The firm won our NutraIngredients-Asia Award for Product Of The Year - Immune Support for its iMMUSE product, citing its strong versatility as a major factor for success.
iMMUSE, the brand name for Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma), defeated two other strong contenders within the Immune Support category - BioGaia AB for BioGaia Pharax and Devotion International for VITABOX Lactobacillus Plantarum L-137 - to take the award home after being declared the victor at the awards ceremony during our recent Growth Asia Summit 2023 in Singapore.
According to the firm, immune health continues to be an important area of concern for consumers in the Asia Pacific region.
“We have definitely noticed an increased demand for products to support immunity after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but it is more than just this virus that is of concern,” Kyowa Hakko Singapore Senior Sales and Marketing Executive Sarah Cheng told NutraIngredients-Asia after receiving the award.
“There are also other types of viruses going around that [have become commonplace today], such as the flu virus, so immune support is something that consumers see as a need to be continually emphasised.”
Whilst there has been a boom of immune health-targeted products in the market over the past few years, the firm believes that the main advantages iMMUSE has over the competition, besides its ability to stimulate immune function at the cellular level, are its versatility and stability.
“iMMUSE provides very comprehensive immune support as it works as an immune activator that helps the body’s own immune system to function optimally, but in addition it also has been developed to be very stable and versatile,” Cheng added.
“Becasuse it’s a postbiotic and already inactivated, it can go into many, many different formulations making product formulation very easy, and removing concerns regarding storage as it remains viable at room temperature.”
Kirin already has its own flagship iMUSE drink made using iMMUSE as a functional addition, as well as a wide range of over 25 iMUSE-branded products and over 10 external products made using iMMUSE as a funcitonal ingredient, showcasing its strong versatility.
In-house iMUSE products alone range from teas to confectionery to yoghurts and more.
“Apart from beverages and supplements, iMMUSE is currently also being used in gummies which are a major trending product format [in the nutraceuticals and] supplements space right now,” Kyowa Hakko Singapore Business Development and Marketing Lead Amy Lau added.
“In addition to immune health, moving forward we will also be looking at more health and wellbeing areas such as digestive health and cognitive health across various life stages.”
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