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“Globally, people are looking for proactive, convenient ways to improve health”
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Monday, 01 November, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 ADM is a global leader in human and animal nutrition. The company is focussed on automated production lines, advanced dosing technologies, lab facilities including commercial sampling, analytical, quality control, sensory, pilot and application, harnessing leading-edge technologies and technical expertise. The global food flavours market size is projected to reach $20.7 billion by 2025 and is largely led by the APAC region.
As Asian consumers move towards better-for-you and healthier alternatives within their daily diets, flavour and taste, Lois Mo, marketing director, health & wellness, APAC, shares her thoughts about the industry with regards to consumer choices, immunity boosting products, sustainability, and post pandemic recovery, in an interview with Kimberley Fernandes. Excerpts:
Elaborate on the metabolism plus weight management product featuring the proprietary BPL1 strain.
Culturelle’s newest probiotic targets metabolic health and weight management. It includes ADM’s BPL1(Bifidobacteriumanimalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145), strain as a key active ingredient, which has been shown in a published clinical study to contribute to reducing anthropometric biomarkers associated with metabolic health, such as body mass index and conicity index. It is also available as a heat-treated form (HT-BPL1), which can be incorporated into a wide range of applications – including those that may require harsh manufacturing processes – while maintaining to have a potential impact on anthropometric markers as results from a published clinical study show it to contribute to a decreased waist circumference.
Our probiotic strain’s functionality is supported by a compelling set of scientific evidence, including the fact that it has managed to elucidate its mechanism of action and the responsible molecule - Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) - in relation to its effects in reducing fat deposition in the animal model Caenorhabditiselegans. This sets a new standard in the industry for the understanding of probiotics, and the new evidence opens up opportunities for the company to support companies with previously challenging product development innovations.
What are the different types of products offered by the company, and which are most popular among consumers?
We offer a diverse portfolio of ingredient solutions that improve taste, texture, nutrition and colour for a wide variety of health and wellness and food and beverage applications. These applications include culinary, dairy, snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, baked goods, cereals and more. We partner with the world’s major food and supplement companies – providing an edge with ingredient solutions, expert formulation, insights and speed to market designed to usher in the next wave of food and nutrition innovation.
A notable ingredient among our solutions is Fibersol, our award winning dietary fibre, which is clinically shown to support gut health, where 70% of our immune system resides. Published clinical research shows that Fibersol promotes the growth of beneficial (as noted by scientific community), microbes that aid in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Product developers turn to Fibersol because it is highly soluble, has low viscosity and is heat, acid, shear, freeze and thaw stable. Additionally, it easily incorporates into a variety of food and beverage applications with little to no impact on taste for a great-tasting experience. It is also suitable for use in dietary supplements.
How are your immunity boosting products different from the ones available in the market?
Consumers are increasingly informed of the connection between how their metabolic health can support weight management, given the sedentary lifestyles of many consumers during the pandemic. In Asia Pacific, most consumers have become more concerned with immunity since Covid-19, and brands are responding to this by frequently incorporating prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics into supplements, functional foods and beverages.We are an end-to-end solutions provider that support food, beverage and supplement brands by unlocking innovative applications that will give their business an edge. From understanding consumer need states and developer challenges to leveraging our unparalleled portfolio, we support brands from the initial ideation stage through to final product. Additionally, we invest in industry-leading microbiome research and innovation to help our partners and customers develop evidence-based solutions in a variety of applications. Our proprietary science and human clinical trials have also been published in several peer-reviewed journals.
What types of research and development go into the company’s microbiome solutions?
We have an extensive library of proprietary microbiome research and a rapidly growing number of clinical trials research relating to the role of the gut microbiome. Clinical trials for specific health and wellness products are published in peer-reviewed journals and our microbiome trials have been published in 59 scientific publications. Our research and product development capabilities include:
o Pre-clinical evaluation, including in vitro, cell cultures, and C.elegans models
o Microbiome analysis, including taxonomic profiling, whole genome sequencing, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics
o Strain development, including laboratory and pilot fermentation, scale-up and process and product development capabilities
o Dedicated medical team for clinical research
o Food and beverage and dietary supplements, pilot and product application centres distributed worldwide
Due to the ongoing pandemic, more people are drawn towards cultivating a healthy lifestyle. How does this trend affect the industry? What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?
Consumer sentiments around health and wellness have shifted dramatically over the past year. Globally, people are looking for proactive, convenient ways to improve their overall health and wellness. Developers can win with consumers by recognising and prioritising health and wellness needs in products. A reported 65% of APAC consumers are more concerned about immunity since Covid-19 and 21% of APAC consumers are frequently using supplements to boost immune health.
Beyond immunity, consumers have renewed motivations to take a more holistic approach to their health and wellness goals. This highlights that consumers are focussed on sustaining health and wellness through nutrition, including supporting gut health and taking supplements for resilience, and this is likely to be an enduring behavioural change, even after the global pandemic is over. We respond to this by helping food and beverage companies develop customised solutions to meet evolving consumer needs for healthier living.
According to research, 60% of global consumers are planning to improve their overall health and wellness in the next 12 months. Consumers are also proactively looking to improve their health and wellness through better nutrition solutions. This renewed focus on overall health and wellness means consumers are taking a more holistic approach to their mind-body connection and shifting towards a more proactive perspective on their immunity.
With consumers actively seeking out food, beverage and dietary supplement solutions to meet their renewed health and wellness goals, companies need to get to market fast with science-backed solutions in convenient, innovative formats preferred by consumers. Our science-backed portfolio includes cutting-edge microbiome solutions, naturally sourced botanicals and specialty ingredient solutions that support a wide range of consumers’ health and wellness perceived needs. Plus, we offer customers integrated solutions from every stage of development through launch.
Describe the company’s vision for sustainable living.
Underlying our purpose to ‘unlock the power of nature to enrich the quality of life’, we understand how fundamental is to promote importance of sustainable and responsible practices, and our commitment to supporting our planet and its natural resources. We’ve committed to meet our fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. As the bridge between growers and the products on store shelves, we are in a unique position to influence responsible practices throughout the entire agricultural value chain.
It starts on the farm, where we work closely with our global network of suppliers to advance sustainable practices to improve yields, conserve water, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2020, we surpassed 13 million acres that we’ve supported through sustainable farming programmes over recent years.
Our efforts continue after the harvest. We’re making strides in meeting our ambitious Strive 35 plan to reduce the environmental impact of our processing operations by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy and waste by 2035. We’re improving the efficiency of our facilities and vehicles, finding alternative uses for waste, reusing and recycling water, and sequestering carbon at our onsite capture and storage facility.
With the critical role that natural resources play in providing access to nutrition worldwide, we strive to create a more resilient, secure and sustainable food system. By doing so, we not only provide value to our key stakeholders, but we do it while making a positive impact on people and the planet.
Are you planning on introducing any new products in view of the changing trends in the market? Any plans on new collaborations with Indian markets?
Our eyes are always toward the future. We’re continuously looking to new ways, new formulas and new possibilities. We create and innovate to meet the needs of consumers and developers alike and are always on the lookout for opportunities and collaborations that will give customers an edge in the marketplace.
BPL1® is a trademark registered for Biopolis in the EU, the US , South Korea and other countries
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