The world’s leading market intelligence agency reveals five ingredient groups corresponding to the emerging food and nutrition trends that appeal to Asia-Pacific consumers this 2020.
“Mental and physical health are becoming equally as important. Brands should focus on solutions to help consumers relax, meet their stress relief goals, and optimize their mental performance,” said Mintel in its market intelligence digest released by the Export Management Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
It identified these ingredients as adaptogens and nervines which provide natural stress relief, and nootropics which aim to enhance brain health and performance. Synbiotics and postbiotics are the new category of ingredients in the gut health and wellness field.
“Stress and anxiety are common problems faced by consumers around the world.
There are opportunities for food and drink manufacturers to incorporate adaptogens into products for stressed-out consumers to help them gain control over their stress,” the report noted.
Adaptogens include holy basil, ashwagandha and medicinal mushrooms.
Nervines are another group of stress-fighting herbs related to adaptogens. Sedative nervines include chamomile, lemon balm, valerian and lavender.
Mintel said nootropics are substances that improve cognitive functions like memory, focus, creativity or motivation.
Caffeine is considered the most common nootropic. Other emerging nootropics are B vitamins, choline, L-theanine, MCT oils, omega-3s and ginko biloba.
The report further said synbiotics and postbiotics are the new category of ingredients in the gut health and wellness field, noting digestive health and wellness is increasingly recognized as an integral part of wellbeing.
Synbiotics, which are specific combinations of probiotics and prebiotics that work synergistically within the body, are starting to be added to food and drink products to provide health benefits.
“Brands could capitalize on Asian consumers’ growing interest in gut health and in getting more fiber in their diet,” it added.
The report cited a recent study published by Trends in Food Science & Technology noting that postbiotic is a newly coined term for metabolic byproducts or “beneficial waste products” of probiotic bacteria, such as organic acids or short-chain fatty acids, peptidoglycans, and polysaccharides.
“To date, very few products containing postbiotic ingredients have launched; they mostly come from Asia Pacific. Chiefly applied commercially in personal care products, postbiotic potential is now appearing in pharmaceutical and functional food and drink categories,” it added.