Beyond The Headlines: Roquette opens Food Innovation Center, Fonterra launches nutrition science venture arm

09 Jun 2023 --- This week in nutrition news, Roquette inaugurates its Food Innovation Center in Europe, while Fonterra launches a corporate venture arm to foster nutrition innovation. Meanwhile, GRAS Associates and OraTicx receives a “no questions” letter from the US FDA regarding the latter’s Weissella cibaria CMU ingredient.

In brief: Nutrition news
Roquette opens a Food Innovation Center in Lestrem, France, which aims to support the food industry by offering a wide range of capabilities and expertise that address challenges related to population growth, aging and the demand for healthier and more sustainable diets. The center features a demonstration kitchen, sensory analysis laboratory, collaborative spaces and labs for pilot-scale testing across various food and nutrition applications. The company explains that its experts will provide advice and solutions to formulation and process challenges, supporting sectors such as dairy, savory, confectionery, bakery, beverages and specialized nutrition. The center is equipped for high-moisture extrusion, UHT lines for dairy and beverage applications and a tableting press simulator.

Fonterra’s nutrition science corporate venture arm will expand innovations in the field and explore growth opportunities in the sector.Fonterra is launching a corporate ventures arm dedicated to nutrition science to expand innovations in the field, invest in related ventures and explore growth opportunities in the nutrition science sector. The new business unit, tentatively named Nutrition Science Solutions (NSS), will function independently within Fonterra and is set to focus on developing “disruptive” ventures that integrate science, nutrition and technology to impact human health. NSS will also leverage Fonterra’s dairy science expertise and market understanding while collaborating with global start-ups to gain access to emerging technologies and novel market channels. As part of this initiative, Fonterra disclosed its first investment of US$10 million in Pendulum, a San Francisco, US-based biotech company specializing in evidence-based microbiome solutions for metabolic health. The partnership looks to develop and commercialize microbiome products that improve health by combining Fonterra’s manufacturing expertise with Pendulum’s microbiome research capabilities.

OraTicx, in partnership with GRAS Associates, received a “no questions” letter from the FDA regarding its generally recognized as safe (GRAS) application for Weissella cibaria CMU – a probiotic that has been shown to promote oral health and fight against halitosis. The GRAS status allows the use of the ingredient in yogurt, frozen desserts, hard candy, mints and chewing gum at specified levels. South Korea-based OraTicx reveales that it sought the GRAS notification to expand the global presence of oral CMU. The company further reveals that it plans to pursue another GRAS program for oraCMS1 and aims to position both strains as oral probiotics for oral health concerns.

In brief: Business news
Probi and Clasado Biosciences joined forces to develop synbiotic products by combining their respective expertise in probiotics and prebiotics. Synbiotics, the combination of prebiotics and probiotics, have the potential to enhance each other’s effects on gut health and microbiome. The partnership aims to explore the synergistic benefits of combining Probi’s probiotic strains with Clasado’s Bimuno GOS to develop health-promoting synbiotic products. The companies explain that the collaboration will initially focus on advancing the understanding of prebiotic and probiotic combinations to create opportunities for joint research, development and the commercialization of synbiotic technology.

Probi and Clasado Biosciences have partnered to research and develop synbiotics.Verdure Sciences is receiving the Union for Ethical BioTrade/Rainforest Alliance (UEBT/RA) certificate for its Sustainable Turmeric Program – a case study that focuses on turmeric sustainability and traceability. The plant-based ingredient supplier established its Sustainable Procurement Program (SPP) as a pilot program in 2017 with five farmers and has now expanded to include over 310 farmers and nearly 640 acres of land. The company states the purpose of the SPP is to drive sustainable initiatives for the plants it procures and processes and includes farmer qualification, seed selection, quality assurance and control and buy-back assurances. It also supports farmers throughout the growing cycle with training, regenerative agricultural practices and improved post-harvest processing methods.

In brief: Product launches
Launch Hydrate is launching a range of sports drinks that incorporates Kyowa Hakko’s Cognizin Citicoline ingredient and offers a blend of electrolytes and essential vitamins and minerals. The formula is designed to help athletes hydrate quickly, while improving focus and promoting faster recovery. The beverage is available in four natural flavors, including fruit punch, orange, tropical and lemon strawberry and contains 1,200 mg of electrolytes, 125 mg of Cognizin and 90 calories per 16 oz bottle.

Healthycell introduces Heart & Vascular Health, an easily absorbed gel supplement aimed at supporting normal cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure levels. According to the company, the supplement combines plant-based ingredients, vitamins and minerals, including CoQ10, vitamin K2, omega 3s, soluble fiber, resveratrol and magnesium to promote overall heart and cardiovascular health. Moreover, it said that its Microgel delivery system, developed by physicians and nutritionists, ensures optimal dosages of multiple clinically-backed nutrients without the need to consume numerous pills. Each gel pack contains over 2,686 mg of heart-supporting nutrients, which the company said is the equivalent of approximately 13 pills.

Launch Hydrate launched a range of sports drinks that incorporates Kyowa Hakko’s Cognizin Citicoline ingredient for hydration, focus and recovery.Nature’s Bounty, a Nestlé Health Science company, releases Sleep3 Gummies, a supplement it says will redefine the concept of achieving quality sleep with a blend of L-theanine, quick-release melatonin and time-release melatonin in a convenient gummy format. The product aims to prepare the body for a restful night’s sleep and promote sustained sleep for adults who occasionally experience sleeplessness and its triple-action addresses the desire for both faster sleep onset and longer sleep duration, offering consumers a holistic approach to sleep-quality.

In brief: Scientific studies
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, US, found that the majority of foods and beverages available at store checkouts are unhealthy. The study, published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, analyzed checkout lanes in 102 food stores across several cities. The findings showed that 70% of the food and beverage options at checkout were categorized as unhealthy, with candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks and sweets being the most prevalent choices. In contrast, healthier options such as water, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, legumes and milk were significantly less common. The researchers noted that food and beverage companies pay stores to place their products at the checkout, which contributes to impulse purchases and highlighted the need for more nutritious offerings at the checkout to provide consumers with healthier choices and improve the food environment.

US Researchers from the University of Connecticut, the University of Florida and the University of Pennsylvania revealed that perfect tracking of food intake is not necessary for significant weight loss. The study, published in the journal Obesity, involved tracking 153 participants in a weight loss program over six months using a digital weight loss program. The researchers aimed to determine the optimal thresholds for diet tracking that would predict weight loss of 3%, 5% and 10% after six months. They found that individuals only needed to track their food intake on around 30% of the days to achieve more than 3% weight loss, approximately 40% of the days to achieve more than 5% weight loss, and nearly 70% of the days to achieve more than 10% weight loss. The study also identified three distinct trajectories of tracking behavior and highlighted the potential for tailored interventions based on tracking patterns.

By William Bradford Nichols