Norwegian company Hofseth BioCare ASA (HBC)’s recently appointed Head of New Business Development has identified product differentiation as a key priority in driving growth for the company.
In September, the company appointed Paul Bruhn who has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and medical nutrition space spanning Novartis Medical Nutrition and Nestlé Health Science, as its Head of New Business Development.
With portfolios spanning across bioactive peptides and collagen, fish oil, and salmon bone powder containing calcium hydroxyapatite and undenatured type II collagen, Bruhn believes that the key for the company is to build awareness around product differentiation.
Swedish firm Probi has bagged a treble of NutraIngredients Awards for its microbiome-based solution targeting iron deficiency, a health issue particularly prevalent among Asian women.
The company’s latest accolade for Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v (LP299V) and iron under the category of Innovation in Women’s Health was announced at the 2025 NutraIngredients-Asia Award ceremony held in Bangkok on September 17.
According to Amy Lau, marketing manager for Probi’s APAC market, iron deficiency is a serious issue, particularly among women, in the region.
Netherlands-headquartered Rousselot is poised to expand the footprint of its patented cartilage matrix ingredient in Asia, especially Japan and China, amid growing demand for joint health products.
The company has been granted patents in Europe, Japan and China for its Colartix ingredient, with applications pending for Brazil and the US.
A proprietary blend of collagen peptides and chondroitin sulfate, Colartix is patented under the title of “collagen hydrolysate composition for reducing joint pain after exercise”.
Working with select brands exclusively is important for marketing new premium ingredients, according to Aker BioMarine who has embarked on an exclusive SEA partnership with a Singapore firm for its new ingredient.
Aker BioMarine signed a two-year exclusive SEA partnership with Xandro Pte Ltd for its new premium ingredient Lysoveta – a lyso-phosphatidyl-choline (LPC-bound) EPA and DHA krill oil.
The Singapore firm has so far incorporated the ingredient in its finished product Xandro LPC Neuro. The capsule supplement claims to rejuvenate and repair neurons, with DHA, EPA, and choline delivered directly in the brain, and comes with clean taste.
iHerb and multi-level marketing company Market America are among companies recognizing the benefits of palm fruit extract compounds, including tocotrienols and squalene, for healthy aging, according to phytonutrients supplier PhytoGaia.
Market America, for instance, is selling Choice NADPLUS Mango Jelly with D-Ribose, Palm Tocotrienol Rich Fraction (STGaia) and Nicotinamide under its Isotonix brand sold in Malaysia.
STGaia, supplied by PhytoGaia, is a complex combining tocotrienols and squalene extracted from palm fruits and was the winner of Ingredient of the Year Healthy Aging at the NutraIngredients-Asia Awards 2025.
