See our top 10 most read Japan stories of 2020, featuring new innovations in functional foods and beverages, plus the latest consumer trends.
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See our top 10 most read Japan stories of 2020, featuring new innovations in functional foods and beverages, plus the latest consumer trends.
Probiotics were the most popular non-vitamin and non-mineral dietary supplement given to Japanese boys and girls, according to a new nationwide internet survey.
Researchers from Japan found probiotics consumption was 18.2% in boys and 18.5% in girls, and that intake was especially higher among children suffering from allergic diseases.
The findings were published in the journal, Nutrients.
An internet survey was undertaken among 55,038 mothers (25 to 60 years old) of preschool- or school-aged children in Japan.
Japanese supplements and cosmetics firm FANCL has launched a new personalised supplement service, Personal One, utilising data from consumer questionnaires and urine tests.
FANCL believes it is the first major supplement manufacturer to provide such a service, according to Toshihiro Tomita from the public relations group at FANCL Corporation.
He told NutraIngredients-Asia: “Personalisation optimising services according to personal interests such as beauty, health and fashion is advancing. Some venture companies have already implemented personalised supplements. However, we are the first service provider for a major supplement manufacturer.”
He observed the demand for supplements have been increasing rapidly as interest in healthy life expectancy increases, especially in ageing Japan.
Japan’s Suntory has launched a new beverage approved under the food with function claim (FFC) scheme, which is said to suppress the post-meal absorption of carbohydrates, particularly sugar.
The company was also rebranding its black oolong tea which has been on the market since 2006, with a food for specified health uses (FOSHU) claim, said to reduce fat absorption after meals.
The new FFC product is a green tea-based beverage, called lemon plus (carbohydrates), launched in March, while the rebranded black oolong tea was unveiled in February.
Last year, Suntory also launched a lemon plus drink to control cholesterol.
A FANCL-funded RCT study discovered that the ingestion of tea flower extract, mulberry leaf extract, and chitosan could reduce postprandial blood glucose and triglyceride levels in healthy subjects.
Two clinical trials have confirmed blood glucose and triglyceride levels were significantly lowered in the test group, compared to the placebo group.
FANCL will use these findings to market its Calolimit dietary supplement which is said to suppress sugar and fat absorption in healthy people.
The findings would be presented in June 2020, at The 20th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Anti-Aging Medicine. The results were published in the medical journal, Japanese Pharmacology Therapeutics.
Yakult Japan launched its first shelf-stable probiotic supplement – a sachet containing two of its exclusive probiotic strains, its lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota) and bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult).
Globally, the firm is known for its fermented probiotic milk beverage, but in its home market, its also develops consumer products including yoghurt, soymilk, juice, sports drink, noodles as well as kale, multivitamin and mineral, glucosamine, collagen, DHA and EPA supplements.
The new probiotic supplement is available in powder form, and each sachet contains more than 100 million of each probiotic strain. Other ingredients include maltodextrin, potato starch and corn starch.
Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota has been studied for its effect on gut health, cognitive benefits, relieving constipation, and reducing inflammation. On the other hand, Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult has studies on immunity and skin health.
A double-blind, randomised clinical trial revealed that the supplementation of probiotics with the laxative magnesium oxide was effective in managing constipation in young children.
Findings of the trial which was conducted in Japanese young children, were published in the scientific journal Nutrients.
The probiotic used for the trial is lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 and was supplied by Swedish probiotic firm BioGaia.
The researchers recruited the subjects from five paediatric outpatient clinics.
Sixty patients between the age of six months old and six years old and diagnosed with functional constipation were randomised into three groups.
Japan’s Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings released Japan’s first caffeine-free energy drink containing the botanical ingredient, enXtra, which has been clinically proven to improve alertness and focus up to five hours with or without caffeine.
The carbonated drinks were sold under the Raizin brand, and the two variants are hard ginger (ginger flavour) and fruity thunder (fruit flavour).
enXtra is manufactured by India-based Enovate Biolife which was awarded the NutraIngredients-Asia award in Ingredient of the Year (Sports Nutrition) last year.
enXtra is extracted from the rhizome of the ginger plant Alpinia Galangal and has been backed by three clinical studies in several applications including sports nutrition, weight loss and cognitive care.
Japanese confectionery company Ezaki Glico had seen strong demand for its Mental Balance Chocolate GABA for Sleep, which carried a food with function claim (FFC).
Launched last year, the product was the latest addition to the company’s GABA lineup, which included its flagship Mental Balance Chocolate GABA released in 2005. This was also a FFC product and it claimed to ease stress and support a relaxed mind. They came in milk and dark chocolate flavours.
Both products contained the amino acid, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), although Mental Balance Chocolate GABA for Sleep contained 100mg of GABA per 12.5g of product, more than the flagship product’s 28mg of GABA per 10g.
According to a Euromonitor report on sleep aids, most Japanese prefer to deal with their sleeping problems naturally first, before turning to OTC sleep medications. This meant reconsidering their daily lifestyles, such as exploring more natural remedies.
Japanese firms such as Nippn, Kirin, Morinaga Milk Industry, Kewpie, Yakult, Eminet, and FANCL had been sharing their experiences of operating in Japan despite the state of emergency in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 16, Japan’s Prime Minster Shinzo Abe declared a nationwide state of emergency in all 47 prefectures, in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
PM Abe explained it was not a lockdown, and essential services like clinics, pharmacies, transportation, banks, post offices, delivery services, supermarkets and convenience stores would continue to operate.
Probiotics and infant formula producer Morinaga Milk Industry told us production was continuing as normal, with research associate Chyn Boon Wong stating that dietary supplements were considered ‘essential services’ in Japan.
Products with multiple health claims were on the rise in Japan’s Food with Function (FFC) market with numbers expected to surpass 300 this year, according to exclusive data revealed in the first of our spotlights on the market.
Out of the 221 FFCs launched in April to June this year, more than one-third (80) are FFCs with multiple claims.
From last April till March this year, there were nearly 200 such products launched. In 2018, it was slightly more than 150 and less than 100 in 2017.
The number of FFCs with multiple health claims launched this year is expected to hit at least 300.
