Probiotics, prebiotics & postbiotics

Sapporo's health focus: Japan firm opens wellness lab firm and reveals study on proprietary bacteria strain

28-Mar-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Sapporo Holdings is devoting more resources to its health food business, with the opening of a wellness lab firm and further studies on its proprietary heat-treated lactic acid bacterial strain SBL 88.

Traditional Indian wisdom: Amway raises awareness of herbal supplements as consumer acceptance blooms

26-Mar-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Amway India is striving to promote the health benefits of traditional Indian herbs to consumers in the market, having recently conducted a series of seminars showcasing its Nutrilite Traditional Herbs range of supplements.

Getting the ‘fiber’ definition helpful but not a panacea for putting word out about prebiotic benefits

25-Mar-2019 By Hank Schultz

Prebiotics that have been classified as dietary fibers still have work to do to educate consumers on their benefits, a supplier says.

DuPont study finds link between higher dose of multiple probiotics and better colonization

22-Mar-2019 By Adi Menayang

Researchers in Italy found that ingesting higher doses of a multispecies probiotic formulation was associated with improved fecal recovery, suggesting a link between a high dose formulation and more reliable health benefits.

ENCAPSULATION TECHNOLOGIES: BEYOND SUPPLEMENTS

Keep your enemies close: Bacterial biofilms could help probiotics extraction, researchers claim

19-Mar-2019 By Nikki Cutler

Bacterial biofilms, blamed for allowing the growth of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, are also an effective way to produce a fermented milk product that can deliver hardy probiotics to the digestive tract, according to new research.

Probiotic supplementation may improve indicators associated with type 2 diabetes: RCT

19-Mar-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus casei can improve glycaemic index in individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a new RCT.

Ancient Nutrition founder on new products, DSHEA at 25 and hemp-CBD

15-Mar-2019 By Stephen Daniells

With growth “like a rocket ship”, a new range of hemp-CBD products, and a continued commitment to keto and protein, “2019 is going to be a great year”, says Ancient Nutrition product innovator and founder, Jordan Rubin.

US Military, A.I., and mechanisms of action: First speakers announced for IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas

14-Mar-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Delegate registration is now open for the IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas in Vancouver, with speakers already confirmed covering topics including the US Military, Artificial Intelligence, and probiotic mechanisms of action.

EDITOR'S SPOTLIGHT

From supplements to SuperBites, Tosí expands its ecosystem of plant-based protein products at Expo West

13-Mar-2019 By Adi Menayang

At last week’s Natural Products Expo West show, we caught up with the mother-daughter duo behind Tosí to learn about their strategy of creating a healthy product portfolio that can stand out in the crowded snack bar and supplements crowd.

Seven key supplement trends from Expo West 2019

12-Mar-2019 By Stephen Daniells

We walked and we talked and we took photos, and here’s our list of 7 key trends for supplements from Expo West 2019 in Anaheim.

Nature’s Sunshine breaking through in Chinese market, but stubborn losses persist

11-Mar-2019 By Hank Schultz

Network marketing company Nature’s Sunshine recorded sales increases driven largely by rising sales in China, which is a relatively new market for the company.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Proliferation of faux seals threatens to dilute true certifications

08-Mar-2019 By FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK: Confusion in the certification game

Do certifications within the supplement industry provide meaningful information to consumers? Or are they just a way to make a confusing market even more impenetrable?

International Women's Day: Market Focus

Women's health gaining importance in probiotics, says Lumina Intelligence

08-Mar-2019 By Nathan Gray

Sweden and China are leading the way in terms of availability and engagement with probiotic products specifically tailored to women's health, says Ewa Hudson of Lumina Intelligence.

Inter-species communication? New study shows gut bacteria can control our genes and development

28-Feb-2019 By Nathan Gray

Bacteria in our guts may be impacting human health and disease by telling host genes what to do, say researchers who have uncovered a new mechanism by which our microbiome communicates with and controls the DNA of our own cells.

Despite food-only bias, many dietitians use and recommend supplements, survey finds

26-Feb-2019 By Hank Schultz

A survey by Trust Transparency Center has found that despite the cool reception the concept of supplementation historically has received from organizations of dietitians, a majority of the practitioners themselves use dietary supplements regularly.

Fermented soluble wheat fibre found to possess high prebiotic potential: Study

26-Feb-2019 By Will Chu

Subjecting wheat arabinogalactan-peptide (AGP) to the fermentation process results in significantly higher prebiotic activity that could boost proportions of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

NIU’s Global Round-up: Surging hemp demand in China, DS regs clarified in Brazil, and more

25-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

It’s a global industry and there’s a lot happening. We know it’s not always easy keeping up with everything that’s happening around the world that could impact the US dietary supplements industry. The answer? Our weekly round-up of key news from across...

Transparency: The clear route to success in the wellness space?

25-Feb-2019 By Nikki Cutler

Brand ethics and transparency are crucial for any entrepreneur looking for success in the health food and wellness space, according to industry experts at the recent Probiota conference in Copenhagen (February 13th-15th).

Strain gain: Microbiome research uncovers 100 new species with commercial and therapeutic opportunities

25-Feb-2019 By Cheryl Tay

New research on the human microbiome has led to the discovery of over 100 new species of bacteria, increasing the potential for treatment and commercialisation in the gut health space.

Country Life chooses yeast prebiotic to underpin new line of 'balance' products

22-Feb-2019 By Hank Schultz

Legacy dietary supplement manufacturer Country Life Vitamins will launch a new line of supplements built on a backbone of a yeast fermentate prebiotic at an upcoming trade show.

Product reviews reveal 'clear gap' in the probiotics market

22-Feb-2019 By Nikki Cutler

There are clear untapped opportunities within probiotics for women's health, according to new research into the online reviews revealed at Probiota Copenhagen last week.

News in brief

Lallemand partners with ComboCap to roll out dual chamber capsule technology

20-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Probiotic player Lallemand Health Solutions has announced a long-term exclusive partnership and license agreement with ComboCap Inc. for the co-development of side-by-side dual-chamber wet-and-dry probiotic ComboCap products.

Probiotic companies 'should be more angry' about health claim hurdles, argues marketing expert

19-Feb-2019 By Nikki Cutler

Probiotic food and drink companies 'should be more angry' about health claim restraints which act as barriers to consumer health, according to a marketing expert who spoke at Probiota Copenhagen last week.

Prebiotics from acorn & sago show metabolic benefits, boost gut integrity for obese subjects

15-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Non-digestible polysaccharides from acorns and sago (palm starch) may help improve glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in lab mice eating a high-fat diet, says a new study.

Nutranext proving to be a star for Clorox, even as its sales of probiotics take a dip

05-Feb-2019 By Hank Schultz

Clorox continues to ride strong results in its nutritional products brands toward a positive overall earnings statement. The contribution of its Nutranext segment offset drops in other categories, such as probiotics and charcoal products.

Recovery and education offer opportunities and challenges for DS brands for US military personnel

05-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

US military personnel are big consumers of dietary supplements, with surveys showing over 60% regularly use the products, but dietary supplement brands have a big challenge when it comes to building loyalty: Education.

Nanotech gut role opens up prospect of probiotic nanoparticles for food

04-Feb-2019 By Will Chu

The development of probiotic nanoparticles for food could be on the cards if previously undiscovered insights into their effects on the intestinal flora can be developed further, according to a German research team.

Bodybuilding.com uses customer data to build out personalized sports nutrition platform

31-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Data—not gravity—makes the world go round. In the sports nutrition realm, retailer bodybuilding.com says it is using the reams of data it gets from customers to build a better personalized nutrition platform.

MIT researchers develop blowfish-inspired smart pill to survive hostile GI conditions

31-Jan-2019 By Adi Menayang

A jelly-like pill developed by MIT researchers may bring us a step closer to uncovering the remaining mysteries of the human digestive system.

Gut-brain axis: RCT shows gut-friendly probiotic improves migraine symptoms

30-Jan-2019 By Nikki Cutler

In the largest ever trial of its sort, a probiotic supplement containing 14 strains of “gut-friendly” bacteria has been shown to significantly improve several symptoms of migraine headaches.

Deadline for entry is April 26, 2019!

IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2019 call for abstracts: Got groundbreaking research to shout about?

29-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Are you researching the latest state-of-the-art developments related to prebiotic, probiotic and microbiome science relevant to human health, well-being, consumers and industry? If so, we would like to hear from you!

Peek Inside: Probiota 2019 - Copenhagen

Business opportunities: Everyone wants a slice of the ‘awesome’ microbiome pie, says market analyst

24-Jan-2019 By Nikki Cutler

Nearly every company in the food and nutrition industry wants to get a piece of the ‘microbiome pie’ but collaboration is usually the key to success, says analyst Harini Venkataraman, PhD, in preview of her presentation at Probiota 2019.

Special Edition: Supplements for Pets

Where is the innovation in the pet supplements space?

23-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Delivery systems and proprietary ingredients are the tip of the innovation spear for pet supplements (think cats and dogs), but nothing is hotter than one ingredient: CBD.

Healthcare is coming to the home, and companies should be prepared to offer vertical solutions, says Thorne CEO

17-Jan-2019 By Adi Menayang

Start-up Onegevity officially launched this week, promising consumers one of the most ‘hyperpersonalized’ services amid the boom of at-home testing, personalized nutrition kits.

Chinese boom: How probiotics and e-commerce are changing China's supplement industry

16-Jan-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Probiotics and e-commerce are two of the most prominent priorities for Chinese consumers when it comes to dietary supplements, according to a Mintel report on 2018's top supplement trends in China.

2019 Trends: The ingredients and categories to watch this year

14-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells

As an avid industry watcher, I like to keep a close eye on what’s hot and what’s not in the market. Here’s my list of the top 10 categories and ingredients to keep an eye on for 2019…

January new product launches: Probiotic fruit bar, organic protein milk, and more

10-Jan-2019 By Adi Menayang

In this round-up of the latest product launches from the end of last year and beginning of this new year, we have fruit bars with probiotics, a pre-workout that ‘tastes like college,’ and organic high protein milk.

Gut yeast crosses blood-brain barrier and triggers Alzheimer's-like inflammation: Study

09-Jan-2019 By Will Chu

Fungal gut populations are capable of migrating to the brain, crossing its blood-brain barrier and triggering the kind of inflammation seen in Alzheimer's disease, according to US researchers.

Synbiotics may have dose-dependent effect against IBS symptoms: South Korean RCT

08-Jan-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Synbiotics can alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depending on the dosage administered, according to a South Korean RCT.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Marketers making microbiome claims should take lesson from ORAC debacle

04-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Without care, the dietary supplement industry runs the risk of turning the word ‘microbiome’ into a synonym for shoddy marketing and weak science.

The big issues for 2019: CBD, the microbiome and more

03-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells, Hank Schultz and Adi Menayang

The year is new and many people are getting out their crystal balls. NutraIngredients-USA is no different, and here are five of our Top 10 big issues that will impact the dietary supplements industry in 2019.

FSSAI issues guidelines for fortification ingredients in children's supplements

02-Jan-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Indian regulator FSSAI has issued a gazette notification of its amendments to the standards for children's supplements in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.

Nature vs nurture: Study finds consistent gut microbiome differences among ethnicities

20-Dec-2018 By Nikki Cutler

Ethnicity has a consistent effect on the microbiome according to new research which fuels the debate about whether diet or genes have the most effect on the microbiome.

Guest article

‘Under Siege’: A year of reflection and next level growth

19-Dec-2018 By George Paraskevakos, Executive Director, International Probiotics Association (IPA)

As I celebrated three years at IPA in April, I couldn’t help but reflect on the shape the industry has taken. Going from being sparingly mentioned in the press and fast forward to today and it is almost every other week we see probiotics in the headlines....

Probiotics present 'new way' to fight Staph infections: US, Thai researchers

19-Dec-2018 By Cheryl Tay

A certain strain of probiotic Bacillus bacteria can help eliminate the harmful bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, according to a joint population study by US and Thai researchers.

The future is fibre: How to cash in on the trend

18-Dec-2018 By Nikki Cutler

2019 could be the year fibre becomes fashionable as consumers learn more about gut health and weight management, according to a leading ingredient supplier.

Cornell patent deal helps LNC ramp-up microbiome therapeutics strategy

17-Dec-2018 By Nathan Gray

A new patent licencing deal between Cornell and LNC Therapeutics will help the French biotech become the ‘must have’ partner for research and product development relating to the Christensenella strain, says the company’s CEO.

Synbiotic dietary supplement shows metabolic health benefits in overweight people: DuPont data

14-Dec-2018 By Stephen Daniells

A combination of DuPont’s Howaru Shape probiotic and Litesse Ultra prebiotic may beneficially alter the gut microbiota and improve gut barrier function, says a new study from DuPont Nutrition & Health.

Probiotics for building muscle mass: Synbio Tech targets the US market with ‘world’s first’ sports product

13-Dec-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Taiwanese probiotics firm Synbio Tech is aiming for a strong entry into the US sports nutrition market with a probiotic strain capable of building muscle mass.

Lallemand’s Lafti L10 probiotic may provide natural antioxidant defence for athletes

12-Dec-2018 By Will Chu

New analysis looking into the effect of Lallemand’s Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10 probiotic reveals an antioxidant potential that may interest athletes in the periods before or during strenuous exercise.