Japan Focus: Growing FFC market, Kirin’s first overseas foray, fish consumption on dementia risk and more

Japan functional product trends: FOSHU market slows down as FFC products grow steadily​

Products with Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU or TOKUHO) claims still represent the largest share in the health foods and supplements market, although products with Food with Function Claims (FFC) have been growing steadily​ since 2015.

The market share for TOKUHO products have shrunk from US$3.64 billion in 2016, to US$3.62 billion in 2018.

In comparison, FFC products were valued at US$0.97 billion in 2016, increasing to US$1.84 billion in 2018.

Morinaga research reveals key immunity-boosting metabolite produced from infant gut​

Research from Morinaga Milk Industry has found that the infant-type human-residential bifidobacteria (HRB) could produce a key metabolite​, the immunity-boosting indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), moving one step closer to understanding its benefits on infant health.

This mean that, “Strains of infant-type HRB could be better probiotic candidates for infant use​,” said Dr Chyn Boon Wong, research associate at Morinaga Milk Industry told NutraIngredients-Asia.​

The firm said infant-type HRB was compatible with breast milk, because it is capable of utilising human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and was highly tolerant to lysozyme, a natural antibacterial factor present in the human body.

Higher fish consumption associated with lower dementia risk in elderly Japanese​

Habitual fish intake may be beneficial for the prevention of dementia​ in healthy Japanese elderly people without disabilities.

Only five previous studies were known to investigate this association, although findings were inconsistent, with three of the studies reported benefits that were not statistically significant.

Based on the knowledge that Japanese people consume the highest per capita of seafood in the world, researchers sought to study the association between fish consumption and onset of dementia.

Kirin’s functional food brand expands to Vietnam with immunity-boosting probiotic drink​

Kirin’s functional food brand, iMUSE has ventured into its first overseas market with the launch of a functional probiotic beverage in Vietnam​.

The iMUSE yoghurt & lemon flavoured drink contains lactococcus lactis strain plasma which the firm claims to have immune functionality​ to fight infectious disease in the country.

The drink contains 100 billion lactococcus lactis plasma, which is a lactic acid bacteria and an ingredient used exclusively by the Kirin Group.

Swell results: Sapporo conducts first clinical on lemon and facial swelling​

Polyphenols from lemon have been found to reduce facial swelling in healthy Japanese subjects, according to a clinical trial by Sapporo Holdings​.

The researchers found lemon-derived enzyme-treated hesperidin could reduce swelling in the face and leg, with the study, which is published​, claiming to the first in Japan to study this ingredient and its effect.

They first presented the verification study findings at the Health Ingredients exhibition in Tokyo.