Future trendspotting Immunity Innovation: Fermented botanicals Botanicals are the most frequently cited ingredients in food and drink patents related to immune health support, accounting for 40% of patent filings in the past 10 years, followed by probiotics with 35%.54 However, a recent increase in patent filings for fermented botanical extracts suggests they could be the next on-trend ingredient for enhancing immunity.55 Pulmuone recently patented a Bacillus-fermented ginger and red ginseng extract while WellFine patented fermented leek extract. The companies, both South Korean, claim the functional ingredients have a synergistic effect in strengthening the body’s immune system.
Green and clean: Upcycled ingredients Sustainability is influencing all food and drink categories, and the nutrition sector is no different. Demands for ‘green and clean’ products are being principally driven by younger generations with just under onethird (32%) of Millennials and one-quarter (25%) of Gen Z consumers saying they almost always or usually base purchase decisions on sustainability, compared to just 17% of Baby Boomers.56 Upcycled foods, made with ingredients that would not have been eaten otherwise, are well-positioned to meet these demands. US start-up ReGrained uses brewers’ spent grain – a nutritious and fibre-packed grain leftover from beer production – to make snack bars while British fruit jerky bar manufacturer Snact and Ecuadorian superfood smoothie maker Takay use fruit rejected by retailers for aesthetic reasons. Caskai uses cascara, the polyphenol-rich, sun-dried husks from coffee cherries, to make a lightly carbonated soft drink. In 2020, academics and industry stakeholders agreed on an official definition of upcycled foods that will be used for future product certification, indicating that a rise in future activity is on the horizon.57
Eying up an opportunity: Vision health As computers, tablets, and smartphones become indissociable from everyday life, protecting eye health could become a top concern. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that US children aged between 11 and 14 spend nearly nine hours each day in front of a screen,58 and research suggests the combination of increased screen time and less time spent outdoors could be harmful to vision, increasing the risk of myopia. In 2000, around 23% of the global population was affected by myopia; today, the figure is around 50%.59
14 | L earn more about Fi Global CONNECT: Health Ingredients in the Spotlight
