Eric Hilton, CEO of NutraPharma Ltd, says his coffee machine sized gadget will take away the lengthy process involved in current at-home deficiency testing kits.
The system, named MiNutra, will allow consumers to perform a quick pin prick blood test and nutrient analysis to get their real-time recommended vitamins and minerals all from one machine on their kitchen counter.
“As far as revolutionary thinking goes, this piece of kit essentially is a lab and a manufacturing facility all on your kitchen counter," says Hilton.
“This takes away the need for any capsules or pills. You don’t have to go to the store, you don’t need to work out what you need or what you are missing.”
Chosen as one of NutraIngredients’ three ‘trailblazers’ for the Sports Nutrition Summit held in Amsterdam next month, Hilton will get to pitch his business to a room full of experts, hear their feedback and network with some big names in the industry.
This couldn’t come at a better time as he is currently approaching manufacturers and seeking investment in order to re-engineer his product to make it available at a commercially viable price - under £1,000 per unit. This will enable the product to be accessible to the mass market through a subscription service, not dissimilar to a mobile phone contract.
The machine will come with 10 cartridges worth of the most high quality and highly bio-available minerals, nutrients and vitamins, says Hilton.
Users will provide a pin prick blood sample which the machine will analyse to decipher the user’s nutritional needs and make appropriate recommendations. The user can then use their app to tell the machine which recommendations they would like to follow and the machine will make a mini shot-sized drink offering everything requested.
What consumers want
Coming from a long history within pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales, Hilton has also been savvy enough to sign up with an insurance company to guarantee to any athlete who uses the product that their data won’t be shared with anyone else.
Speaking about potential target audience, Hilton can see this being of strong interest for anyone interested in ensuring they maintain their health, especially those looking to optimise their performance through nutrition.
“We’ve spoken to personal trainers and they are 100% on board. People are looking at their diet now and realising they shouldn’t be eating what they are eating so it has potential in the mass market.
“We’ve also been approached by a couple of football clubs who already do some anlysis with blood tests for fitness but this is a different kettle of fish testing for deficiencies.”
The Sports Nutrition Summit, brought to you by NutraIngredients is back for a second year!
Bringing together industry and research professionals in the active and performance nutrition space, the Sports Nutrition Summit aims to bridge the gaps between cutting edge science, business strategy and key regulatory developments to shine a light on the key consumers in the sports and active nutrition industry, and what you can do to meet their needs.
Challenging you to know your market the 2019 programme will explore the latest scientific and product developments across the consumer spectrum - looking at active sports nutrition consumers by category, life stage and by geography.