“New era for commercial nutrition industry,” says Clasado, following latest partnership with Pathway International
28 Oct 2021 --- Prebiotic ingredient Bimuno will become available across Australia and New Zealand after Clasado clinched a partnership with specialty healthcare ingredient distributor Pathway International.
“The partnership with Pathway International is another example of how gut health awareness is rapidly accelerating. Consumers are getting more proactive with health and well-being and looking to better understand the science of health,” Dr. Frederic Narbel, vice president of B2B Sales at Clasado, tells NutritionInsight.
Pathway has been appointed as the sole distributor for the product in the region.
“This, of course, puts gut health ingredients, such as Bimuno, firmly on the radar for brand owners as we usher in a new era for the commercial nutrition industry,” Narbel adds.
Prebiotics ushering in market opportunities
Prebiotics are versatile and can be used across a wide range of applications, including beverages, yogurts, and smoothies to baked goods, powders and confectionery.Bimuno boasts itself as “the most studied prebiotic of its kind” that nourishes bifidobacteria, a beneficial bacteria associated with key areas of health, including digestive health, immunity, cognitive and mental health.
The ingredient must first be registered with the Therapeutic Goods Association for its use in complementary medicines in Australia, as part of a legislative requirement, Clasado notes.
“Once approved, the ingredient will be available to brands and formulators for use in supplements, functional food and beverages.”
According to Narbel, there has been a shift across the food industry, with consumers expecting better nutritional profiles from the food they purchase, whether that’s meals, health-oriented shakes and smoothies or on-the-go snacks.
“Food and nutrition, previously two wholly separate concepts with certain crossovers, are now becoming more closely intertwined and opening up incredible market opportunities,” he notes.
Gut health awareness on the rise
A lot of research has been carried out on prebiotics, which appears to reflect the same trend in probiotics from ten years ago, according to Narbel.
“We feel that the educational work behind prebiotics is working as we start to see the category ‘going global’ – on a similar trajectory to probiotics around a decade ago,” he further highlights.
The upward trajectory of prebiotics is indicative of consumers being increasingly conscious of gut health, adds Narbel.
This puts gut health ingredients on the radar for brand owners “as we usher in a new era for the commercial nutrition industry,” he says.
Functional ingredient satisfying consumers and formulators
Prebiotics are seen as a simple and versatile means of creating healthful recipes for new and existing product ranges. As a substrate, it is resistant to heat and acidities commonly found throughout food and drink manufacturing, which means it can be added to recipes at any stage, Narbel notes.
“In terms of potential applications, prebiotics offer perhaps the widest potential scope of any functional ingredient. Since the prebiotic category is still relatively new in the grand scheme of nutrition, there are huge opportunities on the table for brands to be ‘first to market’ and break new industry ground,” he states.
The ingredient can also be used in stand-alone supplements, examples of which include dedicated prebiotic supplements designed for digestive health and well-being or as a component of synbiotics, a rapidly rising category that combines the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics in one product, Clasado notes.
The company has predicted rapid growth in gut health-driven sports nutrition as an “entirely new” category within sports and nutrition products, describing it as a “landmark turning point” for global sports nutrition.
It has also tapped the North American food manufacturing sector as offering “tremendous offerings.”
By Andria Kades
