Infant nutrition diversifies to address demands from allergies to anxiety

18 May 2021 --- The infant nutrition space is becoming more specialized, with conditions like allergies and anxiety driving diversified options. Experts from Fonterra, Lallemand Health Solutions, Vaneeghen, Arla Foods Ingredients and Chr. Hansen speak to NutritionInsight about trending topics in this space, including China’s potential and the role of probiotics.

“Personalization and changes in regulations challenge the status quo and will impact the next generation of infant nutrition products,” predicts Pactli Alexis Cabanetos, business development manager at Vaneeghen.

Daniel Hovel Hansen, head of infant, children and women’s health at Chr. Hansen, also observes a trend toward further specialization and specific targeting of infant formula. Today’s “diverse” infant formula category offers a range of products targeting specific health benefits that are relevant to individual consumer segments.

Besides allergies, some examples include infant formulas targeting colic, pre-term infants, brain development, gas and indigestion. Organic and plant-based varieties are also emerging.

“We absolutely expect this trend of specialization to continue as scientific research expands the industry’s and consumers’ awareness of the nuances of infant nutrition,” he continues. 

“The range of premium formulas with differentiated ingredients is broad and continues to grow as parents have specific formulas they can choose for particular diseases, like iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA),” adds Cabanetos.

These conditions have a prevalence of up to 20 percent and 9 percent respectively in Europe and can impact cognitive development, the immune system and even growth.Fonterra’s ingredients like probiotics and MFGM help contribute toward gut health and cognition. 

Overcoming allergies
Allergies and gastrointestinal problems are among the most common reasons parents switch formulas, and they’re increasingly common, according to Jakob Madsen Pedersen, head of global sales at Arla Foods Ingredients’ pediatric business unit. 

He states that around 7 percent of babies now have a cow’s milk allergy, while up to 30 percent of formula-fed infants often experience gastrointestinal discomfort.  

This is driving demand for ingredients such as milk protein hydrolysates, which offer benefits for allergy management and the reduction of feeding-related discomfort. 

“For example, studies have found a reduced risk of atopic dermatitis in infants fed hydrolyzed infant formulas compared with those fed on formulas based on intact proteins,” details Pedersen.

Chinese potential
Rina van Hekezen, technical account manager at Fonterra, notes that the possible allergy of babies probably also impacts the increasing demand for goat’s milk, mainly in China.

Pedersen also points out that China is the largest emerging market for formula for particular  medical purposes. This increases the need for clinically proven formulas to cope with allergy management and issues relating to pre-term birth. 

“Specialized formulas for the management of metabolic disorders are also now being developed and sold by both local and overseas players. We’re seeing a lot of innovation in carbohydrate, fat, and whey ingredient solutions for these products,” he says. 

However, this development takes time as the specialty formula market is often governed by historical and local clinical practices, and product registration procedures are more pharma-like, Pedersen continues. China is the world’s biggest infant formula market, with the rising middle class driving further opportunity. 

A rising middle class
Van Hekezen also emphasizes the market for premium and super-premium infant formula, specifically in China, the world’s biggest formula market. 

“An important driver for changes in formulations is the legislation in Europe and very recently in China. In Europe, it has become more difficult to differentiate infant formulas due to tight regulations,” she states. 

Pedersen also observes that middle-class expansion is fueling Chinese demand for premium products, and 57 percent of young mothers now consider organic a “highly important food attribute.” One of the main categories driving recent growth in the country’s organic market is baby food and formula.   

Nipping anxiety in the bud
Another hot topic for both the infant nutrition sphere and wider industry is currently mood and stress. According to Innova Market Insights, 44 percent of adult consumers took action in 2020 to improve their mental and emotional well-being.

However, addressing mental health from day one could have a positive impact on mood in adulthood. Morgane Maillard, marketing group manager and product manager, Lallemand Health Solutions, explains that infantile stress predisposes individuals to higher anxiety in adulthood.

In a recent in vivo study, early intake of Lacidofil, a combination of L. rhamnosus Rosell-11 and L. helveticus Rosell-52, prevented early-life stress consequences in rodents. 

“As they co-develop in early childhood, any disruption in the gut or brain may subsequently predispose children to stress-related disorders in adulthood,” Maillard details. Children and babies have now become a focus for probiotic innovations, according to Maillard. 

Probiotics in hot demand
Rising awareness about the holistic role gut health can have on well-being is also driving interest in probiotic ingredients for infant nutrition. 

“The understanding of the infant microbiome continues to increase, and it is clear that nutrition and healthy infant microbiome affect a number of health indicators later in life. Therefore, establishing a healthy infant microbiome will be an important topic in infant nutrition as we proceed,” states Hansen.

This is coupled with the ever-increasing scientific understanding of the infant microbiome and how a healthy infant microbiome is closely linked to many different factors of healthy growth and development.

“Whether a baby is fed with mother’s milk, infant formula, or a mix, probiotics can contribute to support its normal gut and immune maturation in early life. Specific strains have been studied and have been confirmed as safe and effective in supporting a baby-specific microflora, gut functions and in helping infant achieve normal immune development,” says Maillard. 

She points out that in the US, nearly 75 percent of parents reported interest in or active purchasing of probiotics for themselves, or a member of their family. “That explains why children and babies have now become a focus for probiotic innovations.” 

Looking to the future, Hansen expects that synbiotics – the interaction between probiotics and prebiotics – will be a strong driver of innovation in the infant formula and supplements segment going forward. 

Cabanetos also sees rising demand for ingredients related to gut health, including probiotics and oligosaccharides like GOS, FOS and HMOs. Also popular is OPO, a triglyceride related to better sleep, less crying and improved gut microbiome.

By Katherine Durrell