Lonza rolls out “clock stopping” sports probiotic to European market

16 Feb 2022 --- Lonza’s TWK10 sports probiotic is now available in Europe, having initially launched in North America last year. The L. plantarum strain – sourced from Taiwanese kimchi – has been shown to increase exercise endurance by up to 75%.

“Launching the TWK10 sports probiotic in North America confirmed for us the trending interest from consumers in clean label, plant-based solutions. We’re excited to see how the ingredient continues to meet this demand for European consumers,” Lindsey Toth, director of global marketing at Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients, tells NutritionInsight. 

She adds that while Lonza is continuously evaluating additional market expansion, she can’t speak to specific expansion plans at this time.Toth notes that probiotics are a well-established ingredient in the supplements space.

Taiwanese kimchi stands out
TWK10 is licensed exclusively from Synbio Tech Inc. and is the result of an evaluation of over 300 different probiotic strains. 

“Kimchi is an excellent option because it’s created by fermenting vegetables with probiotic lactic acid bacteria – offering a solution that’s both plant-based and effective,” Toth explains.

She notes that regional kimchi variations often have slightly different taste profiles – Taiwanese kimchi is typically less spicy than its Korean counterpart, for example. 

“The strain isolated from Taiwanese kimchi is what made it stand out during our trials, due to its superior antioxidant capacity and clinically-proven sports nutrition benefits,” Toth adds. 

Further applications in the pipeline
Lonza has just completed a clinical study that showed TWK10 “stops the clock” on age-related muscle wasting and helps older adults maintain functional performance as they age. 

“We continue to build our science pipeline to explore what other untapped benefits TWK10 sports probiotic may have in store for us,” says Toth.

Notably, additional applications beyond use in dietary supplements are already in development. 

“TWK10 delivers benefits in as low as a small 100 mg dose, so it is already very formulation-friendly and can be used across a wide range of applications,” Toth adds.The probiotic works by allowing greater energy harvesting to enhance muscle endurance – allowing longer training sessions.  

Rising associations between probiotics and sports
According to Toth, consumer awareness of probiotics for sports nutrition is on the rise. In fact, Lonza research found that three in four people are looking for a probiotic solution that is effective in supporting athletic and muscle endurance, improving body composition and improving natural energy levels.

“The North American nutrition market is the largest in the world, with a large consumer base interested in probiotics. Given the market and demand, it set us up with a great playground to introduce TWK10 to the world in its initial launch,” she adds. 

The US launch came via Kaged Muscle’s endurance and active living product lines. Additional Lonza health ingredients, such as Carnipure L-Carnitine and ChromeMate, are sold in the company’s products.

Fitting in with Lonza’s portfolio
Toth further emphasizes that TWK10 can work with Lonza’s existing offerings, including within Europe.

For example, its DRcaps designed release capsule is the “perfect” dosage form partner to use with TWK10. This vegetarian capsule helps to protect sensitive ingredients, like probiotics, as they pass through the harsh environment of the stomach to deliver them to the small intestine, where they get to work. 

“Similarly, our Duocap capsule-in-capsule technology is another dosage form that works well with TWK10. This technology uses an inner capsule to protect the contents of the sensitive probiotic, while the outer capsule can contain other ingredients to maximize functionality,” she explains. 

By Katherine Durrell

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