Food reformulation is defined as the re-designing of an existing processed food product with the objective of making it healthier. Initially this was a process that the food industry used to remove ingredients considered unhealthy, such as salt, sugar or fat. Now reformulation is being used to re-design foods with additional health benefits.
Reformulation can be a way of increasing daily fruit and vegetable intake and can also be a method for improving the sustainability of our diet by introducing “waste” ingredients into familiar foods. For example, recent research from the Rowett has shown that the broad beans hull (a waste product from broad bean processing) can increase the fibre content of bread. In a similar way the incorporation of beetroot into mayonnaise increased the antioxidant properties as well as prolonging the shelf life of the mayonnaise.
The work demonstrating that reformulation can be used for improving public health has received strong industry interest, particularly the results demonstrating the health benefits of adding vegetables to breads.
The introduction of such products to the market will provide more opportunities for the Scottish population can meet dietary recommendations.
Would you like to read more? Our full case study was originally posted here
This work was conducted by Dr Vassilios Raikos
Research funded by the Scottish Government as part of the Strategic Research Programme