Part 2
by: e4se1 04/26/04 06:34 am
Msg: 73 of 73
Painter, who has conducted ample research in the field of nutrition and health and fitness, has created meal bars and gives lectures on diets, anticipates Z-Trim will be a massive success that Halpern will directly reap the benefits from.
"(Halpern) is very excited because it will probably make him millions," he said.
Not only that, but Halpern expects Z-Trim to help curb the United States' constantly climbing obesity rates.
"This is huge breakthrough," he said. "By the end of the year, everyone will know Z-Trim is the answer to obesity. It you look at what people are doing now (with the various diets), it is a great solution."
Presently, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has soared at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years. The department also states one of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce obesity among adults to less than 15 percent.
And with the reaction his company has received thus far from the food industry regarding Z-Trim, Halpern is over the moon about the product and its future. He said FiberGel Technologies is scrambling to meet the demand of major brand corporations that want to use Z-Trim in their food products.
"They are jazzed about the product," Halpern said. "The problem is they want more of the product than we can provide. It's a push-pull campaign."
Z-Trim's versatility is what Halpern said adds to its appeal.
It can be mixed a myriad of products including salad dressings, cookies, brownies, mayonnaise and butter as a fat replacement. And Halpern said consumers will be deceived when they compare the Z-Trim laden food with full-fat product.
"Actually, a too-good-to-be-true scenario came out of the product," he said. "In a taste test seven out of 10 said Z-Trim was the full fat product."
Adding to the enticement of Z-Trim is that it is relatively cost competitive with fat.
"It's make a gourmet cookie that's less expensive, even less expensive than Mrs.Field's," Halpern said.
Although its powder form is the sole form than can currently be purchased by consumers, it also is made in the gel form the food science class will be experimenting with.
"We are only selling powder, but we want to sell it as a gel," he said. "I can sell smaller amounts as powder though and it is cheaper for the consumer."
Kathy Rhodes, a senior dietetics major and student in Eastern's food science class, said she is elated to have the opportunity to participate in the fat substitute tests.
"I am very excited about the Z-Trim project," she said. "It is so wonderful to be in
on the ground floor of a fat substitute that I feel will be the breakthrough for obesity in America today. When the sugar substitutes came out, everyone thought that was it - everyone can eat what they want and it won't affect their weight.
"Well, as we can all see, that sort of backfired. Z-Trim is different ... I tried one of the chocolate chip cookies (baked with Z-Trim available online) and it was unbelievable. There was no after taste or strange taste. It was soft and chewy like a cookie should be."
But Rhodes divulged she won't dub the product the diet solution until her class conducts an array of tests.
"The only drawback I have on Z-Trim is the fact that they don't know the long term effects of it yet," She said. "That is one of the tests, as many others will be, that will be conducted for Z-Trim."
