Symrise consolidates its expertise in Health Active solutions, which are used in health-related products. In a field that harbors enormous opportunities for growth, the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment has built a dedicated team to develop a vision and a strategy, drawing on many years of experience and meeting consumers’ demand to proactively improve their health.

INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT, SOCIETY

“For a long time, our products have been contributing to people’s wellbeing on many levels.”

Nathalie Richer,
Human Health Leader

“In my 17 years with the company, health has always been a focus for me,” says Nathalie Richer, leading Human Health in the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment. “For a long time, our products have been contributing to people’s well-being on many levels.” Today people and pet parents are in search of products benefiting the body and health. Therefore, industrials are asking for solutions to meet these expectations.

In 2023, Symrise decided to accelerate its position and reinforce its expertise on health. “We have now structured a new leadership team who has reviewed our approach, co-built a clear vision and new strategy dedicated to Health Active Solutions,” explains Dr. Olivier Ballèvre, Health Strategy Vice President for Taste, Nutrition & Health. The team, which began its work in 2023, aims to focus on Health Active Solutionsʼ benefits, sourced from nature and substantiated by scientific findings. Echoing its historical commitment to sustainability, Symrise’s raw materials responsibly sourced from nature include processed side streams of fruit, vegetables and meat. The resulting products will be addressing three strategic health benefit areas: gut and immune health, metabolic health, and healthy aging. This will enable Symrise to stand apart from its competitors.

The product portfolio is broad: “We are looking closely at a diverse application market for people and pets, as both markets share similar health challenges. There are a lot of common aspects on innovating for Pet Health and Human Health,” says Dr. Olivier Ballèvre. There are Symrise products for use in functional foods and beverages, in dietary supplements and in medical nutrition delivering targeted health benefits. For pets, there are functional treats, pet dietary supplements, and also veterinary diet. To achieve its goals in these areas, Symrise is heavily investing in people, research and development, communication and manufacturing capabilities.

The company’s portfolio already included natural bioactives. “We now aim to expand our offering with solutions that are backed by stronger science and contribute to improving users’ health – not treating diseases,” says Nathalie Richer. “To achieve this, we are regrouping internal know-how and recruiting very specific health experts in different domains to develop a complementary skillful team that will build on existing know-how. One of the challenges here is the different regulations that apply in the various regions. “In Europe, for example, regulatory aspects can be very different to other regions, like North America and APAC,” explains Nathalie Richer.

Therefore, the regional Business Development Managers will have a key role to play in implementing the strategy and developing the product portfolio. “Here, we will be aligning closely with the needs of the respective markets,” says Renata Leite, Global Health Strategic Marketing Director.

Our product pipeline is well stocked. A good example of a specific product is the Prebiocran™ premium branded solution. Thanks to the creation of a 5-year Industrial Partnership Chair on the potential prebiotic effects of fruit polyphenols in 2018 together with the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Symrise brought Prebiocran™ to market in May 2023. It is rich in polyphenols – a group of secondary plant compounds that support a healthy gut.

Prebiocran™ proved to be able to specifically modulate gut flora composition and function and boost intestinal barrier function. “There are promising findings showing that Prebiocran™ can help support metabolic health,” says Renata Leite. An in vitro study using a simulation of the gastrointestinal tract supports the product’s effectiveness. A clinical pilot study was also conducted. For a complete and additional value solution, products like Prebiocran™ can also be combined with other Symrise expertise, such as taste-masking.

“We are looking closely at a diverse application market for people and pets.”

Olivier Ballèvre,
Health Strategy Vice President for Taste, Nutrition & Health

Symrise has great future ambitions in the Health Active Solutions space. Whereas the company has previously used mostly natural ingredients obtained from fruit, vegetables and meat, now it is growing its portfolio by sourcing new botanicals and entering into biotic raw materials. “As we are strengthening our capabilities into this field, we have an enormous range of options,” says Nathalie Richer. “That is why addressing the topic of Health Active Solutions will enable us to develop some very exciting business opportunities.”

“There are promising findings showing that Prebiocran™ can help support metabolic health.”

Renata Leite,
Global Health Strategic Marketing Director