Weekly Roundup: Chr. Hansen delivers 2020/21 financial results, Armada Nutrition to grow manufacturing capacity

15 Oct 2021 --- This week in nutrition news, Chr. Hansen met its expectations of delivering 7% organic growth for the 2020/21 period. The growth is reflected by the company’s portfolio expansion with the acquisitions of HSO Health Care, UAS Labs and Jennewein. Armada Nutrition announced plans to increase its operation capacity with a new nutraceutical manufacturing facility located in Utah, US. Meanwhile, Carlson released a new form of Pro-Rite in easy-to-swallow capsules.

In brief: Business news
Chr. Hansen met its organic growth target of 2020/21 and is progressing toward its 2025 strategy priorities with an outlook for the new financial year being 5-8% organic growth. During the 2020/21 period, revenue increased by 11% to €1,077 million (US$1,249 million). Revenue was impacted positively by 11% from acquisitions and negatively by 7% due to currency effects. The health and nutrition sector experienced a 5% organic growth. Q4 2020/21 had organic growth of 6% while revenue increased by 15% to €293 million (US$339 million). The health and nutrition sector had a -4% organic growth.

Powder and capsule applications manufacturer Armada Nutrition says its upcoming facility will make the company the largest nutraceutical contract manufacturer in the US, and further expanded synergies with sister company Prinova, an ingredient distributor and flavor manufacturer, also part of the publicly traded Nagase Group. The nutraceutical facility, set to be fully operational in Q2 2022, will bring more contract manufacturing capacity to industry and customers. The facility will be 438,000 sq ft and, together with the Spring Hill, TN plant, will be part of over 750,000 sq ft of manufacturing space.Therese O’Sullivan, associate professor at Edith Cowan University (Credit: Edith Cowan University).

Global healthcare company GSK unveiled plans for its UK-based headquarters. Also, a new global campus and innovation center is set for the Consumer Healthcare company in Weybridge, UK. The proposals formed part of GSK’s ongoing work to prepare for the separation of the group into two UK-based companies next year. The new GSK, a global pharmaceuticals and vaccines company, will have an R&D approach focused on the science of the immune system, human genetics and advanced technologies. The consumer healthcare company, with annual sales of more than £10 billion (US$13.7 billion), includes nine global power brands.

Biocatalysts, a global biotechnology company, further invested in a second 10m³ fermenter in Cardiff, UK and offered flexible scaling development toward industrial-scale fermentations. The introduction of a second 10m³ fermenter enables Biocatalysts’ manufacturing site in Cardiff to act as a pilot plant for medium-scale production and optimized tech-transfer for larger industrial-scale fermentation. This follows as the drive toward sustainable manufacturing resulted in many industries, from large corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises, looking to biotechnology for viable solutions.

In brief: Launches and releases
Digital health company, UpHealth, expanded its Nutrascriptives product line of clinical-grade supplements distributed online, in retail stores and directly by providers. The new Nutrascriptives Direct service addresses a need of providers to offer clinical-grade nutritional supplements with no overhead or investment in inventory. The new option supports additional revenue sources for providers with a proven return on investment (ROI). It gives providers the flexibility to choose which supplements they offer and adjust the price to support their unique market needs.Biocatalysts’ fermenter tank.

Carlson unveiled a new version of Pro-Rite featuring a combination of 500 mg of L-lysine and L-proline per serving to support cardiovascular and joint health. L-lysine is an essential amino acid that’s a necessary building block for all proteins in the body. L-proline is an amino acid found in cartilage that’s important for maintaining healthy joint function and healthy heart muscle.

In brief: Announcements and certification
Supplements provider Now found that tests on glutathione products from Amazon show quality improvements. However, quality lapses continue as glutathione products testing found three potency failures and two heavy metal issues among the 19 brands tested. Now performed one set of testing in the company’s quality labs and independently at Eurofins with both labs using HPLC analysis to test products. Two brands failed heavy metal testing as both tested above Prop 65 levels for lead. The other 17 brands were all below Prop 65 levels.Pro-Rite supports cardiovascular and joint health.

In brief: Research and studies
An Edith Cowan University study revealed children’s health is unaffected by choosing between low or whole-fat dairy products. The results showed no significant differences between the participants’ obesity or cardiovascular health. The research suggests that current public health advice recommending that children over the age of two consume low-fat dairy products be revised.

A study funded by Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, found that a high intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) – found mainly in nuts, seeds and plant oils – is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, and specifically from diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The researchers found that a high intake of ALA was associated with a 10%, 8%, and 11% lower mortality risk from all causes, cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, respectively. This is equivalent to 113 fewer deaths per 10,000 person-years for all reasons, 33 fewer cardiovascular disease deaths and 23 fewer coronary heart disease deaths.

Researchers from the University of Southern California showed that interrupting a high-fat, high-calorie diet with regular cycles of a fasting-mimicking diet helped mice live a longer, healthier life. The study found that regular five-day diet cycles in mice seemed to counteract the detrimental effects of their usual high-fat, high-calorie diet. According to the researchers, the findings point to the potential of using a fasting-mimicking diet as “medicine,” according to the researchers. A fasting-mimicking diet, also known as an FMD, is a low-calorie diet that “tricks” the body into a fasting state. The researchers caution these results should not be misinterpreted as they are not recommending humans to eat a high-calorie, high-fat diet that’s mitigated by periodic fasting.

By Nicole Kerr

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