From May 9th to 11th, 2023, the annual Vitafoods Europe Exhibition was held in Geneva, Switzerland, as scheduled. The theme of this year’s exhibition focuses more on sustainability, personalization, and innovation in healthy and nutritious food.
According to official incomplete statistics, there are over 700 exhibitors and 15,000 professionals this year. Discuss together for an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities for nutraceutical innovation, including exercise and active nutrition, cognitive and emotional health, metabolic and immune health, life stages, and healthy aging.
After over 20 years of development, Vitafoods Europe has become the development vane of the European and even global health products and functional food markets. Over 130+ new raw materials & products were unveiled at this year’s exhibition, including raw materials, end products, application solutions, innovative dosage forms, and other categories.
What Are The New Raw Ingredients Trends?
The answer is to focus on women, intestines, prebiotics, alternative proteins, etc.
A new ingredient for sports nutrition: EnduBerryNu
Mibelle Biochemistry of Switzerland has launched a raw ingredient called EnduBerry Nu. It is rich in specific anthocyanins (C3G), an antioxidant anthocyanin-3-glucoside. Many studies have found that C3G is associated with antioxidants, inflammation, neuroprotection, heart and diabetes, and the daily intake dose is 120 mg.
Excessive free radicals produced during exercise can disrupt normal tissue cellular function, leading to muscle fatigue during prolonged exercise. And that ingredient can affect it in many ways.
In terms of product application, this raw ingredient is a water-soluble powder. It is currently available in various products, including exercise endurance supplements and beverages, pre-workout formulas, electrolyte drinks, and recovery supplements.
According to NBJ data, the US sports nutrition supplement market is expected to reach 10.5 billion US dollars in 2025. The entire market will develop in a more specialized and segmented direction, providing space for developing more new raw materials.
A new ingredient for women’s health: Menobelle™
The health & beauty department of the French Roberto Group has launched Menobelle™, a new raw material for female menopause. This raw ingredient is compounded from various plants and herbs. The main application scenario is the physical and mental symptoms of female menopause. A comparative placebo trial involving 150 women also had positive results.
The women’s health market is booming. The number of women’s health-related solutions (dietary supplements, nutritional products, cosmetics, etc.) and various health claims are becoming increasingly popular, and menopause is a subdivision direction worthy of attention.
For 85% of women, menopause is associated with personal challenges, physical and emotional changes, and serious impacts on daily life.
A new player in the alternative protein market: Insect Protein Concentrate (IPC)
Lithuanian Divaks company launched a new insect protein concentrate (IPC) raw material, the protein content of which exceeds 80%. Also provides a complete range of essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals for protein-fortified products, functional premixes, and other applications.
As a soluble component, this protein has advantages other proteins do not have. It improves properties such as digestibility, emulsion-forming ability, thermal stability, and rheology. IPC is non-GMO and free of ingredients such as soy, dairy, and eggs.
The European Union has approved five kinds of insects as new food resources in the past three years. Insect protein is becoming an emerging industry with rapid development and great potential in the whole European market.
A novel gut health solution: Aquamin
Irish company Marigot Ltd has launched Aquamin, a multi-mineral complex derived from Lithothamnion sp. red seaweed, sustainably harvested off the coast of Iceland. This red alga accumulates and stores seawater minerals in its cell walls as it grows, providing an abundance of calcium, magnesium, and 72 additional trace minerals. The synergistic effect of these minerals can be used as a new solution for gut health.
According to market data released by Research and Markets, the global intestinal health product market is expected to reach 22.1 billion US dollars in 2027. This growth is due to consumers becoming increasingly aware of the importance of gut health and the role of the gut microbiome in overall health and wellness. New products and nutritional strategies to improve gut health will continue to increase in the future.
Standardized Ashwagandha Extract: AshwaBEST™
AshwaBEST™, a new raw ingredient launched by Akay Natural Ingredients of India, is a “standardized ashwagandha” extract, using the USP-HPLC method to standardize the ashwagandha extract to 1-10% withanolide. At the same time, the use of MaXFLOW granulation technology can achieve the tiny particle size of raw material hygroscopicity, density, and free flow.
Ashwagandha powder extract has been used for thousands of years in the Indian system of Ayurveda and is a classic adaptogenic herb. Applications include stress relief, sleep, cognitive health, immunity, and more. The application direction of downstream products is usually compounded with raw materials such as medicinal mushrooms, elderberries, turmeric, and apple cider vinegar.
A novel prebiotic solution: VinOgrape™ Plus
VinOgrape™ Plus, launched by Nexira, France, is a natural grape extract. Scientific data confirm its prebiotic potential and modulation of gut microflora. It can be applied to multiple product categories, such as food, beverages, dietary supplements, nutrition bars, and snacks.
A recent in vivo study found that VinOgrape™ Plus modulates the gut microbiome profile following the induction of dysbiosis. It also increased the abundance of Akkermansia Muciniphila, indicating that it has certain market potential in metabolism and weight management.
What Are New Terminal Product Trends?
The answer is to focus on sleep, immunity, brain health, joints, women, etc.
New sleep formula products: magnolia, ergothioneine, vitamin B6, resveratrol
Galventa, Switzerland, launched a sleep product B·SYNC OFF, supported by scientific data, which contains four all-natural ingredients, including magnolia flower powder, ergothioneine powder, vitamin B6 powder, resveratrol powder, etc. It has certain market potential in sleep, soothing, anti-oxidation, and other scenarios. At the same time, the product uses sublingual technology, and the dosage form is a tablet, which can quickly release the active ingredients in the formula.
Unlike conventional sleep products, the formula of this product does not choose the current mainstream sleep ingredients, such as valerian, chamomile, passionflower, magnesium powder, melatonin powder, etc. Instead, choose relatively niche raw materials and achieve differentiated competition in the sleep market through synergy.
New eye health products for children: Chocolate
The Croatian company Milsing d.o.o. launched a chocolate product for children’s eyes. The raw materials in the formula include lutein powder, zeaxanthin powder, vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc and bilberry extract, etc. These are relatively common raw materials in the eye protection track, and they all have certain data and test support.
In addition to this eye health product, Milsing d.o.o. has also launched chocolate products targeting bones, emotions, cognition, immunity, and multivitamins. With the diversification of the development of functional products, chocolate is becoming a popular carrier form of natural raw materials.
A new formulation for women’s health products: Qsoy, Qratrol, Vitamin B6
The Slovenian company PharmaLinea has launched a new product for women’s health. The main formula raw materials of the product include Qsoy (40mg), Qratrol (75mg), vitamin B6 (16mg), etc. The dosage form of the product is the capsule. The target population is menopausal and postmenopausal women.
In addition to PharmaLinea, many companies at this exhibition are paying attention to the women’s health track, and the main focus is on oral beauty and menopause health.
A new formulation of immune products: Plant Essential Oil Compound
The Physalis Immuncaps nutritional supplement launched by Belgian food supplement manufacturer KeyPharm Laboratories is mainly based on plant essential oils, including eucalyptus essential oil, peppermint essential oil, rosemary essential oil, ginger essential oil, and mountain savory essential oil. The main consumption scenarios focus on immune support and, at the same time, have certain application potential in the respiratory tract.
Based on the impact of COVID-19, consumers worldwide are paying more attention to and demanding immune health, changing from the original seasonal demand to a year-round cycle. In addition to the traditional immune roles of vitamins and minerals, raw ingredients such as plant extracts, probiotics, and prebiotics will also usher in rapid growth in the future.
Collagen new formula products: Plant extract + Collagen
Swiss Nahrin AG launched a new collagen product. The main ingredients include Collagen (SOLUGEL®), DracoBelle™ Nu, hyaluronic acid powder, vitamin C, B3, B7, hibiscus extract, etc. The product’s dosage form is powder, which can be applied in multiple consumption scenarios.
The collagen market is in a stage of steady growth, and the United States, Europe, and Japan are relatively mature markets. And China is a relatively fast-growing market. According to Grand View Research, the collagen market in China in 2019 was US$983 million and is expected to reach US$1.576 billion in 2027. The compound growth rate during the period is expected to be 6.54%, which is higher than the global growth rate of 5.42% during the same period.
Brain health new product: Phosphatidylserine, PS+PyrroloQuinoline Quinone, PQQ
ECA Healthcare Inc. of the United States has launched a Sharp-up capsule product. The main active ingredients are DHAPS® and PurePQQ®. DHAPS is a phospholipid derived from marine fish, which can be covalently complexed with marine Omega-3 fatty acids, with a higher bioavailability and synergistic effects.
The main consumption scenario of this product is cognitive health, and the raw materials used are also very characteristic. Phosphatidylserine PS powder is a relatively conventional raw material for brain health, and it has continued to grow in the market in recent years. As a newly approved new food raw material in China, PQQ is expected to set off a new round of health boom.
Conclusion
Based on consumers’ changing attitudes toward active health management, health will become a holistic, whole-body issue in 2023. Because of this, this year’s show could clearly see significant growth and innovation across the nutrition category, from athletic performance, immunity, emotional health, healthy aging, and everything in between.
The opportunity to develop products that address multiple health needs simultaneously is enormous for the product development community.
Nutri Avenue, as a professional and experienced FDA-registered raw ingredients supplier, offers 1000+ popular ingredients on our official website, including those mentioned above. Also, we have our own trademarked ingredients, such as NutriPQQ® powder, Epicatelean® powder, Methylfoca™ powder, etc. All ingredients are tested by a third party and certified by Kosher, Halal, GMP, etc. After reading this article, if you have the plan to research and develop new healthy products, welcome to choose us to be your trustworthy ingredients supplier.