Beyond The Headlines: DSM gains human-identical milk approval, ADM extends microbiology R&D

11 Nov 2022 --- This week in nutrition news, DSM secured approval in Canada for the use of its human-identical milk oligosaccharide (HMO) GlyCare 2’-fucosyllactose (2FL) in infant formula and dietary supplements. Also, ADM expanded its research and quality capabilities by establishing a North America-based microbiology laboratory, and Gentlebrand and Sidel boosted Ragasa’s Nutrioli cooking oil brand in Mexico with a new packaging design.

In brief: Announcements and accreditation
Royal DSM’s HMO GlyCare 2FL in infant formula and dietary supplements was approved in Canada, creating new opportunities for early-life nutrition brands to innovate and promote the health and development of kids. GlyCare 2FL HMO has received a “letter of no objection” from Health Canada, affirming that it is acceptable for use as an ingredient in infant formula and nutritional supplements for toddlers between the ages of one and three. Following its Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods, the department thoroughly evaluated the oligosaccharide. It was determined that including the 2FL ingredient in early-life nutrition products is safe.

DSM’s GlyCare 2FL HMO is acceptable in Canada as an ingredient in infant formula for infants between the ages of one and three.Farlong Nutraceutical, a plant-based ingredient and supplement company, begun obtaining GRAS status from the FDA for the natural ingredients Xiaohongshen and Qingyangshen. The dried roots and rhizomes of Rubia yunnanensis Diels are used to make Xiaohongshen. The extract promotes tissue regeneration by nourishing and improving regular blood flow and removing blood stasis. Meanwhile, the Qingyangshen is derived from the dried roots of Cynanchum otophyllum Schneid, Asclepiadaceae, and has been used to aid in muscle, bone, spleen and stomach strengthening. Using these two ingredients, the company developed a formula for its InnerPure Colon Detox, an all-natural blend of eight different herbal extracts.

In brief: Business news
ADM opened a North America Microbiology Laboratory at its Specialty Manufacturing Facility in Decatur, Illinois, US. The new laboratory represents a considerable extension of ADM’s testing capabilities and its footprint in the Decatur area. It also doubles the size of the company’s current microbiological laboratory footprint. Across North America, more than 26 ADM manufacturing locations will receive testing services from the new facility. The company will be able to perform advanced testing internally due to the new facility, including validations for processing plants and automation systems. Additionally, the laboratory will continue to increase its certification for other methods and become ISO 17025 accredited for the top five quality testing methods in early 2023. To enable quicker reporting to ADM clients, a laboratory information management system will also be implemented at the new location in late 2023.

Cooking oil manufacturer Ragasa’s brand Nutrioli’s packaging was redesigned by Gentlebrand and Sidel, boosting the brand’s positioning in the Mexican market. The packaging is pegged as a “cutting-edge and creative design” that conveys the brand’s core principles of wellness, naturalness and purity. The brand is recognized as the first to use a rectangular shape for its packaging and green as the primary color for its label – aspects that have since come to represent the brand. Due to Nutrioli’s widespread distribution in the country’s supermarkets and convenience stores, numerous new competitors have entered the market. Therefore, Ragasa SA decided to restyle its packaging, seizing the opportunity to provide consumers with more creative and appealing packaging in line with Nutrioli’s modern communication strategy and brand positioning.

In brief: New releases
Nutritional supplement provider Cymbiotika released its latest product, Creatine+. Creabrev, a highly bioavailable and easily digested form of creatine, and L-Glutamine are used to make this creatine formula. These are two of nature’s most researched amino acids, with a reputation for promoting energy production, stamina and overall health and wellness in both men and women. The benefits of creatine include boosting ATP and improving cognitive function, recovery times, energy levels and endurance in high-intensity exercises. It may also promote general intestinal health.

The Functional Chocolate Company’s Painfree Chocolate.The Functional Chocolate Company introduced its Painfree Chocolate that may help to alleviate aches, pains and inflammation. The chocolate contains a blend of time-tested natural ingredients like turmeric, white willow, arnica and the benefits of hops extracts that have been scientifically proven to be beneficial. It is also vegan and gluten-free with a chai flavor. 

In brief: Research and studies
A Mexico-based study revealed a correlation between unhealthy parental feeding behaviors and digital marketing of commercial infant meals and formula. According to the research, mothers constantly exposed to digital marketing were less likely to breastfeed their infants during the first six months exclusively and more likely to feed them processed foods and sugary drinks. This led the researchers to call for stricter regulations to protect young children’s nutrition and health. The study highlighted that parents who saw more advertisements were 62% less likely to exclusively breastfeed their children during the first six months than those who saw less and more than twice as likely to feed them breast and other types of milk. They were also 84% more likely to feed their children formula, twice as likely to feed them processed foods and 66% more likely to feed them sugary drinks.

Research from the University of Sydney, Australia, found that highly processed and refined foods are the main cause of the rising obesity rates in the Western world after observing the eating habits of 9,341 Australians. During the twelve-month-long study, participants who consumed less protein than recommended at the first meal consumed more discretionary foods throughout the day, including energy-dense foods high in saturated fats, sugars, salt, or alcohol and less of the recommended five food groups – grains, vegetables or legumes, fruit, dairy and meats. As a result, they had a poorer diet overall at each mealtime, with their percentage of protein energy decreasing even as their discretionary food intake increased. The finding affirms that protein plays a crucial role in the obesity epidemic, with significant consequences for world health.

A study observed highly processed and refined foods are the leading cause of rising obesity rates in the West.US-based Portland State University research found that consuming a diet high in saturated fats can reprogram the mouse immune system, making it more resistant to infection but more vulnerable to systemic inflammatory conditions such as sepsis. Popular high-fat diets for weight loss and seizure control include the ketogenic or “keto” diet. This study demonstrated how feeding mice a ketogenic diet high in saturated fats could significantly impact the immune system. The researchers noted that the study is the “first” to show that a dietary constituent can provide this first occurrence of inflammation. More research is needed on human participants, as hospitals may find these results useful since they could influence the foods provided to persons with feeding tubes.

Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, US, unveiled that eligible elderly persons who take part in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the US may experience a reduced rate of memory loss compared to qualified individuals who do not enroll. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that those who used SNAP had about two years less cognitive aging over ten years than those who did not. The study included 3,555 people eligible for SNAP benefits with an average age of 66. Researchers assessed memory function every two years. People were asked to take memory and thinking tests, such as recalling a list of words and answering questions about what they remember in their daily lives.

A US-based study observed that compared to newborns fed a diet based on cow milk in the neonatal intensive care unit, infants who received Prolacta’s 100% human milk-based fortifiers as part of an exclusive human milk diet had better long-term neurodevelopmental results. Researchers analyzed information from 252 preterm babies weighing up to 1,250 grams. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III), the gold standard for measuring infants’ neurological development, was used by researchers to evaluate the development of the babies. They discovered that at a corrected age of 18 to 22 months, infants fed Prolacta’s EHMD in the newborn intensive care unit had significantly higher BSID-III cognitive scores and a trend toward increased language scores.

By Nicole Kerr