Weekly Roundup: Arla Foods Ingredients reveals protein-enriched juice, Ireland allocates €475,000 for elderly nutrition research

26 Mar 2021 --- This week in nutrition news, Arla Foods Ingredients showcased its whey protein fortification product in a fruit juice, while Ireland awarded almost half a million in grants for research into elderly nutrition. Meanwhile, Probi proposed canceling 250,000 treasury shares.

In brief: Grants and certifications
Ireland’s minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, announced two new research grants amounting to almost €475,000 (US$559,440) alongside plans to facilitate research in Teagasc and University College Dublin (UCD). Researchers will collaborate on international studies relating to nutrition in older citizens. The funded projects are aligned with national strategic ambitions for the agri-food sector to contribute to citizens’ health and well-being insofar as they focus on research relating to taste, nutritional profile and health-inducing properties. 

Nuseed Nutritional’s Aquaterra product, described as the “world’s first” non-marine source of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids, was certified for sustainable aqua production by Friend of the Sea. Aquaterra delivers the nutritional benefits of microalgae through renewable canola and is grown on existing cropland. The fatty-acid profile enhances production performance by elevating total omega 3 levels needed for higher-quality nutritious fish. Aquaterra is Friend of the Sea’s first biotechnology certification.

The Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) authorized NSF International (NSF) to audit and certified GRMA members to the NSF/ANSI 455 GMP standards. The new GMP certification program is available to GRMA members manufacturing dietary supplements, cosmetics/personal care products and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. These standards are designed to strengthen safety, quality and trust throughout the supply chain, combine regulatory requirements with retailer quality requirements and reduce the number of audits and financial costs associated with audits.

Lacprodan ISO.Clear is designed for clear juice drinks, and can be combined with vitamins, minerals and probiotics.In brief: Business news 
The board of probiotics company Probi will convene on 7 May, 2021, and proposes to cancel 250,000 shares held by Probi, thereby reducing the number of outstanding shares from 11,644,125 shares to 11,394,125 shares. The purpose is to reduce the number of issued shares without changing the total share capital and at the same time do this in a time efficient manner. Technically, the cancellation will be implemented by reducing the share capital with each canceled share’s quota value, after which the share capital will be immediately restored through a bonus issue, which increases the share capital with a corresponding amount without issuing new shares. 

Carsten Däweritz has been appointed Evolva’s chief financial officer. Before joining Evolva, he spent nearly two decades at Lonza, most recently as global head controlling of its consumer health & nutrition business. He will report to Oliver Walker, CEO of Evolva, and join the company’s management team effective April 16, 2021.

Spain-based AlgaEnergy became the first microalgae technology company to become a B corporation. The distinction, which was verified by B Corp’s independent Standards Advisory Council in the US and B Lab, Spain’s official B Corp certifying agency, is awarded to companies that meet a rigorous set of social and environmental standards that represent a commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.

In brief: Launches and releases 
Arla Foods Ingredients highlighted the potential of its Lacprodan ISO.Clear, a whey protein isolate developed for the fortification of functional beverages to bring protein benefits to juice drinks. With a protein content of 90 percent, it offers high heat stability and is clear in solution, making it suitable for pasteurized or UHT processed juice drinks. To showcase its potential, Arla launched a new protein-enriched juice drink concept to show manufacturers can use Lacprodan ISO.Clear to deliver the benefits of whey protein isolate in a juice drink. 

High protein diets may not be effective at building muscle mass during middle age.Canada-based Nexe Superfoods, which specializes in plant-based material manufacturing, plans to launch an e-commerce store featuring its XOMA Superfoods product line for launch on April 6, 2021. The XOMA line includes coffee fortified with medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) made from virgin coconut oil. XOMA Mushroom Coffee is made with chaga, cordyceps and lion’s mane mushrooms. XOMA Keto Coffee is an energizing beverage made with quality fats and MCT oil. 

Functional food and supplement company Human launched SuperBeets Memory & Focus Chews, touted for support of overall brain health and cognitive function – including promoting brain blood flow, supporting mental alertness and helping to reduce oxidative stress. The product contains clinically-studied polyphenol compounds to support two aspects of brain health: brain blood flow and brain-derived neurotrophic factor – a key protein found in the brain. These aspects are important in promoting overall cognitive health.

In brief: Research and studies 
Research conducted by the American Chemical Society turned waste produced by purple corn chip manufacturing into dye, supplements and cat litter. Researchers removed 33 percent of the anthocyanin content from the water-treated cobs with an ethanol mixture. These extracts showed antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory properties in cells in Petri dishes and could be used in the future to develop nutraceutical supplements, say the study authors. 

A 10-week muscle-building and dietary program involving 50 middle-aged adults found no evidence that eating a high-protein diet increased strength or muscle mass more than a moderate amount of protein while training. Researchers at the University of Illinois, US, say their findings challenge traditional beliefs that more protein is better, noting that middle age is “unique.”

By Louis Gore-Langton