burcon blog

With the new year rounding the corner, it’s time to talk about the food and beverage trends to look forward to for 2012. Some trends stuck around from 2011 while some are newcomers on the top ten list. As you can imagine, the demand for health and wellness products is still going strong and is predicted to remain the biggest market pull of 2012. Food and beverage makers are looking for ways to either 1) improve the nutritional profile of their existing products; and/or 2) launch healthier, better-for-you products.

All big words but ‘environmentally sustainable solutions’ are what we strive for each and every day here at Burcon. A new review study published in the Journal of Food Engineering talks about the value of by-products left behind from vegetable oilseed processing. Many oilseed plants used for the production of vegetable oil are also high in protein content that can potentially be used for human consumption. As we are well-aware, consuming a plant-based diet is far more sustainable than any animal-based diet.

A new study indicates that postmenopausal women who consume a diet rich in soy protein reduces atherosclerosis by 16%. The reduction jumps to 68% for women who experienced menopause within the past five years.

This new study provides farther support that exercise plus nutrition is more effective than exercise alone for increasing lean weight and reducing resting blood pressure. A nutritional supplement of soy protein and carbohydrate was used as a post-exercise snack. The study included 52 participants.

A new survey conducted by Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention magazine says that the majority of consumers consider added health ingredients to be more of a purchase driver than the absence of undesirable ingredients such as saturated fat, sodium and sugar.