“We want to understand the molecular relationships between nutrients and their effects on healthy individuals and patients at different stages of their lives.”
Bespoken for: Nestlé eyes ‘I-tamins’
Working with Massachusetts-based Waters Corporation, Nestlé wants to overcome a problem where, “nutrients in biological samples lack sensitivity, are slow and can only measure a limited number of molecules at once.”
NIHS said it would work toward vitamin-based solutions by using Waters’ methods and its own, “expertise in nutrients and micronutrients” to monitor efficaciousness of fortified foods and medical foods given to patients.
“In the future, these tools will help us to better define the specific nutrient needs of people with different diets and lifestyles around the world, measure their biological response to nutrition, and meet the nutritional requirements of every patient or consumer,” said NIHS researcher Serge Rezzi.
NIHS chief Dr Emmanuel Baetge added: “We want to understand the molecular relationships between nutrients and their effects on healthy individuals and patients at different stages of their lives.”
“This work will let us build up a comprehensive picture of a person’s nutrient status, which we can then investigate in relation to their age, health status and genetic background.”
‘I-nutrition’, sometimes known as 'nutrigenomics', promises to better match a person’s nutritional inputs with their physiological type and dietary requirements.
Nestlé added the project would, “develop new methods that can measure a broad range of nutrients and micronutrients – particularly vitamins and their related metabolites – in a quick, accurate and robust way.”
