The functional food and nutraceutical opportunities offered by agricultural waste products in developing countries are not being fully exploited, meaning vital nutrients that could be of immense health and economic benefit are going to waste.
Pregnant women should take more micronutrients aside from iron and folic acid to boost the long-term cognitive development of their children, according to a major follow-up study from Indonesia.
A new study reveals vitamin D3 encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) could survive in the harsh gastrointestinal environment long enough to deliver this important nutrient to its intended targets.
In the first of our Nutrition Asia video series we take a deep dive into South East Asia's functional foods industry to gauge the state of the market and assess how it can meet the health needs of consumers across the region.
Tropical red seaweed, G. changii, can become an important functional food ingredient and is a prime crop for large-scale commercial farming, according to new research from Malaysia.
Ready-to-eat therapeutic foods designed to boost the nutritional status of people with HIV in Thailand should contain clear health claims, be manufactured in a soft, or liquid form, and be easy to carry, a study conducted by the World Food Programme has...
Duckweed has long been consumed as an inexpensive protein and source of omega-3 in three South East Asia countries, but now researchers are questioning if it has the potential to be adopted by south Asian and even Western consumers too.
Further evidence has been published showing how fortified fish sauce is being used in Cambodia to help tackle thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and the associated disease beriberi in babies.
Adding Tiliacora triandra gum, from the indigenous Thai vegetable ‘Yanang’, to maltodextrin could create an excellent protector of probiotics, researchers have revealed.
BASF’s Nutrition & Health Division has opened a new technical application lab in Singapore to provide analytical services and product development support to customers across the region.
Researchers have demonstrated a significant association between a seafood and noodle-based dietary pattern and the reduced likelihood of gestational diabetes.
The small number of dieticians in Thailand’s hospitals along with the absence of national guidelines for nutrition screening and assessment are hampering efforts to make early interventions with patients who are at risk of malnutrition.
Singapore health officials will launch the county’s first Diabetes Action Plan next year in response to the City State being identified as having the second-highest proportion of diabetics among developed nations.
The benefits of alpha-lacalbumin in providing effective protein in infant formula, and its role in increasing brain serotonin concentrations, were two of the academic highlights presented at the Alpha Summit in Singapore.
Researchers in Vietnam have argued that routine screening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients could avoid the development of malnutrition and its associated risks, costs and complications.
Aged garlic has greater antioxidant potential that the raw version, but was found not to lower cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic individuals, a Singapore study has reported.
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) says two so-called natural supplements have been found to contain “undeclared potent ingredients, including prescription only medicines”.
Specialists in Myanmar are warning that unhealthy lifestyles and the low intake of essential vitamins and minerals is leading cardiovascular problems to spiral out of control.
Nimbolide, a bioactive terpenoid compound derived from Azadirachta indica, more commonly known as the neem plant, could reduce the size of prostate tumours by up to 70 per cent and suppress its spread or metastasis by half, say Singapore academics.
In the second part of our interview with DuPont’s Asia regional president Dr Li Yongjing, we assess the potential for the dietary supplements industry in South East Asia and examine why probiotics may be about to go mainstream in emerging markets.
Consumption of the green tea compound EGCG could help to stop daytime overeating brought on by a high-fat diet, claims research backed by Abbott Nutrition.
Functional food innovation in developed Asian economies is increasingly influencing consumers in South East Asia’s emerging nations, with protein products, superfoods, herbal extract powders and fortified breakfast snacks making their presence felt on...
There is concern about the considerable variance in the recommended consumption levels of infant formula and follow-on formula in Asia and questions over the amount of protein they are required to contain, an international conference has heard.
The use of a modified alginate and hi-maize starch encapsulation technique could help to increase the survival rate of probiotics, say Thai researchers.
The controlled release of tea polyphenols into finished food products could help create new functional foods and reduce oxidation without the need for synthetic antioxidants, say researchers.
Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the UKM Medical Centre show that Malaysians in their 30s are now more likely to have arteries similar to a person aged 70 due to their lifestyles.
Fish sauce fortified with thiamine could help fight cases of beriberi in Southeast Asia – a public health concern caused by thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency.
Malaysian children undergoing long-term treatment for epilepsy are at significant risk of vitamin D deficiency, with youngsters of Indian ethnicity especially affected, a study has found.
A naturally occurring resveratrol analogue known as oxyresveratrol could provide industry with better water solubility whilst maintaining potential health benefits, say researchers.
It is may be possible to improve the lipid composition of poultry and pork to contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids, say researchers.
A renewed focus on multiple short term and long term strategies is needed to battle the high prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia in South East Asia, research warns.
Interview: DuPont’s Asia-Pacific president for health and nutrition
Last month, DuPont became the latest food and nutrition ingredients supplier to open a flagship regional headquarters in Singapore, which is fast becoming a hub in this regard.
Breakfast is officially the most important meal of the day and can help reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, Singaporean scientists have found in a limited study.
