The heart health supplements market is alive—and kicking—as brands target new demographics and consumers turn to natural, preventative solutions for cardiovascular health. Persistence Market Research predicts that heart health supplements will see a 4.5% CAGR through 2030, eventually crossing $14 billion in global sales.

As cardiovascular concerns register among younger consumers, too, supplement brands and ingredient suppliers are responding with a renewed emphasis on robust research, which ultimately is yielding more effective formulations.

Botanical ingredients are gaining validation as cardiovascular health ingredients in clinical trials, enabling formulators to create synergistic herbal blends that act on multiple pathways, says Amol Pathak, director of ENovate Biolife (Mumbai, India).

Companies like ENovate Biolife are sourcing these synergistic ingredients from the plant world. Pathak points to 

 as one such botanical with heart health promise. “

derived from tree bark, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties,” Pathak explains. “It strengthens and tones the heart muscles, and it contains a host of bioactive compounds like tannins, flavonoids, and ellagic acid. The arjuna tree also has strong anti-hypertensive properties.”

Launched in 2020, ENovate Biolife’s branded Oxyjun ingredient is a sustainably sourced, DNA-authenticated 

 extract that is free from arjunolic acid. Oxyjun was recently examined in an 

 to explore the ingredient’s mechanism of action. This study, which was reviewed by ENovate Biolife Cofounder Jayesh Chaudhary, identified the bioactive phytochemicals in Oxyjun and assessed their binding affinity to eight protein receptors associated with the cardiovascular system. The study found that arjunic acid and eight other compounds in Oxyjun exhibited strong bioactivity and good docking scores.

Another botanical gaining ground as a heart health ingredient is a common kitchen staple with a twist. This unique variant of garlic

demonstrates potent cardiovascular effects.

Aged black garlic is a botanical ingredient created by inducing a Maillard reaction in raw garlic for an extended period. The Maillard reaction, which uses heat to break down proteins, is the same reaction responsible for the golden brown hue of a toasted marshmallow or a seared steak.

In March 2022, Pharmactive Biotech Products (Madrid, Spain) launched a branded aged black garlic ingredient for heart health called ABG+, designed for gummy products. Aged black garlic has long been regarded as a culinary delicacy in Asia, points out Maggie McNamara, marketing director for Gencor (Irvine, CA). (Gencor is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Pharmactive.) Its active ingredient, S-allylcysteine, is stable enough for use in both gelatin and pectin gummy formulations, she adds. ABG+ is standardized to greater than or equal to 0.1% S-allylcysteine.

“ABG+ has been associated in several studies with the inhibition of oxidative damage as a result of its potent antioxidant and cardioprotective properties,” McNamara says. “ABG+ decreases coronary perfusion pressure, thereby improving heart contraction, balancing blood pressure, and helping to alleviate oxidative stress.”

Marine-sourced ingredients are demonstrating heart health effects in clinical trials. But do all marine sources of omega-3s work similarly?

One randomized, single-dose, single-blind, crossover trial

 examined the effects of krill oil, krill meal, or fish oil on plasma triglycerides and phospholipids in 15 subjects over the course of 72 hours. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive a single 1,700-mg dose of EPA and DHA fatty acids from each of the three sources and were monitored for blood EPA and DHA concentrations, as well as plasma phospholipids and triglycerides, for the next 72 hours. Subjects had blood samples taken at baseline and eight times during the next three days, and ate standardized meals during the study period.

The study found that while all three interventions caused an increase in phospholipid fatty acids, krill oil caused the most significant increase—by a substantial margin. The authors concluded that the EPA and DHA fatty acids in krill oil may be more bioavailable than the omega-3 fatty acids in the fish oil and krill meal in the study.

Lisa Miller, U.S. communications director for Aker BioMarine (Oslo, Norway), says the 

study, published earlier this year, is significant because it demonstrates that krill oil, not just fish oil, has cardiovascular benefits. Subsequent clinical trials have also found that krill oil–derived omega-3s are safe and effective at reducing triglyceride levels.

 Miller says Aker BioMarine’s branded Superba Krill Oil has the backing of eight clinical studies demonstrating effects on triglycerides, the Omega-3 Index, and inflammation.

Marine ingredients are also making their way into heart health blends. For instance, Miller notes, “There are many possibilities for krill oil in today’s market. As a unique marine phospholipid complex of choline and omega-3s, krill oil is a standalone ingredient—but there’s no question that its unique format allows it to blend with other ingredients efficiently.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are often combined with vitamin K2 in heart health products these days, says Christopher Hachey, U.S. business development manager for GC Rieber VivoMega (Norway). Vitamin K2 may help to slow vascular calcification, Hachey explains, which may reduce atherosclerotic plaque. Hachey expects combining vitamin K2 with omega-3s would likely render synergistic heart health benefits.

While the primary demographic for heart health supplements is older adults, targeting younger consumers should become a priority for brands, Hachey advises. The recommended dose regimen of EPA and DHA omega-3s has a preventative heart health effect when started in early adulthood.

“According to the European Food Safety Authority, consuming 250 mg/g of EPA and DHA daily contributes to normal heart function,” Hachey says. “The recent pandemic has alerted the younger generations to the benefits of having robust health at every age. These younger generations are more aware than ever before that proactive, healthy lifestyle steps are essential. Communicating the heart health benefits of omega-3 concentrates is likely to resonate with them.”

Probiotics Reduce Cholesterol, Triglycerides

Popular for gut health, probiotic ingredients are now proving they can play in the heart health arena as well.

Sid Shastri, director of research and business, probiotics division, at Kaneka Americas Holding Inc. (Pasadena, TX), says Kaneka began developing probiotics for heart health over 10 years ago. Kaneka’s internal studies have shown that Floradapt Cardio, the company’s patented heart health probiotic ingredient, can reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Floradapt Cardio is a blend of Kaneka’s proprietary 

 KABP-013 strains. The blend contains 1.2 billion CFU per 100-mg capsule.

More recently, a 2021 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

 examined the effects of Floradapt Cardio and red yeast rice extract (containing 10 mg of monacolin K) on LDL cholesterol and other biomarkers of blood lipid concentration in 39 subjects with high total cholesterol (200 mg/dL or more). Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either one capsule of Floradapt Cardio per day, or a matching placebo, for 12 weeks. The subjects were examined for body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, blood triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks.

After 12 weeks, the subjects in the experimental condition exhibited statistically significant reductions in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides after adjusting for previous medical treatment for high cholesterol. (While the subjects in the experimental condition did experience reductions in body weight, body fat, and BMI, these findings were established to be not statistically significant in between-group analysis.) The study authors concluded that Floradapt Cardio effectively reduces LDL and total cholesterol.

“This study represents a relatively new concept in applying probiotics to support overall heart health,” Shastri says. “They show how probiotic bacteria go beyond the common view of their uses for benefitting gut health. The ability of probiotic microorganisms to deconjugate bile via production of BSH, bile salt hydrolase, is associated with lower cholesterol levels. Combining Floradapt Cardio with statins supported the lowering of LDL levels even further.”

Research has found that in addition to their effects on cholesterol levels, probiotics can influence the risk of coronary heart disease. Zac Sniderman, director of business development, North America, OptiBiotix Health (UK), says a recent study

 showed that the ingredient can reduce non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. This study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial funded by OptiBiotix, assessed the effects of the 

 on cholesterol in 16 adults with high cholesterol. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 4 billion CFU of 

 per day, or a placebo, for six weeks, followed by a three-week washout period. The study found that six weeks of 

 consumption decreased total cholesterol by 34.6%, LDL cholesterol by 28.4%, non-HDL cholesterol by 17.6%, and apolipoprotein B by 28.6%.

“More recently, OptiBiotix has been investigating the effects of novel prebiotics, such as xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), with our probiotic strain LP

,” Sniderman adds. “Our research has shown that when XOS is combined with certain probiotic strains, there is an increased rate of growth activity in the gut, accentuating the health benefits.”

Vitamin K2 Reduces Arterial Calcification, Risk of Heart Disease

Buoyed by new studies demonstrating its positive effects on the arteries, vitamin K2 is coming to the forefront of cardiovascular health. Recently, there’s been a push for further research and development to continue raising the ingredient’s profile. Two recent developments have given vitamin K2 further credibility for heart health, says Stacey Smith, DC, marketing and communications manager, North America, Gnosis by Lesaffre (Italy).

“First, world-renowned vitamin K researchers at Maastricht University in The Netherlands teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic to create a comprehensive narrative review of vitamin K2’s overlooked role in heart health,” Smith says. “The paper presents a thoughtful organization of data, which is desperately needed to petition for an overall vitamin K Recommended Daily Intake, and not solely based on vitamin K1.”

examined the body of research around the role of matrix Gla protein in cardiovascular health as well as the role of vitamin K2 in supporting heart health. Based on the findings of at least seven clinical trials, the study authors concluded that vitamin K2’s role in heart health extends further than simply preventing arterial calcification; rather, vitamin K2 supplementation can prevent or slow the progression of arterial stiffening, heart failure, endothelial dysfunction, and diabetes.

Gnosis by Lesaffre recently announced a new 1.5-year clinical trial, called VIKIPEDIA, on its branded vitamin K2 ingredient MenaQ7. This trial, Smith says, will examine the cardiovascular effects of the highest dose of MK-7 to date, with the experimental group subjects receiving 1 mg per day.

Additional research has further substantiated the link between vitamin K2 and heart health. Thies Ripcke, director of business development, North America, at Kappa Bioscience (Oslo, Norway), says the results of a new trial may soon provide new data suggesting another role for vitamin K2 as a heart health ingredient.

“In 2018, Kappa Bioscience supported a new independent research project with the goal of expanding our understanding of the link between vitamin K2 MK-7 and cardiovascular health,” Ripcke explains. “The AVADEC study set out to investigate the effects of Kappa Bioscience’s MK-7 solution, K2Vital Delta, in combination with vitamin D3, on calcium deposits in the aortic valve and coronary arteries.”

As of press time, the results of the AVADEC study weren’t publicly published. But Ripcke says the study will provide new data suggesting that MK-7 and vitamin D may slow the progression of coronary artery calcification.

Various ingredient types are entering the heart health market, capitalizing on consumer demand for preventative cardiovascular health products. Several of these products already boast consumer familiarity, while others use exciting new research to capture market attention. As heart health ingredients start to occupy multiple veins, there will be ample opportunity to capture specific consumer segments or get creative with product positioning.

Persistence Market Research press release. “

Heart Health Supplements Market to cross US $14 Bn in 2030; Increased Focus on Preventive Health Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak to Benefit Market in Near Term.

standardized extract (Oxyjun) using a molecular docking approach

Bioavailability of fatty acids from krill oil, krill meal and fish oil in healthy subjects—a randomized, single-dose, cross-over tria

Effectiveness of a novel omega-3 krill oil agent in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia: A randomized clinical trial

 strains CECT7527, CECT7528, and CECT7529 plus monacolin K reduces blood cholesterol: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

 ECGC 13110402 in hypercholesterolemic adults: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot human intervention study

Vitamin K2 – A neglected player in cardiovascular health: A narrative review.

Beetroot Juice May Aid People with Coronary Heart Disease—Study

Daily consumption of cranberry improves endothelial function in healthy adults: A double blind randomized controlled trial

Oral supplement containing hydroxytyrosol and punicalagin improves dyslipidemia in an adult population without co-adjuvant treatment: A randomized, double-blind, controlled and crossover trial

Articles

The science on heart-healthy nutraceutical ingredients is alive and kicking. 

Heart Smarts: Nutrition researchers unveil new benefits of natural ingredients

As the COVID-19 pandemic settles into a new normal, so too do kids’ routines and parents’ demands for their children’s supplements.

“One recurring topic is that some children tend to be picky eaters, which may affect their intake of certain nutrients,” says Chris Hachey, U.S. business development manager at GC Rieber VivoMega (Norway). “Supplements can be a helpful tool for parents to ensure a balanced and healthy diet, including such nutrients as pre- and probiotics, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and omega-3 fatty acids.” As a result, says data from SPINS, the children’s supplement market is not just holding steady but flourishing in brick-and-mortar, posting nearly 14% growth and reaching over $800 million in sales.

Multivitamins still make up the largest share of the children’s supplement market, representing $308 million in sales, says SPINS; however, this doesn’t tell the whole story. “Although children’s multivitamins report the highest market share, sales are flat compared to the succeeding five ingredients: melatonin, probiotics, elderberry, ivy leaf, and vitamin C,” says Kimberly Kawa, natural-industry insights product expert for SPINS and a member of 

She points out that the top three overt health focuses in the children’s supplement market right now are cold and flu, sleep, and digestive health. “The ingredient trend is shifting from a more generalized approach to focus on targeted health concerns, with proof in the growth rates we’re seeing in these functional ingredients as well as their alignment with top health focuses,” she adds. Other high-growth ingredients for kids, according to SPINS, are vitamin D, zinc, and fish oil—especially as pediatricians may recommend these ingredients in higher amounts than what’s found in a typical multivitamin, says Kawa.

Indeed, while multis represent the foundation of the children’s supplement market, they’re not where the greatest opportunities lie. “Brands have the opportunity to use multivitamins as a springboard to launch products that extend beyond a general multivitamin in favor of vitamin blends that address specific health concerns,” agrees Francis Lau, director of scientific affairs at OLLY PBC (San Francisco, CA), “such as immune health and sustained energy or sleep health with stress-relief products.”

According to Saumil Maheshvari, senior vice president of business development at Orgenetics Inc. (Brea, CA), parents are increasingly seeking condition-specific supplements for their children, specifically in the areas of growth, bone health, mental focus, and stress management. “The latter two areas could be a result of COVID-related school disruptions, among others, and parents are starting to become aware of it,” he says.

In the area of general wellness and growth, omega-3 gummies for kids are growing in popularity, especially since gummies mask the flavor of fish oils so well, says Hachey. Another back-to-basics ingredient showing promise for children’s supplements is vitamin K2. According to Stacey Smith, marketing and communications manager, NorAm, at Gnosis by Lesaffre (Lille, France; and East Brunswick, NJ), the brand’s MK-7 vitamin K2 ingredient promotes bone health via osteocalcin, a protein that binds calcium to the bone mineral matrix.

 According to one study of healthy children and adults, children had the highest levels of inactive osteocalcin—eight to 10 times higher than adults—indicating low vitamin K status and a great need in this population.

Gut and immune health are other solid foundational areas for children’s condition-specific supplements, and brands are getting creative with format to appeal to picky eaters. At Goodbelly (Boulder, CO), a new children’s product called Goodbelly KIDS! is optimized for smaller bellies and available in 32-oz quarts. It features the probiotic strain 

299V (LP299V), which has been evaluated in more than 16 clinical trials and shown to help balance the gut and promote healthy digestion. “Each kid-appealing flavor with no sugar added—Fruit Punch Party, Apple Juice Adventure, and Berry Blast Off—is USDA Organic, non-GMO, dairy-free, vegan, and soy-free,” adds Shannon A. Garcia, MDS, RD, LD, on behalf of Goodbelly.

Offering condition-specific ingredients and products that align with parents’ timely concerns is the greatest opportunity for brands and suppliers in the children’s health market. For example, says Lau, kids’ melatonin is surging in popularity as parents recognize that sleep is a very important part of kids’ overall health and seek to proactively manage their sleep cycles.

Mental health—and, on a related note, cognition—is also on parents’ radars, since the pandemic disrupted many children’s lives and learning in a profound way. “Children are still experiencing the negative effects even after life begins to move on to the next normal,” says Lau. “Higher levels of stress and anxiety underscore the need for parents to focus on their children’s mental health.”

Relatedly, says Tom Druke, director of marketing at Balchem (New Hampton, NY), products positioned for kids’ cognition have also become particularly popular, especially those containing choline. Brands like Horizon Organic, Ingenuity Brands, Gerber, and Ripple Kids have all recently released products containing choline for its role in supporting brain development. In fact, research shows that infants whose mothers supplemented with increased choline during pregnancy had improved information processing speed compared to those born to moms consuming the recommended daily intake.

 Seven years later, researchers checked in with this group and found that the children born to mothers in the high-choline group also had improved attention spans.

“The ability to maintain one’s attention during challenging situations is critical to nearly all areas of cognitive performance,” says Druke. “As such, this benefit has profound implications for individual expecting moms and for public health at large.” As a result, as Balchem Market Research Manager Rob Tomeo points out, while choline is an up-and-coming ingredient in the pre- and postnatal space, “there is also an opportunity to drive growth for the kids’ space with the brain health and developmental benefits that come from this key nutrient.”

One of the most important attributes going forward for children’s supplement brands and ingredient suppliers is clean label. This means focusing on cleaner excipients and ingredients like natural colors, flavors, and preservatives, as well as the use of no- and low-calorie sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit, says Kawa. This is because the demographic of parents is changing, and new parents—millennials—are conscious consumers who take advantage of the breadth of information available to them online.

“The larger macro trends [in the children’s supplement market] will be on point with what we have been seeing with millennial-conscious and informed consumerism: a large focus on products that contain clean-label ingredients from sustainable and transparent supply chains,” agrees Maheshvari. “The back of the bottle becomes all the more important, along with what the brand stands for.”

The effect of menanquinone-7 (vitamin K2) supplementation on osteocalcin carboxylation in healthy prepubertal children

 vol. 102, no. 8 (October 2009): 1171-1178

Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: A randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study.

Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention: A 7-year follow-up of a randomized controlled feeding trial

A multivitamin is still a good foundation, but there’s considerable white space in the market for trendy, condition-specific kids formulas.

Children’s health supplements get specific

Gummy supplements continue their impressive growth streak. Data from Innova Market Insights (Netherlands) show that supplement consumers between the ages of 18 and 25 prefer gummies over all other formats, while consumers aged 26 to 35 prefer either gummies or functional foods and beverages to traditional supplement forms.

With this growth in popularity, though, comes competition. Experts say that offering a gummy format is no longer enough to stay competitive; brands that want to succeed must ensure their gummies are as visually appealing as possible. Here are some of the ways companies are making sure their gummies look good.

Gummies are getting even more colorful these days, with new filling and layering technologies enabling manufacturers to create color-contrasting products. Michael Baumann, global strategic marketing manager, dietary supplements, for IFF Pharma Solutions (New York City), says crowded shelves mean brands need to be creative to generate interest.

Center fillings and layers, he explains, are effective both aesthetically and functionally. “Center-filled gummies allow for color differentiation within the center and shell, which is a treat for the eyes,” Baumann explains. “This approach also enables separation of nutritional ingredients. Bi-layer gummies allow for multiple layers of flavors and colors to deliver unique combinations, and they can also have different layers of actives. This allows customers to see each active layer separately, improving the perception of the supplement’s benefits.”

The first generation of gummy supplements was marketed to children; thus, early gummies were designed to look like candy. Hero Nutritionals (Santa Ana, CA) is said to have created the industry’s first gummy vitamin in 1997

: a gummy bear–shaped vitamin C supplement. Now, gummy shapes are trending healthier toward real-food themes, moving away from their original confectionery inspiration.

Kelly Vu, application scientist, nutraceuticals, for IFF Pharma Solutions, explains how the options are growing. For instance, gummy manufacturers are moving away from the traditional manufacturing method of depositing gel into starch powder, she says. While this method does enable high flexibility in shape, this gel-on-starch method is only economically feasible when the starch is reused, which poses a risk of cross-contamination. Vu says that while the second generation of molds, like silicon or aluminum, solved this issue, 3D printing technology is now gaining prominence as the shaping method of choice.

“3D-printed molds allow for more organic and representative shapes that help indicate flavor,” Vu explains. “Vitamin C gummy gel mass can now be dispensed into orange wedge shapes, giving the perception that the supplement is the fruit itself. Coatings can also enhance the perception of said fruit shape, such as a vitamin C gummy wedge having a sugar coating that mimics the pith of an orange.”

Gummy producers are increasingly experimenting with surface texture, giving brands more options for unique offerings. For instance, while gelatin and pectin are relatively inflexible materials, emerging solutions are enabling more creativity, says Kate Jacobsen, vice president of research and development for Catalent Consumer Health (Somerset, NJ).

“There’s not much you can do to either gelatin or pectin on their own to make a different texture,” Jacobsen says. “We predict that combining gummy formulas with other texturants will be the way of the future as companies continue to define their preferred gummy texture.”

Also remember that any gummy supplement must be able to hold its shape without a wrapper, Jacobsen says. Furthermore, consumers must be able to chew and swallow the gummy in a reasonable timeframe. Future innovations in gummy texture will need to accommodate both of these requirements.

Customizable shapes and colors enhance the customer experience while also creating unique branding opportunities. Jacobsen cites the example of an apple-shaped gummy designed to taste like an apple.

“Custom shapes can also reflect a company brand, like a disk-shaped gummy embossed with a company logo,” Jacobsen explains. Most often, “Many brands have a common shape, but change the color and flavor to match the intended effect.”

Color is also an opportunity to create a branded experience. The most common approach involves matching color to flavor—red for cherry, purple for raspberry, and so forth, says Karin Vollrath, sales and marketing director for Catalent Consumer Health.

Brands may also ask for colors that relate to their overall branding strategy. Depending on what colors they want, however, there can be limitations to what manufacturers can provide. “The color of the finished goods is greatly affected by the content of the actives,” Vollrath explains.

Plus, some there are limited natural-ingredient options for some colors, such as blue. “The blue color category rarely has Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act [permitted] colors, so there’s a limit to how much a naturally sourced color can change the product,” Vollrath says.

Gummy supplements continue to reign in popularity, but as more brands adopt gummies and compete for shelf space, appearance will become more important in catching a consumer’s eyes. Vibrant colors and unique textures can help gummy brands stand out, provided they can navigate manufacturing limitations.

As new technologies enable more flexibility with shapes, fillings, and layers, contract manufacturers and finished-product brands may soon find they have more room to play with gummy appearances.

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Today’s dietary supplement gummies are more colorful, unique, and memorable thanks to manufacturer innovation.

From good to great: Gummy supplements are getting a whole new look

Although some may claim they saw it coming all along, it’s likely no one could have predicted even a decade ago just how popular plant proteins would become—not just with vegetarians and vegans, but with everyone.

By that same token, there’s no telling how much higher plant proteins can fly now that industry has solved all the challenges that historically stymied plant proteins vis-à-vis taste, texture, functionality, nutritional quality, sourcing…Oh, 

solved all those challenges yet, have we?

Yet as Jodie Kenny, business development director, plant proteins, Kerry (Beloit, WI), rightly notes, “The changes in the category in the last 10 years have been transformational”—and they’ve transformed the category via “innovations and ingenuity” in manufacturing, processing, and plant proteins themselves.

So while “there’s still work to do” to improve the sector further, she says, “equally, there’s reason to be inspired by the pivotal changes we’ve seen in the last several years. And there will undoubtedly be more to come.”

Plant proteins may be the current rage, but they’re hardly new.

The original textured vegetable protein (TVP) actually debuted in the 1960s when William T. Atkinson—with help from ADM (Chicago), which still holds TVP’s trademark—invented a process for texturizing soy flour into what Jacquelyn Schuh, ADM’s global marketing director for protein nutrition solutions, describes as “a fibrous, spongy material used as a standalone, plant-based meat alternative, and as a nutritional extender in a variety of meat and poultry products.”

“Today, the plant-based space has exploded with new protein options incorporating soy, pea, wheat, oat, almond, coconut, and more,” Schuh observes. “Even more niche sources from algae, lupin, mycoprotein, and ancient grains like hemp and sorghum are also emerging. It’ll take time for these proteins to command the awareness and consumption of mainstream options, but there’s potential to introduce them to consumers in blends with more popular plant-protein sources.”

And make no mistake: There’s plenty of popularity in the plant-protein space.

The global plant-protein market reached a value of $10.28 billion in 2020 and should top $17.52 billion in 2028, representing a revenue CAGR of 6.8%

, according to Mark G. Walin, senior vice president, business development and marketing, Bio-Cat (Shakopee, MN). “This shows that plant protein is slated to become even more widely popular,” he says, “with no sign of slowing down.”

Tara Kozlowich, vice president of marketing, Merit Functional Foods (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), adds that an “impressive” 62% of U.S. households now purchase plant-based products, per SPINS, with SKUs now scattered across 30-odd categories.

“Consumers are buying everything from plant-based milk and cheese to egg-free bakery, protein bars, meat alternatives, and beyond,” she says. “And because many of these products have come very far, there’s no sacrifice anymore.”

That’s lowered barriers to entry, and that’s encouraged migration to the sector that’s been as broad-based as it is strong.

“For me,” observes Gregory Belt, founder and CEO, EverGrain Ingredients (St. Louis, MO), “the real change has been in the last three to five years. Plant-based is now mainstream; it’s not just one consumer segment.”

As evidence, he notes that though the percentage of vegan and vegetarian consumers has largely remained static, “the percentage of plant-forward flexitarians has really increased.”

In fact, says Hanna Bean, marketing manager, Americas, Beneo (Chicago, IL), one in four global consumers now call themselves flexitarian, compared to the 7% who identify as vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian—a margin that makes flexitarians the “most important target group for manufacturers of plant-based products,” she adds.

So just who are these coveted flexitarians?

“Open their refrigerators, and you may find conventional milk and a plant-based alternative sitting side-by-side,” wagers Mark Fahlin, business development manager, Cargill (Minneapolis). “And demographically, they tend to be younger, more affluent, more educated, more urban—that is, the change agents of the future.”

Schuh notes that ADM Outside Voice research

 found that flexitarians expect “more optionality and accessibility” from plant-protein formats and sources, and that they direct particular attention at “offerings that meet their affordability, taste, texture, and nutrition expectations.”

But those values are hardly unique to flexitarians; to wit, the majority of global vegetarians, vegans, 

 flexitarians all agree that “taste and nutrition are equally important in plant-based products,” Schuh says.

“Another key factor driving purchase,” Belt offers, “is sustainability. Research (Source: Innova Market Insights) shows this has really taken off in the past two or three years, with visibility around climate change and COVID.” Today’s consumers, Belt says, are “much more aware of how their everyday decisions impact what’s going on around the world.”

That said, “Flexitarians don’t want drastic dietary changes,” Kenny maintains. Rather, “They want a simplified, convenient, and healthier way to eat what they love”—animal or vegetable. That’s what makes them flexitarian: “They ‘flex’ their diets to eat both meat and dairy along with plant-based alternatives,” she says.

The flipside, of course, is that flexitarians are “much more critical of their plant-based experiences because they’re still consuming meat and dairy,” Kenny continues. “And when plant-based products fail to match their desired taste experience, they’ll go back to traditional meat and dairy products.”

Unfortunately, plant proteins often failed to meet those expectations historically, while also suffering from “deficient nutritional quality in the form of low digestibility scores and insufficient amino-acid makeup, especially around low levels of essential and branched-chain amino acids,” observes Elzaphan Hotam, CEO, NextFerm Technologies USA (Short Hills, NJ).

Another “big issue” nutritionally, comments Sean Garvey, director of R&D at Bio-Cat, is the body’s inability to digest plant proteins as easily as it does whey—the protein gold standard, nutritionally and otherwise.

“Consumers often report digestive discomfort after consuming plant proteins,” he notes, which comes as little surprise: “Because some plant proteins have lower levels of branched-chain amino acids,” he explains, “we know that more grams of plant protein may be needed to match whey’s nutrition.”

For product formulators, plant proteins tend to carry characteristic performance drawbacks in both production and application.

As Melissa Machen, senior technical services specialist for plant protein at Cargill, says, “Animal proteins and fats are highly functional, impacting everything from texture and structure to gelling, emulsification, color, flavor, and more. No single plant-based protein, fat, or oil can replicate all those roles.”

Yes, hydrocolloids, fibers, and texturizers can help; but ultimately, innovation offers the real solution, Machen believes.

“New processing technologies such as high-moisture extrusion are helping us close the gap,” she says, “and advances in plant proteins—including the introduction of an expanded range of botanical sources like pea, rice, and potato—are key to improvements.”

While more improvement remains, Belt is quick to note that with the exception of soy, today’s plant proteins are still pretty green, so to speak, with many hitting the market only within the past few years, rather than decades.

And if you consider how far they’ve come in that time, he argues, “It’s actually pretty astounding.”

Schuh echoes that sentiment. “Advances in agricultural science are optimizing harvests to reduce the cost, time, and environmental impacts associated with plant-protein production,” she says. “Seed-to-fork initiatives to improve breeding are producing sources with higher protein content, better taste, and more neutral color—attributes that contribute to the improved products consumers see on shelves.”

No wonder EverGrain’s Belt takes the long view, insisting that “things are looking better now, and they’ll look even better a few years from now.”

But getting to that point requires investment. As he explains, “You’re seeing more plant proteins available on a large scale, which is really important because it satisfies consumer demand.” But that in itself is important, because absent sufficient demand, Belt adds, “the necessary investments won’t continue.”

“And these are big investments,” he emphasizes, with the cost of building a new facility topping $100 million at scale, he says.

And they take time. “You need two to three years to build a new facility,” Belt estimates, “and  

 two to three years to develop a new ingredient. That’s why we’re just now seeing the protein-ingredients market catch up to the consumer pull. And I think we can expect to see plant proteins catch up even more over the next five years.”

As Kozlowich notes, “Understanding how plant proteins are produced can help formulators identify ingredients that overcome the issues that heritage technologies can’t solve.”

For example, while pea protein’s been available for years, “the challenge has been poor solubility,” which translates into grittiness and sedimentation, particularly in beverages, she says. Merit’s response has been the development of Peazazz C pea protein, which leans on the company’s patented membrane-filtration technology to produce an ingredient with “exceptional” solubility, low viscosity, a neutral taste profile, and up to 88% protein, Kozlowich says.

They’ve deployed the protein in a plant-based RTD beverage delivering 32 g of protein per 325-ml serving “and zero grit or chalkiness, even at 10% protein inclusion levels,” she claims.

They’ve also combined it with Merit’s Puratein C canola protein in a nutrition bar that maintains its soft texture across its shelf life, as well as in “a taste-forward, protein-fortified vegan chocolate that can serve as an inclusion or coating for the bar,” she says.

Kozlowich emphasizes that Merit sources its non-GMO peas and canola from Western Canada and processes them locally in Winnipeg, Manitoba, reducing the company’s contribution to greenhouse-gas emissions and food miles. And with many of its growers located within a 350-km radius of its facility, Merit has a hand “in every step of the supply chain, offering brands plant proteins that are fully traceable back to the farm.”

Kushal Chandak, vice president of R&D at Puris (Minneapolis), notes that his company is also “making bold moves” in the pea-protein space by expanding the boundaries of where the ingredient can be used.

For example, he explains, “Plant proteins are notoriously unstable in their isoelectric range, making it very difficult to create protein-fortified products at a pH below 5.0. To mitigate this, we’ve invented Puris HiLo, an acid-stable protein that gives industry an option for fortifying fruit juices, sauces, soups, dressings, gummies, energy shots, and more with pea protein.”

The protein’s low viscosity and high solubility make it texturally invisible in beverages, while its neutral flavor profile lets the taste of any finished application where they appear speak for itself.

“This reflects the selection of yellow-pea seed varieties that minimize off notes,” notes Cargill’s Machen. (Cargill formed a joint venture with Puris in 2018.) “It also testifies to Puris’s processing techniques,” she continues, “which bring out the best possible flavor. The result is that it’s possible to push protein levels higher in beverages without the negative sensory effects that typically come into play.”

Among its other benefits, pea protein possesses an appealing sustainability story, fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil and thereby helping farmers increase soil nitrogen content by up to 70 pounds per acre of production, notes Cargill’s Fahlin. “This reduces the need for commercial fertilizer on the farm, reduces fertilizer runoff, and helps protect vulnerable rivers and waterways.”

But peas aren’t the only legumes that participate in this virtuous cycle. Beneo’s Bean notes that faba 

—a.k.a. fava, or broad, bean—also fixes soil nitrogen, and adds that in April, Beneo announced a $54 million investment in a German pulse-processing plant dedicated to producing protein-rich ingredients mainly from faba.

The venture strengthens the company’s sustainability record, Bean claims, with Beneo pledging to source the beans locally and at a Farm Sustainability Assessment level of “gold.” The company also plans to fully use and valorize the crop as it moves from field to finished ingredient, choosing its production process specifically “for its low energy consumption compared to alternative processes,” Bean says.

As for faba protein’s functionality in applications, Jamie Matthews, Beneo’s head of customer technical support for North America, claims that in its concentrate form, the protein has emulsifying and foaming properties as well as “very good solubility” at neutral pH, adding that Beneo offers plant proteins “in a range of product types, including flours and texturized options, which allows for versatility in a variety of applications.”

Versatility and functionality were among the qualities EverGrain prioritized when developing its flagship barley protein, EverPro. But the genesis of the innovation really came down to finding new life for what’s usually seen as a “byproduct” of brewing.

As Belt explains, when barley enters a brewery, brewers solubilize the starch for use in fermentation, leaving behind a mass of de-starched barley known as “spent grain.” But “spent,” he insists, is a misnomer, as this de-starched barley contains not just fiber and unsaturated fat, but considerable protein—about 30% by weight.

As such, he sees it as a value-packed product worth 

 which is just what upcycling EverPro barley protein does.

Using simple adjustments to temperature, pH, and filtration—and no harsh chemicals nor hexane solvents—the company harvests the barley’s native protein, whose inherent amino-acid sequence permits 97%-plus solubility at neutral-to-high pH.

That gives even whey’s solubility a run for its money, Belt claims, and it helps plant-based formulations escape the chalkiness associated with poor protein solubility—and responsible for common complaints against the category.

EverGrain is now cooking up an ingredient with near-100% solubility at acidic conditions and plans to launch it next year. In the meantime, Belt suggests viewing EverPro less as a competitor to other plant proteins than as a partner with them.

Not only does the barley protein’s amino-acid profile complement those of other plant proteins, but he also points out that at 89% bioavailability, EverPro is “one of the most bioavailable plant proteins on the market. So by combining our barley protein with other plant sources, you get the same great taste, texture, and nutrition of dairy, and you prove that plants work harder when they work together.”

Amino-acid complementarity aside, “It remains true that plant-based protein’s benefits aren’t superior or even equal to those of animal-based proteins,” observes Katie Emerson, manager of scientific affairs, Nutrition21 (Saddle Brook, NJ). “That is why innovation to boost bioavailability is so vital.”

On that front, both preclinical and clinical trials demonstrate that when subjects consume Nutrition21’s patented amylopectin-chromium complex Velositol with protein—including plant-based protein from pea and soy—“we observe faster and more efficient muscle-protein synthesis, leading to greater muscle strength, power, and recovery,” Emerson says.

So while plant proteins alone “may not stand up to whey in the benefits they offer,” she concludes, “through our research we can say that when paired with Velositol, those benefits are more enhanced than when offered without it.”

Bio-Cat has also explored options for unlocking plant protein’s potential, and while “there’s still work to do with regard to how well plant protein releases amino acids,” Garvey concedes, “one solution is to add Optiziome P3 Hydrolyzer.”

Bio-Cat’s proprietary triple-protease blend liberates 228% more branched-chain amino acids and 295% more leucine from plant protein when pitted against two top competitors in standard 

 gastric-digestion experiments—“a proven increase in simulated protein digestion that allows companies to improve their products and give consumers more from brands they already trust,” Garvey claims.

In fact, Bio-Cat recently partnered with sports-nutrition brand Iovate to include the enzyme blend in Iovate’s MuscleTech plant-protein powder, where Walin says it lets the brand deliver more protein with less while improving protein-performance claims and supporting critical sustainability initiatives.

“It’s incumbent on industry to drive more efficiency from the protein already available, versus forcing more into the market,” Walin argues. “The biggest advance here may be the understanding that ‘more doesn’t always mean more,’ and that the race to push higher gram levels of protein has reached its terminal share. By making fewer grams of protein work more efficiently, you can cost-model to include other functionals while also improving—sometimes drastically—sensory scores.”

But even as industry scales plant-protein efficiency, the sector’s expansion isn’t without costs in terms of land, energy, or chemical-input use, NextFerm’s Hotam notes. And for that reason, NextFerm developed its Protevin fermented protein as a greener alternative.

Using water and physical means only, the company extracts the protein from natural baker’s yeast biomass following its fermentation stage, “enabling access to an amino-acid profile and digestibility that are as close as you can get to animal sources like dairy and egg,” Hotam claims.

The process is unique to NextFerm, he continues, and because it proceeds in closed vessels within a confined space, it minimizes water, electricity, and arable-land use. Finally, any residual biomass can go to food or feed applications, closing the loop without waste.

No wonder Hotam believes that when implemented at scale, it promises “many long-term advantages on the sustainability front.”

On the formulation front, Protevin is “a highly useful powder with a clean, bland taste and pale color,” Hotam says. Since its launch last year, it’s already appeared in powdered premixes and alt-dairy applications, where it’s “gaining a lot of traction with local players as well as large multinationals,” he says. “All recognize its intrinsic advantages of applicability, taste, and nutrition.”

ADM also has its eye on fermentation and recently invested in and partnered with New Culture (San Leandro, CA), which uses precision fermentation to produce animal-free casein for cheese-making.

As Schuh explains, “While expansive capabilities in food-grade fermentation are required to support the processing, lab services, and consulting needs of food and beverage companies, ‘fermentation-as-a-service’ can level the playing field and spur development. So we’re sharing support from our global product-development capabilities to accelerate New Culture’s foodservice and consumer applications, further accelerating the technical capacity to make plant-based cheese alternatives more delicious and accessible.”

Yet that doesn’t mean ADM’s abandoned the plant protein that started it all—

which Schuh insists “remains a crucial plant protein and is the top plant protein in global alternative product launches.”

One new addition to the catalogue is Arcon HM functional soy-protein concentrates, which ADM formulated to tolerate the high-moisture extrusion required to make “whole-muscle cuts” of alternative meats. “This helps bridge the gap toward products that achieve the bite and chew consumers expect from meat alternatives,” Schuh says, “while addressing the taste, structure, texture, functionality, and clean-label challenges of plant-based whole-muscle products.”

And that should benefit consumers, industry, and the planet as a whole. As Kenny says, “Plant-based proteins will play an important role in the food system of the future, proving that industry can lead through innovation, aspiring to be net-zero or even carbon-positive while still providing a growing population nutrition that’s easily accessible, readily available, and great-tasting.”

Plant Protein Market Size to Reach USD 17.52 Billion in 2028 from USD 10.28 Billion in 2020, with Soy Leading Among Source Segments: Reports and Data

ADM Outside Voice. “Global Plant Protein Consumer Discovery Report.” (August 2020)

Interactive: What Is the Climate Impact of Eating Meat and Dairy?

Plant protein innovations pull up weeds one by one.

Tough row to hoe? What improvements are still needed in the plant-protein ingredient space?

Formulating food for the health-conscious is no easy feat. To many of these consumers, chemicals are bad, and product labels that list unfamiliar or difficult-to-pronounce ingredients lead them to distrust a product or perceive it as unhealthy. According to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) June 2021 survey “‘Chemical-Sounding’ to ‘Clean’: Consumer Perspectives on Food Ingredients,” 63% of U.S. adults say that the ingredients in a food or beverage have at least a moderate influence on what they buy, and 64% say they try to choose foods made with clean-label ingredients.

Which ingredients can food formulators turn to that will please consumers on multiple fronts? Soluble fibers such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and tapioca fiber are viable tools to help improve food’s taste and texture while also maintaining a palatable ingredient deck.

According to IFIC’s “2022 Food and Health Survey Report,” 73% of Americans are trying to limit or altogether avoid sugar.

 And while low- or no-calorie sweeteners are an option, the same survey states that 31% of Americans prefer sugar to the alternatives. This is likely due to the negative connotation associated with artificial sweeteners and the off-flavor notes sometimes associated with natural alternatives such as stevia. Fibers can be a solution on both fronts, reducing the sugar content of products while helping to mask off-notes of natural sweeteners.

“Prebiotic fibers are neutral in flavor and can help vanquish off-notes from accompanying high-intensity sweeteners such as monk fruit and stevia,” explains Thom King, CEO of Icon Foods (Portland, OR). “When added to a formula, prebiotic fibers provide texture to the body [of the product] and drive down added sugars and net carbohydrates, creating visually appealing products with an enhanced mouthfeel.”

IFIC’s survey also shows that “Low in sugar” and “Good source of fiber” are among the top attributes consumers associate with healthy food. Therefore, incorporating fiber in a product as a way to reduce sugar content offers the health-conscious consumer two reasons to buy said product. Additionally, digestive health was among the top health benefits sought by consumers, behind energy and weight management. Fiber is also associated with good digestive health.

Dietary fiber is not just good for the gut; it can also help formulators improve the taste and texture of reduced-sugar and free-from foods and beverages.

Nutritional Outlook Vol. 25 No. 9

Heart Smarts: Nutrition researchers unveil new benefits of natural ingredients

Children’s health supplements get specific

From good to great: Gummy supplements are getting a whole new look

Tough row to hoe? What improvements are still needed in the plant-protein ingredient space?

The many faces of fiber: What makes fiber a multifaceted ingredient?

Stay in your lane: Novel delivery systems must comply with supplement regulations

Mood-boosting supplements are smarter than ever

Stressing the positive: Supplements and functional foods help consumers keep their cool

Melatonin is under scrutiny. Will sales suffer?

Switching to a plant-based softgel?