Omija fruit ethanol extract may be helpful to fight obesity and related metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidaemia, and insulin resistance, according to the results of a new study on mice fed a high-fat diet.
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.
Rice bran cereals can be fortified with Assam tea extract (ATE) to boost its antioxidant properties without sacrificing taste and texture, states a new study.
A fortified iron supplement bar given to women in and around Mumbai reduced anaemia with no reported side effects, according to a study by Duke University researchers and collaborators in India.
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.
While long treasured for its medicinal properties in Asia, a new Taiwanese review has drawn attention to four species of the fungi Cordyceps, highlighting the mushrooms’ potential as a functional food targeting metabolic, liver, sexual, and bone/joint...
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...
Modulation of gut microbiota through personalised diet or probiotic intervention will increasingly become a key focus for treating brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease, Chinese academics have concluded in a new review.
Bitter orange extract (Citrus aurantium) has been found to help protect the liver against injury caused by bile duct obstructions or defects due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities.
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.
Despite Asia Pacific being a region with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), sales of cardiovascular health positioned foods and beverages are not high, writes Maria Mascaraque from Euromonitor International.
Wild banana (M. acuminata), which has long been used in traditional medicine in South East Asia, is worthy of further investigation to assess its functional food and nutraceutical development on a larger scale, a new academic review suggests.
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.
By-products from cauliflower could be recycled and turned into functional foods to help combat diabetes and hypertension, a new study from China suggests.
Adding Tiliacora triandra gum, from the indigenous Thai vegetable ‘Yanang’, to maltodextrin could create an excellent protector of probiotics, researchers have revealed.
Obtaining dried citrus peel (chenpi) from mandarins or tangerines grown in Sichuan or Xinhui in China can provide potentially superior benefits in nutraceuticals and functional foods compared to conventional sources, a new study has found.
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.
Like its more popular New Zealand version, Australian Manuka honey has also been found to contain powerful antibacterial properties, leading to hopes it could tap into the lucrative medicinal honey market.
The demand for ‘clean label’ products, especially in North America and Europe, is continuing to affect consumers’ acceptance of fortified foods, meaning manufacturers should focus their efforts on Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Indian-based but global-facing herbals player OmniActive Health Technologies has won a $35 million (€33m) investment from venture capitalist Everstone Group, as it pursues expansion and acquisition targets.
Demand in Asia Pacific for for anti-aging supplements and products is driving global growth for antioxidants, presenting suppliers and manufactures with a lucrative opportunity to boost sales, new market research suggests.
Food and nutrition firms in APAC have to contend with a diverse and at times contradictory regulatory landscape across the region, with rules and laws being amended or introduced all the time. And 2016 was no exception.
Underwater shockwave pre-treatment improves the antioxidant functionality of yuzu fruit juice, confirming its potential for use in a wide-range of food applications and leading to the possible establishment “of a new field of industrial technology,” a...
From the liver benefits of fermented tea, to the anti-fatigue attributes of astaxanthin, these are the top five research stories that have gained the most traction with readers in 2016.
As 2016 draws to a close, we highlight the top seven most-read APAC food and nutrition trends stories, featuring exclusive market and consumer insights from Japan, South East Asia, India, Australia and China.
Researchers have identified a new mechanism for how oats reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease.
The Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has welcomed new rules for supplements and nutraceuticals announced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), saying it is a crucial step towards better regulation in the country
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued its long-awaited rules for functional foods and supplements – publishing a 79-page set of criteria on its website.
A greater emphasis should be placed on enhancing the bioavailability of key nutrients in foods by focusing on synergies to help fight under nutrition, say researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research.
A novel combination of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides could significantly improve absorption of certain minerals, according to new research in rats.
The type of fat used as a carrier for phytosterol in fortified foods and drinks could have a major impact on the ability of the ingredient to lower cholesterol, according to a new meta-analysis of trials.
Nutrition has the power to make or break the vast majority of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – but not enough nutrition or food firms are pledging to help solve the problems of hunger, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
Analysis of the top 20 claims of new health supplement launches in China between 2014-16 shows products targeting female and seniors are on the rise, with claims related to bone, cardiovascular and brain health increasing rapidly. But is this want consumers...
DSM has sealed a strategic collaboration agreement with Chinese supplement firm By-Health to develop new cardiovascular health products containing tomato extract ingredient Fruitflow.
Researchers believe they have shown for the first time that probiotics can improve cognitive function in humans, following a clinical trial with elderly Alzheimer’s patients aged 60-95.
Tulsi, ashwagandha and cardamom are three of the hottest Ayurvedic ingredients right now, but the likelihood of them gaining mass appeal in Europe and the US is limited by scepticism of complementary medicine, it has been claimed.
There is an urgent need to carry out more human studies with spices that have the potential to reduce glycemic response and potentially manage and treat diabetes, according to Singapore academics.
Japan’s billion dollar nori industry, which produces 350,000 tonnes of edible and nutraceutical seaweed lauded for a multitude of beneficial health effects, could have a new competitor…Norway.
A newly developed peanut-based probiotic ‘yoghurt’ could serve as a functional food for those who follow a vegan diet or have lactose intolerance, say researchers.