Webinar roundup: Boosting the healthy aging category with Agropur ingredients

Aging brings a range of health challenges that can affect the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of consumers. In a recent webinar hosted on Food Ingredients First, Agropur scientists delved into the science behind whey ingredients and how they can be leveraged in product development to meet the evolving needs of older adults.

In the webinar, research evidence and ingredient solutions with concepts for product development were presented for health challenges, including muscle and bone health, chronic disease management, sleep health, cognitive health, mood, and mind health.

According to statistics from WHO, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over by 2030. By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double, reaching 2.1 billion. This number is significant, and as an industry, solutions that support this aging population are becoming crucial in maintaining health and a good quality of life.

Viewers can watch the webinar on demand for more information on Agropur’s nutritious and functional whey ingredients for their next innovations in the growing healthy aging market.

Analyzing muscle health

Approximately 10% of the global population suffers from sarcopenia. Skeletal muscle, the main component of lean body mass, supports more than just movement. Its age-related loss contributes to frailty and chronic disease, making protein intake and resistance exercise essential for preserving muscle health.

Approximately 10% of the global population suffers from sarcopenia.During the webinar, Agropur’s technical support scientist, Dr. Maggie Jia, highlighted a meta-analysis containing 74 individual research trials in older adults (≥65 years). 

These analyses concluded that significant lean body mass gain was observed with 1.2–1.59g/kg body weight per day of protein intake, in combination with resistance exercise.

Tapping into mood and mind health

Senior consumers often face underdiagnosed mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and social isolation. These psychosocial stressors that stem from declining health, retirement, and the loss of loved ones can significantly impact quality of life. 

Jia presented emerging research that suggested nutritional interventions, including alpha-lactalbumin (a whey protein fraction) and phospholipids found in milk fat globule membranes or whey protein phospholipid concentrates, may help the aging population with mental health conditions.

Innovative product development

Beyond research data presented in the presentation, application scientist and registered dietitian, Amy O’ Keefe, shared product development concepts fitting for physical and cognitive health using whey ingredients. 

Some examples include a juice concept supporting immunity and muscle health, gummies, and milk tea for sleep health, along with instant pudding for mental health. 

Agropur manufactures various high-quality whey protein ingredients that are a great fit for product development targeting the healthy aging concept. For example, BiPRO 9500 and ISO Chill 9000 whey protein isolates, BiPRO Alpha 9000 alpha-lactalbumin, ISO Chill 8010/8011 instant whey protein concentrates, and ISO Chill 6000 whey protein concentrate.