Danone and Chr. Hansen sign three “new partnerships” and a “joint business development plan”. It is reported that the partnership will enable Danone to leverage Chr. Hansen’s leading bio-solutions capabilities and push the boundaries of innovation in the dairy and plant-based categories through both parties’ extensive culture collections. According to Danone, the new partnership allows to explore new horizons related to product advantages, new technologies for fermentation and decarbonization, and find new solutions that benefit the company, partners, consumers, and the planet. According to Chr. Hansen, they will innovate by unlocking the power of beneficial bacteria and collaborate to truly change the food system and make life healthier around the world.
Morinaga Dairy’s “Bifidobacterium MCC1274” and “Bifidobacterium Memory Countermeasures” product series won the top prize at Japan’s “2023 Health Food Awards”. The 6th Healthy Food Award held this year is an award for food and raw materials that improve people’s quality of life. Bifidobacterium Morinaga Dairy MCC1274 was awarded the Gold Medal of the “Cognitive Sleep Division” with its rich scientific evidence and product diversity including more than 20 papers, which is also the highest award among all applicants.
Recently, Xile Food received an exclusive investment of 10 million yuan from Hezhi Investment. Xile Food was founded in 1986 and is the pioneer of China’s lactic acid bacteria industry. It has been focusing on the research and development of lactic acid bacteria products for more than 30 years. The company focuses on intestinal health and improving immunity and has more than 100 invention patents and unique production processes. It is one of the large-scale enterprises in China specializing in the research, development, and production of lactic acid bacteria drinks.
It was reported on September 12 that Vivici, a new joint venture between DSM and Fonterra, announced the completion of a seed round of financing. It is reported that the company uses precision fermentation technology to produce animal-free dairy protein ingredients, and DSM Firmenich Ventures and Fonterra are both founding investors.
On September 6, packaging expert SIG and Irish nanotechnology company AnaBio Technologies jointly launched aseptic packaging of yogurt with long shelf life containing active probiotics. The new technology combines SIG’s gentle filling technology with AnaBio’s packaging technology. In March 2023, AnaBio Technologies launched encapsulated probiotic strains, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.
Recently, NutriLeads submitted a health claim to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for its BeniCaros prebiotic product. In the future, food companies in Australia and New Zealand will be allowed to add this prebiotic ingredient. BeniCaros is a kind of prebiotic fiber extracted from carrot pulp. When the body takes 300mg daily, it can effectively stimulate the immune system. And, although the intestinal flora of the body is diverse, it can always play a role in increasing the beneficial flora in the intestines and reducing flatulence. The health effects of BeniCaros have been proven in randomized clinical trials and the scientific evidence is peer reviewed. Scientific claims submitted by NutriLeads for BeniCaros include improving immune health, reducing the severity and duration of common colds, enhancing immune protection, and enhancing antiviral immune responses.
On August 24, the new product launch conference of Guanyi Milk Health Yogurt was successfully held in Hangzhou. Mengniu® Guanyi Milk, a new immune-enhancing fermented milk product, was unveiled for the first time. Mengniu Group Vice President Luo Yan and Dandan Group General Manager Ou Zaifu unveiled the new product at the meeting. It is reported that this new immune health yogurt product is tailor-made by Guanyi Milk for urban working people. According to their fast-paced life, it provides health food that can conveniently and effectively enhance immunity. It is reported that with its professional product influence, Guanyi Milk was strictly approved by the State Food and Drug Administration in 2009 and obtained the certification of “regulating intestinal flora and enhancing immunity”. This is also the only low-temperature yogurt industry. The first “Jianzihao” yogurt launched on the market has been favored by consumers, with cumulative sales exceeding 5 billion bottles.
On August 29, Yili officially announced the launch of a new product of Beichang Mianyi goat milk powder. It is reported that the new product adopts the specially researched Mianyi® formula, specially adding 350mg lactoferrin + CBP colostrum alkaline protein, 8.4 billion active probiotics + prebiotics to enhance immunity; the milk source imported from Europe is selected, and the patented deodorization process protects the body. The family is healthy.
The top 20 global dairy companies in 2023 are released. The two giants in the Chinese dairy industry that everyone is most concerned about, Yili has ranked fifth in the global dairy industry for four consecutive years (2020-2023), and Mengniu ranked eighth. French dairy giant Lactalis has ranked first in the global dairy industry for three consecutive years (2021-2023); American dairy farmers jumped directly from fourth place in 2022 to second place in the world in 2023; Nestlé ranked second last year but fell to the third place in the global dairy industry in 2023; Danone fell from the third-place last year to the fourth place in the world in 2023. In addition, there have been huge changes in the rankings of the top five to ten: Arla Foods has been directly promoted from ninth last year to sixth in the global dairy industry in 2023; Royal FrieslandCampina has jumped from eighth last year to seventh in the global dairy industry in 2023; Fonterra has declined significantly, from sixth last year to ninth in the global dairy industry in 2023; Canada’s Saputo continues to rank tenth in the global dairy industry.
On September 21, New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra announced its latest fiscal year results. The financial report shows that in fiscal year 2023 (the past 12 months as of July 31, 2023), Fonterra Group reported full-year earnings per share of NZ$0.95, compared with NZ$0.36 last year; reported after-tax profits of NZ$1.6 billion, Growth of 170%; return on capital rose from 6.8% to 12.4%. Performance data shows that Fonterra Greater China achieved revenue of NZ$7.072 billion (approximately RMB 30.5 billion) and after-tax profit of NZ$284 million (approximately RMB 1.228 billion) this fiscal year.
On August 24, the new product of Youyi C Changkuai was launched. It uses the world’s first 5 strains of Chinese patented probiotic compound formula, 2 major sources of dietary fiber, prune juice and polydextrose, and a new product with 0 sucrose and 0 fat.
On August 29, Yili officially announced the launch of a new product of Beichang Mianyi goat milk powder. It is reported that the new product adopts the specially researched Mianyi® formula, specially adding 350mg lactoferrin + CBP colostrum alkaline protein, 8.4 billion active probiotics + prebiotics to enhance immunity; the milk source imported from Europe is selected and uses the patented deodorization process.
On the evening of August 24, Juneyao Health (605388) disclosed its 2023 semi-annual report. In the first half of this year, the company achieved operating income of 879 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 109.94%; net profit attributable to the parent company was 47.6772 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.97%; of which the operating income of probiotic food was 70.0393 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 221.02%.
On August 30, researchers from Japan’s Riken Center for Integrative Medicine published a research paper titled: “Gut microbial carbohydrate metabolism contributes to insulin resistance” in the journal Nature. This study comprehensively elaborates on the host-microbe relationship in insulin resistance, reveals the impact of intestinal flora on carbohydrate metabolism, and provides a potential therapeutic target for improving insulin resistance. Studies have found intestinal bacteria related to insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity. People whose intestinal bacteria are dominated by Lachnospiraceae tend to have higher levels of insulin resistance and higher fecal monosaccharide content; People with a higher number of Bacteroideles have lower levels of insulin resistance and lower fecal simple sugar content. Therefore, Lachnospiraceae in the intestine may serve as a biomarker for prediabetes. In addition, in obese mice, the research team observed the effects of different gut bacteria on blood sugar levels. They found that Alistipes indistinctus lowered blood sugar levels, reduced insulin resistance and carbohydrate availability, and reduced simple sugar levels in the gut.
DSM-Firmich launches DelvoFresh Pioneer, a new generation of ultra-mild yogurt starter culture that improves the pH stability of the final product during processing and throughout its shelf life and can be refrigerated for up to 60 days. According to DSM Firmenich, the new strain is “ideal for high-value recipes” and can be used in smooth, creamy yoghurts as well as mild, low-sugar yoghurts. At the same time, the product significantly reduces acidification, improves stability, and provides formulation flexibility.
