The nutraceutical and health ingredient industry has been investing in science and R&D to develop functional ingredients for digestive and immune health. Market research company Mintel has been tracking the number of patents related to immune health and food ingredients, and it noted that the number of patent filings nearly trebled in just under a decade, rising from 161 in 2013 to 465 last year in 2022.

^{© AdobeStock/Ana Belen Garcia}

Speaking during the Vitafoods Insights Webinar Series on digestive health and immunity on 17 October, Kinga Swiderska, head of content at Vitafoods, noted the importance of gut health for the immune system. She said: “Gut microbiota have a direct link to our overall health with the modulation of the immune system; enhancement of the nutrients absorption; synthesizing certain vitamins and amino acids, including the B vitamins and vitamin K; and the protection against pathogens’ colonisation.

“We know more and more about the gut health and its link to immune health but also cognitive health or even bone health. But scientists are still in the early stages of understanding the microbiome’s broad role in health.”

Immunity booster: Soluble, fibre-rich powders

A growing number of companies are looking to tap into this trend by developing science-backed products that seek to support immune health by acting upon the gut microbiome.

One startup is called Myota Health, which makes ready-to-use fibre blends that can be dissolved in food and hot or cold drinks. It has a range of three products focusing on the gut microbiome: the Gut Booster, metabolic Booster, and the Immunity Booster.

The Immunity Booster contains five prebiotic fibres and one scoop provides one third of the recommended daily fibre intake, aiming to provide a convenient way to meet those targets.

The Immunity Booster fibres are resistant starch from maize; fructooligasaccharides from chicory root, inulin, and guar gum, and partially hydrolysed guar gum.

Myota Health says it has chosen these ingredients because they are known to benefit the immune health via several mechanisms of action. One of these mechanisms is by fermenting in the gut and producing short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which have anti-inflammatory properties. By reducing inflammation in the body, it may help the immune system.

Probiotic tea and cheese

Given the format of Myota Health’s products – soluble nutritional powders – they may appeal more to consumers who are already health conscious and are used to making nutritional shakes. However, other brands are incorporating immune or digestive health benefits into products that have a much wider, everyday appeal.

In Australia, major French dairy brand BabyBel, famous for its child-friendly, snack-sized cheeses that are covered in red wax, recently launched a Plus Probiotic cheese which contains one billion live and active LGG probiotic cultures per serving. This product may appeal to parents as a handy lunchbox filler that will boost their children’s immunity at the same time.

In a recent report on innovations in the immune health space, Mintel noted the importance of protein for immunity and the appeal of protein as an immune-boosting ingredient for consumers. Blends ingredients for gut health such as probiotics in a high protein product like cheese could therefore hold strong appeal with many consumers, and Mintel analysts chose Babybel’s Plus Probiotic cheese as an example of an innovative product launch in this category.

Another example of a kitchen cupboard staple with added immune and digestive health benefits comes from the tea manufacturer, Lipton, in the US. It launched a Lipton T+Probiotic for Immune Support.

The herbal tea, which is described as a tropical herbal tea blend of warming turmeric, soothing ginger and sweet pineapple, also contains GanedenBC30 probiotics and immune supporting vitamin C. Lipton claims the probiotic tea can be prepared with hot or cold water.