The global supplier is including its proprietary ingredients Covital natural-source vitamin E, Betatene natural beta-carotene and Tonalin conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in the category.
This platform points to a general tendency in the nutraceutical industry towards branding and condition-specific marketing.
"Marketing in the US now requires branding for ingredients," Cognis vice president Dave Eckert told NutraIngredients-USA.com. "Branding is so much more active than it was five or ten years ago."
By creating a platform geared to a specific health area, immunity, Cognis is hoping to make things easier for finished products manufacturers as they sift through the various types of immunity boosting ingredients on the market.
"We want to be a one-stop shop," said Eckert. "We help finished product makers make products that are tailored to immunity."
According to federal statistics, about 10 to 20 percent of the population get the flu each year. With an average of 36,000 people dying from the flu, and another 114,000 being admitted to the hospital as a result of the flu each year.
"The need is clear with 36 percent of US consumers extremely or very concerned about a weak or stressed immune system," said Cognis Nutrition & Health senior marketing manager Christine Peggau.
And consumers tend to specifically associate immunity-building with preventing colds and flu's, said Eckert, even though the benefits of such ingredients go far beyond this function.