Weekly Roundup: IFF and DuPont issue senior notes pricing, Azelis to distribute BASF’s colorants in Greek market

11 Sep 2020 --- In industry news this week, IFF and DuPont announced the pricing of US$6.25 billion senior notes offerings for the latter’s Nutrition & Biosciences business. Azelis will distribute BASF’s health ingredients in Greece. Martin Bauer Group acquired Core Botanica, a manufacturer of customized mint leaf products in North America. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) flagged in its latest report that more than three billion people globally are protected from harmful trans fat in their food, but more needs to be done.

In brief: Business news
IFF and DuPont announced that the latter’s Nutrition and Biosciences (N&B) arm priced an offering of US$6.25 billion of senior unsecured notes. The sale of the notes is expected to be completed on or about September 16, subject to customary closing conditions. Prior to its merger with IFF, N&B will make a special cash payment of US$7.3 billion to DuPont, which N&B plans to finance with the net proceeds from the offering of the notes, together with borrowings under its existing Term Loan facilities. Following the payment, N&B will separate from DuPont and merge with a subsidiary of IFF, with N&B surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of IFF. 

Azelis will now distribute BASF Human Nutrition’s health and colorant ingredients in the F&B and dietary supplement market segments in Greece. This new mandate builds upon the existing partnership between Azelis and BASF Human Nutrition in Turkey, as well as their cross-segment collaboration across the globe. BASF offers a broad range of health ingredients such as vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, plant sterols, carotenoids, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and peptides. Azelis states its strong local sales organization, extensive market knowledge and long-standing partnership with BASF have been “crucial” for this partnership’s continued growth.

Pure Relief’s new gummies pair vitamins with CBD for sustained immune support.The Core Botanica acquisition by the Martin Bauer Group expands its portfolio of raw materials and botanical ingredients, servicing the food and dietary supplement industries, as well as tea and beverage markets. The acquired company will continue to operate as Core Botanica, while receiving “active support” from the Martin Bauer Group’s agricultural team for current and future productions and quality standards. Core Botanic’s processing facility is based in Oregon, US, known for high-quality mint cultivation.

PurpleRock Capital Partners’ expanded supplement portfolio will be rebranded as NetWell Nutrition to reflect its focus on clean label, science-based products. NetWell Nutrition states it operates at the intersection of several macro trends, including increased consumer self-care behavior, growing consumer interest in research-backed, clean label nutritional supplements and the dramatic growth of online shopping. 

In brief: Launches and releases
Nutraveris, a FoodChain ID company, launched Nutraveris Online (NOL), an integrated platform that uses AI to evaluate and monitor US dietary supplement data and compliance. The platform enables customers to create new products leveraging US regulatory, scientific and marketing data. It also provides insights for new product launches and includes automated compliance analysis, label generation and on-going monitoring and alerts. NOL draws a weekly updated inventory of scientific and regulatory information on more than 3,000 ingredients, 40,000 finished products and over 40,000 peer-reviewed publications covering 132 areas of application.

Giellepi introduced a branded bromelain ingredient that boasts fibrinolytic, antiedematous, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Bromelain – an enzyme extract derived from the stems of pineapples – is usually unstable and sensitive under stress conditions such as the presence of elevated temperature, organic solvents and chemicals. Due to a gentle extraction and purification process, Bromeyal maintains its enzymatic activity level over time without enteric coating. It is suitable for powder, tablet and capsule applications.

Rritual elixirs are made using mycelium to provide the beneficial bioactive compounds and metabolites found in mushrooms.Organic CBD manufacturer Pure Relief launched Immune Support gummies that combine vitamins C, E and B6 with 20 mg of CBD. The strawberry-flavored gummies are vegan and support a daily wellness regimen that can be “seamlessly integrated” into everyday routines. The suggested serving for the new Immune Support gummies is one gummy, twice daily.

Rritual, a functional mushroom brand, is planning to release its suite of premium mushroom and adaptogen enhanced elixirs made with whole mycelium this fall. Made from a proprietary blend of organic mushrooms and time-tested adaptogenic herbs, Rritual’s mixtures are formulated to blend into daily wellness routines and will be available in three different formulas, including reishi, chaga and lion’s mane. These three Rritual formulas are plant-based and vegan and will be available in 14-stick packs and 250 g tubs.

In brief: Research and study
The WHO published a new report on targets to eliminate global trans fat by 2023. It details that although 58 countries have introduced laws that will protect 3.2 billion people from the harmful substance by the end of 2021, more than 100 countries still need to take action to remove these harmful substances from their food supplies. Notably, when governments do act, they overwhelmingly adopt best-practice policies rather than less restrictive ones. Despite the “encouraging progress,” significant disparities persist in policy coverage by region and country income level. No low-income or lower-middle-income countries have yet adopted any best-practice policies.

Probiotics may help children and adolescents with obesity lose weight when taken alongside a calorie-controlled diet, according to a study being presented at e-ECE 2020. The study found that 100 obese children aged six to 18 who were put on a calorie-restricted diet and given probiotics Bifidobacterium breve BR03 and Bifidobacterium breve B632 for eight weeks lost more weight. They had also improved insulin sensitivity compared with children on a diet only. These findings suggest that probiotic supplements and a calorie-controlled diet may also reduce future health risks, such as heart disease and diabetes. The researchers’ next step is to identify patients that could benefit from this probiotic treatment to create a more personalized weight-loss strategy.

In brief: Miscellaneous 
Lallemand Health Solutions partnered with the Prader‐Willi Syndrome (PWS) Association USA to fund research into the genetic disorder. A charitable initiative called “Running for Research” will take place from January 6 to 10 at the Walt Disney World Marathon to raise funds for PWS research at the University of Florida, US. Since its founding in 2018, the “Running for Research” team has raised US$50,000 for the PWS Research Fund at the University of Florida, mainly to support work to identify effective support measures for children and adults with PWS.

By Anni Schleicher