A serving of Milk V contains 400mg of calcium, believed to be the highest in the country, and 1.5ug vitamin D, a level of vitamin D that Israeli supplier, LycoRed, said was difficult to achieve due to the vitamin’s typical oxidation problems.
The company said its CapsuDar vitamin D solution permitted the higher levels via a, “proprietary beadlet technology [that] cross-links the vitamin D, protecting it from oxidation.”
Tnuva said market research had indicated the demand for the product due to the importance of bone health to overall children’s development.
At 400mg, the product accounts for 30% of dietary recommended intakes (DRIs) and contains twice the calcium level of regular milks on the Israeli market.
Tnuva is the leading milk supplier in Israel with 72.4% of the market in 2010. In premium milks it held 43% in 2010.
"The technology to enrich milk products with high levels of vitamin D and calcium enabled us to offer our consumers a unique value-added nutritious product," said Noga Schwartz, health & wellness department manager at Tnuva Dairy Division.
Stable, taste neutral
Udi Alroy, LycoRed’s vice president of global marketing and sales, highlighted the stability and sensory benefits of his company’s vitamin D form.
“The major challenge in dairy fortification is to stabilise minerals and vitamins during the homogenisation and pasteurising processes,” he said.
“The result is an active ingredient, stable across a wider pH range that works well with pasteurised products and with a significantly longer shelf life.”
He added: “Manufacturers can’t afford to risk negatively impacting taste or aroma when they fortify their products. Our fortification capabilities allow us to combine ingredients without cross-interaction, creating a more neutral flavor profile demanded by functional foods.”
Ulroy said the vitamin D version was also useful in clear beverages where 20%+ DRI could be added with no affect on clarity.
Elderly people with bone health concerns were being targeted by, "some of our customers", he said with further dairy or soy drinks likely.
Bone Plus
In mainland Europe, Aenova-owned Swiss Caps has been promoting a vitamin D, K and calcium supplement called Bone Plus it says offers raised bioavailability due to a calcium formulation that is more water soluble and therefore less reliant on bodily gastric acid.