Layn Natural Ingredients eyes expansion in botanicals with launch of polyphenol-rich extracts

26 Aug 2021 --- Layn Natural Ingredients continues its expansion in botanicals with a boost to its portfolio of Non-GMO Project Verified botanical extracts. The range focuses on polyphenol-rich botanical extracts that offer high functional benefits in food and beverage and sports nutrition, as well as the dietary supplement sector.

Speaking with FoodIngredientsFirst, Collette Kakuk, vice president of global marketing at Layn, discusses the key drivers behind this expansion and what consumer trends and market dynamics are pushing it.

“Non-GMO label claims and natural ingredients are in ever-increasing demand. We added a dozen new botanical extract ingredients to our non-GMO verified portfolio to provide a clear start-to-finish non-GMO verified supply chain option for food and beverage brand manufacturers who need to look outside of conventional or synthetic ingredients to meet increasing health-conscious consumer demands,” she says. 

“We expect to see continued surging interest in our tea extracts portfolio across numerous applications, specifically focused on natural energy, our functional, metabolic antioxidant portfolio for immune support, gut health, brain health, and healthy aging in nutraceuticals and supplements.”

The expansion is also driven by continuing global market demands for non-GMO ingredients, particularly in the food and beverage market, which has exhibited strong growth in the past five years and is expected to continue to grow at a CAGR of 15.7 percent during 2021 to 2026.

The move also closely follows Layn securing US$148 million from stock to be invested in infrastructure expansion and innovation. The company plans to improve its R&D and innovation at Layn’s next generation manufacturing facility. 

The site is expected to be completed in three years, offering the capacity to process an additional 4,000 metric tons of stevia leaf extract per year.

Consumers are demanding more functional, healthier, natural nutrition and polyphenol-rich botanical extracts that offer robust solutions.

Nature’s kaleidoscope
The latest additions to Layn’s non-GMO offering include apple, citrus, Galla Chinensis, ginger, grape seed, green coffee bean, green tea, magnolia bark, pomegranate, pu’erh tea, rosemary and Sophora japonica. 

Achievement of non-GMO status for these botanical extracts solidifies Layn’s leading global position for these key ingredients.

Layn has previously achieved Non-GMO Project Verified status for its plant-based sweetener products, including stevia, monk fruit, sweet blackberry and NHDC, a powdered botanical extract with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that are used to impart sweetness and enhance flavor.

Consumers are demanding more functional, healthier, natural nutrition and polyphenol-rich botanical extracts that offer robust solutions as powerful metabolic and technological antioxidants. 

“Expanding our portfolio not only provides transparency but adds another level of trust to our already broad portfolio of natural, botanical ingredient solutions,” Kakuk notes. 

This is in line with Innova Market Insights’ Top Ten Trend for 2021, “Transparency Triumphs” which highlights how brands are upping their game to meet evolving consumer demands, further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Greater levels of transparency help brands to build trust and satisfy consumer desires to know what is in their food and its journey to their plate.  

This is evidenced in a recent Innova Consumer Survey, which indicates that 85 percent of consumers globally say information on what is in their food is of major importance to them. Similarly, 59 percent want to know where their food comes from and how it is made.

Natural preservation trending
Delving into what we can expect to see from this portfolio expansion, Kakuk explains that as the largest direct manufacturer of monk fruit and stevia natural sweeteners in the world, Layn already had a robust portfolio of Non-GMO Verified natural sweetener solutions for sugar reduction. 

“The newly added ingredients to our portfolio focus primarily on our natural technological antioxidants for preservation and shelf life – and also our functional metabolic antioxidants serving food, beverage and nutraceuticals in areas where we see growing consumer health interest, such as natural energy, brain health and cognition, gut health, immune support, mood support, stress relief and healthy aging,” she says. 

“We are interested in natural energy with the current caffeine shortage –  and we also selected a couple of more novel ingredients, like pu’erh tea and magnolia bark, which we think have potential to break out natural, functional ingredients.”

Broader botanical use
The use of botanicals in front of the pack will result in a 23 percent price premium, according to Innova Market Insights research. 

Notably, botanicals are blossoming in alcohol NPD. Innova Market Insights has tracked a 21 percent CAGR growth in alcoholic beverage launches with botanical flavors (Global, 2015 to 2019). 

The market researcher has also found that 18 percent of launches with botanical flavors were tracked with a no additives/preservatives health claim, crowning it as the most widely used claim paired with botanicals (Global, 2019). Gluten-Free (17 percent) and organic (14 percent) claims took a close second and third place in the flower and herb space.

Botanicals and fruit flavors and natural flavorings are continuing to proliferate throughout 2021 and are set to continue as more brands create wellness and nutritious beverages. 

There has also been a recent boom in hard seltzer beverages, which has escalated the natural botanical flavor trend. A good example is the recent launch of White Claw “Summer of Seltzer” variety pack for UK consumers.

By Gaynor Selby