Arla Foods Ingredients eyes APAC region with hydrolyzed whey protein

16 Jun 2020 --- Addressing the need for muscle health solutions for a globally booming elderly population, Arla Foods Ingredients (AFI) has launched Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild. The fully hydrolyzed whey protein ingredient is clinically proven to counteract age-related muscle mass decline. The launch specifically targets the APAC region, home to an increasingly aging population who are showing a strong interest in functional foods and supplements.

“The primary focus is on Asia, as the effects of the aging population are most incremental in this region. A modest estimate is that around 25 million seniors in the region currently suffer from sarcopenia,” Laima Liepinyte, Business Development Manager, Asia at AFI, tells NutritionInsight.

In Asia, consumers are used to purchasing functional food products to support healthy aging and increase quality of life. “While similar products do exist on the market in Asia, they are often created with soy proteins, which are inferior in quality to whey protein,” Liepinyte explains.

Innova Market Insights data highlights that the number of new senior nutrition products containing whey ingredients grew by a CAGR of 80 percent in Asia between 2015 and 2019. As part of its commitment to Chinese markets, AFI now also offers its website in Mandarin.

The company has shown in three separate human clinical trials that Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild can help counteract sarcopenia, or age-associated muscle loss, in resistance-trained older women. The trials document significant health improvements in women consuming whey, including increased muscle mass, improved muscle strength and mobility. Moreover, participants noted supplementation with Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild helped slim their waists and reduce body fat.

“Superior whey protein”
Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild is ideally used in powder applications, making it possible to serve the fast-acting protein in a powder shake form for seniors. “Products in Asia are designed to maintain bone and muscle mass and often come as a nutritional shake in powder format. Problems with swallowing and lack of appetite are not uncommon among the elderly, explaining the attractiveness of this format,” says Liepinyte.

AFI also maintains that whey protein is superior to other protein sources for muscle synthesis in the elderly, considering whey’s higher leucine content and fast absorption rate. “Age brings many changes to health, one of which is a natural decline in skeletal muscle mass and function. This can have a devastating effect on mobility and quality of life but whey protein, in combination with exercise, can help slow the decline,” Liepinyte affirms.

The new ingredient is derived from grass- and forage-fed cows and is certified halal and kosher. On-pack benefits in China include high-in-protein, low-in-lactose, sugar-free and easy-to-dissolve. 

Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild joins the Lacprodan when protein hydrolysate family of eight existing products. NutritionInsight previously spoke with AFI on how the importance of protein is “firmly embedded in public consciousness.” Meanwhile, dairy ingredients have been in high demand for overall health and wellness amid COVID-19, experts say. AFI also shared with NutritionInsight that the sports nutrition sector is set to adapt to post-pandemic consumer needs.

Moreover, Innova Market Insights reports strong growth in sports-related positionings within mainstream food and beverage NPD. A key ingredient in this space, whey protein saw an average of 39 percent average annual growth between 2014 and 2018.

By Anni Schleicher