FiE 2023: Infant formula ingredients “grow up” into broader applications amid lower birth rates

12 Dec 2023 --- Staple infant nutrition ingredients like demineralized whey and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) fiber are finding fresh applications in food and beverages for the wider population, such as cheese, confectionery, prebiotic drinks and sports nutrition.

The category expansion comes as birth rates in China have slowed, and breastfeeding rates worldwide have increased.

On the occasion of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF and WHO remarked in a joint statement that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding has increased by a “remarkable” 10 percentage points, to 48% globally. Ongoing campaigns aim to increase that number to 70% in the coming years. 

“The infant nutrition industry is not showing the same levels of growth as it has in the past, particularly in Asian markets that have driven growth in the infant nutrition industry for many years,” says Thomas Hämmelman, managing director of Euroserum, the ingredients business arm of the French dairy cooperative Sodiaal. 

In the last few years, Euroserum has diversified its business into areas beyond its core range of demineralized whey into a range of whey protein concentrates that go into mainstream products like bakery and cheese. 

Food Ingredients First spoke with ingredient suppliers on the show floor of Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) 2023 in Frankfurt, Germany, about the latest products, extending beyond applications for infants. 

Thomas Hämmelman, managing director of Euroserum.Upcycling minerals
Leveraging its technology in demineralization, Hämmelman says that Euroserum developed a branded milk mineral ingredient dubbed Sicamelt for clean label processed cheeses. 

“Processed cheese accounts for about 15–20% of the total cheese consumption worldwide, so it’s a big market. And in traditional processed cheese, manufacturers use chemical salts, citrates, phosphates, which are not particularly clean label.”

The milk mineral complex allows manufacturers to replace phosphates and citrates in processed cheese with an ingredient that can be declared as “dairy minerals” or “milk minerals,” depending on the region. 

“It’s a good solution to achieve a clean label because it has no E-number. It’s also dairy-derived, so we feel it’s very complementary with processed cheese.” 

He explains that other solutions on the market for this type of application are derived from yeast, gums or starches, which may look less favorable on the label. He also highlights Sicamelt’s sustainable production practices, as it utilizes the byproduct of demineralization. 

“Whey” to reduce costs and clean up labels
Meanwhile, French dairy cooperative Epi Ingredients is promoting the partial use of demineralized whey as a more affordable alternative to standard milk powder in confectionery applications, which can improve the taste of the final product. 

“When it comes to reducing the costs of dairy products, whey powders are typically used. But demineralized whey is an especially great replacement for milk or skim milk powders because of its sweet taste, which also reduces the need for sweeteners,” explains Camille Houdoin, R&D project manager at Epi Ingredients

Whereas infant formula uses whey powder at 90% demineralization, Epi Ingredients suggests using 40% demineralized whey in chocolate.

“We balance the minerals in our demineralized whey with nanofiltration — this gives the product a better taste and nutritional product than standard whey or even sweet whey products — which is typically used in chocolate confectionery,” says Houdoin. 

“We believe that the 40% demineralized whey ingredient achieves better results than sweet whey powder, which has a more salty taste,” she adds. 

Expanding markets for GOS
The prebiotic ingredient GOS is also seeing a rejuvenation in applications beyond infant formula. Canadian supplier of dairy ingredients Vitalus Nutrition presented a functional iced coffee drink at FiE featuring its VitaGOS ingredient, positioned as a gut health-promoting RTD.

Speaking about market demand for GOS, Mark Maylath, global sales manager at Vitalus Nutrition, says, “GOS is included standard in infant formulas sold into Asia, and because of the declining birth rate in China, there has been a contraction on the market of GOS into infant formula. However, that loss is being offset by GOS’ use in wider applications.”

Minerals recovered from demineralizing whey can be used to remove chemical salts, phosphates and citrates in processed cheeses.The lactose-derived prebiotic was being promoted at the stand for a wide range of applications, from yogurts and snacks to skin care and pet nutrition. 

“Oligosaccharides feed the healthy bacteria that are already present in our gut. So that health benefit exists not only in infants, but in toddlers, children, young adults and as you age, that benefit never goes away,” adds Maylath. 

FrieslandCampina Ingredients has also innovated in recent years in the GOS space. Its Biotis GOS range, launched in 2020, leverages the ingredient to target multiple segments, including sports nutrition, sleep, maternal and gut health. 

“We had already been using GOS to huge success in early life nutrition applications when we launched Biotis and our first GOS ingredients for the adult nutrition market,”  Vicky Davies, global marketing director for performance, active and medical nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, tells Food Ingredients First. 

“As a leading global supplier of GOS, we already had a basis of research in early life nutrition that showed promising benefits for adults. So, it made sense to start there. We looked at what was needed to translate our expertise to adult health. However, the process was more complicated than simply transferring existing science from one area to another,” she says.

Building off of its knowledge base in gut, brain and immune health as well as NPD and clinical research, FrieslandCampina Ingredients investigated how it could adapt GOS to be suitable for the adult body and further build scientific evidence in that segment. Changes in market trends also triggered the move into the adult nutrition category, notes Davies.

“Over the course of the last few years, it’s become apparent that people want more holistic health solutions. In 2020, we also saw gut and immune health becoming increasingly crucial for consumers and, as always, we wanted to give our customers the ingredients they needed to tap into these growing trends.”

Most recently, FrieslandCampina Ingredient developed a high-purity GOS, which can be formulated into smaller supplement applications like gummies and tablets. A new processing method allows the company to achieve 84% purity in its GOS-OP High Purity ingredient.

Another prebiotic making the cross from infant formula to mainstream use is human oligosaccharides (HMOs). Chr. Hansen highlights that the prebiotic ingredients, which are abundant in human milk, are proving beneficial across the lifespan.

What’s next for infant nutrition?
Innovation is still buzzing in the infant formula category, even if volumes may be reducing globally. A slowing of the market could carve out niches for more premium ingredients with clean origins and tailored functionality. 

Arla Foods Ingredients recently celebrated the approval of its Lacprodan OPN-1 — a 90% pure osteopontin ingredient for infant nutrition — as a novel food in the EU. 

Although the ingredient has been applied to infant formula for years, Mathilde Kristensen Mølbaek, sales development manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, says the novel food approval allows the ingredient to be declared as such on the label. 

Osteopontin is naturally present in human milk and has been studied for its ability to reduce occurrences of fever in infants, adds Kristensen Mølbaek. 

“Previously this ingredient was added and labeled as whey protein concentrate, but now brands will be able to communicate on the label that it is ‘osteopontin’ specifically.” 

Mølbaek says this is especially important in the Chinese market, where market data suggests that caretakers are more label-conscious of infant formulas compared to Europe.. 

In other developments, lactoferrin derived from precision fermentation is set to hit the market in early 2024. The complex functional protein is found in breast milk and small amounts in cow milk. Turtle Tree received self-GRAS validation for its LF+ ingredient and is positioning it for gut health, immunity and iron regulation in all life stages.

New facilities for formula processing
At the same time, Finnish dairy company Valio recently launched its Valio Prime SMP infant-grade skimmed milk powder, with improved processing that doesn’t use heat after blending. 

GOS prebiotics are suitable for feeding the microbiome at any stage of life, flags Vitalus Nutrition.The company notes that dry blend quality standards are more stringent than those for wet blends, resulting in a product that meets very high-quality requirements, which can only be ensured by strictly limiting microbiological levels in the dry blending process.

“Valio Prime SMP is manufactured in Valio’s new ultraclean facilities using only fresh Finnish milk. This results in an exceptional skimmed milk powder with a high degree of microbiological purity,” says product developer Christina Maksimow.

Meanwhile, Germany-based Uelzena Ingredients recently invested in a new ultra-secure and ultra-hygienic spray drying plant within its existing plant, dedicated to producing premium infant nutrition ingredients.

 “We spray dry minerals and vitamins and deliver them back to our customers who make infant or baby food,” says Anja Brand, brand manager at Uelzena Ingredients.  

“[The new plant] opens up possibilities for us because it gives us more capacity for high-quality infant nutrition ingredients.”

Brand says she has yet to observe a dip in demand for infant nutrition ingredients on the European market, where the company is most active. 

On the contrary, she underscores that high-quality baby food ingredients are in strong demand, which is why the company chose to invest in the space. 

By Missy Green