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Overweight, obesity and the increasing frequency of lifestyle diseases are the unfortunate and highly visible consequences of poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity. Although simply consuming fewer calories and expending more energy would be a simple enough formula to halt this trend, it’s not working! In fact, the problem is growing as quickly as our waistlines. Eating less sugar and fat is not a viable solution; and although industry has provided acceptable systems for sugar replacement, fat reduction is far more complicated.

Gelatin, however, provides both a simple and satisfying solution: the use of GELITA^® Gelatine enables air or water to be incorporated into foodstuffs. This means that the volume of the product is significantly increased by adding calorie-free water or air and thus finally reduce calories of the product. This simple method does not affect taste or texture, and the final mouthfeel is excellent. With GELITA^® Gelatin, the consumer does not need to compromise on taste — or eat half as much as they used to.

Furthermore, adding gelatin also increases a product’s protein content. Proteins trigger a mechanism that leads to quicker satiation and longer-lasting feelings of fullness. This means that we can stop eating earlier … and wait longer until we feel hungry again. What’s more, proteins have a lower energy output than carbohydrates. Combining these effects — and benefiting from the lower glycemic response of protein enriched food — enables product designers to develop tasty, satisfying products which support weight management.

As a gelling agent GELITA^® Gelatin works wonders for butter, margarines, dressings and mayonnaises. Large amounts of water can be incorporated into the product, all the while maintaining consistency, structure and spreadability. There’s no loss texture or taste and, in some cases, the caloric value can be reduced from 230 to 86 calories per 100 g, and the fat content can be lowered from 21.2 to 5.6 g/100 g.

Likewise, the fat content of two-phase water-in-water systems such as cheese products can be decreased, and GELITA^®Gelatin can be used to create aspics and spreadable products that have significantly fewer calories than other meat or sausage products.

And, although the idea of using gelatins in dessert products to produce foams is not new, the application of GELITA^® Gelatin to add air and simultaneously cut fat, carbohydrates and calories — as well as improve texture and stability — offers a fresh approach and can help manufacturers to produce waistline-friendly products.

Modern and tasty food products that contribute to weight management and are, above all, “fun and indulgent,” can be produced with GELITA^® Gelatins, thanks to their technological ability to increase the volume and water content of foods, and their physiological advantages in terms of net energy gain and protein effect.

Moreover, depending on the overall formulation and other ingredients, these products also have nutritional properties that enable the use of supporting health claims. Whereas previously increasing the water or air content of a product was mainly intended to reduce production costs, such products now have a different image: water and air have no calories and thus can automatically lower the calorie content of a food product. This means that GELITA^® Gelatins clear the way for manufacturers to offer modern products that unite health and indulgence, and can be positioned in the growing market for health and wellness products.

If you’re developing a weight management product and need some assistance, contact our experts today to discover how our solutions can help.