FiE 2024: Bridging the gaps between sports nutrition, healthy lifestyles and active aging

At this year’s Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) 2024 trade show, producers and suppliers presented concepts and products appealing to the latest consumer demands and market trends. One category that is continuing to expand is active nutrition as the line between sports and performance nutrition continues to veer into areas such as healthy aging.

On the trade show floor, Nutrition Insight sat down with experts from DuraBeet, HTBA (HealthTech Bio Actives) and FrieslandCampina Ingredients to discuss the latest innovations in this growing market segment.

FrieslandCampina Ingredients introduced Nutri Whey ProHeat into the active nutrition segment. Vicky Davies, the company’s global senior marketing director for performance, active and medical nutrition, told us that this is one of numerous trends in adult nutrition the company is tapping into. 

“There’s holistic health, there’s gut health, there’s protein and protein plus, and I think they are the key ones, coupled with a bit of healthy indulgence,” she emphasized. “Consumers really want something as a treat that tastes really good, but they don’t want to feel guilty about it.”

“We’re really happy with this, and we have it available on the market now for the performance and active nutrition segments.”

At the same time, DuraBeet, a subsidiary of Agrana, presented its betaine active nutrition ingredient and HTBA focused on its polyphenols and bioactive B12 solutions.

Heart healthy active nutrition

Tom D’hoore, the chief commercial officer at HTBA tells us that the company’s polyphenol and vitamin B12 ingredients are applicable to functional foods, nutritional supplements, taste modulation and animal nutrition. At the trade show, HTBA showcased its expertise in taste modulation and functional benefits.

Specifically, D’hoore stated that HTBA is spotlighting the functional benefits of its end products. They featured a polyphenol called Cardiose, derived from sweet oranges, a familiar starting material to consumers. He added that the company has conducted multiple intervention studies demonstrating that Cardiose can prevent the onset of heart diseases and contribute to maintaining heart health.HTBA focused on its polyphenol and bioavailable vitamin B12 ingredients at the trade show.

Moreover, HTBA’s research examined arterial flexibility and the effects of Cardiose on the epithelium — the cell layer lining the veins. This research focuses on maintaining a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses, as well as vasoconstriction and vasodilation triggers. It also explored the impact of Cardiose on maintaining healthy systolic blood pressure levels, underscoring its potential benefits in vascular health.

“From there, with this very same ingredient, we ventured into what would be active nutrition, where we’ve done several studies, including one where we basically show that Cardiose enhances anaerobic power,” D’hoore explained. “In a cycling test, top amateur cyclists who do 5,000 km per season were given one single dose of 500 mg and we were able to show that it enhances both maximum speed and anaerobic power.”

“Additionally, we went for a longer-term study where we showed that Cardiose impacts aerobic power and recovery and modulates energy metabolism. When people who exercise take Cardiose, they draw more energy from lipids than they do from glucose and what we saw over the course of the study is that people developed more lean body mass.”

Betaine’s benefits and functionality

Salwa Bakr, the global product manager for DuraBeet explained that the brand’s active nutrition ingredient is at least 99% pure betaine, also known by its chemical name, trimethylglycine. She highlighted that the ingredient is a strong methyl donor that is beneficial for cardiovascular health, with a European Food Safety Authority-approved health claim. Additionally, it is noted for being a potent osmolyte, effectively hydrating the body from within.DuraBeet emphasized the applicability of its betaine ingredient.

Furthermore, Bakr pointed out that DuraBeet’s versatility allows it to be adapted into a variety of products and can be tailored to meet specific bodily and consumer demands. Application examples include on-the-go hydration solutions, such as beverages and gummies.

She also stressed that DuraBeet is suitable for inclusion in energy drinks as it aids in metabolizing natural taurine within the body and is beneficial for sports drinks due to its role in metabolizing carnitine, creatine and glycine. DuraBeet facilitates the conversion of homocysteine into methionine, addressing a critical bodily function.

“This is really beneficial for cardiovascular health because homocysteine is a very harmful molecule that gets naturally produced in our body when we age,” said Bakr. “It hurts our arteries from the inside, so it remethylates homocysteine into methionine, which is important for cellular regeneration. This is why we also have product launches that tackle longevity.”

“It targets active lifestyle and sports people because endurance and hydration are hot topics. It also protects protein digestion in the gut, which is a topic among athletes,” she continued. 

FrieslandCampina Ingredients highlighted the active nutrition and health benefits of Nutri Whey ProHeat.“One of the most important markets for us is the US and Europe. In China and the Middle East, DuraBeet is also booming due to its hydration capabilities and the hot weather.”

Delivering high-protein in convenient formats

Davies at FrieslandCampina Ingredients stated that since Nutri Whey ProHeat is a microparticulated whey protein, it allows for the integration of whey protein benefits into heat-treated products. This overcomes the challenges associated with producing high-protein yogurts, drinks, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, dairy-based drinks and even bars.

“We’ve been able to develop a 10% solution to bring today, although we have been able to achieve 15% in solution as well, meaning that we’re bringing one of the highest whey protein concentrates to the market for this segment,” she revealed. “I think overall, this helps to tap into the protein trend that we’re seeing everywhere, where consumers are very aware of the benefits of protein and what they can do for their overall health.”

“They’re looking for nice formats and convenient formats that they can take,” Davies concluded. “Yogurt is becoming much more popular as that type of format as well and that’s why we are tapping into this trend.”