Dosage forms & delivery formats

“We want to understand the molecular relationships between nutrients and their effects on healthy individuals and patients at different stages of their lives.”

Bespoken for: Nestlé eyes ‘I-tamins’

24-Jun-2014 By Shane STARLING

Swiss-based Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) is teaming with a US analytics specialist to develop personalised vitamin solutions via ultra-sensitive lab techniques.

Physiological responses to caffeine may increase with age: Study

20-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

The potentially negative effects of caffeine consumption on the heart significantly increase as young people reach adolescence, research has suggested. 

Better together: Polyphenol may have greater bioavailability in combo with others

18-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

The amount of polyphenols absorbed and used by the body may be greater when taken with other polyphenols, according to a research review of the antioxidants.

Functional foods forum participant says the move toward organic is an unstoppable groundswell

16-Jun-2014 By Hank Schultz

Natural and organic is the future of functional food and food in general, according to MetaBrandCEO Eric Schnell.  Schnell is a panelist in an upcoming NutraIngredients-USA online forum title "Trends in Functional Foods" and set for June 30.

ISAPP consensus: Gut, yes. Immunity, no (for now)

Time to recognise ‘core benefits of certain probiotics’: ISAPP

11-Jun-2014 By Shane STARLING

The evidence has grown so strong for the best-documented probiotic strains that a generic digestive health claim should exist, according to a consensus statement from leading international researchers published this week in Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology...

Underlying forces will continue to drive functional food growth, analyst says

09-Jun-2014 By Hank Schultz

The hot market for functional foods shows no signs of cooling off, according to longtime industry consultant Jeff Hilton.  In his view a number of factors will combine to drive continued growth.

Court's ruling on illegal pyramid scheme turns spotlight on Herbalife

06-Jun-2014 By Hank Schultz

A recent ruling by an appellate court judging a multi-level marketing organization to be an illegal pyramid scheme puts the spotlight on the legality of network marketing companies active in the dietary supplement and nutrition businesses.

The color of success? See-through, SPINS says

03-Jun-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

The consumer desire for transparency may have originated in the food and beverage market, but it’s becoming an increasingly key part of doing business for makers of dietary supplement and functional food, according to market research firm SPINS, which...

Experience as a customer helps CEO grow contract manufacturing company

30-May-2014 By Hank Schultz

For a contract manufacturer, formulation expertise, a good story on GMP compliance and robust relationships with ingredient suppliers are all good and necessary things to have.  But none of it replaces good, old service to the customer, said Jonathan...

Special edition: Outsourcing

Why do many brand owners in the market interpret GMPs as stopping at the manufacturer’s door?

19-May-2014 By Stephen Daniells

Many brand owners, particularly first time entry brand owners, remain ignorant about their responsibilities under good manufacturing practice (GMPs) when using contract manufacturers, say industry experts.

Special Edition: Eye health

Beeting eye disease

05-May-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

Roughly 14 million Americans say they have visual impairment, a number that’s likely to grow as the population continues to age. But the founder of the Dade City, FL-based Healing The Eye & Wellness Center says one ruby-hued solution to eye disease...

SunDaily founder: Existing multivitamins are based on decades-old standards

02-May-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

When a former corporate finance executive and MIT grad’s own growing interest in nutrition and fitness turned to disillusionment with existing supplement offerings, he launched a company dedicated to overhauling the most popular supplement categories...

Flowens targets ‘huge category' of men with LUTS

29-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

French botanicals firm Naturex launched a cranberry powder extract aimed at older men with the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) often associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). 

Active duty Marine's energy shot packs mega doses of vitamins

28-Apr-2014 By Hank Schultz

Battlefield experience in Afghanistan gave Marine Corps Maj. Robert Dyer a good idea of what he wanted in a supplement.  And surving the stress of being a forward air controller in the combat zone helped him weather the stress of launching a new supplement...

Exclusive documentary preview: MicroWarriors Special edition

MicroWarriors: Exploring probiotic power (and the powers that be)

25-Apr-2014 By Shane STARLING

NutraIngredients went to LA recently to question two leading probiotic academics about probiotics and the microbiome and which we present exclusively here. The interviews form part of a new documentary to be narrated by Leonard Nimoy, better known as...

Muscle health: Soy and dairy blends better than whey alone?

25-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Protein blends of soy, casein and whey deliver amino acids to the muscle for an hour longer than whey alone when consumed post-workout, according to a second study backed by DuPont.

Special edition: Sports nutrition

Expert founds company with goal to fill in data gaps on sports nutrition for women

23-Apr-2014 By Hank Schultz

When formulating sports nutrition products for women, is the concept to merely give them a little bit less of what you’d give a presumably much heavier man under similar circumstances?  Or are a female athlete’s needs subtly different? No one really knows,...

Supplements are most popular complementary health approach: Survey

23-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

In 2012, 17.9% of US adults used nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements—more than twice that of any other complementary health approach used, according to analysis of the 2012 National Health Interview Survey by the Center for Disease Control's...

Herb Pharm rollouts aim for 'transitional natural consumers'

14-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

With the launch of three new herbal supplements headlined by such widely appealing ingredients as turmeric and ginger, Herb Pharm looks to broaden its consumer base beyond the so-called “lifestyles of health & sustainability” (LOHAS) consumer to the...

Dewmar’s FDA warning letter a ‘no-brainer’: food and drug attorney

11-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to Dewmar International BMC Inc., alleging that despite labeling its Lean Slow Motion…Potion beverage as a dietary supplement, the manufacturer is representing it as a conventional food...

Science short

Study: Vitamin A form shows breast cancer prevention potential

09-Apr-2014 By Shane Starling

A vitamin A form called retinoic acid that is commonly found in sweet potatoes and carrots, can help turn breast cells showing cancerous potential back to a healthy state, researchers have found.

Folic acid: The double-edge sword of the golden micronutrient

21-Mar-2014

Folic acid is backed to deliver important health benefits in the scientific literature and by regulators – but is over-consumption a real problem? asks Robert Verkerk, PhD, the founder, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health...

Special edition: Innovations in delivery systems

Keep a weather eye on regs when deciding on new delivery modes, experts say

20-Mar-2014 By Hank Schultz

Product developers are in constant search mode for ways to differentiate their products, and that search has always included delivery system innovation.  But without keeping a weather eye on US regulations, they may end up being too smart for their own...

Huge demand for omega-3 liquid products driving delivery innovations: Virun CEO

20-Mar-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Consumers like the delivery of omega-3 fatty acids in a liquid, and many innovative products are already on shelves, but what technology is being used, what are the challenges, and where are the next opportunities coming from?

Special edition: Innovations in Delivery Systems

NanoSphere Health CSO: ‘We’re revolutionizing the way of delivering nutrients’

20-Mar-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Disruptive technologies to produce natural nano-sized nutraceuticals could ‘revolutionize’ how dietary supplements deliver their benefits, with smaller most definitely better for enhancing bioavailability and bio-efficacy, says the CSO of NanoSphere Health...

Special edition: Innovations in Delivery Systems

Gummy vitamin market still has ‘great’ potential: Pharmavite

20-Mar-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

In the continued effort to appeal to consumers loathe to swallow pills every day, supplement manufacturers have ventured into everything from melts and powders to confectionery-type supplement forms such as chews and gum. A few years into its foray into...

Study confirms NEM eggshell membrane ingredient's effect in quenching pro-inflammatory cytokines

27-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

ESM Technologies has published new research that shows how its ESM eggshell membrane ingredient supports a healthy inflammatory response by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines  in a rat model.

Plant sterol’s ‘reliable dispersibility’ makes it ideal fit for functional beverages

26-Feb-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

As consumers increasingly gravitate toward functional foods and beverages, HyPhyto Inc. has rolled out a phytosterol product differentiated by its effective dispersibility in liquids, making it ideal for functional beverages like juices, flavored waters...

Polysaccharide supplement may boost memory, suggests study

21-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

Mannatech, a network marketing company based in Coppell, TX, has announced the results of clinical trial showing memory support benefits for its polysaccharide dietary supplment formulation called Ambrotose. The trial showed improved performance on standard...

Robinson Pharma ups capabilities by acquiring assets of bankrupt liquids and powders manufacturer

20-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

Contract manufacturer Robinson Pharma has acquired the manufacturing assests of bankrupt Creations Garden Natural Products in a deal that will allow the combined company to “enter into some new product arenas,” according to Kenn Israel, vice president...

Biothera adds to Wellmune knowledge base with method of action study

19-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

Biothera, a company long known for an extensive research program backing both its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical ingredients derived from bakers yeast, has completed a mode of action study on its Wellmune dietary supplement ingedient. 

Euromonitor: Strong momentum to propel global omega-3 sales

18-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

The omega-3 market continues to grow and appears to have unstoppable momentum worldwide, according to expert Diana Cowland, who keeps tabs on the sector for Euromonitor International.

Warning letter to Exclusive Supplements shows NDI enforcement here to stay, experts say

13-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

FDA has again signalled its intention to hold companies’ feet to the NDI fire in a recently-posted warning letter to a company called Exclusive Supplements.  Among the many violations cited in the letter the agency specifically called out the company’s...

Herbal lozenge reduces nasal inflammation from common allergens: Study

11-Feb-2014 By Hank Schultz

Allergease, a dietary supplement lozenge product aimed at the allergy market, has evidence of efficacy based on the finished product formulation, according to the company’s founders.

Special edition: Polyphenols

Nano emulsion system seeks to protect polyphenols from overly rapid alteration in liver

28-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Bioavailability has always been the achilles heel of polyphenols.  Scientist felt they had a good handle on why these molecules exerted their health effects, but had a far less clear view of how to get them to the locations in the body where they could...

Sports nutrition popularity boosts price of some pre workout supplement ingredients

28-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Strong demand from consumers for sports nutrition products is working its way backward into teh supply of the popular ingredients for these products, sending their prices up, according to a survey from ingredients supplier GWI.

Observers disagree about whether report of tainted thyroid supplements points to wider problems in market

24-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

A recent blog in The New York Times raised questions about some thyroid supplements, but passed over the legitimate role dietary supplements scan have in the support of health thyroid function, observers say.

Recent warning letters shows FDA still has foot on medical foods pedal

22-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Two warning letters issued after Christmas and made public recently by FDA underscore the agency’s focus on the medical food category, said an expert in the field who advises companies on staying on the right side of the boundaries.

Reaction to IOM's final report on caffeine meeting: More data needed, but new regs unlikely

20-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Experts who have reviewed a report from the Institute of Medicine on a meeting on the safety of caffeine in foods and beverages have concluded that based on the information in the report, it’s unlikely that FDA will make sweeping changes to the way in...

Hydration product marketer pursues focused strategy to reach target market

16-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Having a good product is one thing. Branding and marketing it effectively is another, and Vipe Desai, founder and CEO of HDX Hydration Mix—a company marketing a healthy hydration supplement—knows this better than most. Desai helped introduce Red Bull...

Neptune sustains losses as it nears end of 'difficult period'

15-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

In its first earnings statement since the conclusion of its long-standing intellectual property battle with its krill competitors, Neptune CFO Andre Godin said the company is coming to the end of the of a difficult period.

Prochnow: GMPs, NDIs and liquid supplements among prominent regulatory concerns for 2014

09-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Attorney Justin Prochnow has made a career of reading the FDA tea leaves for his clients. As the industry enters 2014, he sees a long-term trend of GMP enforcement and nascent guidances on New Dietary Ingredients and liquid dietary supplements as the...

Most vitamin studies are flawed by poor methodology, say Linus Pauling researchers

06-Jan-2014 By Nathan Gray

Many large clinical trials of vitamin supplements, including those concluding vitamins are of no value or may even be harmful, have a flawed methodologies that means they are 'useless' in determining the real value of such micronutrients, according...

Grant of patent vindicates cognitive support supplement's protracted gestation, researcher says

12-Dec-2013 By Hank Schultz

The patent granted on Perceptiv, a cognitive support dietary supplement, is a vindication of the approach taken on developing the product, one of the researchers says.  From the start the team worked on a finished, fixed formulation and painstakingly...

Nutroganics signs deal to bring South African sports products to US

11-Dec-2013 By Hank Schultz

In another development in the super-heated sports nutrition space, Nutroganics, a firm that specializes in acquiring healthy lifestyle businesses, has signed a deal with South African firm Ultimate Sports Nutrition  to bring USN products to the US market.

Dispatches from #FIE2013

Protein has a big ‘ordinary’ future, says Glanbia

27-Nov-2013 By Shane STARLING

Irish dairy ingredients specialist Glanbia Nutritionals once filled its sights almost exclusively with the sports nutrition sector, but the explosion of interest in protein means the ‘ordinary’ mainstream food industry is a bigger and bigger target.

Nutranomics brings transdermal supplement delivery system to US

19-Nov-2013 By Hank Schultz

Nutranomics, a Utah-based dietary supplement manufacturer and custom formulator, has moved rapidly since going public via a reverse merger by signing new distribution agreements and licensing technology.

Could fish oil supply dip provide added opportunity for krill?

07-Nov-2013 By Hank Schultz

Uneven supply in the fish oil market has had an effect on store shelves, according to Royal DSM, one of the world’s biggest suppliers.  Could that create a bigger opening for alternative sources such as krill?  It’s too early to say for sure, but krill...

Letter from congressman asks FDA to ramp up NDI enforcement

01-Nov-2013 By Hank Schultz

A letter from the office of Texas congressman Steve Stockman to the Food and Drug Administration urges the agency to better police the filing of New Dietary Ingredient notifications.  The letter says that there are some ingredients in the market whose...

New company mining massive protein database for new medical foods, supplements and drugs

25-Oct-2013 By Hank Schultz

Flagship VentureLabs, a Massachusetts-based innovation funding company, has announced the launch of Pronutria, a company that has been operating in “stealth mode” for the past couple of years and has been developing health products derived from a massive...