Beyond The Headlines: Clasado Biosciences spots growing opportunities for prebiotics, AI-empowered cannabinoids

09 Feb 2024 --- This week in nutrition news, Clasado Biosciences spotlighted the potential of prebiotics for driving expansion in the immunity health space. Meanwhile, Nalu Bio and Process Integration & Predictive Analytics (PIPA) teamed up to unveil new AI-enabled cannabinoid and bioactive combinations for consumer use. Also, the Phibro Animal Health Corporation released its Q2 financial results.

Nutrition News
Clasado Biosciences revealed that, following a surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, the immune health category is continuing to grow. The company says it sees an opportunity for prebiotics, bolstered by advancing gut health science, to drive further market expansion. The Global Prebiotic Association’s consumer study supports this conclusion, showing immune health as a key reason for prebiotic supplementation. Clasado further highlighted that Bimuno GOS, its prebiotic galactooligosaccharide offering, boasts extensive scientific research on its application potential in immune health formulations.

At the same time, Nalu Bio has partnered with PIPA to introduce AI-enabled cannabinoid and bioactive combinations to the consumer packaged goods industry to create a new product category amid growing market demand and cultural acceptance of cannabinoids. The two companies said the collaboration seeks to leverage predictive AI modeling to find optimal mixes of cannabinoids with bioactives like vitamins and antioxidants, targeting health issues such as pain, anxiety and sleep and relaxation. Spotlighting the significance of chemistry-derived, no-high cannabinoids, Nalu Bio and PIPA said the approach promises to revolutionize global health and wellness solutions. It compared the impact to the introduction of vitamins.

Business news
Phibro Animal Health Corporation unveiled its Q2 financial results, highlighting a slight increase in net sales to US$249.9 million, but a decrease in net income to US$1.3 million. The company maintained its fiscal year 2024 sales guidance between US$980 million to US$1.02 billion but updated its net income and diluted EPS guidance to U$12 million and U$17 million, respectively.NASDA and AAFCO have updated the Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food. The report emphasized the growth in the Animal Health segment, with a 6% increase in net sales driven by new vaccine products. However, declines were noted in the Mineral Nutrition and Performance Products segments, though the company’s chairman expressed optimism about future growth, particularly in Animal Health. Adjusted financial metrics were also slightly down, reflecting challenges such as litigation costs and foreign currency losses, but Phibro said it anticipates improvements in the latter half of the fiscal year.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) unanimously endorsed the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which updated the Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food during the Winter Policy Conference on February 7, 2024. NASDA urged state feed regulatory programs to adopt these model regulations promptly and uniformly, acknowledging state-specific legal and regulatory frameworks. They also called for collaboration with pet food manufacturers and distributors to follow AAFCO’s six-year transition period for implementation. The revised regulations, approved by AAFCO in July 2023, are meant to enhance transparency in pet food labeling by establishing new guidelines for nutrition information, ingredient statements and storage instructions. AAFCO has recommended a six-year enforcement discretion period to facilitate the integration of these guidelines into state laws and allow manufacturers time to update their product labels and packaging accordingly.

Product Launches
Signing Day Sports launched a new line of dietary supplements geared toward high school student-athletes navigating the recruitment process. The product range includes Create creatine powder, Build whey protein powder and Stingrs energy chews. The range is meant to boost performance and support energy, muscle growth and reduce fatigue. The company said the products aim to provide a holistic solution for young athletes. The company also has an app to aid student-athletes in building comprehensive recruitment profiles, showcasing verified athletic and academic data to college coaches to facilitate student-athletes’ aspirations to play college sports.

Stella & Chewy’s released Dental Delights to support the oral health of dogs (Image Credit: Stella & Chewy's).

The Carmel Berry Company introduced Eldie, an elderberry gummy for family wellness made with elderberries and flowers without refined or artificial sweeteners. The company said the gummies are designed to support immune health and have three times the organic elderberry content of many leading brands. Moreover, it uses natural sweeteners and sustainable packaging and offers elderberry’s nutritional benefits, including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, in a functional gummy form.

Pet nutrition
Hill’s Pet Nutrition has collaborated with “Critter Fixers: Country Vets” stars, Drs. Vernard Hodges and Terrence Ferguson, to tackle pet obesity. The company said that, with 59% of dogs and 61% of cats in the US being classified as overweight or obese in 2022, its campaign will endeavor to educate pet owners about recognizing and addressing their pets’ weight problems. The initiative suggests proactive steps including a unique test it has devised for assessing pet weight, consulting veterinarians for dietary advice and using Hill’s specialized weight management foods — Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight and Prescription Diet Metabolic products. The company said the line has shown significant results in pet weight loss, with over 70% of pets losing weight within ten weeks.

Stella & Chewy’s introduced Dental Delights, an innovative treat aimed at improving canine oral health, coinciding with National Pet Dental Health Month. Recognizing that over 80% of dogs exhibit oral disease symptoms by age three, Stella & Chewy’s, in partnership with veterinarian Dr. Angie Krause, are emphasizing the importance of at-home dental care. Dental Delights are designed not only to entertain dogs but also to aid in controlling plaque and tartar with natural ingredients, such as peppermint, parsley and cage-free chicken. The treats are available in various sizes to cater to all dogs.A recent study is looking at the need for researching the effect of outer space environments on the microbiome.

Scientific Studies
According to a recent study, research on the human microbiome’s adaptation to the space environment is pivotal for the success of long-term space missions, such as Mars expeditions. The study, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, reveals the critical role of microorganisms that live in symbiosis with the human body, particularly in digestion, immunity and physiological regulation. However, space conditions like microgravity and ionizing radiation can disrupt the microbiome’s balance, posing health risks to astronauts. This underscores the importance of astromicrobiology in mission planning to understand microbial persistence in closed systems and develop strategies for space agriculture and medical applications. Key concerns include radiation exposure’s effects on both humans and microorganisms, which the team said could lead to potential antibiotic resistance and the need for effective risk reduction strategies. Additionally, studying astronauts’ microbiomes can offer insights into immune system impacts and the development of strategies to maintain astronaut health. Challenges include the risk of pathogen spread within spacecraft, compromised immune responses and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. According to the research team, addressing these concerns through research is vital for safeguarding astronaut health and ensuring mission success, emphasizing the need for comprehensive astromicrobiological preparedness.

A study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US and the Université Laval, in Quebec, Canada, revealed that regular physical activity cannot fully offset the cardiovascular risks linked to consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. Despite the common portrayal of active individuals consuming these drinks without harm, the researchers found that consuming them more than twice a week significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of one’s physical activity levels. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which tracked around 100,000 adults over 30 years, emphasizes that while physical activity can halve the cardiovascular risk associated with sugary drinks, it does not eliminate it. These findings highlight the need for public health initiatives to limit sugar-sweetened beverage intake and promote water as the best hydration choice. It also found that artificially sweetened drinks did not show the same risk for cardiovascular diseases.

By William Bradford Nichols