Food & Beverage Asia October/November 2022

24
INGREDIENTS
Supporting immune health
through food, beverage and dietary
supplement innovation
With the long-term consequences of COVID-19
still unfolding, consumers today are hyper-aware
of their personal health and are taking proactive
measures to support their bodies’ natural defences
and overall wellbeing.
By Lois Mo, marketing director of health and wellness for APAC at ADM
Across the food, beverage, health and
wellness industry, functional ingredients
have become the new normal as consumers
increasingly make a connection between a
healthy digestive system and their overall
wellbeing. It has been reported that globally,
one in four consumers experience digestive
issues. Of those, half claim that it has a
moderate or severe impact on their overall
wellbeing 1 . Within Asia-Pacific, nearly one in
three Chinese, South Korean and Australian
consumers recognise a link between their
immune system and digestive health 2 .
Between 2015 to 2020, Mintel research
found that many new products launches
are including combinations of prebiotics
and probiotics, with increases of 113% in
Asia-Pacific alone*. Besides supplements,
microbiome ingredients have become
very popular in different food applications
and consumers are seeking functional
foods to deliver additional benefits
beyond their basic nutritional value.
CONSUMERS ARE CATCHING UP
It is apparent that consumers are becoming
aware of the potential role their gut
micro-biomes play in their everyday wellbeing,
from physical to emotional health. The
global human microbiome market is seeing
a huge opportunity for developers — one
that is estimated to balloon and reach $9.1
billion by 2026 3 . Building on ADM’s Global
Consumer Trends series, opportunities
are aplenty for product innovation, and
product developers should keep a pulse
on the top consumer trends that are
shaping demand for food and beverage
solutions targeting the gut microbiome.
Trend 1: Growing consumer awareness
of the gut-brain connection and the
link between microbiome function
with mood and cognition
According to a study from the University
of Oxford, BioKult’s multispecies probiotic
supplement has shown that the product
can support mood along with other related
cognitive measures. Previously, the gut
microbiome was understood to be important
for gastrointestinal health, but we now
understand that the microorganisms
found in the gut can have far-reaching
effects on distant physiological systems.
Consumers are paying more attention
to the impact their food, beverage and
supplement choices may have on their
overall well-being, and we see a growing
belief among consumers in a connection
between mind and body. In fact, 53% of
consumers state that products designed
to support brain health are appealing.
Trend 2: Personalised nutrition
solutions designed to support everyday
performance for active lifestyles
The importance of leading an active
lifestyle has motivated consumers to
focus on specialised nutrition to support
their personal wellness goals. In the past,
sports nutrition was a category mainly
driven by consumer aspirations and
demands related to physical appearance,
strength, performance, recovery, or focus.
Today’s consumers are adopting a more
holistic view of their diet and lifestyle
choices especially with growing evidence
of nutrition solutions being linked to
sleep hygiene, mental well-being,
immune function and more. Consumers
with active lifestyles want personalised
nutrition to support their everyday
performance and needs, and ADM’s
Bacillis subtilis DE111** has the versatility
to seamlessly fit into daily staples such
as protein bars and ready-to-drink
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2022