Beyond The Headlines: Digestiva scores US$18M for enzyme tech, ATNI and APHRC to address nutrition in Africa

19 Jul 2024 --- In nutrition news this week, Digestiva raised the capital to develop and commercialize its technology to develop protease enzymes and Fitterfly partnered with Google Cloud to launch an AI platform that helps diabetics track the content of their meals. Meanwhile, the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to address critical nutrition in Africa.

Business news
Food biotech company Digestiva closed its Series A equity financing round raising US$18.4 million. The round was led by sugar cane processor Magdalena with participation from UC Investments and existing investors The March Fund and Astanor. The company’s technology focuses on the discovery and development of proprietary protease enzymes designed to address critical challenges in protein nutrition, functionality and health. In addition to the successful finance round, Digestiva entered an exclusive manufacturing partnership with Magdalena. Under the agreement, Magdalena will facilitate scale-up production of enzymes to help Digestiva reach its commercial milestones. Digestiva’s first precision protease enhances the processability, nutritional quality, digestibility and bioavailability of proteins. The company aims to commercialize applications in pet food, animal feed and human nutrition markets. 

Indian health tech company Fitterfly partnered with Google Cloud to launch AI feature Fitterfly Klik which allows diabetics and people with other non-communicable diseases to track and analyze their meals. The tool leverages Gemini 1.5 Flash from Google Cloud’s Vertex platform. Fitterfly Klik uses AI computer vision combined with the Fitterfly Nutrition Database featuring 37,000+ Indian foods, to recognize, analyze and break down food. Users can access Klik in the meal-tracking food diary by clicking the camera icon. A user can Klik while having a meal or upload images from the picture gallery. It will instantly provide feedback on that food item, its portion size and give detailed nutritional breakdowns like calorie count, macronutrient and micronutrient distribution.Fitterfly partnered with Google Cloud on an AI food cam called Klik to support diabetics. 

BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) will refer advertising claims made by Prolacta Bioscience for its human milk fortifier to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review. The referral was made after Prolacta declined to participate in the industry self-regulation process. Mead Johnson & Company challenged Prolacta’s claims that its human milk-based fortifier products have been shown in clinical studies to be more effective at improving health outcomes in premature infants as compared to cow milk-based fortifier products. Prolacta declined to substantively respond to the challenge. Due to Prolacta’s decision to not participate in the NAD self-regulatory process for these claims, NAD will refer the matter to the FTC and FDA for review and possible enforcement action. 

Food insecurity updates
ATNI and the APHRC signed a landmark MoU for the period from 2024–2026. The strategic partnership will address critical nutrition challenges in Africa. The MoU solidifies the commitment by ATNI and APHRC to build on existing accountability mechanisms, avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that engagement between both organizations and food and beverage companies is efficient and streamlined. Malnutrition including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity pose significant barriers to economic and social development in the region. By combining ATNI’s expertise in evaluating and improving the nutrition-related practices of food and beverage companies with APHRC’s deep insights into demographic trends and health challenges specific to African communities, the partnership aims to enhance research methodologies, tailor nutrition interventions and influence policy at local and international levels.

Bayer and Kroger joined forces with country singer Luke Bryan and Feeding America to bring healthy food to more families who need it. According to Feeding America, more than 44 million people in the US are food insecure where a 30% increase is seen compared with last year. Building on the successful launch of the “Take Care, Now” campaign in 2023, the collaborators want to raise awareness and facilitate access to nutritious food, vitamins and minerals. They will focus on underserved rural areas where hidden hunger — a form of undernutrition — is more prevalent. They will distribute educational materials through affiliated food banks nationwide to enhance nutrition literacy. These toolkits will include resources on vitamin and mineral education and recipes for simple, nutritious comfort foods prepared with readily available ingredients. The initiative is supported by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who is focused on helping eliminate hunger in his home state of Ohio.

Scientific studies
In a new analysis of data, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that taking a daily supplement containing antioxidant vitamins and minerals slows progression of late-stage dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), potentially helping people with late-stage disease preserve their central vision. Researchers reviewed the original retinal scans of participants in the Age-Related Eye Diseases Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) and found that people with late-stage dry AMD, taking the antioxidant supplement for the expansion of geographic atrophy slowed the central foveal region of the retina. The study was published in the journal Ophthalmology. For those who developed geographic atrophy in their central vision, the supplements had little benefit. But for the majority who developed geographic atrophy far from the fovea, the supplements slowed the rate of expansion towards the fovea by approximately 55% over an average of three years.Daily supplementation slow the progression of AMD, according to researchers from NIH. 

Industry events
The upcoming Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) 4th annual science innovation conference, with the theme “Food and Nutrition: Research for the Future,” will address topics on innovative ingredients, products and processes. The event will be held virtually, December 10–12. There will be invited sessions with leaders in the public sector including government regulators with global responsibilities in the food and beverage sector. Anyone from graduate students to CEOs can apply to present their science by submitting an abstract by October 31. Registration is now open for everyone who would like to participate in this exchange of science related to nutrition, innovative ingredients, products and processes in the food and beverage sector. All attendees will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue and discussion on the data, the technology and science.

Appointments
Cathy Capelin will join the British Nutrition Foundation as strategic project manager, effective from September. She will join the foundation’s Food Systems Transformation team led by the director Alan Black. Capelin has worked in food and drink research for more than 25 years. In her current role as head of health and sustainable consumption at IGD, she works collaboratively with the food industry to deliver on the healthy and sustainable diet ambitions of the organization. She has also led the Nutrition and Public Sector Division at Kantar Worldpanel. In her new role, she will oversee the development and implementation of strategic projects aimed at changing the food environment.

By Inga de Jong