Health and nutritional ingredients

Danone discusses the role of plant-based innovation in medical nutrition: ‘Our priority is evidence-based nutrition that meets lifestyle choices’

16-Feb-2023 By Katy Askew

Danone’s specialised nutrition business Nutricia has developed its first plant-based ready-to-drink medical nutrition supplement. Fortimel PlantBased Energy is the product of an intensive three-year R&I effort. FoodNavigator hears from Manuela Borella,...

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Industry Insights from NIZO - Polyphenols: Handling uninvited co-passengers in your plant protein

15-Feb-2023 By René Floris, NIZO Food Research Division Manager

Why should food makers be paying attention to polyphenols and how can advances in their characterisation help both protein and food producers improve their products?

Ready meals have ‘lower nutritional quality, higher greenhouse gas emissions and are more expensive’: study

07-Feb-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Research into the nutritional and sustainability attributes of ready meals suggests scope for innovation in this category.

What does Europe’s deforestation law mean for palm oil? RSPO talks challenges and opportunities

31-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

A political agreement has been reached on the European Union’s due diligence legislation, and sustainable palm oil organisation Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is supportive. Yet challenges and risks exist, explains Ruben Brunsveld, deputy director...

AB-Biotics targets food and beverage market with microbiome solutions: ‘Every moment of consumption will be an opportunity’

27-Jan-2023 By Katy Askew

Spanish biotech company AB-Biotics suggests that spiking interest in fermented foods and microbiome health represents a significant opportunity for the food and beverage industry. We caught up with Executive Director Sergi Audivert to learn more about...

‘This ticks every box worth ticking’: The agri-tech start-up aiming to grow water lentils at scale

25-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

UK-based food production company Sustainable Planet has unveiled technology to use desertified land to grow the highly nutritious and potentially climate positive duckweed plant.

Developing plant-based dairy with melon seed milk: ‘Fermentation generates cheese-like aromas’

24-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

In Spain, start-up Väcka is developing plant-based cheeses with an unlikely ingredient: fermented melon seed milk. Co-founder and CEO Ana Luz Sanz talks us through the nutritional and functional benefits of mixing water with ground melon seeds.

As meat-reduction trend ‘levels off’, industry backs plant-based innovation to propel category

18-Jan-2023 By Flora Southey

From perceptions of over-processing to the potential slowing of meat reduction across multiple geographies, the plant-based sector faces challenges. Innovation, ingredients majors tell FoodNavigator, is required to propel the category forward.

From saffron beer to kefir water, the new crop of NPD embracing unique functional ingredients

12-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Despite cost and inflation concerns, trend reports note rising demand among many consumers for foods with functionality, such as those that can help bolster the immune system. Many brands are responding.

Turning to diverse, climate resistant local crops and cellular-agriculture-based techniques to create next-generation meat alternatives

04-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Combining cellular agriculture technology with diverse, locally available crops allows food producers the chance to provide ‘authentic, next-generation meat alternatives on an industrial scale’, claims the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

Low/no alcohol consumption ‘to rise a third’ by 2026

04-Jan-2023 By Oliver Morrison

Low-to-no beer, cider, wine and spirit products grew over 7% in volume across 10 key global markets in 2022, according to fresh data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

Ukraine’s ExtraCell Ingredients on making yeast, the brave new world of biotech fermentation, and Monday meetings in the bomb shelter

23-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

A Ukraine-based yeast maker has defied the challenges of war and launched a biotech arm producing a range of yeast-based solutions for the food industry.

Dairy alternatives increasingly seen as complementary to dairy products: survey

21-Dec-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Two thirds (67%) of European consumers see plant-based dairy as complementary, not a substitute to dairy products, and ‘an opportunity to try something new’ (65%), new research from ofi shows.

DSM squaring the circle of plant-based and animal protein for a ‘holistic food system transformation’

16-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Nutrition, health and bioscience company DSM’s business includes solutions it believes will help make the food system more sustainable across both human and animal nutrition. When we caught up with Elisabeth Hirschbichler, VP of Strategy, Innovation and...

‘Everyone is holding their breath’: ABFI is preparing for the energy crisis to get worse after a ‘record’ 2022

13-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

ABF Ingredients, the speciality ingredient arm of Associated British Foods, secured a ‘record’ performance in the face of difficult conditions seen throughout 2022. But it looks likely that the worst is not yet behind us, with expectations of a deepening...

MycoTechnology teams up with IFF in Europe, with Novel Foods nod expected ‘any day now’

12-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Mycelia-focused MycoTechnology has teamed up with ingredients supplier IFF to expand its reach to Europe, all the while Novel Foods approval for its FermentIQ protein is imminent, Lisa Wetstone, Director, Innovation & Growth Strategy, tells FoodNavigator....

From mood-boosting algae to plant-based ‘egg’ powder: Which innovations caught our eye at FiE 2022?

07-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

Food ingredients are taking centre-stage in Paris this week, and FoodNavigator is on the ground speaking with newcomers to the B2B market.

Kerry launches nutrition label calculator: 'Front-of-pack labels are becoming more important for brands'

02-Dec-2022 By Katy Askew

Kerry has developed the KerryNutri Guide, a tool to calculate how products perform across a range of front-of-pack nutritional labelling systems and guide users towards a better score. “The KerryNutri Guide makes it easier for us to partner with our customers...

Plant-based ‘honey without bees’ prepares to create a buzz in Europe

02-Dec-2022 By Flora Southey

US-based MeliBio is partnering with organic food producer Narayan Foods to bring its plant-based bee-free honey product to Europe under the Better Foodie brand.

Upcycling brewers' yeast for an alt protein source boasting ‘unparalleled nutritional quality’

30-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

French food-tech start-up Yeasty is offering food manufacturers an alternative source of protein from unused brewer's yeast.

Meet the start-up hooked on mycelium-based scallops: ‘We’ve left plants behind, and entered the fungi kingdom’

28-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Achieving the ‘juicy’ and ‘bouncy’ texture of fish and seafood is possible with mycelium, according to German start-up Esencia Foods

Scottish start-up turns to ‘food of the future’ seaweed to launch methylcellulose replacement

24-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

OCEANIUM has developed a high-fibre seaweed-based one-for-one methylcellulose replacement for plant-based meat which can be used in other products applications including gluten-free breads and beverages. Farmed seaweed also boasts numerous environmental,...

Food innovators welcome EC’s ‘pioneering’ algae plan

16-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food innovation champions have applauded a new initiative from the European Commission aiming to unlock the potential of algae in the European Union.

Researchers find the molecules in breast milk that may protect infants from developing allergies

16-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Scientists have identified the specific molecules in breast milk which if added to formula may help address the disparity that formula-fed babies are more sensitive to allergens.

Microalgae-based vegan ice cream developed with ‘complete nutritional profile’

08-Nov-2022 By Flora Southey

Sophie’s BioNutrients has collaborated with the Danish Technological Institute to develop a dairy-free chlorella-based ice cream that mimics the texture of its conventional counterpart.

Meet the start-up giving allergens to babies in the fight to reduce food allergies

02-Nov-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Vini Mini has unveiled a product to prevent peanut allergies in babies.

Plant-based cheese made with microalgae protein in development for global market

26-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

In Israel, a microalgae-based protein company and a vegan foods manufacturer are collaborating to develop protein-enriched plant-based cheese.

‘We're not only a food nation, but a food tech nation’: The new ingredients shaping the future of food from Spain

26-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Spanish start-ups are fostering the circular economy and upcycling to produce the foods of the future.

Promoting plant-based: Environmental concerns don’t motivate people to cut back on meat

19-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Environmental concerns don’t motivate consumers to replace meat products with plant-based alternatives, new research suggests. So, what does prompt people to make the swap?

Consumers seeking ‘out brands that respond to their core values at economic price’: market researcher

19-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Value looms large in Innova Market Insights’ list of food and beverage industry trends in 2023.

First official dietary recommendation for flavanols revealed

19-Oct-2022 By Nikki Hancocks

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has issued the first ever authoritative dietary recommendation on flavanols.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: Mood food for mental wellbeing – how can the industry capitalise?

19-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Food and beverage manufacturers are looking for ingredients that can tap into demand from end consumers for natural solutions associated with mental wellbeing benefits, FoodNavigator hears.

Food and depression: Can consumption choices improve mental wellbeing?

19-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Could increasing vitamin D intake or following the Mediterranean Diet reduce symptoms of depression? And how does mood impact food choice? Researchers investigate.

Chr. Hansen welcomes solid growth amid ‘unprecedented’ input cost inflation and supply chain challenges

12-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

The Danish ingredients supplier is celebrating a ‘solid’ financial performance for 2021/22, despite a ‘volatile’ macroeconomic and geopolitical climate. We ask CFO Lise Mortensen how the Ukraine-Russia conflict is impacting business.

Diet and sleep: How nutrition can help combat an ‘epidemic of insufficient sleep’

12-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Research suggests what you eat impacts how well you sleep. Conversely, the quality of your sleep can influence dietary choices. FoodNavigator examines this complex relationship and probes the connection between sleep, diet, and health.

Danone ‘digitally transforms’ baby food factory in Poland, boosts efficiencies and halves GHG emissions

11-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

The World Economic Forum has designated Danone’s infant nutrition factory in Opole, Poland, as an Advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution Lighthouse for adopting cutting-edge technologies at scale.

Using 3D printed flavour-based cues for the recall of memories in old age

07-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

In research that suggests a role for the food industry in helping those with dementia re-construct memories, scientists in the UK have shown how the smell of food can enable ‘time travel’.

The keto diet and mental health: how closely should the food industry watch this trend?

06-Oct-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Most consumers go keto – often-tipped as the next big diet trend – to lose weight. But proponents hope it can gain favour amid growing awareness of the relationship between diet and mental health and wellness.

Replacing methylcellulose in meat analogues: ‘Plant-based is perceived as better for you, using synthetic additives creates a gap between perception and reality’

03-Oct-2022 By Katy Askew

Meet the start-up that has developed a one-for-one methylcellulose replacement for plant-based products.

Breast is best: How can infant formula get as close to human milk as possible?

03-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

That ‘breast is best’ is undisputed by experts. How can innovation help infant formula manufacturers replicate the real thing?

Energy beverage developed for consumers with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

03-Oct-2022 By Flora Southey

Consumers with Irritable Bowel Syndrome are the target market for UK start-up Fodilicious, which has developed a line of low-FODMAP energy drinks.

Personalisation, the microbiome and the future of food: ‘We’ve only been able to scratch the surface of what’s possible’

27-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

As the scientific understanding of microbiome health deepens, experts are predicting it will unlock the possibility of truly personalised nutrition that delivers specific health outcomes. But there is a long way to go before this vision becomes a reality.

European supplier CSM Ingredients eyes Latin America: ‘Our global growth strategy is centred on scaling up in other parts of the world’

26-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

CSM Ingredients is entering Latin America through a strategic partnership with Chilean player ICB. FoodNavigator catches up with CSM CEO Aldo Uva to learn more about how this expansion positions the European supplier for further growth.

Aliga Microalgae purchases new facility to scale chlorella

22-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Food technology company Aliga Microalgae progresses its plans to scale the microalgae ingredient, chlorella, as an alternative protein after buying an existing production facility in Holland.

UK ‘one step closer’ to adding folic acid to flour for foetal health

08-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

A UK-wide consultation on the amount of folic acid to be added to flour to help prevent neural tube defects in the womb is now underway.

EU-backed macroalgae project wants to ‘prove the sceptics wrong’: ‘We aim to make seaweed a staple of European diets’

07-Sep-2022 By Flora Southey

A public-private partnership aiming to produce 12 seaweed-based products – including fermented fibres for meat alternatives and biomaterials for packaging – has launched in the Faroe Islands.

Super nutritious ‘enriched seaweed’ that can help ease global food crisis unveiled by scientists

05-Sep-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers have developed an innovative technology that enables the growth of “enriched seaweed” superfood infused with nutrients, proteins, dietary fibre, and minerals.

Could faba replace soy flour in bread for homegrown protein boost?

26-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

The potential for locally grown faba bean to increase the protein content in store-bought bread is being investigated by researchers in the UK.

'Keto and lower carb diets have been underserved by the food and drink industry': HelloFresh launches special diet brand in the Netherlands where ‘35% of consumers follow a nutrition rule’

23-Aug-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The meal kit company has launched its Green Chef brand in the Netherlands after spotting strong interest in special diets among consumers in the country.

How can food and beverage brands make fibre sexy?

17-Aug-2022 By Flora Southey

Supporting gut bacteria and bowel health may not be the most appealing claims to market on-pack, but ingredients experts say consumer perceptions can be changed – if they haven't already.