Personal. Proactive. Probiotics.

Today’s consumers are no longer satisfied with a reactive approach to health and, instead, are looking to the wellness industry for proactive solutions.  ADM’s extensive proprietary research and scientific programs are consistently demonstrating that wellness products play a significant role in helping consumers proactively take care of their health, with 31% of consumers already purchasing items tailored to health and nutrition, and 48% planning to purchase more. The vast majority of consumers are turning dietary supplements for overall health and wellness benefits like increased energy and immune system support, and to fill nutrient gaps in their diets—and are seeking ways to get these nutrients in enjoyable, convenient formats.

That said, a one-size-fits-all wellness solution won’t appeal to the growing base of consumers who increasingly prioritize personalization. According to ADM's proprietary research, 49% of consumers believe that every individual is unique and, therefore, each person requires a customized approach to diet and exercise.

Together, the wellness and precision nutrition trends represent an opportunity for brands to meet and exceed consumer expectations with targeted innovative products. Nutrition Business Journal reports that brands in the precision nutrition space are expected to grow 71.5% in 2020, and will represent a $4.3 billion industry by 2023.

Macro appeal through microbiome support

Precision nutrition uses knowledge of an individual’s characteristics - including their lifestyle, medical history and, increasingly, information about their gastrointestinal microbiome – to tailor nutrition solutions intended to promote health benefits. The GI microbiome refers to all the microorganisms – the bacteria, viruses, fungi and a group of organisms called archea – in a particular ecological niche, plus all of their genetic material. An individual's microbiome is shaped from birth and will change significantly over time, and these changes are influenced by many factors including diet, medication, stress – and even the type of pets at home. The result is a microbiome that is as unique to an individual as a fingerprint, and it's an area that represents the next frontier in precision nutrition.

Pre- and probiotics made up nearly 60% of the gastrointestinal supplement market in 2018[1], demonstrating consumers’ comfort with the safety and efficacy of these supplements. Expanding the benefit opportunities of probiotics into foods and beverages has been a challenge, because most probiotics do not maintain their stability and viability under harsh, high temperature processing conditions.

ADM is addressing this need with its award-winning BPL1, a targeted microbiome solution for metabolic health that is available as either a live probiotic or heat-treated postbiotic (HT-BPL1). Postbiotics are non-viable microbes or their metabolites that confer benefits to the host, and they present an exciting new opportunity to bring wellness benefits to a wide array of food and beverage products. It is backed by science that supports its efficacy for microbiome support.

Targeting metabolic health via the microbiome

Researchers at ADM conducted extensive pre-clinical screening to identify the bacterial strain with the best profile for metabolic health, resulting in the identification and characterization of BPL1 [2],[3]. The research team then conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial to better understand the impact of BPL1 and HT-BPL1 on markers of metabolic health and visceral fat reduction[4]. 135 abdominally obese participants were randomized to receive either live BPL1, heat-treated BPL1 or placebo once daily for three months.

Both live BPL1 and HT-BPL1 intervention groups showed improvements in multiple outcomes related to metabolic health. Both groups saw decreases in visceral fat area, with the biggest improvement seen in the HT-BPL1 group.

Because of HT-BPL1’s ability to be used in a wide array of food and beverage product applications, it offers key consumer benefits for brands looking for new innovative solutions that address evolving consumer needs. In fact, 62% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products with proven efficacy[5].

“Postbiotics like HT-BPL1 present enormous potential for new product development in which wellness benefits are desired but where traditional probiotics cannot survive,” says Daniel Ramon Vidal, ADM Vice President of R&D for Health & Wellness “This is just one area where we at ADM are leveraging our scientific capabilities to continue to bring new and cutting-edge products to a market demanding benefits that target the microbiome.” Indeed, ADM scientists and formulators are poised to help customers deliver on the growing demand for health and wellness focused products, with one of the broadest portfolios of ingredients and the technical expertise to develop delicious and effective solutions.

ADM’s microbiome solutions offer an unparalleled portfolio anchored in pioneering research, from discovery to final product, helping you deliver tomorrow’s advanced microbiome solutions today.

[1] Personalized Nutrition Special Report. Nutrition Business Journal. 2020.

[2]Martorell, P. et al.​ “Probiotic Strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 Reduces Fat Content and Modulates Lipid Metabolism and Antioxidant Response in Caenorhabditis elegans.” J. Agric. Food Chem.​ 2016;64​:3462–3472.

[3] Caimari, A. et al.​ “Heat-killed Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis CECT 8145 increases lean mass and ameliorates metabolic syndrome in cafeteria-fed obese rats.” J. Funct. Foods. 2017;​38​:251–263.

[4] Pedret, A. et al.​ “Effects of daily consumption of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 on anthropometric adiposity biomarkers in abdominally obese subjects: a randomized controlled trial.” Int. J. Obes. ​2019;43​:1863–1868.

[5] Houlihan Lokey proprietary consumer survey. April 2020.