Fonterra and VitaKey Inc. have launched a dairy science cooperation on Fonterra’s probiotic strains, in anticipation of a future in which many foods would be prized for their individual health advantages.
Fonterra and VitaKey Inc. have launched a dairy science cooperation on Fonterra’s probiotic strains, in anticipation of a future in which many foods would be prized for their individual health advantages. VitaKey focuses on precision nutrition delivery, which is a new area of study that aims to deliver the appropriate nutrients, in the right amount, to the right part of the body at the right time.
The VitaKey delivery technology platform for nutrients, co-founded by Dr. Robert Langer, is based on technology licenced from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and developed at the Langer Lab, the world’s biggest academic biomedical engineering lab. Fonterra said it is looking to design dairy products that incorporate targeted and time-controlled releases of specific dairy nutrients, beginning with probiotics, in a way that locks in the freshness for longer and allows the nutrients to be more active and beneficial in the body, using VitaKey’s proprietary technology and customised solutions.
Cooperation, according to Judith Swales, CEO of Fonterra’s Asia Pacific region, is part of Fonterra’s long-term strategy and aim to be a leader in dairy innovation and nutrition research. “Our co-op has a long and proud history of dairy innovation, pioneering numerous global firsts and, increasingly, innovative solutions aimed at helping people live healthier and longer lives,” Swales said. “Our Research and Development Centre houses one of the world’s largest dairy culture libraries, with over 40,000 strains.”
Two of these strains, LactoB 001 and BifidoB 019, address critical health concerns such as digestion and immunity and are ranked among the top five global probiotics. “We hope to ‘make nature better’ by merging the quality of our New Zealand milk with VitaKey’s technology by cooperating with VitaKey. With this approach, we can truly push our active living business by appealing to the expanding health and wellness customer group that is motivated by scientific legitimacy and demands the highest functional advantages from food. ” Because the nutrients are encapsulated and finely targeted, we can use less milk in our manufacturing, allowing our milk to go further while decreasing waste.
The collaboration’s initial step is to stabilise probiotics and transfer them to the digestive tract. This will make use of similar MIT technology created in the Langer Lab, which NASA may utilise to provide probiotics to astronauts on their next Mars expedition.
The VitaKey delivery platform has previously been demonstrated to retain and improve the absorption of 11 distinct micronutrients, including vitamins D, A, B12, and C, as well as iron, zinc, niacin, and folic acid. Fonterra aims to use the VitaKey technology to include a variety of micronutrients, such as Vitamin D, into its products. Langer, who is in charge of more than 150 researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, stated that the technology may be tailored to each link in the food supply chain.
“The COVID epidemic has highlighted the need for remedies to improve men’s and women’s health and immunity at every stage of life.” “We think that excellent, healthy meals may help individuals of all ages lead better lives,” stated Langer.