Bovine colostrum is rich in growth and antimicrobial factors, which promote tissue growth and the maturation of the digestive tract and immune function in neonatal animals and humans. The immunoglobulins and lactoferrin found in colostrum are known to build natural immunity in newborns.
Nature’s superfood
“The idea that colostrum is not necessarily only available to a newborn baby anymore -- it really amazes me. As a pediatrician, colostrum is sort of our liquid gold. That's how we talk about it and it is really the superfood in my world. That is nature’s superfood... it's that first food breastfeeding mothers provide to the newborn and pass with all those essential nutrients for growth and general health and the immune system. So to be able to have something where you could continue receiving that because bovine colostrum is so similar to humans, that's absolutely amazing to me. It has prebiotics in it, there's growth factors, there's various immunoglobulins, there's other proteins and peptides that are all so good and you know, one of the primary functions of colostrum is supporting gut health,” said Lauren Crosby, MD, is a nationally recognized parenting expert, board-certified pediatrician and PanTheryx scientific advisory team member.
PanTheryx is the world’s largest colostrum-based nutrition and biotech company, which collects bovine colostrum from Grade A dairies in the US and adds it to foods, beverages and dietary supplements.
“It's interesting, bovine colostrum is great for immune and digestive health. You know, that's where a lot of the science lies. But this past year, everybody has been more hyper aware of what they can do to help bolster their immune health. So we've seen that through our sales and as we've been tracking market trends and also the sales volumes. You have your typical vitamin C's and your zincs that are out there in the market, but our sales have been really great in 2020 and we attribute that to consumers actually taking an extra special interest in their immune health,” explained Stacy Dill, PanTheryx director of marketing.
Dill explained that PanTheryx was on a mission to find a format that went beyond the traditional gummy, but still kid-friendly. “So soft chews are a little bit more like a candy Starburst. So we were able to bring that additional product format and were able to show the efficacy of the immunoglobulin still surviving through the manufacturing process. So we're excited to roll those out to customers to expand beyond your typical capsule or tablet,” said Dill.
Making a distinction
Dill said 2020 was a good year for the company and she’s looking forward to even more progress in 2021 as more manufacturers look to bring in more unique ingredients to help differentiate themselves from the usual suspects.
“I mean vitamin C is never going to go away. But if you add in bovine colostrum to your formulation, that would bring in a sense of uniqueness and also those added benefits that you don't get from straight immune supplements,” said Dill.
More than just immunity
As Dr. Crosby pointed out the benefits of bovine colostrum go well beyond immune health. The ingredient has been shown to restore and balance the gut, as well as support respiratory health, a common issue for children in the colder months.
“So from an immunity lens, colostrum is really optimized for and supports the natural response to fight infections and heal and it even can modulate the immune system in the gut, and so it’s really good from that perspective, as well as even for other health benefits. Numerous research articles have shown how it also can help respiratory health and also in my world one of our bread-and-butter things is respiratory infections in kids,” explained Dr. Crosby.
Crosby added that she is spreading the word about bovine colostrum, with a lot of parents looking for natural ways to boost immunity.
Dill said she is also excited to help expand consumer’s knowledge, “While at the same time working with manufacturers to really bring bovine colostrum up to the forefront of mind for immune health. As you know, what's old is new again, bringing bovine colostrum to immune health benefits.”
The market
“The development process for supplements always takes longer than we all want it to, so there are some great new products that will be coming out in 2021 that we're excited to see as manufacturers take the time to invest in developing products with Colostrum One in mind,” said Dill.
She added that PanTheryx is also witnessing major growth outside of the United States, especially in Asia Pacific.
“So the Innovation for utilizing bovine colostrum is coming from multiple continents and 2021 should be an exciting year as we're testing more in food and beverage. We're starting to see people play with more food and beverages, especially in the Asia market. So watching those new trends start to develop and grow outside and inside the United States was great to see,” said Dill.
The global colostrum market is anticipated to reach $1.94 billion by the year 2026, according to Future Market Insights.
