Functional foods round-up: Spotlight on coffee, nootropics and gummies galore
Instant hit? Australia’s Savvy Beverage expanding range of nootropic products after coffee capsule success
Australia-based start-up Savvy Beverage is launching an instant coffee and soda drink containing nootropic ingredients to enhance brain function.
This is an extension to its current product line – functional coffee pods which are compatible with Nespresso coffee machines.
Based on its coffee pods sales alone, the firm saw 311% growth in sales year-on-year, indicating strong interest in nootropic products.
External collaboration: Kirin adds nine new immune products containing award-winning Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma
Kirin Holdings, winner of the NutraIngredients-Asia 2021 Immune Support Product of the Year Award, has added nine new products containing its proprietary Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (L. lactis strain Plasma) for immune function, bringing the total number of SKUs to 22.
Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (L. lactis strain Plasma) is Kirin's proprietary functional ingredient backed by research to support maintenance of the immune system by stimulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
L. lactis strain Plasma is the key ingredient in Kirin’s iMUSE range of supplements, yoghurt and beverages, which is Japan’s first-ever brand registered as a Food with Functional Claim for immune function.
Digitalised and mature market: BYHEALTH extends Asia expansion with Singapore collagen gummy debut
BYHEALTH says it is on track with its APAC expansion, with Singapore’s highly digitalised and mature market its latest new venture.
The brand, which is a part of China health foods giant BY-HEALTH Co. Ltd, was introduced into Singapore in August via the health and beauty retail chain Watsons.
Starting with one of its bestsellers, the Cartidyss Collagen Gummies, the brand hopes to capture the women’s market, which it recognises as a key consumer group.
WATCH: How functional gummies bring ‘happiness’ across different age groups – Swisse and Power Gummies
Functional gummies are not only for kids, with Swisse and Power Gummies developing products for adults and emphasising how a twist in formats can evoke a sense of ‘happiness’ and make consumers look forward to their daily dose of nutraceuticals.
A brand under the Health and Happiness (H&H) Group, Swisse started its gummy portfolio with products for kids and launched products for adults just three months ago in Australia.
Probiotic and prebiotic, immune, and bone health gummies are the common offerings for both its kids and adult gummy range. For the adults, there are also products for sleep support, hair, skin, nail, and muscle health.
Gummies for adults: Nature’s Way pushing portfolio in China with category now well-established
Australia's nutraceutical brand Nature’s Way is on track to expand its adult gummy products in China, believing that the category is now well-established due to a slew of new market entrants in the past year.
The brand of Pharmacare Laboratories is well-known for its gummy nutraceuticals for both adults and children.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Airing Wang, head of marketing – China, said that the company has been focusing on promoting its children's gummy products in the past few years, but now, more attention would also be given to its adult nutrition portfolio.
LISTEN: More Japanese companies adopting chrono-nutrition concept in NPD – Prof Shigenobu Shibata
The concept of chrono-nutrition is gaining traction amongst companies in Japan, with our guest on the latest Nutrachampion podcast developing such products with the industry.
Professor Shigenobu Shibata, professor at the School of Advanced Science and Engineering at Japan’s Waseda University, is the guest of our latest Nutrachampion podcast.
Professor Shibata specialises in the study of the suprachiasmatic nucleus – a structure located in the hypothalamus in the brain – which in turn regulates the central body clock, also known as the circadian clock.
Survive the journey: PERKii sees steady sales of probiotic drinks made with exclusive encapsulation technology
Australian probiotic brand PERKII has seen steady sales of its probiotic beverages amid the pandemic, boosting the firm’s confidence in its overseas expansion plans.
The company manufactures still and sparkling probiotic drinks, made with an exclusive encapsulation technology which allow probiotics to survive the harsh stomach acid conditions in order to reach the gut.
Although founded in 2015, PERKii only started entering major retailers such as Woolworths in the last three years, and has seen consistent growth.
