4 reasons to partner with dsm-firmenich on your next early life nutrition innovation

Summary

• Consuming adequate quantities of high-quality nutrients is important at every stage of life, but particularly for mothers and infants during the first 1,000 days – from conception to a child’s 2^nd birthday – to set solid foundations for optimum health in the future.
• During this critical period, the nutritional needs of expectant and nursing mothers increase and then vary throughout the journey from preconception through to lactation. To reach the required levels for all nutrients including vitamins, minerals and omega-3s, supplementation is often recommended.
  
• With decades of experience in nutritional science in the field, a focus on consumer data, an in-depth understanding of winning delivery formats and comprehensive regulatory expertise, dsm-firmenich can help bring purpose-led early life nutrition products to market. Read on to explore four of the reasons why dsm-firmenich should be your partner of choice. 

Experts in nutritional science

dsm-firmenich has an innovative – and growing – ingredient portfolio to support optimal nutritional status in soon-to-be, pregnant and new mothers. For example, ensuring adequate intakes of folate in women that are trying to conceive is incredibly important as low folate levels can be a risk factor in the development of neural tube defects in the fetus. dsm-firmenich’s Metafolin^® methylfolate is a highly bioavailable form of folate. As the nature identical form of the folate found in foods, Metafolin^® provides mothers with an effective alternative to folic acid supplementation. During pregnancy, meanwhile, vitamin D can support the mother’s immune function alongside the development of a baby’s bones, teeth, heart and nervous system. dsm-firmenich’s calcifediol product, ampli-D^®, is an advanced and potent form of vitamin D clinically proven to raise levels more effectively than standard vitamin D3.¹

dsm-firmenich also brings extensive scientific expertise in infant nutrition. We recognize that human milk is the gold standard of infant nutrition and contains many bioactive components that are essential for optimizing infant development and health. Emerging research, for example, suggests that specific human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) – the third most abundant solid component of human milk – may provide unique health benefits, including immunity and gut health support as well as a potential role in cognitive development.²

Our understanding of HMOs is evolving rapidly, as scientists seek to uncover their full potential in early life nutrition and beyond. To date, dsm-firmenich has supported over 100 HMO research projects, spanning 55 research centers – highlighting our commitment to undertaking continuous scientific research. In the nutritional lipids space, meanwhile, dsm-firmenich is the leading supplier of DHA omega-3 and ARA omega-6 with 200 clinical trials providing evidence of their benefits and safety.

Consumer-insight led

To better understand what influences parents when making nutritional choices for babies, toddlers and kids, dsm-firmenich recently conducted an in-depth Usage and Attitude consumer study to uncover new insights and help manufacturers breathe new life into their early life nutrition innovations.

The outcomes of the survey highlighted that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, immunity continues to remain a priority – with the development of a healthy immune system a number one concern for 38% of mothers of babies and toddlers.³ However, it was revealed that new concerns around mental health and sleep in young children are also on the rise, opening up opportunities to communicate the links between nutrition and improved health and wellbeing in kids.

Consumer insights, such as those outlined in our recent survey, often reveal some surprising results and highlight a wide range of potential innovation opportunities for early life nutrition brands looking to grow their product offerings. At dsm-firmenich, this consumer-led approach to innovation can help brands develop and deliver solutions that truly resonate with mothers.

Winning formats

Ensuring that early life nutrition products are aligned with evolving scientific knowledge and changing consumer preferences is crucial. For example, our life’sDHA^® is the only 550mg/g natural triglyceride DHA microbial oil on the market and helps to deliver high levels of DHA in smaller serving sizes, as well as addressing the sensory and stability challenges traditionally associated with conventional DHA formats. Improving consumer compliance has also inspired advances in the market-ready solutions that dsm-firmenich offers in the maternal nutrition market – watch this space!

Regulatory expertise

Bringing new early life nutrition products to market often means navigating complex and dynamic regulations. At dsm-firmenich, our regulatory team can work with you throughout the entire product development journey and has access to a wider network of toxicologists, scientists and application chemists when specialist support is required. With global and regional experts and a record of reputational excellence with authorities worldwide, we are well-equipped to advise you on how to meet local and international ingredient regulations. We are also committed to delivering reliable regulatory and quality management in everything we do. That means creating ingredients that comply with international regulations – and that are assured with the highest standards of quality and safety. 

Creating a bright future for moms and babies 

Taking your product from concept to market can be both time and resource intensive. It takes more than ingredients to unlock innovation in the early life nutrition market; it takes an end-to-end partner to assist you at every stage of your product development process. With consumer insights, scientific expertise and market-ready solutions, we can help you support throughout the first 1,000 days of life with purpose-led solutions that lead to happy and healthy babies and mothers.