Consumers favour health benefits and all-natural
Innova Trends research (December 2024) shows that consumers are prioritising ingredients that support health benefits, nutrition, and naturalness when choosing their food and beverage products. They also found that more than two in three consumers globally agree they are influenced by clean-label terminology.
“The consumer focus on ‘natural’ ingredients paves a way for increased innovation in the beef bone broth category. We’re seeing this in our custom manufacturing. Customers are developing spice-enhanced bone broth ranges through to bone broth products with health and wellness claims that are increasingly popular across the international market,” says Dr Mike North, Site Manager, Taranaki Bio Extracts.
‘High quality’ ingredients equal ‘health benefits’
According to Innova research, consumers are increasingly looking for value from ‘high quality ingredients,’ and 42% of consumers globally equate ‘high quality’ with ‘health benefits’.
The top health claims in product launches throughout 2024 were:
- No additives / preservatives
- Gluten free
- High source of protein
- High source of fibre
As an ingredient in food, functional food and wellbeing products, Taranaki Bio Extracts’ 100% grass fed beef bone broth and extracts contain no additives or preservatives, are GMO free, and 100% natural. Crafted in batches, they provide high protein content and a balanced and authentic flavour naturally. Taranaki Bio Extracts ingredients are positioned well for both ‘health claims’ and ‘clean label claims’ on products.
‘Precision wellness’ – Opportunities for the bone broth category . . .
‘Precision wellness’ is a sub-category of ‘Health and Wellness’ in Innova’s research – the age of information we live in lifts the standard for brands to meet specific nutritional needs for all stages of life. ‘Precision wellness’ references the way consumers are using nutrition to manage specific health concerns, creating a demand for ‘personalisation’ of products. It points to some key opportunities for product and brand developments in the bone broth category:
- Digestion and gut health – Innova’s research shows digestion as an important health concern. There is over 10% year-on-year growth in new launches featuring health claims on digestion. Bone broth contains essential amino acids, particularly glutamic acid, collagen, and trace minerals. These nutrients support healthy gut function. The gelatin in bone broth attracts water, increasing enzymatic fluids in the digestive tract so that food can move easily through the stomach and intestines.
- Bone health – Around 50% of our bones are collagen. Collagen peptides (proteins) are thought to hold potential for maintaining bone mineral density and guarding against bone weakening. Taranaki Bio Extracts manufacture a beef bone collagen extract. While the target when manufacturing bone broth is ‘flavour,’ the target for their bone collagen is ‘healthfulness.’
“Cooking for our bone collagen extract focuses on maximising extraction of protein and breaking it down into peptides and amino acids that can be more readily absorbed by the gut. There is more than 44% protein in our Beef Bone Collagen Extract. We’ve measured this protein and shown that more than 70% of the protein comes from collagen, so the amount of collagen in our liquid concentrate product is more than 30% by weight,” says Dr Mike North.
- Skin health and appearance – Innova’s research also highlights the growth in beauty health, with 1 in 5 consumers stating they purchased food and beverage to improve their physical appearance during 2024. Alongside this, there was over 11% growth in new launches featuring skin claims. This provides further innovation opportunity in the bone broth category as products containing collagen lead the way. One of the most abundant proteins found within the human body, collagen helps form tissue that gives our skin smoothness, elasticity, and a youthful appearance. Collagen, naturally occurring in bone broth, is rich in proline, a well-researched amino acid that supports skin renewal.
To learn more about our products and how they can support the innovation and quality of your own brand visit https://taranakibioextracts.com/food-ingredients/
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