A Great New Product,
Wine Flour !

Vinifera For Life.

Vinifera For Life has taken the by-product of the wine-industry (pomace) and has produced grape skin flour. Currently the flour is being used in the production of wine bread. They have test marketed the bread and the flour in the Niagara Region with great success. The flour and the bread have been analyzed by two laboratories. All reports returned very positive and noted the high concentration of these nutritious ingredients:

· fibre
· antioxidants
· resveratrol

Vinifera For Life products taste wonderful and have no acidic aftertaste which is a common complaint with food cooked with wine. The flour is high in Omega 6 and Omega 3, both essential healthy fats which the body does not produce by itself, but must be ingested. These fats reduce the risks of heart problems, lower blood pressure, and help combat autoimmune diseases. Resveratrol is a blood cleanser which helps fight cancer and diabetes. Scientists claim that resveratrol is responsible for “The French Paradox”- the low incidence of heart disease among the French, who eat a high fat diet.

In a market study completed by the Canadian Innovation Centre, an independent, not-for-profit organization established in 1981, they assessed the market acceptance for Vinifera For Life breads to be “High”. We also performed a two and a half month bench test and product development project at The Guelph Food Technology Centre at Guelph University to validate our formulas and expectations of the product. Positive results were once again achieved

Through research we have come to realize that the applications for the product are much more than just bread: the flour can be used to produce tasty crackers, pasta, snack foods, tea and when ground finer can be incorporated into an energy bar or drink. Various bakers have noted that this is the most exciting product since the introduction of Omega infused bread. Renowned Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy already uses the flour in his creations.

Vinifera For Life has gained such high interest in the gourmet cuisine world that both Toronto Life Magazine will be writing a report on our product on their July edition. Let it be known that media reporters have expressed a desire to know where Vinifera For Life products will be sold. Stocking Vinifera For Life products will bring interested consumers through your doors.

Have you ever thought of having Gewürztraminer toast with your eggs benedict? or, a Pinot Noir baguette with your favorite cheese? Both are possible thanks to Vinifera For Life, who has created a product with delectable taste and texture that is incredibly good for you too! Flour made from wine grape skins.

Background:

Vinifera For Life is a 100% Canadian owned incorporated company founded in 2006 by Mark Walpole, internationally recognized Certified Chef de Cuisine. His concept was to make bread from flour using grape skins as a base. The well-known health benefits from grapes would be coupled with the quality of taste for products destined for the fast growing functional, nutraceutical food market. Market research conducted by the University of Waterloo’s Innovation Centre and supported by the Canadian National Research Council’s IRAP program confirmed market acceptance for Vinifera For Life breads to be “HIGH”. Following experimentation by the Chefs, the Guelph Food Technology Centre was contracted in 2005 with support from the National Research Council’s IRAP program to develop the desired product. Bread from the resulting formulation is being test marketed with great success. Further, the independent Brunswick and Industrial Laboratories have analyzed the product and confirmed its nutritional attributes.

The Product:

Vinifera For Life flour is a nutritionally improved and taste enhanced product that will appeal to chefs, bakers, pastry chefs and the layperson. Product differentiation will be achieved through the varietal character of the grape or grapes if blended and of the vineyard. A key ingredient in the product is resveratrol, an antioxidant recognized for its significant health benefits particularly related to cancer and heart disease. The flour may be blended with specific ingredients to be organic, or gluten free. In discussions with industry professionals and our research the applications are limitless. Each individual user has applied their expertise and personal touch to the product they have produced.

The Market:

Functional foods are perhaps the fastest growing segment in the food industry. Estimates indicate that the functional foods and nutraceuticals market may be as high as $37 billion in the United States, $20 billion in Europe, $14 billion in Japan and $2 billion in Canada. The segment is expected to outpace the growth of the food industry as a whole.

New Products:

Although the focus of Vinifera For Life is flour, a number of other products based upon the grape skin attributes offer significant potential and will be developed over time. Discussions regarding such opportunities are being conducted with the Guelph Food Technology Centre with promising results. The new products being considered include grape skin powder for antioxidant, protein beverages, tea, flour for pasta, crackers, and other health snacks plus varietal specific grape seed oil. Products are also being developed with organic growers.

Management:

Vinifera For Life’s principals have been professional associates for 35 years and their credentials include, in part, the following. Mark Walpole, CCC, is co-founder and CEO. His management experience includes serving as Executive Chef at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee; Executive Chef at the Rodgers Centre (Skydome) in Toronto and 11 years as Executive Chef at Niagara-on-the Lakes’ Prince Of Wales Hotel.

Advisors committed to assist Vinifera For Life include Bob Kuhns, Ken Bridgeman, C.A., Joseph Keozierski, and Greg Herriott. Bob has 45 years of senior management experience in international operations having conducted business in over 80 countries. Ken’s company, Bridgeman and Durksen are Chartered Accountants serving many businesses throughout Niagara. Joseph’s company, St. Joseph’s Bakery has served the community for almost 50 years. Greg’s company, Hempola Canada, is an industry leader in hemp farming, processing and marketing.

For additional information contact us at www.capico.net

Whole grains

What are whole grains?

The Whole Grains Council says a whole grain must contain the essential bran, germ and endosperm as well as naturally occurring nutrients of the entire seed.

Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) definition of whole grains is less conclusive. In February, FDA released its definition, and said whole grains are cereal grains, such as corn, rice, oats and wheat, and these grains must be intact, ground, cracked or flaked.

Did FDA make any other recommendations about whole grain consumption? Yes. In 2005, the government released MyPyramid, which recommends that Americans receive half of their total grain intake from whole grains, which should be about three ounce-equivalents per day.

However, this recommendation caused some confusion. How did consumers know how many ounce equivalents were in their bread or other bakery foods?

The Whole Grains Council created a stamp that bakers could display on their packaging promoting their breads as "good" or "excellent" sources of whole grains-if these bakery foods contained at least 8 grams or at least 16 grams, respectively.

When FDA released its definition of whole grains in February, it turned down requests from bakers to make these statements, and instead said bakers should display factual statements, such as "8 grams of whole grain" on their packaging.

Do whole grain bakery foods warrant any health claims? Yes. FDA approved a whole grain health claim especially for whole grain bakery foods.

In addition, on May 19, FDA finalized a rule that allows foods containing barley to claim they reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. This health claim stipulates that bakery foods containing whole grain barley or dry milled barley products provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per serving.

Many whole grain breads also are eligible for FDA-approved fiber health claims. FDA allows three different health claims related to fiber.

* 21 CFR 101.76 addresses fibercontaining grains and their relation to reducing the risk of cancer
* 21 CFR 101.77 addresses grains that contain fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and their relation to reducing the risk of coronary heart disease
* 21 CFR 101.81 addresses soluble fiber from certain foods and their relation to reducing the risk of heart disease.Whole grain oat flour or oat bran, which provides betaglucans, is one such whole grain eligible for this health claim.