Functional foods and drinks

‘Gold standard’: Whey protein supplementation maximises muscle gains from resistance exercise – Maeil-funded RCT

14-Mar-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Whey protein supplementation could raise the effectiveness of resistance exercise by boosting increases in muscle mass, muscular strength and endurance, say Korean researchers.

Dig deep: Junlebao launches nutrition science strategy to enhance science of infant, healthy ageing products

13-Mar-2023 By Tingmin Koe

Junlebao Dairy Group has launched its Nutrition Science Strategy, aiming to strengthen the science behind its products, as well as to identify novel functional ingredients.

Curcumin, vitamin D, fish oil shown to prevent progression to diabetes in pre-diabetics – Thailand trial

08-Mar-2023 By Tingmin Koe

The supplementation of curcumin, vitamin D, and fish oil together has shown to reduce the progression to diabetes in pre-diabetic individuals, according to the findings of a 24-week trial conducted in Thailand.

Functional fixation: Tetra Pak Oceania highlights value-added dairy and sustainability as major drivers for business growth

06-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage packaging giant Tetra Pak has highlighted the areas of value-added dairy and sustainable innovation as major drivers for its business growth in Oceania in the coming year.

Fish oil intake did not benefit body composition of obese women's newborns – NZ trial

06-Mar-2023 By Tingmin Koe

A trial conducted on pregnant women who are obese or overweight showed that taking fish oil did not benefit their babies’ body composition.

‘Functional and tasty’: Kirin on ‘bridging the gap’ between awareness and action in immune category

28-Feb-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Japanese beverage giant Kirin says it wants to close the “gap between consumer awareness and action” in immune health on the back of a new product launch and tweaks to two of its existing products.

‘Still too early to tell’: Blackmores says post-COVID shopper behaviour remains uncertain

27-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

It is “still too early to tell” how a post COVID-19 pandemic consumer environment will look like, says Blackmores, which has seen a mixture of gains and losses across Asia-Pacific in its latest financial results.

Postbiotics opportunities in Asia: Join us to explore future food and supplement innovation at FREE broadcast

27-Feb-2023 By Gary Scattergood

Our latest FREE interactive broadcast will drill down into one of hottest topics in nutrition today – postbiotics – and assess the vast new product development opportunities across the functional food and supplements space.

Nutrition Asia

Opportunity in the Middle East: How Manuka honey and Lingzhi firms are tapping on strong immune, plant-based demands in the Gulf

22-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

APAC companies are starting to tap into growing demands for health foods and dietary supplements in the Middle East after the COVID-19 pandemic stirred consumer interest in preventive health.

Natural powerhouse: Australia’s Northern Rivers region to become country’s Natural Products Hub

21-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

The Northern Rivers region is set to become Australia’s Natural Products Hub, following an AUD$1.072 million (US$740k) investment by the government.

Hitting the right note? YATÉ eyes younger consumers to crack Asia’s better-for-you energy drinks space

21-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Energy tea brand YATÉ believes that young music fans and night owls will be key for success with its yerba mate-based drink in Asia’s better-for-you beverage space.

Hemp at the helm: Hemp Foods Australia unveils expansion strategies to make products mainstream

20-Feb-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Hemp Foods Australia hopes to create higher value products in the functional food space, as well as targets expansion in New Zealand, Japan, and the United States.

Taiwan limits use of Eucalyptus globulus leaf and extract to food flavourings from Jan 2024

14-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

From January next year, the Eucalyptus globulus leaf and extract can no longer be used as a food raw material, except as a food flavouring, Taiwan authorities said.

Vitamin D supplementation could prevent postmenopausal conditions in women – systematic review

13-Feb-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Large, single doses of up to 300,000 IU of vitamin D per day may significantly improve vitamin D deficiency in postmenopausal women, say researchers.

‘New logic’: Ajinomoto says localisation and innovation key to drive sustainability agenda

13-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Japan food heavyweight Ajinomoto has highlighted localisation and innovation as key pillars of its sustainability strategy in the firm’s most recent report, with its leaders pledging to take a ‘fundamentally different’ path from other MNCs.

New logo mandatory for infant and follow-up formulas sold in Taiwan from 2025

08-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has made it mandatory for infant and follow-up formula sold in the market to be printed with a new logo from January 2025.

“The unfilled gap is there; it is only going to get worse” – CJ CheilJedang’s subsidiary tackles muscle health with natural extracts

07-Feb-2023 By Tingmin Koe

South Korean food and nutrition firm CJ CheilJedang is seeking to address what it claims is a market gap for dietary supplements that promote muscle health through its newly formed food and nutrition ingredient subsidiary.

Cutting the red tape: Singapore urges baby cereal manufacturers to update food safety management

06-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Singapore food authority has introduced a new voluntary scheme for baby cereal imports in a bid to encourage manufacturers to update their food safety processes.

Nutrition, taste, texture: Singapore’s Nurasa seeks to drive innovation of ‘silver diet’ and alternative proteins

31-Jan-2023 By Tingmin Koe

Singapore firm Nurasa is seeking to drive innovation in alternative proteins and nutritional options available to the seniors on the back of an ageing population in Singapore.

Ayurvedic approach: Indian firm seeks to popularise cordyceps nutraceuticals with practitioners

30-Jan-2023 By Tingmin Koe

A Bangalore-based company specialising in the cultivation and development of nutraceuticals made of cordyceps is hoping to popularise the use of the medicinal mushrooms within India’s Ayurveda practitioners.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS PODCAST EP 38

Innocent innovation: How better-for-you confectionery is shifting candies out of the ‘guilty’ indulgence space

25-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

The rise of new ingredients and innovations in the better-for-you confectionery space is shifting candies and other sweet treats into a guilt-free indulgence space, and has to the potential to progress further into the functional foods realm.

Peanut plant-based innovation: China’s Haofood says versatility, affordability and clean label are major draws

17-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

China plant-based meat brand Haofood believes that the versatility and affordability of its peanut-based products, as well as its clean labels, are key to attracting domestic consumers to the category.

French pine bark extract intake reduces hair loss in postmenopausal women – six-month RCT

17-Jan-2023 By Tingmin Koe

The supplementation of French pine bark extract has shown to increase hair density in women who have undergone menopause, according to a six-month clinical trial conducted in Shanghai.

Selenium supplementation may lower insulin resistance in cardio-metabolic disease patients: Chinese meta-analysis

11-Jan-2023 By Gary Scattergood

Selenium supplementation may be effective in reducing insulin resistance in those with cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers in China.

Anti-colorectal cancer effects of spice compounds warrant further human study: Review

10-Jan-2023 By Gary Scattergood

Bioactive spice-derived compounds require studies using dietary doses to properly determine their preventive effects against colorectal cancer (CRC in humans), according to a review by Asian, European and South American researchers.

Probiotics mitigate disruptions to gut microbiota during bacteria-eradication treatment – China RCT

09-Jan-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Probiotics supplementation could reduce gastrointestinal side effects and restore alterations to the gut microbiota caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-eradication therapy, a new study reveals.

VitamINSIGHT: Exclusive in-depth analysis

Nutraceuticals in SEA e-commerce: Where do the opportunities lie and what more could be done?

04-Jan-2023 By Tingmin Koe

With South East Asia (SEA) one of the fastest-growing region for e-commerce, we speak to Amazon Singapore and e-commerce enabler firm CREA on the outlook and opportunities for health and nutrition brands in the e-commerce space.

Fig leaf tea may help to alleviate atopic dermatitis symptoms in adults: Japanese RCT

03-Jan-2023 By Gary Scattergood

Prolonged fig leaf tea consumption may have positive effects on mild atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults, according to a Japanese RCT.

Kirin’s first HMOs facility goes live in Thailand, foresees China to occupy half of market size

14-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Kirin’s first human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) production plant has commenced operation and the company anticipates that half of the market will be dominated by China in the future.

‘China-centric approach’: Melrose CEO outlines new distribution and product strategies for key market

12-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Australia health foods company Melrose Health Group is aiming for bigger gains in China with a fresh market strategy and new product pipeline.

Functional food innovation: Amorepacific to expand healthy ageing portfolio with threonine-rich products

12-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

South Korean beauty and skincare conglomerate Amorepacific has revealed its ambitions in expanding its healthy ageing supplement portfolio, and is developing threonine-rich new products, following positive findings on the amino acid.

Expansion push: South Korean postbiotic supplier seeks overseas entry after domestic boom

07-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

South Korea-based postbiotic ingredient and finished product firm Bereum is now pursuing growth in overseas markets following steep growth in the domestic market in the past two years.

Software strategy: BodyFirst opens offline retail store offering personalised nutrition consultations in Mumbai

07-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Nutraceutical firm BodyFirst Wellness Nutrition has opened its first offline retail store in Peddar Road, Mumbai, which it said would kickstart its personalised nutrition service.

Research for mental health: Huge scope for new studies on synergistic impact of ingredients

06-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

There is huge scope for more research on how a broad range of ingredients can work synergistically to improve a raft of mental health conditions.

Devil will be in the detail: New Zealand a step closer to natural health products regulatory revamp

06-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

New Zealand is now a step closer to a new regulatory environment governing natural health products, now that the authorities have introduced the long-awaited Therapeutic Products Bill in parliament.

Personalised protein: Meiji and DeNA Life Science develop algorithm to deliver intake and source advice

01-Dec-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Meiji and DeNA Life Science have created an algorithm that recommends the optimal protein source and intake at a personalised level.

GROWTH ASIA 2022

Maintaining control: Why consistency and quality control is paramount in postbiotics production

23-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

All production processes to make postbiotics products need to have consistency and quality control as crucial components during manufacturing, to ensure the resulting metabolite mixes are unique yet reproducible and safe for consumption.

JD Health reveals popular nutrition categories, brands, and products in China this Double 11

22-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Nutrition products for gut, liver, eye health and sports have recorded strong growth during this year’s Double 11 shopping festival, says China’s leading e-commerce platform JD Health.

Vitafoods Asia 2022

Price differentiation: Demand for value-added supplements growing in Vietnam – PharmaLinea

21-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Supplement brands in Vietnam are increasingly demanding value-added concepts and ease the pressure of relying on commodity-based products at low prices.

Immunity coffee: Australian firm creates postbiotic blend in Nespresso-compatible capsules and instant powder

16-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

An Australian firm has created a barista coffee blend containing postbiotics designed to be beneficial to the immune health.

Biotic marketing: Functions and formats trump ingredient information in microbiome promotion

15-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Emphasising the healthy benefit functions and innovating in a variety of formats is crucial for the success of probiotics, prebiotics and microbiome-related products, more so than promoting specific strains and ingredients, according to an expert panel.

China celeb ban: No celebrity endorsement allowed for health supplements - SAMR

14-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Health supplements brands are prohibited from engaging celebrities to endorse their products, the Chinese authorities have again warned, in a move which an expert says is targeted at a ‘grey area’ for overseas brands.

Hearty fruit: Fresh tomato concentrate could prevent early onset of atherosclerotic CVD in older adults – Chinese RCT

14-Nov-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Water-soluble tomato concentrate made from fresh tomatoes could potentially play a role in the early prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among middle-aged and elderly adults, according to the recent findings of a Chinese RCT.

Age-related eye disease: Promising evidence of supplements’ benefits but longer studies needed

10-Nov-2022 By Gary Scattergood

The potential for antioxidants and other supplements, including lutein, zeaxanthin, saffron, bilberry and beta-carotene, to help prevent and treat age-related eye diseases has been underlined by new research from Malaysia.

Growth Asia Summit 2022

“Postbiotics promise’: Morinaga on huge opportunities across functional food and beverages

09-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese dairy giant Morinaga has detailed how it believes postbiotics hold great promise in the future of functional food and beverages.

Growth Asia Summit 2022

Beyond pre- and probiotics: Combination products and personalisation driving innovation – Exclusive Growth Asia Summit insights

08-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Combination products and customisation look set to be key drivers for product innovation in the microbiome health space, moving the sector far beyond the conventional prebiotics and probiotics products of today.

Blend of three probiotics shown to reduce stress-induced diarrhoea – Kaneka study

07-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

A blend of three probiotic strains has been shown to reduce stress-induced abdominal symptoms, such as diarrhoea, following four weeks of supplementation.

Paradoxical pressures: APAC consumers demanding both food indulgence and cost-savings

03-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Both indulgence and affordability are emerging as major APAC consumer demands for food and beverages today, leaving a manufacturers with a paradoxical challenge that can only be solved using innovation.

Limited access: Indonesia drafts new risk-based rules for imported processed foods

02-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Indonesia has decided to push ahead with plans to tighten regulations governing imported processed foods by introducing a risk-based assessment system.

Growth Asia Summit 2022

Proof and pride: Science-backed ingredients and sensitive marketing key for healthy ageing success in Asia

02-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

The scientific validation of ingredients and sensitive marketing strategies are key for brands to drive repeat purchases in Asia’s thriving healthy ageing category, according to an expert panel at our Growth Asia Summit 2022.