Sean Moloughney06.01.10
Established in 2007 as a division of the international dairy industry group Ingredia S.A.—which has specialized in the production and marketing of functional and nutritional food ingredients for nearly 20 years—Ingredia Nutritional, Arras, France, is devoted to developing, manufacturing and delivering natural, premium, science-based ingredients.
The company’s portfolio of products features a range of unique bioactives with clinically proven efficacy and health claim authorizations, while its nutritional solutions range includes specialty proteins and hydrolysates with outstanding nutritional and technological properties, according to Sandrine Cuisenier, marketing manager.
Ingredia Nutritional products find applications in dietary supplements, functional foods and beverages, as well as specialized nutrition markets (dietetic, sports, infant and clinical).
“Our unique bioactives provide genuine health benefits,” said Ms. Cuisenier. “Their efficacy is guaranteed and has been validated by clinical and/or in vitro studies. Most of them are patented and have been granted official health claims, meeting new regulations.” According to Ms. Cuisenier, proprietary ingredients include Lactium, which is clinically proven to help manage stress through nutrition; Starchlite (in the EU), which is clinically proven to reduce the glycemic index of starchy foods and impact weight loss; CranMax (in the EU), which is clinically proven to reduce urinary tract infections; and Chromax chromium picolinate (in the EU and Asia).
In May this year the company also launched Carblite, a proprietary ingredient proven to help reduce body measurements and weight, according to Ms. Cuisenier. “The results of the clinical study are very significant between people on Carblite and those on placebo. Measuring body indicators to which consumers are very sensitive when buying a slimming product makes Carblite a very attractive product to individuals who are looking for reliable slimming solutions.”
Ms. Cuisenier said the weight loss category overall has suffered somewhat from products that don’t live up to their claims, fueling skepticism among consumers. “Nevertheless, at Ingredia Nutritional we are convinced the nutraceutical market is still an interesting one—but only for products with real and proven efficacy. It is the reason why we focus on launching top-of-the-range ingredients with clinically proven efficacy.”
The company also offers a diversified range of specialty protein isolates and hydrolysates from native milk proteins. “All products meet high quality standards and are designed to combine accurate technological and nutrition attributes,” said Ms. Cuisenier. “Thanks to its high performance processes, Ingredia Nutritional delivers customized products to achieve the most innovative functionalities. These premium ingredients are tailored to be used in dietetic, sports, infant and clinical nutrition products, and to suit a variety of applications, including powders, bars and beverages.”
The Ingredia group has been actively reinforcing its presence in the U.S. In 2009 the company acquired a U.S. protein company called Kantner—now known as IDI Inc., which is based in Ohio. Ingredia’s objective is to reinforce its position in the U.S. proteins business, both for food and nutritional markets.
Ingredia Nutritional already has a strong U.S. presence through its partnership with Pharmachem Laboratories, Kearny, NJ. Pharmachem markets Lactium in the U.S., Canada and South America while Ingredia Nutritional markets Phase 2 under the trademark Starchlite in Europe, along with CranMax. With these partnerships and a worldwide commercial network with specialized distributors in 120 countries, Ingredia Nutritional intends to extend its international reach.
Meanwhile, the company’s core objectives remain the same. For the bioactive business, “our goal is to meet all the regulatory requirements, including European health claims, to achieve the most persuasive communication toward consumers,” said Ms. Cuisenier. “For our nutritional solutions, our objective is to develop the range with very specific products, combining technological and nutritional functionalities, and to deliver even more customized products to meet our customers’ requirements and help them develop unique end-products.”—S.M.
Ingredia Nutritional
51-53, Avenue F. Lobbedez BP 60946
62033 Arras Cedex France
Telephone: 33-3-21-23-80-00
Fax: 33-3-21-23-80-09
E-mail: s.cuisenier@ingredia.com
Website: www.ingredia-nutritional.com