Vitafoods Europe 2023：What are the potential new ingredients?

The annual Vitafoods Europe Exhibition was held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 9^th to 11st, 2023. This year, the theme of the exhibition focuses more on sustainability, product personalization and innovation of nutritious food& beverage.

According to the official statistics, more than 700 exhibitors and approximately 15,000 professionals that participated into the show this year, and has discuss together for an in-depth discussion on both the challenges and opportunities in nutrition and health food innovation, including exercise nutrition, cognitive and mood health, metabolic and immune health and healthy aging. 

After more than 20 years of development, Vitafoods Europe has become a bellwether for the development of the health products and functional food market in the whole world. More than 130 types of new ingredients and products, including raw materials, terminal products, application solutions, innovative dosage forms and other categories were exhibited in this year's exhibition.

The new raw ingredients trends for this year’s Vitafoods Europe has focus mainly on women, intestines, prebiotics, alternative proteins.

New Sports nutrition ingredient: EnduBerryNu

Mibelle Biochemistry of Switzerland launched a brand ingredient named EnduBerryNu. Several studies have found that C3G is associated with antioxidant, inflammation, neuroprotection, heart and diabetes, with a daily intake of 120 mg.

Excessive free radicals generated during exercise can disrupt normal cellular function in tissues, leading to muscle fatigue during prolonged exercise, and this raw material can affect it in multiple ways. In terms of product application, this brand ingredient is a water-soluble powder, which can now be used in different product forms such as sports endurance supplements and beverages, pre-exercise formulas, electrolyte drinks, and recovery supplements.

According to NBJ data, the sports nutrition supplement market in the U.S. is expected to reach $10.5 billion by 2025, and the entire market will develop towards a more specialized and differentiated direction, which also provides space for the development of more new ingredients.

New ingredient targeting Women health: Menobelle™

The health and beauty department of Robert Group in France has launched a new ingredient Menobelle™ for menopause health, which is a combination of various plant and herbal medicines, mainly used in the physical and mental symptoms of female menopause. A comparative, placebo trial involving 150 women also achieved positive results.

The female health market is in a booming stage, with the number of solutions related to female health (such as dietary supplements, nutritional products, cosmetics, etc.) and various health claims becoming increasingly popular. Among them, menopause is a noteworthy subdivision direction.

New ingredient for gut health: Aquamin

Irish Marigo Ltd has launched a multi mineral complex Aquamin which was derived from Lithothamnion sp. red seaweed in iceland. It can effectively providing abundant calcium, magnesium, and 72 additional trace minerals. The synergistic effect of these minerals can serve as a new solution for gut health.

According to market data released by Research and Markets, the global market for gut health products is expected to reach $22.1 billion US dollars by 2027. This growth is due to consumers becoming increasingly aware of the importance of gut health in overall health and wellness.

A new prebiotic solution: VinOgrape™plus

VinOgrap™ Plus launched by Nexira in France is a natural grape extract that has been scientifically proven to have prebiotic potential and can regulate gut microbiota. It can be applied in multiple product categories such as food, beverages, dietary supplements, nutrition bars, snacks, etc.

A recent in-vivo study found that VinOgrap ™ Plus can regulate the gut microbiome after inducing dysbiosis, while also increasing the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, indicating its market potential in metabolism and weight management.

In conclusion, this year's exhibition clearly shows the innovation progress of the whole nutrition category. Due to the changing attitude of consumers towards overall health management, there is a greater opportunity for product developers to develop products that can meet multiple health needs at the same time.