Fermented biotin: Biosyntia unveils “world’s first” natural and sustainable vitamin B7

14 Sep 2020 --- Biosyntia has unveiled what is touted as “the world’s first” natural, fermented biotin, called BIO-B7. The ingredient is produced from a sustainable fermentation process based on sugar and is suitable for a variety of applications, the Denmark-based biotech company explains.

“Biotin is a vitamin essential to the human metabolism and an ingredient that the human body cannot produce by itself. It is used across many types of products and has certified claims within areas such as beauty, energy, metabolism and mental performance,” Martin Plambech, CEO at Biosyntia, tells NutrititionInsight.

Plambech explains that the ingredient can be used in applications such as beauty products for its beneficial effects for hair and nail health or in B-complex products with various health benefits.

“This is the first time it can be produced this way on a large scale, so we plan to conduct studies to better understand the potential added health effects. It’s a significant scientific breakthrough, and we have come a lot further with the technology than others have been able to,” he further notes.

The B7 vitamin
Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is a nutraceutical ingredient added to products within the personal care, F&B, supplement and animal nutrition industries. According to Innova Market Insights data the ingredient is seeing popularity in supplement applications. 

The ingredient can be used in applications such as beauty products for its beneficial effects for hair. While the Baby & Toddlers category is a popular one for biotin NPD with a 15 percent CAGR (Global, 2015-2019), the Supplements category is growing even quicker with a 23 percent CAGR during the same period. 

However, the fastest-growing category is soups with an impressive 117 percent CAGR, albeit from a small base.

According to Biosyntia, BIO-B7 allows formulators and brand owners within personal care, supplements and the food industry to meet the increasing demands from consumers for natural and sustainable products. 

Today, the majority of biotin is synthetic and manufactured by chemical synthesis with crude oil as the main source of raw material. 

From synthetic to natural
Transitioning from a synthetic to a natural fermentation process provides a sustainable value. This is as fermentation processes have been shown to provide a significant reduction in CO2 emission, chemical waste, air pollution and water usage – both historically for vitamin production and specifically for a commercially scaled biotin process.

“A fermentation process. is significantly more sustainable with 95 percent reduced use of chemicals. As an example, the chemical biotin process today is estimated to release 40,000 tons of hazardous chemicals every year,” details Plambech.

“Furthermore it significantly reduces air pollution and water waste treatment requirements. In addition, it is a more safe production method. The raw material, the process and the end-product is in a natural form, which will be preferred by consumers over the chemical version.”

Furthermore Biosyntia produces biotin in Europe hence it ensures full traceability and a high quality product, according to Plambech. Whereas traditionally chemical biotin is produced in China, rendering traceability more difficult.

Commercialization
Biosyntia is currently developing the first production batch and is in dialogue with customers and partners to launch the first products containing BIO-B7.

“By using BIO-B7, formulators and brand owners can uniquely claim their products contain fermented biotin, which is natural and produced from renewable sources – at the same time our product has a very high purity and full traceability. This provides our customers a new value proposition in the market as well as peace of mind,” says Cecilie Oest-Jacobsen, launch manager at Biosyntia.

The launch also touches upon a lot of different products and demographics, according to Plambech. 

“Demographics where we could imagine a strong uptake are with environmentally conscious consumers, who value natural Nordic high quality products – this could be millennials, perhaps young families, who want the best for themselves and their children,” he concludes.

Biotin is increasingly spotlighted in supplements targeting hair and skin. Instagram favorite brand Sugar Bear Hair, Pacifica’s Hair Nirvana beauty gummies and Beauty Bear’s Skin and Hair NPD all include biotin in significant amounts. 

Overall, new food, beverage and supplement launches with the ingredient have enjoyed a 15 percent CAGR from 2015 to 2019, according to data from Innova Market Insights.

Beauty-from-within is evolving into a nutrition megatrend with experts noting ingredient synergies and the potential of the skin’s microbiome for innovative NPD. Moreover, the cosmeceuticals industry previously explained how the sector is “recession-proof” and how COVID-19 has influenced it.

By Kristiana Lalou