The Editor Presents: The Nutrition Insight Edition
01 Aug 2024 | The World of Food Ingredients
Join The World of Food Ingredients’ editor, Missy Green, in a 15-minute roundup of highlights from the Nutrition Insight edition.
The supplements market is booming, driven by a growing aging population and a rise in social media health influencers. While demand for CBD is still relevant, alternatives like PEA are moving into the spotlight for their use in joint health, sports recovery and sleep.
This edition also explores specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), which are converted from omega-3s and play a critical role in inflammation. Meanwhile, nutrient-dense pulses are positioned to address a range of chronic conditions through their unique compositions.
Flavors with functional benefits, supplements for skin health and eco-friendly supplement packaging trends are also highlighted in this issue focused on health and nutrition.
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Welcome to the world of Food ingredients, latest edition of The Editor Presents.
I'm your editor, Missy Green, and I'll be sharing highlights from our special nutrition insight edition.
This edition comes out every summer and is exclusively dedicated to health, wellness, supplements, and the latest research in those areas.
This event is brought to you by Lubrisol Nutraceuticals, which specializes in added value, active ingredients and excipients.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowded marketplace, Lubrisol solutions are supported by in-depth, data-driven research to help you develop products aligned with up to-date consumer demands.
This is a live event, so if you have any questions at any time, you can put them in the comment box here below.
So, let's get to it.
Alright, in the food business news, a recent study from Genosis Byosafra found that vitamin K and folate are one of the most, some of the most important nutrients for cognitive function in older populations.
They looked at a number of different parameters and found that there is no effect on depression, so it's very targeted.
Looking at the global supplement trends, prevention is the number one driver for consumers to purchase supplements.
About almost 30% say they take them to feel and 30% say to age.
In formats, gummies have made so much traction, almost tripling in share from 2020 to 2024, and like the beverages category, the most popular supplements flavor is orange.
But in NPD data suggests that berries are also very much on trend, especially raspberry and strawberry.
Another really great thing to highlight here is that the share of, other and miscellaneous in the supplements category are growing.
So, it's showing that supplements are becoming more and more diverse, and you can see that by looking at this graph.
When it comes to the most innovative regions in the world, North America and Europe are leading in new supplement launches, but North America's growth is relatively static.
The fastest growing region in the world right now for supplements is Latin America, growing at a kegger of 14%, and that's followed by Asia at 9%.
Here you can also find Never Market Insight's top five supplement trends.
Booming biotics is number one.
Next, we heard from our longtime dairy expert, Donna Berry, who writes about the benefits of dairy bioactives.
And the enhanced benefit that they have when you consume them within a dairy matrix.
So, one example was on calcium absorption.
She cites an 18 month study where postmenopausal women were given either cow's milk or soy milk fortified with calcium.
Both beverages contained the same amount of calcium, but at the end of the study, the women in the dairy group had a greater bone density in their hip and neck, and this could be attributed.
To these very small, very important molecules within the dairy matrix.
Known as bioactives.
So CBD is one of those ingredients that a few years ago, A Nova Market Insights was using it always as an example for A Star Is Born because it was being put into anything and everything and that's since slowed way down because there was a lot of regulatory confusion about it, but it's still a really relevant ingredient.
We spoke with the supplement company CB Sciences, which specializes in hemp extracts, and they said that CBD is right now seeing a surge in demand again, along with the emergence of lesser known cannabinoids like CBG and CBN.
At the same time, ingredients like PEA are coming up as alternatives to CBD.
The benefit is that they don't have the regulatory challenges, but they do offer pain relief using the same mechanisms of the body.
Culture Clash, corporations and startups.
So, this article interviews senior innovation leaders in the industry about their experience bringing in startups to corporations and the culture shocks that can happen when they do.
We've seen a lot of big companies embrace startups.
It's a natural fit, but how do you avoid these pitfalls that can sour relationships.
So, one example, hiring a cultural translator and many more suggestions here.
As we saw earlier, prevention is the number one supplement driver, but there's also some interesting generational differences.
Millennials are big users of multivitamins.
Boomers use more joint health supplements, and Gen Z tends to look for highly specific supplements like those for brain or eye health.
Those might fall under the other or miscellaneous categories when looking at the database.
On the next page, we took, we took a look at some of the standout supplements from around the world.
Some notable ones are, for example, number 2, it's a, a whitening ingredient, from Thailand, and number 7, concentrated probiotics, so they guarantee efficacy at low doses.
This article covers everything you want to know about the composition and nutritional information about pulses.
You get the full breakdown of their macronutrient parts and specific information about what types of starches and proteins you can find in them.
It's very thorough, very good.
And one interesting fact here was that there are a couple of anti-nutritional factors, which were believed to be harmful as they sound, but when you look at the whole food component of pulses, they actually do serve a purpose.
Next, we heard from a pharmaceutical scientist, Charles Armstrong, who investigated different studies surrounding the effects of odorant molecules and what's the impact of these molecules and the flavors on the body and mind.
And the question that he raises is, can a flavor be a functional ingredient in itself?
One of the ingredients he looks at is linololol, which seems to engage the nervous system.
It naturally occurs in botanicals like lavender and basil, and it's known for its antidepressant and appetite stimulating effects.
So, a lot of really good studies cited here.
In the newsmakers, the supplements industry in China is underway to becoming one of the most significant markets in the world.
Enova reports that APEC supplement sales are worth 70 billion and China makes up 42% of that, which is more than twice than Japan, which comes in second.
This past June, I traveled to Shanghai for the HIFI trade show and you could sense this this potential in the air of the Chinese market.
And one of the big drivers behind this trend that I saw is social media influencers.
They really take, they really take influencing to the next level, right?
So, it's not just Saying a couple of words on, hi, what's up?
I'm here, this is a supplement.
They live stream for hours at a time.
Also through e-commerce sites where products are actually being sold.
They're right there next to the products.
And what's so interesting is that because they're talking for so long, they go into so many details and they go to where the, the products are manufactured, where the ingredients are manufactured.
They go to Norway on, on krill ships, and the consumers see all this and they become more engaged.
In the Opinion Edge, we spoke to suppliers about the key ingredient trends that they're seeing, and it was all in line with what Enova's also reporting.
It's all about prioritizing prevention, gut health, brain health, having more tasty, more innovative formats, and also plant-based is still trending, especially with vegan omega-threes.
So, also heavily in the Chinese market, but pretty much everywhere in the world, beauty ingredients are gaining traction.
And this article covers some of the unique ingredients that can be positioned for more beautiful skin, specifically.
Collagen, of course, is a mainstay.
Asexanthan also gaining a lot of traction.
An interesting one was a microbe-based innovation, which uses an inactivated extract from plant-based and compost material that recreates the microbial diversity of pure finished nature, and they say that this ingredient can help strengthen the skin barrier.
Specialized pro-resolving mediators or SPMs, what are these?
These are the results of the body processing EPA and DHA and , there's a whole class of molecules that fall into the SPM family that exert beneficial effects on the body, such as keeping inflammation in balance, and this conversion first happens from the omega threes or EPADHA to hydroxylated intermediaries, which the author then raises the question.
Would it be more efficient to just supplement with these hydroxylated intermediaries?
KD Nutra is one company that is already exploring the use of hydroxylated EPA and DHA intermediaries.
It will be interesting to see how that develops.
In supplement packaging, some of the most eco-friendly solutions are coming out of Scandinavia right now.
One example is Blue Ocean Closures, which specializes in fiber-based caps, as you can see here.
And the Swedish probiotics company Probi has partnered with an app called Bauer to gamify the recycling experience.
The idea of ultra processed foods has been in the media a lot this year and it was also a big topic of discussion at the IFT trade show in Chicago.
Author Alex Crisp looks into some of the studies that were cited and consults with industry experts to highlight why some of these mainstream articles, you know, were not entirely informed.
As an example, the Lancet study, which sparked a lot of these conversations, included a lot of cakes, biscuits and pastry type products and its classification of plant-based foods.
So, You know, it's pointed out, this isn't really a good marker because people who also consume meat will also consume cake and biscuits.
In this next article, we heard from Bryony Mana Lewis, who describes some of the biggest challenges in the industry, from supply chain disruptions to compliance with new legislation, and she calls on the industry to come together and dialogue to support each other through these uncertain times, especially for smaller companies that can be left in the dark.
Another phenomenon in the headlines has been the weight loss drug Ozempic, and interest in how to stimulate GLP-1 is definitely on consumers' radar.
So, this is a gut hormone that contributes to the feeling of satiety, and a new study by Beneo found that its palatinous ingredient can actually help stimulate the production of GLP-1 naturally.
Platinousse is a slow release carbohydrate, which gives the same energy as sugar, but over a longer amount of time.
And in the view from the top, we spoke to Thomas Allen Allinder.
He's the president and CEO of Taste and Nutrition in Europe for Kerry.
He joined the company in 2021 and he explained that the company is working on five growth pillars as part of its long-term goals.
The first one is authentic taste, but another one is plant-based, the plant-based end use market.
Interestingly, he also says that there's a lot of room for growth in traditional industries like meat and poultry and dairy.
And the opportunity there is really in reducing waste, which is another one of its top pillars for growth.
And while we are here, don't forget to check out the top nutrition trends for 2025 webinar.
It will be held by Luanne Williams, the Global Insights director for Enova Market Insights, and she will give you all the knowledge to stay ahead of the competition.
You can sign up using the QR code here.
But you can also use this QR code to subscribe to the world of food ingredients.
So, that's all we have for you for this edition.
I will now open up the floor for any questions.
And I'm gonna go check to see if there's any questions.
Here we go.
Right, question from Bailey Manley.
Do you have any information on the effects of the other cannabinoids, CBG or CBN?
Yes, a little bit.
I know that these are non-psychoactive.
You also have in the US I was just there recently.
You also have some psychoactive ones that are coming out, which are derivatives, you know, that they're.
Taking the, the cannabis plant and then chemically transforming it to make these different ones.
But CBG and CBN they're non-psychoactive, and they do have the same sort of anti-inflammatory health benefits, and similar to CBD.
OK, and from Gareth.
How did you experience the supplements industry in China?
I guess it's so exciting.
One of the things that really stood out, of course, you can read the article, find out more, but One of the things that really stood out was a lot of companies were saying how the Chinese market is now like ripe for branded ingredients and they, they're ready, you know, even though the economic situation in China is not really that great, there's still a lot of luxury products being sold and there's still this very high focus on health that's only accelerated since COVID.
It was also interesting to see how brain health kind of takes on a different shade.
I feel like in what I've seen in, like biofoods are more like, Western trade shows, there's more concern about like stress and, and sleep and mood, and there it was more about like cognitive performance and also in children, cognitive performance was like an important thing, almost feels like almost every The company that I saw, which had many solutions were really highlighting like, oh, this, this is the good brain health solution for, you know, Academic performance and , Yeah.
Oh, traditional Chinese medicine also, which is maybe not a surprise, but it was interesting to see how it's taken on like a modern twist now.
So, one company that I spoke to, which is one of the oldest traditional Chinese medicine brands, said that , today, consumers really just want to have like a convenient snack to take their traditional Chinese medicine.
And, you know, their grandparents would prefer to see all the herbs, lay them all out, and then, you know, boil them as, as the tradition is.
All right, and the next question I see is from Krishna.
How can anti-nutritional factors and pulses actually be good?
Such a good question.
I was really blown away by this in in the pulses article, and one of the ways that it can be beneficial is that there's, so there's a protein inhibitor, anti-nutritional factor.
And this actually protects, it turns out, a protein which has very strong anti-cancer qualities.
So, By not digesting that protein, sounds like it'd be bad for your digestion, but by not digesting it, it protects it so it can still do its work and protect you from illnesses.
So, I think that's pretty amazing.
But there are, there are other examples cited in the article.
And refreshing.
Just to make sure.
No more questions.
OK.
I think that's all, all the time I have for you today.
So thank you so much for joining me.
And this is Missy Green signing off.
Editor
Missy Green
Editor
