FrieslandCampina Ingredients sheds light on lactoferrin’s role in immunity

18 Feb 2021 --- Following the launch of its Biotis Immune Health ingredient, FrieslandCampina Ingredients is spotlighting the role that bioactive proteins like lactoferrin play in warding off ill health. Ahead of the company’s upcoming webinar, Miriam Peters, marketing manager of Biotis Immune Health, speaks to NutritionInsight about the potential for this space.

“Interest in immune health is not new, and it existed long before COVID-19. However, it has been intensified by the pandemic,” she observers. 

Peters notes that the number of consumers that actively wanted to improve their immunity rose from 53 percent in 2019 up to 70 percent the following year. 

Demand for supplements, ingredients and foods with apparent immunity-boosting properties continues to grow rapidly in response – sales of immunity supplements grew by 25 percent in the US alone in 2020.   

Notably, Innova Market Insights crowned “In Tune With Immune” as one of its top trends for 2021.

Innova’s Consumer Survey 2020 found six out of ten global consumers are increasingly looking for F&B products that support immune health, with one in three saying that concerns about immune health increased in 2020 over 2019.Consumers are taking a more active role in preserving and improving their immune health, says Peters.

Dairy to the rescue?
According to Peters, dairy is the fastest growing product category with claims around immune health with a CAGR of 30 percent. “Dairy products provide fuel and help to build muscles, but are also packed full of friendly substances that protect us from disease.”

For many consumers, the connection may come from the nourishment infants receive from mother’s milk. “Because immunity begins at birth, milk has a central role, so it isn’t surprising to find that many of the ingredients within dairy can help maintain a healthy immune system,” she adds. 

The dairy market is also catering to health demands for probiotics, adaptogenic herbal formulas and mood-boosting NPD. 

Bioactive proteins
FrieslandCampina Ingredients is honing in on bioactive proteins, which are the building blocks for immune cells. Bioactive ingredients have been found in eggs, fish, meat, soy, broccoli, rice and other sources. Flavonoids or carotenoids might be the best-known examples.

“However, milk, in particular, is an interesting food source to find bioactive proteins that support our immune system. It is known since 1892 that maternal milk can transfer immunity from mothers to infants. Ever since, we have discovered more and more about which factors play this unique role, and we will surely discover more in the future,” explains Peters.

Of all bioactive proteins identified in milk, lactoferrin is the most abundant and has the most evidence of its effect on immunity, she says.

There is evidence that lactoferrin can help reduce the risk of both viral and bacteriological infections and iron deficiency, which can affect the body’s defenses. Lactoferrin is the most abundant bioactive protein identified in milk.

Meeting rising demand for lactoferrin
Peters shares that global demand for lactoferrin almost doubled between 2014 and 2019. In light of this, FrieslandCampina Ingredients recently announced it would increase its lactoferrin production capacity in Veghel, Netherlands, by 600 percent. 

“This new facility will ensure that we can meet the growing demand for lactoferrin in both infant and adult nutrition. Additionally, with our new Biotis Immune Health solution, we’re leveraging our expertise on lactoferrin, and especially infant immunity, to expand their opportunities in the gut and immune health markets for adults,” says Peters. 

On February 25, FrieslandCampina Ingredients will present a webinar about the ingredients that can form the basis of scientifically robust, immunity-supporting products. Experts will also discuss which consumer insights and trends are shaping the market for products that support the immune system.

Registration is currently open here. 

By Katherine Durrell