Functional foods & drinks

Free NutraIngredients and FoodNavigator online event - June 3, 14:00 Paris time

Big debates, big issues: Is the food industry winning the war against weight?

26-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

As the ‘globesity’ health footprint grows and power weight management brands struggle to stay relevant in an age where smartphone apps deliver personalised solutions, join us next week for a free online event, where key issues will be debated.

Euromonitor runs rule over recent nutraceutical award winners

25-May-2015 By Simone Baroke

Market analyst Euromonitor International dissects recent NutraIngredients Awards winners to provide category perspective from sustainable omega-3 to healthy ageing in this guest article.

Competition and opportunity: What will ASEAN mean for EU industry?

12-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Southeast Asia is heading for massive economic change with its ten-nation ASEAN single market and this could have ripple effects for the EU too, says expert.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2015

Indena refines Boswellia bioavailability; shifts compound focus

11-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

Italian botanicals giant Indena has debuted a version of the Indian Ayurvedic herbal extract Boswellia serrata it says offers boosted bioavailability via a lecithin delivery system.

Sabinsa expands Ayurvedic herb cultivation as demand grows

08-May-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Botanical supplier Sabinsa is expanding its existing cultivation program for Indian herbs to ensure sustainable supply of ingredients such as turmeric, gac, and black ginger, in order to match demand in the global US$1.6 billion market.

Vitafoods investment hunt: 14 start-ups on menu

29-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

14 nutrition start-ups are formally seeking investment and partners the day before Vitafoods Europe officially opens next week in Geneva.

New TCM collaboration will bring more Chinese remedies to European market

22-Apr-2015 By Nathan Gray

A new collaboration between SU BioMedicine and Diapharm will drive growth in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Europe by managing the registration and marketing of high quality Chinese products in Europe.

Harmonised Southeast Asia regulation complete by end of year

20-Apr-2015 By Niamh Michail

The Alliance for Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) harmonised health supplement framework will be up and running by the end of the year after over ten years in the making.

New Zealand

Food industry technology may help critically ill patients

14-Apr-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Technology used in the food industry to measure the antioxidant properties of edible plants, tea and wine could be adapted to monitor the oxidative stress of critically ill patients in intensive care.

“The new EC has spoken of better regulation and growth so we trust them to consider our position and argumentation."

IPA gathers forces in Brussels; seeks EC ear

09-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

The just-formed European iteration of the International Probiotics Association (IPA) has met for the first time at its new Brussels base with Danone, Dupont-Danisco, Chr Hansen, Yakult, Probi and Lallemand all in attendance.

Rice Bran Technologies' protein will compete with clean source, 'made in USA' message, CEO says

08-Apr-2015 By Hank Schultz

Rice Bran Technologies (RIBT) is close to market with a new rice protein offering that will benefit from a ‘made in USA’ clean sourcing message. The protein’s debut awaited modifications to the company’s Montana production facility, work that was completed...

India

Herbalife joins GHSI and DSM in bid to improve Indian child nutrition

08-Apr-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Herbalife will partner with the Global Health Strategies Institute (GHSI) for one year on a mission to improve the nutrition of thousands of children in India alongside ingredients and nutrition supplier DSM.

April 8, 14:00 CET: Experts debate hot issues in NutraIngredients omega-3 forum

Omega-3 hits €25bn but can it keep growing?

03-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

Are omega-3 fisheries really under threat? How many functional foods have cracked omega-3 blockbuster status? How is the sector recovering from the ‘Brasky effect’? How are developing markets developing? How is the latest research influencing regulation?...

Olive oil polyphenol backed for selective anti-cancer potential

03-Apr-2015 By Nathan Gray

A phenolic compound known as oleocanthal can selectively kill cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells intact, say researchers, who suggest their novel findings may explain why olive oil is linked to decreased cancer risk.

New web portal aims to ease entry of US-made supplements, foods into Chinese market

27-Mar-2015 By Hank Schultz

As the middle class continues to grow in China, penetrating this market becomes a priority for US brands. Negotiating that bewildering process may have gotten a little easier with the launch of a web portal whose express purpose is to peddle ‘Made in...

The science of nutricosmetics: ‘Not all collagen ingredients are created equal’

19-Mar-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Collagen ingredients are driving much of the growth in the global nutricosmetics market, which is predicted to reach US$7.4bn by 2020, but how much science is there to substantiate the claims?

Special edition: Beauty from within

Nutricosmetics: ‘US market holds great potential but a few challenges must be overcome’, say suppliers

19-Mar-2015 By Stephen Daniells

New product launches containing collagen – the majority with a “beauty from within” positioning – have grown an eye-watering 250% in just four years, with Japan offering plenty of delivery and formulations lessons for Western companies.

Folic acid may help reduce stroke risk: 5-year study

16-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A combination of folic acid and the medication enalapril may be more effective in reducing the risk of stroke in adults with hypertension than the medication alone, according to large-scale research from China.

Glico builds endurance sports science for Cluster Dextrin ingredient

10-Mar-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Formulating sports nutrition products with a highly branched cyclic dextrin may combat the onset of stress factors induced during exhaustive physical activity, says a study from Japan.

Australia

State awards grant for Australian seaweed harvesting facility

09-Mar-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The South Australian government has awarded a A$360,000 grant to the Gather Great Ocean Group to help establish a South Australian seaweed harvesting site at Beachport and a processing plant near Millicent.

Food Vision sneak peeks - Cannes, March 18-20

Ex-World Cup sports scientist: Best carb-protein blend is 3:1

09-Mar-2015 By Shane STARLING

Protein was once thought necessary to fuel sporting activity but evolving research has shown it is better for muscle recovery and short chain carbohydrates (sugars) are the accepted fuel tools. And then there are blends of the two…plus the carb and protein...

Gut microbiota shifts could predict diabetes risk, suggests study

06-Mar-2015 By Nathan Gray

The composition of our microbiota may change through the development of pre-diabetes and diabetes, thus predicting risk and potentially leading to new ways to aid blood sugar management, say researchers.

Taiwan

Cypress ties up with Connell Brothers for Taiwan distribution

05-Mar-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Connell Brothers, Asia-Pacific’s biggest ingredients distributor, has announced that it will exclusively represent Taiwanese nutrition company Cypress Systems in its home market.

Mushroom extracts show blood sugar management potential: Study

26-Feb-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Powdered preparations of the mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus cystidiosus may reduce blood sugar levels after a meal in healthy people, while also impacting insulin levels in diabetics, says a new study.

Australia

Complementary health comes in from the cold

24-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Complementary medicine may have been welcomed back to the fold after an official review panel added a new chapter on alternative health to the landmark discussion document on healthcare deregulation it released last year.

Malaysia

Collagen suitable for Muslims and Hindus launched for first time

24-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

A Malaysian company has released the world’s first food-grade sheep collagen on the market to tap into religiously observant markets for which beef or pork are not allowed.

Australia

Researchers find impact of obesity on fertility can be reversed

18-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Researchers believe they have discovered how damage from obesity is passed from a mother to her child, and also how that damage can be reversed.

Cultured views from Probiota 2015 in Amsterdam

Game on: Probiotics & sports performance

18-Feb-2015 By Shane STARLING

Clinical data is building around the role of probiotics to aid athletic performance – from recovery to muscle development to immune defense. We spoke to a leading researcher at Probiota in Amsterdam this month…

Yakult at Probiota 2015: “We want to be clear that before we invest we need to have some dialogue with EFSA...”

6 years of hurt: Probiotic heavyweights debate the EU’s health claim blockade

17-Feb-2015 By Shane STARLING

Yakult and leading academics expressed frustration at what they see as unfair and opaque scientific requirements around probiotic health claims in the European Union – but how much is industry to blame and could social media be a data-sharing saviour?

New patented probiotic for Nestlé toddler formula

12-Feb-2015 By Niamh Michail

Nestlé and Swedish-based supplier BioGaia have announced the launch of a new toddler formula containing the patented probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis.

Vitamin D deficiency linked to atherosclerosis

12-Feb-2015 By Niamh Michail

A low vitamin D intake during childhood is associated with a higher risk of sub-clinical atherosclerosis in adulthood, researchers in Finland have found.

Giant confronting omega-3, vitamin E challenges

DSM nutrition profits dip 7% in 2014

11-Feb-2015 By Shane STARLING

Pricing and sector market challenges, currency fluctuations and some stiff economic headwinds have contributed to 2014 full-year EBITDA profits sliding 7% for the world’s biggest nutrient player, DSM.

Healthy or toxic? The conflicting images of antioxidants

11-Feb-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Benefit-risk ratios must be established for each antioxidant separately, considering risk groups and dosage, according to researchers reviewing polarised perceptions of vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Briefing

Industry and MPs want hemp as a food, but ministers continue to resist

10-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Late last month, a forum of Australian and New Zealand ministers met in Auckland to discuss a number of proposed and recently implemented changes and additions to the countries’ food regulations. Once again, they voted against allowing hemp as a legal...

Probiotic strain counting: New method proposed at Probiota

09-Feb-2015 By Shane STARLING

A new method of quantifying probiotic content in products promises greater accuracy and efficiency, according to emerging research.

Microbiome changes linked to onset of type 1 diabetes

06-Feb-2015 By Nathan Gray

Data from the largest follow up study yet suggests that there is a significant shift in the species diversity seen in the microbiome before the onset of type 1 diabetes.

South Korea

Benecol yoghurt drinks come to South Korea through Lotte partnership

05-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Lotte Foods, Raisio’s Benecol partner in South Korea, has launched Benecol yoghurt drinks under the country’s health functional food category.

GM folate rice could help tackle neural tube defects, say researchers

30-Jan-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Rice metabolically engineered to be rich in folates could help alleviate associated health problems of folate deficiency, according to researchers.

Probiotic industry value set to reach £29bn

30-Jan-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Sales of probiotic food, drink and supplements are set to reach £29bn by 2018, as consumers seek food-based answers to health issues, according to one expert commentator.

Australia

Researchers ‘astounded’ by results of probiotic peanut allergy study

28-Jan-2015 By RJ Whitehead

A probiotic could hold the key to treating peanut allergies in children, researchers in Melbourne have found.

Could the future of type-2 diabetes treatment be prescription diets?

22-Jan-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

In the future doctors could prescribe low calorie diets to reverse type-2 diabetes, not tablets and surgery, according to one scientist conducting a 5-year study on such a strategy.

Special Edition: Blood Sugar Management

Evidence continues to bolster polyphenols' blood sugar management story despite murky mode of action

22-Jan-2015 By Hank Schultz

Although the mechanism of action is somewhat unclear, polyphenols have a solid and growing body of research backing their effect on the regulation of blood sugar levels, experts say.

On the spike: The curious case of a contaminated sports supplement

21-Jan-2015 By Shane STARLING

‘Don’t take sports supplements, they can’t be trusted’ was the takeaway message from Welsh track stars Rhys Williams and Gareth Warburton after the recent UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) tribunal agreed steroids got into their blood streams via contaminated sports...

BioGaia to launch ProTectis drops in Vietnam through VietPhap

12-Jan-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Vietnamese pharmaceutical company VietPhap International has been given the rights to sell BioGaia’s ProTectis probiotic baby drops in its home market.

Coming to Probiota 2015 - February 3-5, Amsterdam

Germvangelist set to shake Probiota with holistic shout

12-Jan-2015 By Shane STARLING

Self-styled 'germvangelist' and microbiologist Jason Tetro says the probiotic industry is obsessed with technicalities and needs to venture back in time to access the innate, holistic power of probiotics.

Cocoa intake may delay progression of type 2 diabetes: Rat study

09-Jan-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa intake may delay the progression of factors associated with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in rats.

New Zealand

30% of NZ baby food contains pesticide residues

09-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand baby food contains nearly 800 times more pesticides than baby food in Europe, according to an analysis of government data, food safety groups have highlighted.

Malaysia

Diabetic 'health honey' a reality thanks to nanotechnology and stevia

09-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

A new hybridised pollen, developed by a former Nasa scientist, can be fed to bees to create a new species of “designer honey” for use by diabetics.

Scientists identify novel ‘nanoplatform’ for calcium delivery for bone health

04-Dec-2014 By Stephen Daniells

Encapsulating calcium in an edible protein cage can boost absorption of the mineral and offer an alternative delivery method for use in fortified foods and supplements, says new research.