Lallemand Wins Research Award, Companies Announce Achievements, Growth

Along with Lallemand’s recent research award, companies such as Glanbia Nutritionals and INNOBIO Ltd. have announced significant business achievements this week. These accomplishments, among others, will help grow the sectors of probiotics, protein, fatty acids and beyond.

Lallemand Health Solutions announced that innovative probiotics research presented by Pierre Burguière won the Scientific Frontiers poster award during the recent Probiota 2015 event in Amsterdam. The winning poster described an innovative method for the specific quantification of viable probiotic bacteria in a fraction of the time required for traditional culturing methods. This approach shows promise as a complementary method for quality control in the probiotic industry. During a plenary session dedicated to allergy and inflammation, Chad MacPherson unveiled interesting in vitro data showing potent immune-modulatory activity of individual probiotic strains from the Lallemand collection, shedding new light on a recently published clinical trial on individual strains from ProbioKid®  formula.

Another achievement comes from Glanbia Nutritionals, which launched its new line of vegan plant proteins, HarvestPro™, in the United States. Derived from ancient grains, flax and chia, the HarvestPro range of plant-based ingredients includes protein crisps and protein powders, which can be incorporated into a wide range of applications, including beverages, bars, baked goods and gluten-free foods. The current portfolio includes a quinoa/chia/sorghum crisp, a chia/amaranth crisp and an organic quinoa/flax crisp, which can enhance the flavor, texture and nutritional profile of bars, clusters and cereals.

INNOBIO Ltd.’s line of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) products obtained self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for use in food and dietary supplement applications. Under provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by FDA, INNOBIO’s CLA products were submitted to extensive review by a panel of experts to thoroughly examine all aspects of process and production. After a comprehensive evaluation of research studies and toxicology data, the panel concluded that INNOBIO CLA products are safe for use as ingredients in a variety of products, including beverages, confectionery products, dietary supplements and nutritional bars.

In addition to these accomplishments, the bio-tech company AlgiSys developed a proprietary technology to commercially produce natural, EPA-rich omega-3 oils from algae. The company has been performing its technology development and scale-up work through technical collaborations with several partners, including Michigan Biotechnology Institute (“MBI") and several internationally renowned European-based research facilities. Michael LoPresti, AlgiSy’s CEO and co-founder, said, “By using the company’s core expertise, these collaborators are helping to accelerate efforts necessary for commercialization of the company’s technology." AlgiSys uses proven fermentation and downstream processing technology to efficiently scale and accelerate the production of EPA oil at commercial levels.

In an effort to help industry better understand standard operating procedures (SOPs), InstantGMP and EAS Consulting Group will host a webinar, “SOPs: The Foundation of a Quality System,” on Tuesday, February 24. The webinar will cover why SOPs are needed, information that should be included in a SOP and examples of how SOPs would be applied at different steps in the production process of a dietary supplement. “InstantGMP has always been committed to making GMP compliance easy,” said Richard Soltero, president of InstantGMP. “Partnering with EAS on this webinar is one more way we can help dietary supplement manufacturers come to grips with understanding these requirements.”

And finally, to manage the company’s continued strong growth, Alkemist Labs brought in Paul Burns, the company’s new director of sales; and Robin Mullin, the new director of talent, learning and culture. With more than 10 years in technical-scientific laboratory service sales, Burns was most recently national sales manager at Eurofins Scientific. In Mullin's last position as executive director at Five Mountains Hawaii, she worked closely with businesses, nonprofits and schools to create partnerships to offer health-promoting and leadership programs to teens and adults. Both added staff members will help position the company for growth.