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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2015 n GOURMET NEWS N H 9 6 mesocarp of the oil palm fruit. Like olive oil, palm oil is fruit oil. Palm oil should not be mistaken for palm kernel oil, which is ex- tracted from the kernel or seed of the palm fruit. Therefore, the oil palm fruit is unique. From the fruit two distinct types of oils are produced: palm oil and palm kernel oil. Both are edible oils but with very different chem- ical composition, physical properties and ap- plications. Each palm fruit produces about 90 percent palm oil and 10 percent palm ker- nel oil. Palm oil has a balanced composition of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Coupled with nature's gift of high vitamin E content, the oil is naturally very stable. Palm oil contains an equal proportion of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. It's par- ticularly rich in the saturated palmitic acid (44 percent), with substantial amounts of the monounsaturated oleic acid (40 percent), and smaller amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (10 percent). Palm oil has had a history of food use for more than 5,000 years in more than 130 countries worldwide. GN: What food products contain palm oil? HH: Palm oil's semi-solid properties make it a favorite ingredient among the food processors. From palm oil you can have un- limited oil fractions for use of any kind of food applications. The oil could be incorpo- rated into a wide variety of food products which include cooking oils, margarines, noo- dles, shortenings, vegetable ghee, bakery products, chocolates, hot beverages, coffee creamers and ice cream. Due to its excellent stability, it is the No. 1 choice in the world as frying oil for foods such as instant noodles, French fries, potato crisps, doughnuts and fried meats and snacks. The natural solid nature of palm stearin makes it most ideal for formulating solid fats such as vanaspati, margarine, shortenings and other bakery fats. More importantly, these palm fats are not hydrogenated and therefore are trans-fatty acids free. GN: Is palm oil a trans-fat? Will palm oil consumption raise blood cholesterol levels? HH: No. Palm oil's natural semi-solid prop- erties and the versatility of blending with its solid fraction, palm stearin, make hydrogena- tion of palm oil unnecessary. Therefore, food products containing palm oil as its sole or main fat ingredient are essentially trans-free. A re-examination of the data of some early published Western studies that included palm oil showed that when palm oil replaced the habitual fats of Western diets, blood choles- terol levels in the subjects did not go up but instead were reduced from seven percent to 38 percent. GN: What's so special about red palm oil? HH: Red palm oil (RPO) is the only com- mercially available oil that contains substan- tial amounts of the natural plant pigments called 'carotenoids' (about 550 µg/g), as well as vitamin E (600 µg/g) comprising both to- cotrienols (65 percent) and alpha-tocopherol (35 percent). Some of the carotenoids in RPO are con- verted to vitamin A in our body; the rest of the carotenoids, together with vitamin E (particularly tocotrienols), are reported to play a vital role in advanced nutrition – boosting the immune system, scavenging damaging reactive oxygen species in our body and are involved in complex mecha- nisms which have evolved to protect the body from chronic diseases such heart dis- ease and cancers of the breast and skin. For more information, visit booth #1493. American Palm Oil (Cont'd. from p. 1) placing a priority on eating well, and kids who care more about taste and go for junk food like chips and candy. Suffice it to say, family food choices have never been more complex, leaving everyone to seek out new options and better versions of traditional fa- vorites. Enter innovative companies that are help- ing families to meet in the middle – deliver- ing better-for-you options that are as delicious as they are wholesome. From cook- ing simple, healthy meals at home to having a better treat for an on-the-go snack, today's families are benefiting from the personal ex- perience of entrepreneurs who are bringing better options – that the whole family can agree on – to the table. YummyHealth is a new kind of snack food company, founded by mom Lisa Goldbaum who in her quest to find healthier snacks for her children, became frustrated by a lack of better options, even finding that most so- called "healthy" snacks contained as much sugar and processed starch as the regular commercial varieties. Her journey led her to create what would eventually become Yum- mySnacks – great tasting snack alternatives that are irresistible and fun to eat, but made with wholesome real-food ingredients and less sugar and processed starches. "YummySnacks was founded on the idea that yummy and better-for-you snacks make it easier to eat right," said Goldbaum. "There's a great swap for YummySnacks in any situation – school lunch, birthday par- ties, baseball games – you name it! Yum- mySnacks makes it easy to get your family to snack right without a fight." Missy Chase Lapine, best known as the creator of the Sneaky Chef series of books, is also changing the game with new products that deliver on taste. The newest product from The Sneaky Chef is bringing back a classic favorite in schools and homes across the country. Sneaky Chef No-Nut Butter and Chocolate No-Nut Butter are delicious peanut-butter alternatives made from natu- rally sweet and "nutty" tasting golden peas, but without a trace of peanuts, tree nuts, seeds or soy. "In a way, we're bringing back the PB&J, only it's the 'no-PB'&J," said Lapine. "With peanut allergies on the rise, our No-Nut Butters are perfect for families managing food allergies at home or for nut- free schools." Today, food companies large and small are working to meet the needs of diverse con- sumers, providing new and better-for-you choices to help families eat better. This has resulted in a much greater amount of choice than ever in a complex marketplace, and also the opportunity for new and innovative play- ers to make a real impact. "Companies in the natural and organic space are finding a big opportunity with today's consumers and we work with com- panies to bring great new products to the marketplace," said Jeff Canner at Action Brand Management, Brand Management Specialists catering to the natural and organic marketplace. "Every brand is different, with a unique formula for success." Learn more at booth #8102. YummyHealth (Cont'd. from p. 1) Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala sauces. All contain only the finest natural ingredients, with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. They are also gluten, starch and MSG free. Customers can choose from a range of simmer sauces and spice paste. The simmer sauces come in shelf-sta- ble pouches, with the addition of spice sa- chets and a recipe booklet. "Our range is ideal for those who fear the idea of cooking an Indian meal from scratch," said Manish Sharma, Taste of India Foods' Sales Director for North America. "For those who simply do not have the time to cook, they also offer a quick and tasty meal solution. Put another way, making an Indian meal could not be simpler." A perfect accompaniment to the Indian cooking sauces is the microwavable rice range from sister company, Taste of Rice. Flavors include coconut, white basmati, brown, jasmine, biryani, lemon and veg- etable. For more details, see the website, www.tasteofrice.com. Four Taste of India simmer sauces are cur- rently available in the United States. They in- clude the award-winning Butter Chicken cooking sauce. This sauce won both the pres- tigious iTQi Taste Awards in Europe and the SIAL Innovation Award in China this year. "With the Taste of India brand, our aim was to produce high quality, all natural, tasty products. It's great to have that recognised by the industry," said Manish. Taste of India Foods also won an award for its Palak Paneer ready meal and its Spice Perfection Ginger Paste products in 2013. This was at the Great Taste Awards (UK), in association with the Guild of Fine Food. Re- tail World, Australia, also honoured the Taste of India brand with a 'Best New Australian Retail Product' award in 2009. Taste of India Foods is part of the Foods Pacific group, based in Fiji. Foods Pacific has offices in North America, Australia, New Zealand, India and the UK. Its Indian Cuisine range is currently readily avail- able in Australia and New Zealand. How- ever, the company plans to extend its reach in the United States, starting with the launch of its Spice Perfection Ginger and Garlic Pastes. For news and recipes from Taste of India Foods, go to its Facebook page, facebook.com/tasteofindiafoods. For more information about the company, please visit its website at www.tasteofindi- afoods.com or its parent group www.foodspacific.com. For more information, visit www.tasteof indiafoods.com. Taste of India (Cont'd. from p. 1) Real Nutrition – One serving of Beanitos chips naturally contains up to six grams of healthy fiber and four grams of complete protein. Real Caring – Beanitos are low glycemic and gluten-free, and contain no preservatives or artificial flavors/colors, so they are great for the whole family. The Beanitos Team took an often over- looked, but incredibly nutritious superfood – beans – and figured out how to unlock their natural goodness, and deliver great taste and crunchy flavor. Beanitos chips are cooked to crispy perfection while delivering superior levels of fiber and protein you won't find in traditional snack chips. There are six delicious Beanitos chip fla- vors to enjoy: Original Black Bean; Chipotle BBQ; Nacho Cheese; Restaurant Style; Sim- ply Pinto Bean; and Better Cheddar. In addition to chips, Beanitos has The Original Bean Puff™! The innovative team at Beanitos Inc. launched two amazing white bean Puffs in 2014: White Cheddar and Hot Chili Lime! Hot Chili Lime combines the bright taste of real lime juice layered over the flaming heat of hot red peppers, and White Cheddar delivers a sharp and savory sophis- ticated cheese taste. Imagine the delicious crunchy taste of your favorite Puff snack – but now it's healthy – a one-ounce serving packs an impressive four grams of fiber and up to five grams of protein. Plus, Beanitos are non-GMO, low-glycemic, gluten-free and contain no MSG or preservatives. Doug Foreman, Beanitos' Founder, said, "Our new bean puffs are made from super nutritious navy beans, without corn or wheat, and baked to crispy perfection. The fact is, they taste great without compromising any of their nutritional value. We challenge any- one to put Beanitos Puffs in a blind taste test against puffs made from corn or wheat be- cause we know Beanitos will come out on top not only in taste but in nutrition as well! Beanitos Puffs are verified by the Non-GMO project, and loaded with fiber and protein along with a healthy lower calorie count. It's an all-around winner." "Our new puffs are a snacking game changer," said Dan Costello, Beanitos' CEO. He added, "In this day and age, consumers want healthy snacks that taste great. There's a shortage of options that achieve both. That's why we created Beanitos Puffs. They are re- ally delicious, and when you add in the nutri- tional power of beans, you get a better-for-you snacking experience that can't be beat!" Beanitos is an Austin, Texas-based com- pany formed in 2010, and it believes that everyone deserves to enjoy a snack that tastes great and is good for you! Beanitos are "All that IN a bag of chips!"™ Join the Beanitos snacking revolution! For more information, visit www.beanitos.com, and become a fan at www.facebook.com/beanitos, follow @ Beanitos on Twitter and @BeanitosChips Instagram. Learn more at booth #4289. Beanitos (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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