Targeting protein enrichment, gut health and high-end nutrition needs
12 Jan 2024 | FrieslandCampina Ingredients
FrieslandCampina Ingredients unveiled a heat-stable whey protein ingredient — Nutri Whey ProHeat — at FiE 2023. It can be added to medical nutrition products to provide a nutrient-dense liquid formulation with low viscosity, neutral pH, good drinkability and a clean taste. Vicky Davies, global senior marketing director, performance, active & medical nutrition, tells us more about how the company’s protein-enriched launches support gut health and protein needs among high-end nutrition markets.
This is Missy Green at FIE 2023.
I'm here with Vicky Davies, who's the global director of could you tell me the full job marketing for performance, active and medical nutrition at Friz and Cofina ingredients.
Thank you so much.
So very nice to have you.
Fri and Cofina Ingredients has launched a new product here at FIE.
Could you tell us about that?
Yeah, absolutely.
So we are launching Nutra Way Pro Heat today at the FIE.
A microparticulated whey protein designed specially for medical nutrition but not exclusive for use in that area.
What it does is it means that we can use whey protein in high heat treatment applications.
So in liquid or for medical nutrition in particular sip formulation or tube feed formulations.
Whey in its normal state.
If you heat treat it, then it will denature and it gels, but we've been able to to use new technology to be able to microparticulate the whey, which means that then when it is heat treated to make sure that all the bacteria is eliminated for these vulnerable populations, that the whete stays intact and can be utilized.
So whey protein is nutritionally still superior to casein, which means that you can offer a better amino acid profile to those.
The groups of consumers who will use it, so that's very beneficial, particularly in the medical space, and we will later next year also broaden the area of use for this ingredient.
OK, because I was wondering what are some of the more general applications that might have for the mainstream population.
Yes, indeed, so still in the majority ready to drink formats, so those that will be treated, but it can also be in like liquid yogurt applications, for example.
So those things.
What about like a hot chocolate?
Yeah, it could be.
It could be.
And what other products are you featuring here?
Yeah, so we are still, focused on Biota's fermentis this year.
So we launched it only about 6 months ago as.
So this is designed specially for sportsers who suffer from gut health issues.
86% of people who either sport, at, at the high end or even the everyday sporters.
Face, gut health issues like, digestive complaints and bloating.
This is because of the normal stress that's put on the body with the exercise that it is.
So we've designed something that specially, targets those issues.
So it's, it's whey protein combined with our biotas goss, which is a prebiotic, and then we ferment that together with a probiotic.
And then you're left with one product, a powdered product solution that has the holistic benefits of whey protein, prebiotics, and then the leftover remnants of the probiotics, or other words, postbiotics.
So we have done a consumer trial and a clinical trial, one in athletes, one in the everyday sporter, and we saw significant improvements in gut health complaints, but also in overall energy.
And muscle health.
So, so, so, really helping those target groups.
So it's doing actually very at the moment, but we do an extra communication on it at this event.
Do you have any suggestion for how brands are able to communicate this message?
Because it sounds like kind of a new concept that sports specifically would have gut health issues.
That's a really good question.
It is like a really a kind of breakthrough innovation in sport.
So it is the top question that we get from our customers.
How can we position it.
So we've come up with some ideas.
So it can be either this one, for example, that I'm showing you is like small sachet formats.
So, you take it, it's a powder solution.
You put it in water, but you take it with breakfast, or you can put it on top of your cereal or something so that you can add.
A little bit of protein but also get that benefit during the day.
You can position it as a high performance protein supplement also because it can sit beside the normal protein supplements and you can communicate benefits such as supporting energy, supporting gut health and then as the science develops aim for more health specific claims later.
OK, and I've heard lately that some of plant-based businesses are seeing tough times, and I was wondering what first and competing ingredients, you know, how they feel about that and how they're making moves in the plant protein space.
I think we launched.
Plantaras, our plant-based range, 2 years ago here at this event as.
We're doing quite , I have to say in general we have focused on the high-end nutrition market with our proteins as we do with the rest of our portfolio as.
So there we seem to be doing quite.
The focus for us on our portfolio is also overcoming some of the technical challenges and the consumer challenges that they had with plant-based, which is taste, that's it, the texture, and then digestibility or processability for the for the production facilities.
So this year we're actually launching right now, we're launching a new bar application because this is one of the fastest growing.
Application areas or product areas we have a lot of expertise in bars as , so we've combined that with our pea and also fava bean and we've been able to make two different applications for those products that overcome a lot of those challenges, particularly on texture and on taste.
So offering a very neutral taste and less bar hardening as , so appealing to those consumer needs.
So when it comes to the high value market.
You still see a bright future for plant-based.
We do.
We have to be, we have to be selective, I think as an industry in, in where you focus as , because consumers are becoming much more discerning.
It's not that they have any more money to spend and less money to spend.
They're being very choiceful on where they will spend that money.
And then if they're looking for nutritional support in whatever area it is protein or prebiotics or that, then they will choose what they believe is the.
The best for them in the price range that they can afford.
So for us that also means we need to be very, very clear and offering what they need, and we see that they still want to be health and wellness focused.
Protein is very, very important, and we want to also offer high protein.
So this is this application that I'm showing you is like 15 g, but we can go beyond that to 2025 g of protein, plant-based protein in a bar as.
So offering those choices for the consumer.
OK, thank you very much.
No, you're welcome.
