Weekly Roundup: Unilever snaps up Liquid IV, Lactalis Ingredients publishes 2019 CSR report

04 Sep 2020 --- This week in nutrition news, Unilever finalized its plans to acquire nutrition and wellness company Liquid IV, while Lactalis Ingredients published its 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. Meanwhile, AIDP is set to commercialize the full range of Biosearch Life products in North America. In legislative moves, New Hampshire proposed new US state regulations for consumable hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products. The research space yielded “promising” results testing salmon oil on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as “surprising” findings on the effect of DolCas Biotech’s Bergacyn FF on weight loss and liver fat reduction.

In brief: Business news
Unilever is set to acquire Liquid IV, a US-based health-science nutrition and wellness company. Liquid IV’s electrolyte drink mixes utilize Cellular Transport Technology (CTT), which enhances the rapid absorption of water and other key nutrients into the bloodstream. Liquid IV can be found in more than 30,000 stories across the US, including Costco, Target, Whole Foods Market, Amazon, CVS, Walgreens and Albertsons. The company will continue to be based in El Segundo, California, and led by Brandin Cohen, who will remain as CEOChief Executive Officer and Founder. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Liquid IV’s product range includes Hydration, Energy and Sleep.Lactalis Ingredients framed its latest CSR report around the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, targeting its responsibility for “enjoyable nutrition” around environmental, social and societal indicators. According to the report, the company has a 94.77 percent “CAP sur L'Avenir” guidelines compliance rate and had 0.53 metric tons (MT) of CO2 per MT produced. Moreover, the company achieved a 73.80 percent workplace well-being rate and implemented 56 internal training instructors to enhance employees’ skills.

Lactalis Ingredients is also deploying its know-how in whey on a second industrial site in Verdun, France. In addition to its Mayenne production site, the company is increasing the availability of Flowhey, its range of highly fluid whey powders that are easy to store and use. This large-scale project reveals the growing needs of players in the booming whey market.

Biosearch Life and AIDP have signed a sales and marketing distribution agreement for the US. The latter will promote and market Biosearch Life’s range of products, including branded botanical extracts, scientifically backed for areas such as women’s health; premium probiotics obtained from breast milk for infant care; immunity, oral care, as well as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from algae. This marks Biosearch Life’s second distribution agreement for the US market, following one with SuanFarma. The biotechnology company is thereby “doubling its efforts and commitment” to the US market, which already accounts for 8 percent of its turnover.

Brenntag Food & Nutrition and Naturex by Givaudan signed an agreement that the latter’s product groups Natural Colors and Botanicals will be distributed by the Turkish team of Brenntag Food & Nutrition’s global business unit. The Turkish Brenntag Food & Nutrition team will offer Naturex by Givaudan products in all market segments, such as beverage, dairy, bread & bakery, confectionery, meat and others. Botanicals will especially go into the food supplement segment, where they will be an even more essential product group for the post-COVID-19 period where many consumers are expected to turn to more healthier foods, Brenntag highlights.

New Hampshire recently joined Virginia, Texas and Hawai’i in proposing new US state regulations for consumable hemp and CBD products.In brief: Legislation and rulings
A new bill, HB 1581, introduced in the New Hampshire State Legislature, proposes to allow the sale of products containing CBD derived from hemp. Moreover, it would require products containing CBD derived from hemp to be registered annually by the manufacturer. This also would create a position in the department of agriculture, markets and food to perform inspections relative to registered products containing CBD derived from hemp. New Hampshire joins Virginia, Texas and Hawai’i in proposing CBD regulation to fill what the Natural Products Association (NPA) has called a “Food and Drug Administration vacuum.”

In brief: Research and study
Bergacyn FF, produced by DolCas Biotech, can help reduce liver fat and, unexpectedly, weight in non-diabetic patients older than 50 years, according to a new clinical trial. Published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, the study had 86 mildly hypercholesterolemic patients, aged 35 to 70 and with liver steatosis, receive 600 mg per day of either Bergacyn FF or a maltodextrin-based placebo. The results revealed that liver fat accumulation was reduced by 9 percent over the placebo group. Bergacyn FF is a clean-label blend of botanical extracts derived from the Italian bergamot citrus fruit and the wild Italian artichoke thistle leaf. 

Evolva published its third Resveratrol Supporting Healthy Aging in Women (RESHAW) study on cerebrovascular function and cardiometabolic markers. The researchers found a “significant 33 percent improvement” in overall cognitive performance attributed to resveratrol supplementation compared to the placebo. They also observed a 12 percent improvement in cerebrovascular responsiveness (CVR) to hypercapnia. Overall neurovascular coupling was enhanced by 7 percent with resveratrol. “The researchers also reported that 88 percent of the women stated that they would be likely to continue with resveratrol supplementation after the conclusion of the study,” says Clare Panchoo, Vice President, Health Ingredients, Evolva. The third RESHAW study, alongside its first and second counterparts, focuses on post-menopausal women. Although life expectancy continues to increase, women are at heightened health risk post-menopause. 

Hofseth Biocare’s OmeGo salmon oil demonstrated “potential therapeutic promise” for the treatment of certain types of asthma and COPD via the modulation of eosinophil effector function. An in vitro study found that the prophylactic treatment of allergic human peripheral blood eosinophils with OmeGo modulates eosinophil effector function (measured via shape change assay and integrin expression) and increases apoptosis (programed cell death). Moreover, treating the oil with commercial marine oil processing conditions significantly reduces or eliminates this eosinophil effector function modulation. Krill oil and standard fish oil showed no to low eosinophil modulation.

Eosinophils are white blood cells, which form part of the body’s immune system helping to deal with infections (Credit: HofSeth Biocare).A study in mice helped explain why gut microbiomes of breastfed infants can differ greatly from those of formula-fed infants. Sphinganine from milk provides a new technique that allows researchers to track specific nutrients as they are taken up by gut microbes in a mouse’s digestive tract. The methodology could reveal how specific metabolites promote specific bacteria. This could, in turn, allow nutritionists to prescribe that patients eat foods containing specific metabolites to intentionally change the composition of their microbiomes. The study authors highlight that other researchers investigating the effects of a high-fat versus low-fat diet or a ketogenic diet might use the technique to track metabolites.

In brief: Miscellaneous 
The international, national and regional regulatory framework of gelatin and collagen is becoming increasingly complex. This has given life to the founding of Gelatin Representatives of the World (GROW), which consists of the gelatin associations from Asia/Pacific (GMAP), Europe (GME), North America (GMIA) and South America (SAGMA). The new association aims to facilitate regular information sharing, align on key issues that instill effective global communication. “The mission of the worldwide working group is to raise awareness of the benefits of gelatin and collagen peptides all around the globe, while also ensuring safe, natural and reliable products,” explains Greet Hombroux, Chair of GROW.

The UK National Health Service (NHS) launched a low-calorie diet program to help more people put their diabetes into remission. As of this week, 5,000 people across the country will be able to access the weight-loss program. For three months, people with Type 2 diabetes will be provided with low-calorie total diet replacement products, such as shakes and soups. After this, they’ll be supported to reintroduce solid foods and maintain their weight loss. The diet is based on the results from Diabetes UK’s Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study. Diabetes UK states it will continue to fund the trial to follow participants for seven years to fully understand how to help people maintain their weight loss and stay in remission.

By Anni Schleicher