Advances in delivery tech and food formats are revolutionizing prenatal nutrition

In a growing prenatal nutrition market, the industry sees shifting consumer demand toward science-backed solutions with enhanced bioavailability. Experts from Balchem, Lubrizol Life Science, and Valio tell Nutrition Insight how advances in delivery technologies and food-based formats are making supplements more effective and enjoyable. 

Innova Market Insights data indicate that 50% of female consumers planning to get pregnant take vitamins or minerals, while global supplement launches with pregnancy claims grew 4% annually from October 2022 to September 2025. Vitamin B9, or folic acid, was the leading ingredient, present in half of the new supplement launches from Oct 2024 to Sep 2025. 

Lauren Eisen, senior marketing and business development manager in Minerals and Nutrients at Balchem Human Nutrition & Health, tells us: “You might expect falling birth rates to shrink the prenatal nutrition market, yet the opposite is happening.”

She links sales of pre- and post-natal supplements to a growing cognition that prenatal nutrition can impact a child’s health for many years, and an increased consumer access to health information and data.

“Prenatal and postpartum nutrition is about more than preventing deficiencies,” adds Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager of Nutraceuticals at Lubrizol Life Science. “It is about optimizing outcomes for mother and child through science-backed innovation.”

“The future lies in combining essential nutrients like folate, iron, calcium, and magnesium with emerging bioactives and advanced delivery technologies to create solutions that are effective, convenient, and enjoyable because taste, texture, and tolerability are just as important as efficacy for today’s consumer.”

Sinikka Saikkonen, senior business development manager at Valio, notes that new technologies are making prenatal nutrition more personalized and precise.

Advanced delivery technologies are transforming prenatal supplements into more bioavailable, comfortable, and consumer-friendly formats.“Wearables, apps, and biosensors can now track real-time data on health, nutrient status, and lifestyle. This information can be used to better understand a woman’s specific needs, genetic factors, and dietary habits. As a result, more targeted ingredients and evidence-based solutions can be developed for prenatal nutrition.”

Holistic care

Gómez says the prenatal nutrition market has evolved from a narrow focus on ingredients like folic acid and iron to a holistic approach that connects science, sensory experience, emotional well-being, and personalization.

“Today’s consumer is highly informed and expects products that are clinically validated and efficacious, ensuring nutrients are absorbed effectively. For the pregnancy-minded consumer, convenience is critical because supplements must fit seamlessly into daily routines. These consumers are also hyper-focused on absorption and clinical validation, demanding proof that ingredients deliver results.”

However, she cautions that efficacy alone is not enough. Sensory and emotional factors play essential roles in determining whether a product becomes part of a woman’s routine.

“This means innovation must bridge scientific credibility with enjoyable formats, creating products that feel safe, effective, and pleasant to consume,” details Gómez. “The emotional connection — feeling cared for and confident in the product — matters as much as the functional benefits.”

“Personalization adds another layer, with growing interest in solutions tailored to specific stages of pregnancy and individual health needs.”

Food-based formats

According to Valio, fortified dairy products offer a strong foundation for maternal nutrition, as milk already provides essential nutrients and can be further enriched.

“Beyond fortified milk formulas, there is a growing need for a wider range of food-based products that include prenatal nutrition ingredients,” details Saikkonen. “Consumers increasingly prefer getting nutrients from everyday foods rather than pills, which creates opportunities for new formats — from powders and on-the-go drinks to snacks and dairy desserts.”

She notes that Valio’s ingredient solutions can help manufacturers create products with a natural taste, strong nutritional value, and reliable processing. “Our goal is to make prenatal nutrition easy to include in daily life.”

Prenatal nutrition is evolving beyond deficiency prevention toward long-term health optimization for mothers and children.“Taste and texture are especially important during pregnancy, when nausea can be common, and after birth, when appetite may fluctuate,” Saikkonen continues. “That’s why we focus heavily on sensory quality, ensuring our ingredients deliver a fresh, clean flavor and a smooth mouthfeel that expectant and new mothers can truly enjoy.”

Delivery tech advances

Balchem’s Eisen says that advances in delivery technology are opening up possibilities for formats that address the sensory changes that pregnancy brings.

“Innovations in delivery systems can help formulators explore a wider range of formats — from gummies and chews to powders and dissolvable tablets — that feel easier and more comfortable for expecting mothers to take.”

At the same time, she notes that expanding into new formats brings unique challenges in striking the right balance between efficacy and an enjoyable sensory experience. “In this context, factors like the ingredients’ stability and solubility become make-or-break.”

“That’s why we have tried and tested Optifolin+, our choline-enriched solution, across numerous traditional and trending applications to verify that it can deliver consistent L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-MTHF) content while supporting superior stability and solubility.”

Eisen explains that L-5-MTHF is the active form of folate, which remains the cornerstone of prenatal care. Most supplements use synthetic and biologically inactive folic acid, which the body converts into an active form.

Enhanced bioavailability

Continuously improving well-established mainstays, such as folate, is a key focus for Balchem. Eisen notes that folate, as L-5-MTHF, can be readily used by the body and is more bioavailable than folic acid in women.

“A newly published clinical study has confirmed that our choline-enriched folate ingredient Optifolin+, which contains the nature-identical L-5-MTHF, is 2.6 times more bioavailable than folic acid and absorbed in less than a third of the time.”

This clinical trial also found that the ingredient is absorbed 3.5 times more quickly than standard folic acid in healthy adults.

Food-based prenatal nutrition formats are gaining traction as consumers seek convenient, enjoyable alternatives to traditional pills.“Improving iron supplements is another big area of focus for us, especially how to make it more effective and tolerable during pregnancy,” Eisen continues. “Research shows that adequate iron intake during this phase of life is important for oxygen transport, which in turn can impact the cognitive function and overall development of babies.”

“What’s more, a large review and meta-analysis by Cochrane recently strengthened just how essential this nutrient is, confirming that daily iron supplementation during pregnancy reduces maternal anemia and iron deficiency, compared to placebo or no supplementation.”

She notes that the review also highlighted the need for effective, safe, and tolerable iron supplements for pregnant women.

“And that’s where things get tricky for both formulators and moms-to-be. Conventional iron salts often lead to gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. For example, ferrous sulfate supplementation can result in more than three times greater odds of GI upset versus placebo, which can put women off taking them.”

Balchem tackles this challenge with chelation, binding minerals to amino acids such as glycine to form a protective ring structure that shields them from environmental interference while maintaining efficient absorption.

“Ferrous bisglycinate, the chelated iron form behind our Albion Minerals Ferrochel, has been shown to give moms a more digestive-friendly supplementation experience, reducing GI events by 64% compared to other iron salts,” details Eisen.