This week’s headlines included coverage of Xymogen Athletix brand positioned for athletes, EFSA approval of a rapeseed (canola) protein-fiber concentrate, and a new functional drink start-up aiming to tackle decision fatigue.
Family-owned supplement company Xymogen has launched its first brand geared toward athletes.
Xymogen Athletix is designed for both competitive and recreational athletes, building on a 20-year legacy of trust, research and innovation and created with evidence-based ingredients, according to the company.
“Athletix was born from our family’s passion for performance and our responsibility to bring trusted, safe and science-backed nutrition to athletes everywhere,” said Brian Blackburn, Jr., chief science officer at Xymogen. “Every formula is NSF Certified for Sport and developed by health professionals who understand what it takes to fuel endurance, recovery and strength—without compromise.”
To be NSF Certified for Sport, a company must have a toxicological review of ingredients and verification that the formulas meet the claims and contents shown on their labels. The finished formulas must be tested for potentially harmful levels of contaminants, such as heavy metals, pesticides and more. And the formulas need to be screened for more than 290 athletic banned substances.
Xymogen is currently in discussion with professional athletes and trainers to integrate the new brand into their performance routines, highlighting its immediate relevance in the sports world, the company said. The product is recommended by pro leagues, including the MLB, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, PGA, USADA and others.
EFSA has approved a rapeseed (canola) protein-fiber concentrate, marketed as Raptein30, as a safe novel food, marking a new entry into the alternative protein category.
Manufactured and produced by Polish start-up NapiFeryn Biotech, Raptein30 is a powder mainly composed of protein and fiber, which is obtained via extraction of cold‐pressed rapeseed cake.
NapiFeryn Biotech uses a by-product of the oil production process, turning what would have been waste into a ‘high-value, nutrient-rich ingredient’, according to Magdalena Kozłowska, the company’s CEO and co-founder.
“Raptein30 is a versatile plant-based ingredient that combines high-quality protein with natural dietary fiber,” she told NutraIngredients. “In supplements, it can be formulated into protein powders, functional bars, capsules or shakes.”
Demand for alternative protein sources is soaring, with the market projected to grow from 13 million metric tons a year to 97 million metric tons by 2035, reaching a market value of at least $290 billion by 2035.
Arun Hozack, the former president of Red Bull Asia-Pacific, joined forces with neuroscientist Dr. Shawn Watson to launch a functional drink start-up known as Numin.
The company aims to tackle the issue of decision fatigue by helping people make higher quality decisions for a longer period of time.
High-stake decision makers, such as commodity traders and professional e-sports athletes could be most prone to decision fatigue, but this is a condition that everyone potentially faces.
This is especially true a modern society in which a person makes an average 35,000 decisions daily, according to the start-up.
Hozack, an industry expert in the energy space with 20 years of experience in Red Bull Energy Drink across different markets, including Japan, South Africa, Australia, North America, believes that Numin is a new category creator.
“Decision fatigue is a unique proposition,” he told NutraIngredients. “The addressable market is everyone living in the modern world, since everyone potentially suffers from decision fatigue.
“Also, there isn’t a product or a solution out there that we’re aware of that addresses decision fatigue, which then gives us the potential to become a category creator.”
