Delivery, quality, and sustainability
Despite the benefits, turmeric and its active component, curcumin, are among those ingredients that have proven problematic when it comes to bioavailability. Recent years have seen a flurry of activity around more readily dispersible, micro-encapsulated, and soluble varieties of the ingredient.
But these new developments have, in turn, highlighted other concerns about dosage, adverse reactions, side effects, and wider food safety issues, as German consultancy and contract research organisation analyze & realize (A&R) explains.
“Isolated or specifically modified extracts, or combinations of botanical constituents, may exhibit a safety profile that is different from the ‘parent’ botanical,” says senior consultant Steffi Dudek.
There are other types of refinement processes for active botanicals that may raise as many questions as answers – not always in terms of safety. Fermented products, for example, are very much in vogue, from alternative proteins to gut health. But are they making a real difference when it comes to the benefits of botanicals?
“Companies are looking for ways to differentiate themselves,” Foreman cautions. “Sometimes fermentation does affect the effectiveness of the plant. But you have to ask whether the brand has proven this, or is it just theory?”
Whatever the botanical ingredient, brand owners are well advised to substantiate the benefits claimed for the product at a given dosage, but also the speed with which those benefits take effect. If the effects are tangible, those trying a new supplement are more likely to stay with it, rather than moving on (or back) to other options.
The botanical supply chain is further impacted by a host of interconnected issues that may affect consumer perceptions: consistent quality, the risk of adulteration, and sustainability. Botanical suppliers are taking action to address these issues.
Spanish supplier Nektium, for instance, highlighted a cultivation programme in central Asia for the rhodiola plant – said to be a powerful adaptogen11 – arguing that cultivation, as opposed to wild harvesting, will avoid over-harvesting. US-headquartered Natreon has also begun cultivating ashwagandha, and HG&H has done so for its sceletium extract.
However, Foreman warns that this may have an impact on the bioactive content and efficacy. “Since these are not being grown in the same soils or wider environments, will their phytochemical and nutritional profiles be the same as the wild-grown botanicals?’” he asks.
Such questions around efficacy could have significant repercussions for botanical brands. According to Hughes at FMCG Gurus, perceptions around efficacy constitute one of the greatest challenges facing the category.
Botanical brands cannot rely on natural formulation claims alone, and must really emphasise and support the science behind health claims made on packaging
“We found that 78% of consumers who use supplements say it is important that products have clinically proven claims on the label, especially as they place greater urgency on maximising health,” he says, again adding that the proportion was similar in Asia-Pacific and Europe.
“This means that botanical brands cannot rely on natural formulation claims alone, and must really emphasise and support the science behind health claims made on packaging.”
