery (say, a 1930s mahogany winnower) or the next shipment of beans from Bolivia. They're continuously experimenting with roasting times, for example, or with stone-grinding techniques. Or they're taking the extra steps (or leaps) to oversee the drying of their own beans or to press their own cocoa butter.

Setting new standards

THE RESULT is an envelope-pushing variety of chocolate, some of which is on par with the chocolate from European producers that connoisseurs have long considered the standard.

"We haven't even seen how great chocolate can be yet," says Colin Gasko, owner of Rogue Chocolatier (a chocolate maker despite the word "chocolatier" in the name), who launched his Minneapolis company in November. "I don't think that anybody in the world making chocolate right now is making the best chocolate that can be. There's such tremendous potential."

Bean-to-bar is industry parlance for the complicated process by which cacao is turned into chocolate. The bean-to-bar process involves: roasting the beans; breaking them into small pieces called nibs and removing the shells (referred to as winnowing); grinding the nibs, usually with sugar, to form a chocolate paste; then refining and conching (very forceful kneading) to produce the desired smoothness and to develop flavors.

Depending on the chocolate maker's stylistic approach, the following ingredients might be added: vanilla, additional cocoa butter and/or soy lecithin. After it's tempered (heated then cooled to a certain temperature, so that it has sheen and snap), the chocolate is poured into molds.

Until recently the process was the domain of mass producers, even in the 12 years since groundbreaking Scharffen Berger started making chocolate in Berkeley. (And even the big companies are increasingly contracting out a significant part of the process.)

In the last couple of years, inventive chocolate makers have popped up across the U.S. In Brooklyn, a couple of cocoa-loving brothers are building a "chocolaterie and laboratory" in the south Williamsburg neighborhood. Childs teamed with Wired magazine co-founder Louis Rossetto to form Tcho, refurbishing equipment shipped in its entirety from an old chocolate factory in Wernigerode, Germany. Tcho is a 21st-century chocolate factory: Childs plans to install video monitors and display screens that show what's happening inside the machines.

Tcho, which currently has sample chocolate "in beta" and is set to open in the first quarter of next year, is among the biggest of the new wave of chocolate makers, with 18 employees and with the capacity to make 3 tons at a time. "That's still less than what the big guys spill during a shift change," Childs says.

Artisanal "micro-batch" producers are coming out with 50 to 1,000 pounds at a time, with just one or two people making the chocolate, such as Art Pollard of Amano Artisan Chocolate in Orem, Utah; Steve DeVries of DeVries Chocolate in Denver; Alan McClure of Columbia, Mo.-based Patric Chocolate; and Gasko's Rogue Chocolatier.

Small makers multiply

NOW "THERE'S more interest in chocolate and there's high enough prices for chocolate to make it feasible to have a small company," says DeVries, a former glass manufacturer who pursued chocolate making after a trip to Costa Rica several years ago and his first encounter with a cocoa pod. On subsequent trips, he started bringing back as much as 70 pounds of cocoa beans in his suitcases. (He might be the Charlie Papazian of chocolate makers, Papazian being the patron saint of microbrewing.)

Other bean-to-bar chocolate makers include Theo in Seattle; Mast Bros. Chocolate in New York; Taza in Somerville, Mass.; and Askinosie of Springfield, Mo.

"It's a very courageous choice [to make chocolate], especially for the small processors," says international chocolate consultant Chloé Doutre-Roussel, who wrote "The Chocolate Connoisseur" and recently has been helping a cacao cooperative in Bolivia launch a chocolate bar for the export market. "It takes quite a lot of investment in machinery. Even those with small machines end up buying bigger ones. Plus you need to pay for trips to buy the beans and to ship them."

What formerly might have been seen as the unglamorous side of the chocolate world now has cachet, Doutre-Roussel says. Famed chocolatiers such as Pierre Marcolini or Patrick Roger in Belgium and France didn't make their names by roasting and grinding beans. But it has become trendy for high-end European chocolatiers to make at least a limited amount of their own chocolate, maybe even from their own small, vanity-project cacao plantations. Still, Europe hasn't seen the rapid rise of chocolate makers that has taken place in the U.S.

"Three years from now, we'll probably see double the number of chocolate makers [in the U.S.]," Childs says. "It sounds banal, but it reflects back to the Internet and technology. Before it was so hard just to have communication with growing areas. Now practices get communicated, contacts established, samples and feedback are sent. Sourcing the cocoa is the hardest thing to do, making it is second-hardest."

Childs notes that there's enough information on chocolate-making websites to "let people make it on their own and find people who can help them. We couldn't do this 10 years ago; we couldn't do this five years ago."

Meanwhile, by the time Hershey Co. bought Scharffen Berger in 2005 and then Portland, Ore.-based Dagoba the following year, the gap left by industry consolidation was ready to be filled. In 2006, Joseph Whinney founded Seattle-based Theo, the first roaster of organic and fair-trade cocoa beans in the U.S., according to its website.

Many bean-to-bar producers say they're motivated by the possibilities for tremendous change in chocolate making -- in the possible increase in quality to be gained if producers control the way that the bean is handled at the source as well as by paying obsessive attention to how their machinery affects the development of flavors.

"I was curious," DeVries says. "How could it be that I could grind this stuff in my kitchen and have more complex chocolate than any I'd ever had before?

"We have so much upside now. If the French bought all their grapes in shiploads from Africa, how good would the wine be? That's about where we are with chocolate."

Back in the factory lab, Childs points to photos of neatly boxed fermenting cocoa beans (as opposed to beans fermenting in large piles). Tcho plans to implement "infield improvements and models for fermentation and drying," Childs says. "That's the first order to improving quality and flavor. I'm looking at this not just from bean to bar but from pod to palate. Pod to bean is the most crucial step in the process."

Caring for the beans

DEVRIES oversees his own drying method. "For me to make chocolate, I need to go there, be involved in the harvest and be involved in the drying," he says. "I'd heard about the drying of beans in Chuao [Venezuela, where prized beans are from], went down and learned how they made the stuff. A lot of it was the way it was dried. I started doing experiments in Costa Rica and dried them very slowly. I got fantastic chocolate -- dried fruit tones that just knocked people out."

Transforming the beans to bars takes machinery, lots of it. It's the myriad fascinating, sometimes-obscure and hard-to-find, oft-modified machines that charm the Wonkas -- small grinders originally used for making Indian batters such as for dosas (rice-flour pancakes), melangeurs (grinders) tracked down in Spain, a conch from the Suchard factory in Switzerland, or a winnower salvaged from Scharffen Berger's parking lot.

"It's not all easy to find. Machine shop skills come in handy," says Amano's Pollard, a search engine developer who had his first chocolate epiphany 11 years ago during his honeymoon after eating a Belgian chocolate truffle. "I decided to design and build my own refiner and conch from scratch. I think one of the great things about doing it the hard way instead of buying machinery is that you really learn why things are the way they are."

The level of attention that the bean-to-bar guys pay to each part of the process is sort of captivating. During winnowing, much of which Patric's McClure does by hand, he removes a large proportion of the germ because, he says, it's hard and bitter. Rogue's Gasko, who "started fooling around with machines in the basement," says he's working on equipment that he hopes will get the remaining hulls down to one-tenth of a percent with only 2% loss of the nib and at the same time remove all of the germ. "It requires a bit of engineering," he says.

As for ingredients, some of the new chocolate makers have little interest in anything but the cocoa beans and sugar.

"My philosophy is if you have to add any flavor to the chocolate in order to make it taste good," McClure says, "then the cacao that you're using is not good enough to be used."

The only two ingredients you'll see listed on the packaging of DeVries' chocolate is cocoa beans and cane sugar, but he doesn't describe himself as a purist. For now, "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with the cocoa bean."

Bread Fortification on the Rise

2008-07-15T18:19:00.001-04:00

Bread in its many forms and flavors has become a staple in countless cultures. It is believed that as far back as 15,000 B.C., nomadic hunter-gatherers discovered wheat was edible. Moistened grain meal formed pastes that, when “cooked” on heated rocks, yielded the first flatbreads. It was the Egyptians who first isolated yeast cultures to make breads rise. From Egypt to Greece to Rome, bread became more than a staple. The type of bread a person consumed was an indication of social status: the darker the bread, the lower the social station.

Enriching experiences

Through the years, grain millers found removing bran led to a more-desirable flour. Taste became milder and less susceptible to oxidation as rancidity-prone oils were no longer present. Removal of the grain’s bran and germ, however, left the flour short on naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Bread’s relatively low cost and commonality to countless diet plans made it an excellent vehicle for nutrients missing from many consumers’ diets. Shortly after issuing its Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) in 1941, FDA was joined by bread manufacturer Continental Baking Co. in developing a bread-enrichment program, adding niacin, riboflavin (B₂), thiamin (B₁) and iron to bread to help stop the spread of nutritional-deficiency-related diseases, including beriberi, pellagra and severe nutritional anemia, in the United States. More recently, folic acid has become a common enrichment ingredient, helping prevent neural tube birth defects like spina bifida.

Because enriched bread is typically consumed as part of a greater meal item, its added vitamins and minerals are better absorbed. Calcium, for example, is more effectively absorbed in the presence of protein. Consuming calcium-fortified bread as a peanut butter or meat-and-cheese sandwich, therefore, improves the absorption of the added calcium.

Health-conscious consumers have discovered that bread provides nutrients their fast-paced diets fall short on. Unlike “enrichments,” where vitamins and minerals are added to enhance or replace naturally occurring elements, “fortification” programs add nutritive elements normally not present. It is these fortified products to which consumers are turning for help in their quest for better health.

Loaf legalese

Bread’s standard of identity (Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 136, Part 116), while established to protect consumers and manufacturers, can place constraints on developers seeking to improve or enhance bread products. Calcium salts, for example, are limited to a combined level of 0.²⁵ parts per 100 parts of flour. Monocalcium phosphate (MCP) is one exception to the limit, and may be used up to 0.⁷⁵ parts per 100 parts of flour (including any MCP present in the flour used). “Calcium phosphates provide multiple functional benefits in a single product,” says Barbara Heidolph, principal, ICL Performance Products LP, St. Louis. MCP added for dough conditioning also provides calcium fortification. “In standard bread products that use MCP, health claims cannot be made, because at a two-slice serving, you would get only 75 mg calcium per slice,” she says. “To make a ‘good source’ claim, you must have 100 mg per serving.” There are options, though, for the creatively named products. “In nonstandard bread, especially those formulated with healthful ingredients like fiber and whole grains, calcium phosphate can be used for fortification at levels to allow ‘good source of calcium’ or ‘excellent source of calcium’ claims,” she notes.

Fiber-rific flours

Americans’ underconsumption of fiber follows a general trend—replacing more whole foods with processed ones. But adding fiber to a formulation can affect several finished-product characteristics. Whole grains tend to create a denser finished product, a concern that can be addressed through leavening agents. Wheat supplies the gluten critical to dough development and structure, so fibers and grains other than wheat “dilute” the gluten content. Addition of vital wheat gluten can compensate somewhat for this. Adding these ingredients can also affect water absorption and mixing time, so product designers must be prepared to modify formulations and processes to achieve the desired loaf.

Whole grains can also affect color. Wheat and soy fibers can yield a yellow tone. Cellulose is one of the most white.

Flavor is yet another potential hurdle to clear. Wheat, barley and oat flours can impart strong flavors that could be undesirable in a bland-tasting product, but complementary in a multigrain formulation.

Fiber is a nondigestible complex carbohydrate, further defined by water solubility. Insoluble fibers, such as those mentioned above, pass through our bodies quickly, taking with it waste materials, helping reduce the risk of colon cancer. Bread applications typically utilize insoluble fibers, as they do not adversely affect mouthfeel, or fermentation and proofing processes.

Soluble fibers help lower glucose levels and cholesterol. They are obtained from fruits, vegetables and certain grains. Barley and oats, for example, contain beta glucans, nonstarch polysaccharides found to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol. Since 1995, FDA has allowed foods containing 0.⁷⁵ grams of soluble fiber from barley or oats to carry a health claim relating the consumption of beta glucan with reduced risk of coronary heart disease when the food is consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Unlike insoluble fibers, though, soluble fiber can affect the viscosity, the amount of water required for proper processing, fermentation and proofing processes, and finished product texture.

It is important to note that while both oats and barley increase fiber in a formulation, neither can create yeast-risen breads on their own. Oats contain no gluten; barley has some gluten, but not enough to provide adequate rising.

Inulin is a soluble fiber composed of 2 to 60 fructose units. Shorter chains, 10 units and fewer, are referred to as fructooligosaccharides (FOS). In addition to boosting fiber content, inulin and FOS function as prebiotics (helping improve and sustain healthy intestinal microflora), improve calcium absorption and bone health, and help with weight control in adolescents.

“Typically, we recommend inulin for yeast-leavened systems,” says Joe O’Neill, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Beneo-Orafti, Morris Plains, NJ. “It has functional and cost benefits over oligofructose in yeast- raised and in leavened dough applications.” Another benefit of inulin is that it can be a used for additional fiber enrichment in high-fiber doughs with minimal water addition. Too much water addition in traditional high-fiber doughs can lead to microbial spoilage.

“Inulin has been successfully used in high-fiber dough systems without issues with dough handling or sticky doughs,” O’Neill notes. “Within the guidelines of ‘good source’ and ‘excellent source’ of fiber, inulin will have no effect on flavor or texture and can be used to make great-tasting, nutritious foods.”

Further, O’Neill says, growing recognition of inulin as one of the best and most-researched natural prebiotic fibers available is drawing developers to the claims they can make with inulin added to their products. “In addition to ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ fiber source, developers can also make structure/function claims based on inulin and oligofructose prebiotic function,” he notes. “Prebiotics are now taking fiber to a new level, allowing for claims on improved digestive health and function.”

Unseen heroes

Changing fiber content does not necessarily mean changing finished product characteristics. “Using certain ingredients, developers can boost fiber level invisibly, without negatively impacting the product,” says Doris Dougherty, senior food scientist, Tate & Lyle, Decatur, IL.

Resistant starch is one such group of ingredients. The term “resistant” refers to the starch’s ability to withstand human digestion. “While most starches are fully digestible, yielding 4 calories per gram,” notes Dougherty, “these are designed to be resistant to human enzymes, yielding 1.⁷ calories per gram (dry solids basis).” Tate & Lyle’s proprietary re-crystallization processing provides a physically modified (RS3) product that is more stable to heat and shear. But resistant starches are more than simple roughage. “These products have also been shown to act as a prebiotic fiber fermented in the colon, resulting in an increased amount of beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acids such as butyric,” she says.

Low water-holding capacity avoids stickiness, poor expansion and competition for moisture that could necessitate changes to formulation, processing time or temperature. As with any flour replacement, however, addition of vital wheat gluten may be necessary to ensure proper protein structure.

Invisible assistance can also be gained from soluble corn fiber. “It’s a fiber with sugar-like functionality,” says Dougherty. Unlike sugar, though, soluble corn fiber will not affect flavor or mouthfeel, she says.

The RS3 product is available in dry and liquid (70% fiber) forms, both of which exhibit solubility and stability unaffected by processing.

One if by land

Cultivated as far back as 3,000 B.C., flax is gaining attention as a healthful addition to modern bread formulations. Flaxseed is a powerful fiber-enriching material with approximately 28% dietary fiber composed of both soluble (one-third) and insoluble (two-thirds) fiber.

Flaxseed also has approximately 34% lipids, more than half of which is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid. Associated with a host of health benefits, omega-3s qualify for structure/function claims such as “omega-3 fatty acids support healthy brain function,” “omega-3s support cardiovascular health” or “omega-3 fatty acids support a healthy immune system.” Products that contain 260 mg of ALA per reference amount can be labeled as “high in ALA,” “rich in ALA” or “excellent source of ALA.”

Flaxseed is commonly used as intact whole seeds or ground seeds. Whole flaxseed can be utilized as a topping to improve appearance or texture. Poor adhesion can, however, leave many seeds in the bottom of a package. Direct addition of whole seeds, as in certain specialty artisan breads, requires a presoaking step to facilitate blending.

Shelled flaxseed can serve as an alternative to traditional whole flaxseed, notes Doreen VandenTillaart, vice president, sales and administration, Natunola Health Inc., Winchester, Ontario. “Whole flaxseed is not digestible in the human body due to the hard outer shell,” she says. “By removing this shell, the body can now break down the nutritional components in both the shell (fiber, lignans) and the inner kernel (omega-3).” Using a product with almost 31% ALA, developers can achieve a “rich source” claim adding less than 1% to their formulation. “With the shell removed, the seed is not as slick, having been opened up, and therefore has better sticking properties to dough, resulting in less waste,” she says.

Ground flaxseed is commonly used in American bread products. Milled flaxseed offers improved nutritional value and ease of addition over whole seeds. VandenTillaart notes that traditional milling processes can leave the ground material susceptible to oxidation. “When grinding flaxseed, the flax oil, which tends to be unstable, is pressed from the inner (yellow) flax kernel, resulting in rapid oxidation,” she says. “Shelling flax allows for the separation of the two flax components (the outer shell and the inner kernel), leaving the oil intact in the kernel and improving overall stability.” She suggests that oxidation often is to blame for the bitter notes imparted by ground-flax products. “Shelled flax,” she notes, “adds a pleasant, nutty flavor to foods.”

While flaxseed will act like many other whole grains, developers should consult with their suppliers for advice on formulation changes that might come from addition of a particular form and/or level of flaxseed. Additional fiber can necessitate additional water—as much as 75% of the flaxseed level. Maintaining existing proofing times and textures might require additional yeast. Gluten addition can also improve dough strength.

Two if by sea

Omega-3s are rising in popularly across the food spectrum, and breads are ripe for fortification with them. While flaxseed provides a rich source of one omega-3, certain oily fish deliver two others: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are synthesized in the body from ALA, although the conversion rate is as low as 3%. FDA has approved EPA and DHA for qualified heart-health claims not allowed for ALA: “Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One serving of [name of food] provides [x] grams of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. (See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content.)”

Fish-derived sources of EPA and DHA have one potential disadvantage: fishy taste or odor. However, microencapsulation technology has yielded EPA and DHA products that do not affect finished-product flavor or aroma.

Menhaden oil, lacking a strong fishy taste or odor, presents an opportunity for adding EPA and DHA to breads, according to the Menhaden Resource Council, Arlington, VA. Menhaden oil is FDA GRAS and certified for use in 32 food categories, including baked goods. However, sensitivity to heat can limit use of menhaden oil. Incorporation of menhaden oil into baked products should be done as late in the process as possible. Alone, menhaden oil is stable for up to 20 minutes at 350°F. Blending with a melted fat increases tolerance slightly, up to 40 minutes at 375°F, so it is suitable for bread.

Protein power

In 1999, FDA told consumers that daily consumption of 25 grams of soy protein would lower LDL cholesterol. Products containing 6.²⁵ grams per serving could bear a heart-health claim. More recent studies have shown that isoflavones, phytochemicals in soy, might have positive effects on asthma, low bone mineral density, heart disease and cancer.

Beyond health benefits, soy offers functional benefits to bread formulations. Research performed at Texas A&M University indicates that water-binding, as much as 1.⁵ parts water to 1 part soy flour, can provide increased production volumes and improved shelf life. Soy can replace other allergens such as egg or nonfat dry milk and provide effective cost reduction. Soy flour’s enzymatic activity whitens a product with addition rates at or below 0.5%.

Part of what makes whole wheat nutritionally beneficial is the protein in the endosperm layer. “Using a proprietary method, one can isolate the precious aleurone layer where most of the desirable whole-wheat nutrients are concentrated,” says Kyle Marinkovich, marketing manager, Horizon Milling, Wayzata, MN. “Wheat aleurone brings consumers value by incorporating the nutritional benefits of whole grains while preserving the pleasing sensory qualities people enjoy in foods made from white flour: soft texture, high volume, mild taste and light color.”

According to Marinkovich, nutrition scientists have confirmed that isolated aleurone is preferable to full bran because it contains higher levels of almost all the whole-wheat nutrients believed to help promote better health: 45% dietary fiber; essential vitamins, including B₆, niacin, and E; minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc; most major antioxidants; and many phytochemicals, including tocopherols and tocotrienols.

The fiber, vitamins and minerals contributed by wheat aleurone will give rise to formulation or processing changes, as seen with any whole-grain or high-fiber ingredient, notes Rob Ostrander, technical services representative, Horizon Milling. “It may require additions of vital wheat gluten and dough conditioners to overcome the lower volumes and weaker tolerance to overmixing,” he says. “Most bakers will reduce mix and fermentation times to produce acceptable-volume breads.”

Wheat proteins provide additional solutions to challenges in yield and texture. “Loaf volume is dependent upon a strong gluten network,” notes Brook Carson, technical product manager, ADM Milling, Overland Park, KS. “As the gluten usage increases, the dough increases in elasticity and becomes difficult to process. Adding wheat protein isolate relaxes the dough, improving the process performance without negatively affecting the final-product quality. The final product has healthy whole grains, optimized texture and an increase in protein.

“Oftentimes,” Carson continues, “whole grains produce a more-dense texture and nutty flavor when compared to white pan breads. Wheat protein isolates not only improve the texture of the bread, but also mask the bitterness associated with whole grains.”

This just scratches the surface of the fortification options for your daily bread. No matter what the target loaf, dense and hearty or springy and soft, product designers can work with an array of ingredients to make bread healthier.

R. J. Foster is a wordsmith with a B.S. in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and over 15 years of experience in the food industry. He can be reached through his website,wordsmithingbyfoster.com.

More Grist for the Bread Mill

Despite the USDA’s recognition that diets rich in dietary fiber promote healthy laxation and reduce the risks of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, on average, consumers take in half of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 25 grams per day (based on a target daily intake of 2,000 calories). To be labeled a “good source” of fiber, a product must contain at least 10% of the RDI (2.5 grams) per reference amount. An “excellent source” must contain 20% (5.0 grams) per reference amount.

A 100-gram portion of refined wheat flour contains 2.7 grams of fiber. Whole-grain wheat flour delivers 12.2 grams of fiber in the same 100-gram portion. Substituting one-third whole-grain white-wheat flour in a formulation can provide a means of increasing fiber. This substitution can, however, be made with a variety of flours. Buckwheat and corn flours have 10 grams of fiber per 100 grams, while barley flour yields 10.1 grams, oat flour 11.5 grams and rye 14.6 grams.

Best Bets for Bread Fortification

Results from the “2008 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food Nutrition & Health” from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), Washington, D.C., indicate that two-thirds (67%) of Americans are making changes to improve the healthfulness of their diet. One of IFIC’s findings was that more than 80% of all Americans say they are currently consuming, or would be interested in consuming, specific foods or beverages for health benefits.

As the survey results demonstrate, some of the food components consumers are interested in are perfect fits for fortified breads. For example, when aware of the food component, 78% of consumers are trying to increase their consumption of whole grains. Similarly, 77% of consumers are trying to increase their consumption of fiber.

For complete survey results and analysis, see ific.org/research/foodandhealthsurvey.cfm.

Spice-Rack Favorites Battle E. coli and Other Foodborne Pathogens

2008-07-14T13:39:00.002-04:00

Herbs and spices like oregano, thyme, cinnamon and clove do more than add pleasing flavors and aromas to familiar foods. The oils from these plants, or compounds extracted from those oils, pack a powerful, antimicrobial punch—strong enough to help quell such foodborne pathogens as Escherichia coli O157:H7.

That's according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Mendel Friedman, who several years ago evaluated the bacteria-bashing power of these and dozens of other plant compounds.

Now, some of the compounds that Friedman and co-investigators determined were the strongest combatants of E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, or Listeria monocytogenes in the 2002 study are being tapped for new research focused on food safety.

For example, Friedman, research leader Tara H. McHugh, and other scientists at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are evaluating the highest-ranking botanical bactericides as potential ingredients in what are known as edible films.

A thin, pliable, edible film for the future might be made of puréed spinach spiked with carvacrol, the compound responsible for oregano's ranking as a top fighter of E. coli in the Friedman study.

The scientists want to find out whether adding small squares of carvacrol-enhanced spinach purée film to bags of chilled, ready-to-eat spinach leaves would help protect this salad green against E. coli.

Friedman is also exploring other new uses of the top-rated botanicals from the earlier study. That investigation, which he conducted with technician Philip R. Henika and research leader Robert E. Mandrell at Albany, was the most extensive of its kind at the time it was published. Also notable was the common basis of comparison, which the team established by inventing new methods to prepare and test all of the samples. For even more consistency, the scientists used the same bacterial strains—from the same suppliers—throughout the investigation.

No higher death risk in long-term coffee drinking

2008-07-12T20:49:00.003-04:00

Long-term coffee drinking does not appear to increase a person's risk of early death and may cut a person's chances of dying from heart disease, according to a study published on Monday.

Previous studies have given a mixed picture of health effects from coffee, finding a variety of benefits and some drawbacks from the popular drink. The new study looked at people who drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

Researchers led by Esther Lopez-Garcia of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain followed 84,214 U.S. women from 1980 to 2004 and 41,736 U.S. men from 1986 to 2004.

They found that regular coffee drinking -- up to six cups a day -- was not associated with increased deaths among the study's middle-aged participants. In fact, the coffee drinkers, particularly the women, experienced a small decline in death rates from heart disease.

The study found no association between coffee consumption and cancer deaths.

"Our study indicates that coffee consumption does not have a detrimental effect," Lopez-Garcia, whose research appears in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, said in a telephone interview. "It seems like long-term coffee consumption may have some beneficial effects."

There has been a debate among scientists about the health effects of drinking coffee, which typically contains the stimulant caffeine and a number of other important compounds.

The people who took part in the research completed questionnaires on how frequently they drank coffee, other diet habits, smoking and medical conditions. The researchers then studied the mortality risk over the period of the study among people with different coffee-drinking habits.

The study found that women who reported drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than women who did not drink coffee. The researchers saw a smaller decreased risk for men but it was not statistically significant.

Drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with a small reduction in overall mortality risk, the researchers said.

The people in the study had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer when they entered it. The women were nurses and the men doctors, dentists and other health professionals.

Some studies have indicated coffee is a great source of antioxidants, substances that may protect against the effects of molecules called free radicals that can damage cells and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other ailments.

Recent studies have offered a mixed picture on the health effects of coffee.

A study that came out in January found that pregnant women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day had twice the risk of miscarriage as those who avoid caffeine. Another study appearing in January found that drinking caffeinated coffee lowered a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.

Ice Cream Sales Still "Hot,"

2008-07-11T17:06:00.002-04:00

Long-time favorite dessert continues to excite shoppers

Americans really do scream for real ice cream. According to new consumer research nine in ten people (89%) enjoyed a cool, creamy scoop in the past year. In comparison, only three in five (59%) ate novelties such as ice cream sandwiches or bars. Less than two in five ate sherbet or frozen yogurt (37% and 34%, respectively).

"Ice cream remains one of America's favorite treats,". "Slow churn and super-premium innovations have brought exciting new variety to the taste and texture people know and love."

Ice cream's familiarity is what drives sales. In 2007, ice cream accounted for nearly 60% of total sales(1) from ice cream, frozen novelties, sherbet and frozen yogurt combined. Frozen novelties made up over a third of sales (36%), while sherbet and frozen yogurt accounted for just 5%.

Behind those figures, however, it seems people may be cooling towards old-fashioned ice cream. Though ice cream sales dominated the market in 2007, they were also 3.9% behind sales levels from 2002. The culprit? Frozen novelties, sales of which grew 7.2% from 2002 to 2007.

"Convenience and healthy eating trends drive more people to frozen novelties to satisfy cravings,""These products are portable and portion-controlled. Plus, rapid new product development is giving consumers many new frozen novelty dessert choices."

Frozen novelties may be the key to continued success. With today's health-conscious consumer looking for a balance between nutrition and indulgence, "options such as light, portion-controlled ice cream bars or lower calorie frozen yogurt are sure to resonate."

Forecasts for the market for ice cream, frozen novelties, sherbet and frozen yogurt through all retail channels to grow 15% from 2008 to 2012.

(1) Includes food, drug and mass merchandiser channels; excludes Wal-Mart

A Modern Comeback for a Taste of Brooklyn

2008-07-10T16:05:00.001-04:00

For the New Yorker of a certain age, the first sip was a rite after nursing: from mother’s milk to Manhattan Special. Those little glass bottles may as well have come with nipples.

And brother, what a sip. In today’s world of energy drinks and juices and endless vitamin boosters and ginger and ginseng, there is still nothing that resembles a cold Manhattan Special, a thick and fizzy, jet-black blend of espresso and seltzer topped off with a bracing wallop of pure cane sugar. It muscles its way around the mouth, making itself at home, before bounding down the throat like a big, goofy kid going to play in the basement.

The first sip was often the start of a lifetime of little glass bottles, for Manhattan Special, a hand grenade of caffeine and sugar, is nothing if not addictive. Generations of New Yorkers, especially Italians, grew up jittery as junkies on the stuff outside its big plant in Williamsburg, on the street that gave it its name, Manhattan Avenue.

“You’d almost think it was in the Bible, for God’s sake,” said Paul Botwin, a veteran of World War II and, later, the New York soda wars, working in the business and watching other local brands come and go. “The times passed them by. Coffee survived.”

The soda company is run by a sister and brother, Aurora Passaro, 44, and Louis Passaro, 43. The brother, a weightlifter, Kiss fan and action-figure collector, is as gregarious and outsize as his sister is proper and private. She runs the office, he oversees production.

They were born into the work, but cruelly thrust into their jobs in 1983, when they were still teenagers. That was the year Manhattan Special splashed in a different, awful way, across newspaper columns describing their father’s murder.

Now 113 years old, Manhattan Special seems to be caught between two worlds, or even four: past and future, New York City and the outside. While old-timers fondly recall the soda of their youth, the mention of Manhattan Special to the average 20- or 30-something New Yorker is often met with a blank stare. The little soda company from Brooklyn has largely slipped out of daily life in much of the city. Instead, the soda is finding its way along terrain unheard of back in the day, like specialty-food niches and online sales.

To that end, Ms. Passaro, the fourth generation of Passaros at the soda plant, spent three long days last week at the sprawling Fancy Food Show in Manhattan, in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, standing and smiling and handing out samples alongside hundreds of purveyors of gourmet foods and far-flung delicacies. Behind her was a blowup of the bottle’s label, a Jazz Age couple dancing over a cup of espresso.

But walk outside the Javits into the summer heat, and a block or two away you could enter 17 corner delis and bodegas before you found one that carried Manhattan Special.
“It used to be ubiquitous,” said Joseph Terlato, a former Manhattan Special slurper in short pants in Bensonhurst, now an 81-year-old food retailer in Poughkeepsie, attending the food show. “Now, it’s in specialty shops.”

To spend a few days with the Passaros is to keep each foot in eras as separate as chalked squares on a hopscotch grid. At their food show booth, an electronic scanner reads bar codes on visitors’ name tags, downloading their names and contact information for future Manhattan Special mailings. Back at the plant, where horses and buggies once carried sodas packed in wood cases, workers strain at the big bottling machine in the back, a behemoth of steel and flaking paint on cinder blocks, through which every single bottle passes.

Manhattan Special was created by an Italian immigrant named Michael Garavuso, who dreamed up the soda with the help of Ms. Passaro’s great-grandmother, Dr. Teresa Cimino, an osteopath, and Mr. Garavuso’s friend, who treated people with bone deformations. Italians rejected American coffee for espresso, and both saw promise in a cold version for the summer months. “Since 1895,” later bottles read. “Gold Medal, Rome, 1925.” Mr. Garavuso shrewdly worked with an Irish bottler, instantly expanding his customer base.

Louis Passaro, Ms. Passaro’s grandfather, was in charge of distribution, eventually taking over the operation. In Passaro tradition, he put his son, Albert, to work. Albert liked to tell people he started at the top. The top of the delivery truck.

Albert took over in 1970, when his daughter, Aurora, was 7, and Louis was 6. “I live in a nice house,” he told Forbes magazine in 1982. “I know this business. What would I do? Go and lose my money someplace else?”

He was very proud of the product. “What celery soda was to the Jews,” he said in another interview, “Manhattan Special was to the Italians.” He expanded the selections beyond espresso, introducing fruit sodas. “Maybe I got into a can of worms,” he told Forbes.

Ms. Passaro started working at the plant at age 12, sweeping floors and making up the cardboard cartons that held the bottles. “My dad really took it to another level,” she said. Standing at her booth at the food show, where smiles and handshakes prevail, her eyes filled with tears. “He was the soul of the company, and we miss him very much.”

Albert Passaro and his wife, Angela, had separated, and Mr. Passaro remarried and moved to Woodhaven, Queens. On May 26, 1983, his second wife and their young child were upstate on vacation. He stayed home alone.

The police said his housekeeper found him. Ms. Passaro was 19, a college student still working at the plant. She was there when the call came, from Mr. Passaro’s neighbor, saying she should come to her father’s house. An employee picked her up and drove her.

“I got out of the car while it was still moving,” she said. “Everything just drained out of me.”
Albert Passaro had been shot dead in the basement. The police said his pockets had been turned out, and the home ransacked. Ms. Passaro went to Christ the King high school to tell her little brother. “She showed up with the undertaker,” he said.

And that was it. There was no question what would happen next. Aurora dropped out of school, never to return — “When did I have time for that?” — and they took over Manhattan Special.
“You always thought, ‘Hey, you don’t want to mess this up. It’s all you,’ ” Louis said. “It wasn’t easy for us. I’m not going to lie.”

The day after the killing, the headline in The New York Post read, “Soda King’s Murder Has Cops Stumped.” And it still does. The case remains unsolved. “Homicide cases never close,” Ms. Passaro said, although she said no one from the Police Department has called with news in years. A police spokesman said only that the case remains open.

Ms. Passaro is intensely protective of the business. She declined to discuss volume or sales figures, putting the number of units sold only “in the millions” per year. She first declined to allow a reporter and photographer to see the part of the plant where the soda is mixed, but then relented on the condition that no pictures would be taken.

The plant is a rich mix of old and new, like some weathered battleship refitted with shining parts. In the mixing area upstairs, the espresso beans are ground in batches — their scent seeping out into the neighborhood — and mixed in big tanks. Metal pipes flush soda through a fat hose to the bottling room below. A conveyer belt snakes along the tiled walls, and the glass bottles race through the stations: rinsing, filling, capping, labeling, casing.

Outside the plant, the neighborhood has changed. Young newcomers to the city have swarmed Williamsburg, seemingly oblivious of their old neighbor. “They smile, ‘Oh, coffee soda,’ ” Louis Passaro said with a shrug.

This month, Manhattan Special, for the first time, plans to sell sodas on its Web site. Ms. Passaro said she will ship cases anywhere in the continental United States. “It’s an opportunity for people who couldn’t get it to get it again,” Ms. Passaro said. She acknowledges that selling to aging boomers is hardly a growth strategy, but she and her brother said they were satisfied with their volume as it is.

Mr. Botwin, the soda wars veteran who occasionally helps out, said the plant is “running flat out” to meet summer demand.

Meanwhile, they ship wholesale batches around the world. It is not impossible that a person in the United Arab Emirates can buy a cold Manhattan Special. And traffic was brisk at the food show booth in Manhattan. Buyers from the Gourmet Garage chain and mom-and-pop boutiques around the region all scanned their name-tag information for Ms. Passaro.

Another question lingers over Manhattan Special. Both the Passaro siblings are childless, raising the likelihood that when they stop working there, it may be sold to someone outside the family.

“That’s a good question,” Ms. Passaro said.

Does Green Tea Help the Heart?

2008-07-09T17:45:00.003-04:00

The next time you're offered a choice between Earl Grey and green tea, you might want to go green.

A new study shows that the beverage, which is more popular in Eastern cultures, can protect heart arteries by keeping them flexible and relaxed, and therefore better able to withstand the ups and downs of constant changes in blood pressure. Led by Dr. Nikolaos Alexopoulos of Athens Medical School in Greece, the researchers found that among 14 subjects, those who drank green tea showed greater dilation of their heart arteries on ultrasound 30 min. later than those drinking either diluted caffeine or hot water. That's because, the scientists speculate, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping cells there to secrete the substances needed to relax the vessels and allow blood to flow more freely. It's the flavonoids in the tea, which work as antioxidants and help prevent inflammation in body tissue, that keep the vessels pliable. These substances may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks. "We found very promptly [that] after drinking green tea, there was a protective effect on the endothelium," says Dr. Charalambos Vlachopoulos, a cardiologist and one of the authors of the study.

All it took, says Vlachopoulos, was 6 g of green tea, which amounts to 3 to 4 cups. To make sure the dilation effect was not due to the small amounts of caffeine found in green tea, the group compared the arterial sizes in the green-tea drinkers with those consuming a diluted caffeine beverage and found no change in arterial size in the caffeine drinkers. Even more intriguing, the beneficial effect seems to be long-lasting and cumulative. When the doctors measured the green-tea drinkers' arteries two weeks after daily consumption of the beverage, they found that their vessels were more dilated than they had been at the beginning of the study. "It's something that needs to be investigated, but we think that if someone takes green tea for one or two months, the beneficial effect will be even greater," says Vlachopoulos.

But experts caution that one study isn't enough to catapult green tea to wonder-drink status. Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, and past president of the American Heart Association, notes that endothelial function is affected by a number of factors, including large doses of vitamins E and C. "Green-tea consumption may have beneficial effects on the arteries, but we should stop short of translating that into a recommendation that everybody should be drinking green tea because it's been proven to reduce heart attacks and strokes," he says. He acknowledges, however, that early studies hint that green tea may be a good addition to a heart-healthy diet. The American Heart Association does not yet include the beverage in its dietary recommendations, but more studies like this one may change that. In the meantime, if you're drinking tea, it might not be such a bad idea to go green.

Proper nutrition through healthy breads

2008-07-08T14:55:00.003-04:00

Walter Co, president of Creative Bakers Company, Inc., puts it this way: "Sandwiches are ideal for people on the go because they're easy to hold and carry. It can also be a healthier choice especially for those who are trying to lose weight, because the tendency is to add vegetables to the filling, and you also get a more controlled portion."

With more than two decades of expertise in breadmaking, Creative Bakers steered the wheel to the healthy living category in 2005, initially launching two variants in its new class - Walter Sugar-free Wheat Pan de Sal and Walter Double Fiber Wheat Bread (Heart Protect). Today, Walter is the leading brand having the most extensive line of healthy bread, each variant catering to a different lifestyle and dietary need.

Walter High Fiber Weight Control Bread is white bread enriched with oats and vegetable fibers and is 98% fat free. It is specially made for those who prefer to eat white bread with the benefits of wheat bread. It has the highest fiber content in the market - 4 grams per serving. "It's value for money when you compare it with a 5-gram sachet of fiber supplement at P15, which is P3 per gram of fiber," Mr. Co said.

High-fiber content restricts snacking intervals "because you feel full for a longer period of time," while its low-sodium content helps cut the craving for sweetened beverages, which comes with having too much salt in the body.

"In the past, bread manufacturers had compromised on taste: either it's salty or bland. Too much wheat makes it difficult for the bread to rise, so normally you don't see a very good wheat bread that's square in shape. To make it squarish, people add more salt, for the structure, so you normally get higher salt content. But in our case, it's not so. We try to lower the salt but still give you a moist and delicious product," Mr. Co said.

For diabetics and weight watchers, Walter Sugar Free Wheat Bread provides a tasty alternative, using isomalt, which also keeps the bread's natural flavors. Walter Double Fiber Wheat Bread with Heart Protect contains both insoluble fibers from wheat to help clean the colon and soluble apple fibers to help lower cholesterol levels in the body.

Walter Bread for Kids is stocked with inulin for increased calcium and magnesium absorption - important for fast-growing bones

"There is a growing preference for healthy bread because of people who are on the go or like to lose weight. Basically, what we're trying to do is accentuate and add to the good elements in bread, like putting more fiber, while lessening its bad ones, like sugar, salt and fats, without compromising value and flavor," Mr. Co concluded.

Walter bread is the first and only bread to be tested 0 in sugar and is proven to be trans-fat free since May 2005 by Setsco Services Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.

Walter Health Nutrition breads are sold by supermarkets and groceries that understand and care about the health needs and demands of their customers.

Pomegranate Juice is Packed With Antioxidants

2008-07-07T18:01:00.001-04:00

It’s time to start ordering pometinis at girls’ night out. A new University of California, Los Angeles, study ranked 10 beverages by their levels of disease-fighting antioxidants—and pomegranate juice came out on top. Here, the healthiest beverage powerhouses:

Pomegranate juice
Red wine
Concord grape juice
Blueberry juice
Black cherry juice
Açaí juice
Cranberry juice
Orange juice
Tea
Apple juice

Go With the Grain; Barley could be big in your future diet

2008-07-06T16:32:00.002-04:00

Food scientists are working to transform the snack and bread aisles in our supermarkets. And they want to make the leap using a grain that is widely grown in Canada and is a nutritional powerhouse with all kinds of potential health benefits -- barley.

"Although barley is not considered a staple food or even a major food ingredient in the average North American diet, it is consumed on a daily basis in other parts of the world," says Nancy Ames, who works for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The majority of barley grown in North America is used for animal feed and malting for beer and ale. But in Tibet, hulless barley has been a staple food ingredient for centuries. There, barley flour is used to make a number of foods from traditional products to popular Asian noodles.

Barley is a nutritional powerhouse that is high in fibre, beta-glucan, phenolic antioxidants, vitamin E and B-complex vitamins. Some studies suggest it provides a number of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, plus a boost to the immune system.

"When popped and spiced, the nutty flavour and satisfying crunch lend themselves well to snacking or used as an alternative to nuts in baking or salads," says Ames. "The unique textures in some barley varieties are extremely suitable to use in ready-to-eat snacks or as a replacement for nuts in sweet confections."

Her team has also developed a process for "minute barley," a quick-cooking whole-grain product that could replace quick-cooking rice, which has reduced nutritional value as it is highly processed

This product can be used in salads, tacos, desserts, pilafs, tabbouleh, risotto and other dishes.

Another barley-derived creation Ames has developed is a tortilla made from 100 per cent barley flour and considered a healthier alternative to flour or corn tortillas.
Unlike wheat tortillas, which often contain preservatives, no other ingredients besides water are required to make them, she says.

Although it is not a whole grain, "pot" barley, unlike pearl barley, undergoes a minimal amount of refining that leaves some of the bran and germ intact.

Ames says that Japan is "way ahead of us" in processing barley into ready-to-use food products.

Although there has been some commercial interest in developing food products from barley by several Canadian companies, she says "we need a manufacturer to pick up on this."
"As whole-grain foods increase in popularity, so does consumer demand for products with real nutritional benefits, short preparation time and good taste," says Ames.