Food hydrocolloids and health claims

This review evaluates the success and failure of the submissions made under article 13.1 to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) regarding possible health claims related to hydrocolloids. Submissions from various suppliers and end-users covering nine hydrocolloids were made in a number of categories. These highlighted the interest in expanding the use of food hydrocolloids from their traditional applications into more value added products. For a number of years a major stumbling block for many of the hydrocolloids to be utilised and labelled as a fibre ingredient was due to the uncertainty of what was legally constituted as dietary fibre. This was to a great extend resolved in 2009 by the Codex definition of a dietary fibre, which gave regulatory approval for the major commercial important hydrocolloids to be designated as dietary fibres. This unlocked the way to go a step further to obtain more specific health or nutritional claim for specific hydrocolloids or blends. However as this review shows to obtain a positive health claim from a legislative body require further rigorous scientific studies. The studies must relate to the target demographic and measure relevant biomarkers related to the wording of the claim.