New tricks, old ingredients: Companies highlight traditional nutrient innovations at CPHI 2022

07 Nov 2022 --- New innovations in traditional ingredients were a key focus for many companies at last week’s Convention on Pharmaceutical Ingredients (CPHI) 2022 in Frankfurt, Germany.

We spoke with industry leaders about how they have found new uses for well-established ingredients and, in some cases, transformed how those ingredients are processed and used by the body.

It is now relatively common knowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic caused many consumers to reevaluate their health and nutrition. As consumers become increasingly aware of the role their diets and nutrient intake play in areas like immunity and mental health, many companies have responded by transforming trusted ingredients.

Moreover, many of these innovations rely on science-backed evidence, a feature that is increasingly desired by consumers.

Biotics to the rescue
During the event, Lallemand Health Solutions emphasized its “complete health” probiotic solutions. Alan Gonzales, the company’s area sales manager, tells NutritionInsight about two new takes on traditional probiotic offerings.

“We have a solution that could help in cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) called IBacillus Plus, which has undergone over 140 clinical studies on gut health and one meta-analysis on more than 1,000 participants with IBS,” says Gonzales. “It is actually a product that has been used for 40 years in the Asian market and with this proven and backed-by-science status, we want to give it more presence in the European Market.”Yeast has been in use for more than 4,000 years, but new nutritional value is being uncovered.

IBS affects an estimated 4% of the world population, and the causes of the syndrome are relatively unknown. Gonzales affirms that the product is “good news” for those suffering from IBS-like symptoms. The company’s branded product is a blend of the E. faecium Rosell-26 and B. subtilis Rosell-179 probiotic strains.

Another product the company highlighted is Cerebiome. This product combines the traditional probiotics Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus helveticus to elicit new effects that Gonzales says help prove the gut-brain connection.

“The product has ten mechanisms of action and has undergone five clinical studies,” he elaborates. “What we have proven and can highlight from the participants is that they had a better mood and less anxiety; those were the main facts found in the clinical studies.”

New uses for a 4,000-year-old nutrient
Meanwhile, China-based fermented yeast and yeast extract producer Angel Yeast also focused on new uses for old ingredients. The company notes that yeast has been used at bakeries and breweries for at least 4,000 years. Furthermore, the company highlights that it was the first in China to modernize yeast production.

“Angel Yeast is the biggest yeast and yeast derivative product manufacturer in the world,” Eric Ao, the general manager for the company’s European division, tells NutritionInsight. “Right now, we are heavily focused on two of our products; yeast extract and yeast peptone.”

The first one, yeast extract, is a very good material as a nutritional and protein resource for bioproducts and bio-production products,” Ao explains. “Our UF yeast extract FM888 has lots of free amino acids and low endotoxin level, and our UF yeast peptone FP108 is also a very rich protein resource.”  DSM’s metabolite offering is three times more efficient than traditional vitamin D.

Ao stresses that both products can be used for biopharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. He further touts the company’s other newer product launches, such as its fermented yeast-derived vitamin K2 menaquinone-7 (MK-7), which is produced by the company’s natural bio-fermentation process.

Vitamin K2 (MK-7) has been found to improve cardiovascular and bone health. The nutrient may be able to offset some of the bone density problems associated with menopause.

Toward a better vitamin D
DSM also featured a new take on a familiar nutrient. The company’s senior pharmaceutical scientist, Dr. Zdravka Misic, tells NutritionInsight about ampli-D, the company’s latest vitamin D offering.

“The product is calcifediol, a metabolite of vitamin D,” Misic adds. “However, there is clinical evidence that it is three times more efficient than vitamin D, which means that when you administer it into the body, it will raise the levels in your blood three times faster than standard vitamin D.”

“This will definitely have a greater impact on the immunity and health of the customers and patients taking it.”

Additionally, Misic states that the company is not just offering the product itself – it is also offering marketed, end-to-end solutions as well. This means that DSM will help provide a complete and market-ready product for its customers.

By William Bradford Nichols