INDUSTRY NEWS: Nutraceutical products indicate promising growth prospects - India

"Nutraceutical" is sure to be a buzz word in 2010. And the latest nutraceutical market to begin expansion is the one in India, due to an increased awareness of the need for dietary supplements, according to an article from the India-based Food & Beverage News. Take note of the reasons this market is growing - and grow with it! Consumers are taking more time and care when it comes to their health - most people are choosing preventive health methods and overall wellness promotion instead of just treating illnesses and symptoms when they occur. Nutraceuticals appeal to those people who have busy and often hectic schedules who would still like a sound way to make their health a priority, naturally.
For more on the expanding nutraceutical market in North America, check out the feature in the Feb 2010 issue of ihr magazine!

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Nutraceutical products indicate promising growth prospects
Nandita Vijay, Bangalore

Nutraceutical market in India is now evolving. This is because of the increased awareness on the need for dietary supplements.

The trend towards preventive healthcare has seen pharma companies diversifying into the production of nutraceuticals. These include GlaxoSmithKline, Cadbury, Dabur, Cadila Healthcare, Novartis to name a few.

The market is estimated to be around Rs 1,200 crore with a growth rate of 12 -15 per cent. The major factors that increase the growth potential include the ageing population, changing lifestyle, increasing medical costs, high spending power, awareness of preventive medicine, increasing malnutrition led diseases. What gives companies in the fray a competitive edge is branding, pricing, promotional activities and channel partners, stated sources.

“People today are becoming health-conscious and are realising the need for dietary supplements to help them cope with the fast-changing pace of life, which has put them at the risk of diabetes, cholesterol, heart ailments, arthritis and so on,” says Dr Kamal G Nath, consultant food scientist & nutritionist, professor & head, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

The wide range of nutraceutical products includes vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, herbals/ botanicals, proteins and fibres. All these are known to provide health benefits, including prevention and treatment of disease. There are many products also made from herbal/ botanical raw materials, referred to as functional foods which help reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Nutraceutical preparations are easily available in the market and other than the tablet forms, i.e. the powder form products, can be mixed with milk or water for consumption, comments Dr V Prakash, director, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore. “There are ingredients like wheat grass, whey protein, isabagol (psylum husk) and stevia rebaudiana bertoni, mushroom have undergone minimal processing and created in powder form that can be mixed into the bakery products or can be used in conventional home made foods by laymen too. In these cases the nutraceutical is separated from a food and sold in dosage form,” added Dr Prakash.

According to food experts the components which are attributed to the growth of the market are urbanisation, education, awareness which have led to improved quality of life. Going by the dual incomes, the spending and lifestyle of the people have also improved. “While there are positive aspects to the fast paced life, the negative impact is exposed on the health of the population. There is a spurt in life style disorders like diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension, resulting out of stress and bad eating habits. This is where nutraceuticals are known to play a major role in controlling ill-health condition. It makes people opt for protein supplements and multi-mineral supplements,” stated Dr K Shantha Kumar, professor and scheme head, Foods and Nutrition, Home Science department, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

CFTRI and Defence Food Research Laboratory which are located in Mysore are engaged in the development of products. A lot of transfer of technology is also carried out to the industry.

Leading nutraceutical companies in India engaged in the production of products are Sami Labs, British Biologicals, Parrys India, Elder Pharma, Ranbaxy, Raptakos, Paras, Ce Chem, Tablets India which are focused primarily in the areas of nutrition and dietetics.

The Chennai-based Parry Nutraceuticals, which is recognised as the world leader in Micro Algal Technology for over three decades, is currently producing Certified Organic Spirulina, Natural Mixed Carotenodis and Astaxanthin from algae. “Our offering of carotenoids is complete with Lutein esters and zeaxanthin from Marigold flowers and Lycopene complex from tomatoes,” inform the company sources.

Bangalore-based British Biologicals, a dedicated nutraceutical major in the country, has an aggressive strategy in place to pursue its future growth efforts. In this connection, the company is focusing on disease specific nutritional products. These include sports nutrition division with six brands: X-TRA whey, Whey platinum standard, full throttle Creatine monohydrate, X-TRA Mass, recovery and X-TRA Grainer. All these products are already well accepted and three more brands are being developed. These are Pure Creatine monohydrate, slim life and an energy sports drink. The company has also started the criticare division in collaboration with DSM (USA), a world leader in nutrition, stated V S Reddy, chairman and managing director, British Biologicals.

Ce Chem Pharmaceuticals which is a leading pharma enterprise in Karnataka in the small scale segment has been engaged in the manufacture of nutraceutical products for the domestic market. These include Ziprovit powder: Ziprolina Capsules and Ziprolina, pediatric syrup. All the products are prescription-driven only.

Avesthagen Limited which is developing a range of bioactives to promote degeneration of health conditions has developed Teestar. The product is a clinically validated botanical bioactive ingredient developed with a single herb has proven to reduce blood glucose levels in insulin-independent diabetics. The company has now developed a fenugreek-based whole-wheat cracker using Teestar. The single herb, AGT019 is selected from AdePt, a proprietary Indian medicinal plant resource developed by the company.

“Sami Labs is giving a major thrust to new product development and market-oriented research in the area of phyto-pharmaceuticals. In the Phytopharma industry Sami Labs has been recognised as an “Integrated Natural” product company with a strong R&D focus. Its research and development focuses innovation nutraceuticals,” stated, Muhammed Majeed, chairman and managing director, Sami Labs.

Malted foods market also comes under the nutraceutical product umbrella. The market is open for all age-groups. The products under the segment are Horlicks, Boost, Maltova and Viva from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Another player is Cadbury India with its products Bournvita and Complan.