Synbiotics and delivery innovation shake up expanding digestive health sector

08 Dec 2021 --- Digestive health has gained importance over the past years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it continues to evolve. For example, there is an increase in delivery formats optimized for sensitive ingredients like probiotics.

NutritionInsight speaks to a roundtable of experts who also shed light on digestive health’s expanding role in other areas of wellness, as well as synergetic ingredient combinations.

“The pandemic brought into significant focus interest in and emphasis on the way digestive health can impact overall wellness,” says Lindsey Toth, director of global marketing at Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients.

Consumers’ concerns around health and wellness have grown, and people are looking for proactive ways to maintain their holistic well-being, explains Christian Leighton, ADM’s global marketing director of microbiome solutions.

“With greater awareness of the fundamental role that the gut microbiome has on individual aspects of health, many people recognize the need to support their digestive system. 

Furthermore, approximately 25% of global consumers suffer from digestive health issues. Of those, 50% state that it has a moderate or severe impact on their overall health.”

Leighton continues there is an increased awareness of the gut microbiome’s potential impact on overall health and wellness. This leads more people to seek microbiome-supporting ingredients and solutions, including probiotics, postbiotics and prebiotic fiber.Lonza’s Capsugel DRcaps capsules protect against the acidic stomach environment.

An evolving term
Digestive health has evolved significantly in recent years due to individuals’ understanding of the term, says Sophie Zillinger, marketing manager of Biotis at FrieslandCampina Ingredients.

“On a fundamental level, digestive health refers to the maintenance and support of the health of the digestive system and potential issues, for example, supporting people with symptoms associated with IBS, constipation, or digestive discomfort.”

However, as science into the human gut microbiome grows, experts now understand that the gut influences other areas of health – such as sleep, stress or immunity. “As a result, at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, we often speak of ‘gut health’ instead of digestive health, which encapsulates this wider understanding,” Zillinger adds.

Lead research associate at Morinaga Milk Industry, Chyn Boon Wong, also adds that the term is shifting “especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, digestive health is also associated with effective immune status and the gut microbiome plays a significant role in it.”

Supporting this, Innova Market Insights’ data reveals the top positionings of global product launches tracked with a digestive health claim in 2021 were immune health (38%), energy (20%) and brain health (16%).

Ingredients and products for gut health
In taking a look at the most suitable ingredients for digestive health, Patrick Veiga, head of health and microbiome science at Danone, says kefir is booming.

“There have been over 500 innovations launched in the dairy category in the last five years, but also 46% growth in water kefir. This could include, for example, fermented drinks such as kombucha.”

He adds that there is demand for the absence of the lactose ingredient, with more than 250 lactose-free dairy products launched in the last three years.

Leighton adds that ADM is “investigating and identifying microbial strains that may target specific wellness needs, including digestive health while strengthening the microbiome.”

For instance, its newest identified microbial strain, Bifidobacterium longum ES1, has shown evidence to support the gut microbiome.

Additionally, the supplement category is expanding for consumers interested in digestive support.

“Research shows that 60% of global consumers would be willing to spend more on supplements that offer digestive health support, and 49% are seeking to address digestive health with supplements,” says Leighton.Prebiotic chicory root fibers improve both inner well-being and microbiota composition.

Fibers for microbiota composition
Fibers are also spotlighted for digestive health, with Beneo stating its prebiotic chicory root fibers improve both inner well-being and the microbiota composition.

“Chicory root fibers can easily be incorporated into a variety of F&B products. We foresee the demand for chicory root fibers continuing to grow, as it offers multiple functional and nutritional benefits to consumers,” says Anke Sentko, vice president, regulatory affairs & nutrition communication at Beneo.

FrieslandCampina Ingredient’s expert Zillinger notes that prebiotics are fast becoming equally in-demand as probiotics due to scientific research shedding light on their benefits.

Looking ahead, this points to a growing market for combined prebiotic and probiotic solutions, as consumers seek products with maximum efficacy.

“Anticipating this, we recently partnered with Lallemand Health Solutions to develop and launch two new combined prebiotic and probiotic concepts – the Pro-Digest Health Shot and Pro-Digest Bowel Support – to inspire companies in their formulation of enhanced gut health products,” explains Zillinger.

Senior scientist at Probi, Caroline Montelius, adds: “There is a growing interest in combining prebiotics with probiotics, again with proven clinical efficacy. The interest in postbiotics is also increasing, but it needs to be clear that it is “early days,” and more science is needed.”

Human-residential bifidobacteria probiotics
Another staple of the digestive health industry is probiotics. In this space, Morinaga Milk Industry offers human-residential bifidobacteria (HRB).

“They have coevolved with the human host and are well adapted to the human intestinal environment,” adds Wong.

“Morinaga Milk Industry’s HRB strain, Bifidobacterium longum BB536, which is a multifunctional probiotic strain, is clinically effective in improving gut, immune, metabolic and even skin health.”

Existing scientific evidence implies that the multifunctional effects of BB536 are attributed to its ability to stabilize gut microbiota and improve the intestinal environment, she continues.

Suitable delivery formats
In delivery formats, Lonza spotlights its Capsugel DRcaps designed release capsules.

“Lonza’s Capsugel DRcaps designed release capsules have been shown to optimize challenging ingredients – like probiotics – delivering contents at the right time, at the ideal location,” says Toth.The COVID-19 pandemic made consumers aware of the way digestive health can impact overall wellness.

This allows for better product performance and user experience.

“These Capsugel DRcaps designed release capsules are made from plant-based, vegetarian hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC),” she adds. “They protect probiotics from stomach acid and ensure the optimum release of ingredients for maximum efficacy.”

Toth continues that ensuring delivery of digestive health nutrients to the right place in the gut is paramount to efficacy, meaning delivery formats should be weighted just as highly as nutrients when innovating in this space.

Veiga states that some nuances exist across markets that impact Danone’s delivery format strategy.

“For instance, in Latin America, most people will choose drinkable yogurts, while in Europe and North America, spoonable yogurt is more widely chosen.”

“Another trend that we’ve seen for many years is the demand for ‘always-on health’ – with formats that match their busy lifestyle– hence, portable, single-serve and shot formats are particularly attractive,” says Veiga.

Meanwhile, Montelius adds that capsules and tablets are still the most significant categories for probiotics in delivery formats. “Gummies are slowly increasing and are especially attractive for children in certain markets.”

The future of digestive health
Taking a peek at the future of the digestive health industry, Zillinger highlights that industry players should “expect digestive and gut health to continue to top consumers’ health concerns as people look to target their health more holistically and proactively.

“New science helps us understand more about how our gut microbiome is connected to other areas of health, and how improving our gut health can bring about benefits beyond just improved digestion.”

Meanwhile, Wong adds that probiotics for gut health and beyond will be a leading trend, especially on the brain-gut axis.

In regulations, Montelius states that the probiotic industry will see the need for new legislation, preferably across all countries, allowing the use of the word “probiotics” to ensure that products with this label meet the probiotic definitions.

By Nicole Kerr