Biotics and gut microbiome health drive advanced immune support

Immune health demand is broadening beyond traditional vitamins and minerals as consumers are increasingly looking for solutions targeting the gut microbiome. 

Nutrition Insight sits down with experts from Novonesis, Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, Lallemand Health Solutions, AB-Biotics, and Clasado Biosciences to discuss how biotics are gaining ground in the category and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.

Anders Meyer Torp, Ph.D., global scientific advisor for Immune Health at Novonesis, tells us that around 80% of immunity sits in the gut, which is why probiotics are emerging as some of the most promising ingredients alongside traditional ingredients like vitamins and minerals when it comes to everyday immune health. 

“Consumers are looking for solutions to support year-round well-being and their body’s natural resilience. The gut is the body’s largest immune organ, containing the greatest number and diversity of immune cells, while the microbiome plays a central role in shaping and regulating immune system function.”

He argues that a well-balanced microbiome helps train immune responses and maintain the body’s natural defenses, whereas disruption of this microbiome-immune balance may impair immune resilience.

Philippe Caillat, category manager at Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, agrees that immunity is no longer seasonal but has become a year‑round, preventive health priority, with consumers seeking personalized, evidence‑backed solutions that contribute to overall resilience. 

“This is driving a transition toward immune fitness and trained immunity concepts, where ingredients support long-term immune function as part of a broader wellness strategy.”

Biotics and ingredients

Caillat says consumers still rely on foundational vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D, zinc, and selenium, but there is an increase in growth in immune‑modulating ingredients such as yeast beta‑glucans and postbiotics.

Caillat says there is an increase demand for immune‑modulating ingredients such as yeast beta‑glucans and postbiotics.“The focus is shifting toward multi-pathway, science-based solutions that support immune balance and daily preparedness, rather than short-term ‘boosting,’” he says.

“Ingredients such as M-Gard yeast beta-glucan can help formulators address consumer interest in immune balance and preparedness, while Lalmin vitamin and mineral yeast products provide recognizable nutritional support through essential minerals in a yeast-based format.”

Although interest in these new ingredients grows, Miquel Bonachera, co-founder and executive director at AB-Biotics, tells us that consumers continue to seek established immune-support ingredients like vitamins D and C, B vitamins, and zinc. 

They are also interested in pairing these nutrients with clinically validated probiotics, revealing consumer understanding of the microbiome’s role in regulating immunity, he says.

“The result is a clear preference for solutions that support immune health through multiple mechanisms, rather than relying on any single ingredient.”

Delivery formats and consumer demographics

Steven Riley, head of Marketing at Clasado Biosciences, tells us that the most trending formats and products combine convenience, enjoyment, and daily habit-building. Gummies, chewables, powder sticks, sachets, shots, ready-to-drink products, and formats designed to be added to food or drink are all gaining traction.

“Finished brands illustrate this direction of travel well. Some have helped normalize supplement gummies and shots as part of a daily immune-supporting routine, while others have brought synbiotic capsules into the mainstream.”

He says that this trend offers a significant opportunity for prebiotics. “Ingredients such as Bimuno GOS are well suited to small, convenient formats thanks to their low efficacious dose, along with being easy to work with on account of being flavorless and highly stable. This empowers brands to combine immune-supporting nutrients with gut microbiome support in products consumers actually want to take every day.”

Bonachera from AB-Biotics emphasizes that demand spans every life stage, although differing motivations are creating distinct immunity subcategories. He explains parents continue to be a key demographic, seeking solutions that can support children’s health year-round. 

“We’re also seeing younger adults between 18 and 35 adopt a much more proactive approach to health. Immune-support supplements are integrated into their everyday wellness routines as part of a preventative lifestyle.”

“In the over-55s, the emphasis shifts toward resilience and healthy aging. Immune function is increasingly viewed as an essential component of maintaining long-term health and quality of life. This is driving interest in products that combine immune support and the delivery of broader wellness benefits, reinforcing the shift toward holistic nutrition rather than single-purpose supplementation.”

Barasse says that older adults continue to be a key demographic, focusing on maintaining immune function as part of healthy aging. 

“Overall, the category is no longer defined by a single target audience; instead, it reflects a life-stage approach, where immune support is adapted to specific needs throughout the lifespan, further reinforcing the relevance of clinically validated, age-targeted solutions.”

A shift in the industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the nutrition industry, turning immune health from a niche to being integrated into everyday health products.

Clasado Biosciences’ Riley says that during the pandemic, immune supplements often behaved like a reactive, emergency purchase. Demand has matured since then as consumers remain interested in immune support but are now less focused on panic buying and more focused on daily resilience, prevention, and multifunctional well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the nutrition industry, turning immune health from a niche to being integrated into everyday health products.“This has moved the innovation spotlight away from straightforward vitamin C and zinc products and toward broader combinations, such as immunity plus gut health, immunity plus sleep, or immunity plus energy.”

Format plays a role here too, with more preventative, daily immune resilience products appearing within ready-to-drink beverages and functional drinks, reflecting the importance of accessibility, he argues.

“Biotics fit neatly into this new landscape, as the microbiome offers a credible, everyday route into immune support positioning. Prebiotics such as Bimuno GOS can help brands move the conversation away from ‘quick fixes’ and toward consistent gut microbiome support as part of a healthy lifestyle,” says Riley.

Caillat says the COVID‑19 pandemic drove a surge in immune products, but more importantly, it established a new baseline for daily immune support. Since then, demand has shifted from reactive use toward proactive immune fitness, resilience, and prevention, with growing interest in concepts like immune balance and trained immunity.

“Today, immune health is no longer an isolated or seasonal concern — it has become a core pillar of overall health, closely linked to long-term resilience and metabolic well-being.”

Valentine Barasse, product manager at Lallemand Health Solutions, comments that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on how consumers perceive and manage their immune health. 

“What was once largely a seasonal concern has now become a daily priority, embedded in broader lifestyle habits. Consumers are more informed and proactive than ever, focusing on prevention and long-term resilience rather than short-term solutions. Immune health is increasingly associated with overall well-being, including energy levels, physical fitness, and cognitive performance.”

This shift is also reflected in consumer behavior, with many individuals adopting more consistent routines that combine diet, exercise, sleep, and targeted supplementation. As a result, the immune health market continues to expand, driven by sustained demand for products that support everyday wellness in a credible and science-backed way.

Predictions for immune health

Aditi Bansal, global commercial lead for Immune Health at Novonesis, says that as people globally live longer, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or above by 2030.

“The microbiome plays a fundamental role in the function and regulation of the immune system from birth to old age. As we age, the microbiome also changes. Bifidobacterial abundance in adults naturally decreases over time and may affect the intestinal barrier, which could influence general well-being,” she says.

“As the global population shifts toward older adults, we expect increased focus on how probiotic strains can help support a healthy gut microbiome and contribute to maintaining normal immune function.”

Bansal says that as immune health becomes increasingly personalized.Bansal says that as immune health becomes increasingly personalized, specific formulations for children, seniors, women, athletes, and other groups will move toward targeted ingredients that align with their unique health needs.

Caillat from Lallemand Bio-Ingredients adds that the future of immune health is becoming science‑driven and mechanism‑based, with a focus on immune training and modulation (e.g., beta‑glucans), microbiome-based solutions, and personalized, preventive nutrition. 

“This reflects a clear shift toward long-term immune fitness rather than short-term boosting.

At the same time, immune health is increasingly understood as interconnected with the microbiome, stress, aging, and metabolic health, driving demand for solutions that go beyond basic support.” 

Consumers are now looking for a spectrum of benefits, from maintaining normal immune function and defense during seasonal challenges to improving resilience, balance, and immune memory through modulation and training.

Lallemand Bio‑Ingredients continues to invest in immune health with solutions built on Lalmin vitamins and minerals (vitamin D, selenium, zinc) alongside M‑Gard yeast beta‑glucan, which supports innate immune training and resilience.

“The immune category is evolving from reactive defense to daily resilience, expanding from single benefits to a whole-body wellness approach linking immunity with gut health, stress, energy, and aging. Lallemand will continue to develop science-driven solutions aligned with this shift toward year-round immune health,” Caillat concludes.