In a year which witnessed a record-breaking number of entries, the competition was fierce as our expert panel of judges looked to choose just one winner for each of our 16 award categories.
After the winners were officially announced in an online award ceremony yesterday, the NutraIngredients team and its esteemed panel of judges would like to congratulate all of this year's winners.
Ewa Hudson, Director of Insights at Lumina Intelligence and head judge for 2021, said: "It was an honour to judge these first-class, inspiring and progressive award entries and to see the best of the best awarded for their outstanding contribution to the health and nutrition sector.
"We welcomed new judges to the panel and I’d like to thank them for the tremendous amount of time and effort they gave in the judging process. We are truly grateful for their insights, patience, and guidance.
"Well done to everyone involved in the NutraIngredients Awards for your successes and efforts to continually improve both the community and people’s health and Congratulations to our winners."
This year's categories and winners are:
Ingredient of the Year
Ingredient of the Year: Beauty from Within - Atopic Dermatitis Probiotic Formulation, ADM
The award judges said this ingredient has extremely robust scientific evidence backing up its claims and pivots around the gut-skin axis – a space with growing potential.
Ingredient of the Year: Cognitive Function - CONCENTAL, Finzelberg
Judges were impressed with CONCENTAL’s combination of its plant-based, caffeine-free credentials complimented by the strength of the science submitted by its makers Finzelberg. Added to that, the unique properties of Sideritis scardica or Greek Mountain Tea and its versatility in a number of delivery applications, the Awards committee felt they were onto a winner for 2021.
Ingredient of the Year: Healthy Ageing - CONCENTAL, Finzelberg
Our judges said innovations with potential to improve the concentration, focus, and performance even under mental stress are of key importance for wellbeing of people as they age. Concental stood out for its proven efficacy at boosting cognitive performance and reduction of anxiety, alongside its botanical origin.
Ingredient of the Year: Prebiotic - Bimuno, Clasado Biosciences
The panel said this ingredient is a prebiotic fiber with sound scientific evidence to support and quantify gut modulation which is valuable and spotlights applicability in various indications.
"Winning the inaugural award for Ingredient of the Year: Prebiotic is extremely meaningful for our team, that dedicates its time, expertise, and resources to the prebiotic category. The prebiotic sector is gaining significant and exciting commercial traction," says Gareth Clark, European Sales & Marketing Director, Clasado Biosciences.
"Being the first recipient of this award confirms that the R&D behind our GOS ingredient Bimuno, and its subsequent use in products around the globe, makes a real difference. Bimuno truly demonstrates the potential for innovation available to brands and product developers, and our team is exceptionally proud to be recognised by the distinguished panel of judges at the NutraIngredients Awards."
Ingredient of the Year: Sports Nutrition - Creapure, AlzChem Trostberg
Our panel of judges from the sports nutrition field said Creapure is “the best creatine out there”, adding that it is the basis of most sports nutrition programmes as its scientific backing and health benefits are “unbelievably solid”.
"This award is a confirmation for our hard work to produce the best creatine ingredient and to add value to the premium products of our customers globally. We are proud to provide tailored nutrition solutions for a healthy lifestyle and to support so many athletes in achieving their ambitious goals." says Dr. Jürgen Bezler, Vice President Human Nutrition AlzChem Trostberg GmbH.
"Creapure will continue it`s innovation path. There are new exciting applications for Creapure with unique benefits for our customers on the horizon - just stay tuned."
Ingredient of the Year: Weight Management - SynBalance MetSyn, ROELMI HPC
Judges said this science-driven product targets not only those with overweight and obesity, but also provides promise in preventing cardiovascular diseases. The global obesity epidemic calls for innovative solutions which provide a long-term impact and this product does just that.
"We truly thank the organization for this great opportunity and honour the great team effort, we would like to thank personally each one of them. Growth has nothing to do with pure luck, it is the result of precious and proactive team-working in always providing great results based on scientific innovation," says Dr. Cristiana Piangiolino, Ph. D. Market Manager, Nutraceutical
Product of the Year
Product of the Year: Botanical - Urox, Seipel Group
Targeting a growing health concern that currently impacts over 400 million worldwide, our judges said this product opened up the discussion around incontinence and offers a natural and side-effect free way for consumers to improve their physical and mental health and generally live a fuller life.
"We are honoured to win NutraIngredients Europe Product of the Year: Botanical. It is such a great recognition for the entire Seipel Group team and our solo 20 year commitment to destigmatising bladder control problems through our research and development of Urox," said CEO, Tracey Seipel. "We are pleased the judges recognise the very high prevalence and significant physical and mental health and lifestyle deterioration that results from poor bladder control and that Urox® benefits. NutraIngredients Awards are immensely respected, even from as far as Australia. We are humbled to be amongst high-calibre finalists and winners as we improve the world through holistic healthcare.
Product of the Year: Immune Support - Vitamin D3000 Oral Spray, BetterYou
Our judges said this is a clear concept with good clinical evidence for Vitamin D, combined with an oral delivery system which stands out in the category.
Product of the Year: Omega-3 - RINGANA BEYOND omega, RINGANA
The plant-based nature of the product and the beyond omega-3 effect created by a synergy with other ingredients, resulted in what our judges described as a unique nutritional edge for demanding modern consumers.
Product of the Year: Probiotic - EnteroSatys, TargEDys
The judges said the microbiome and its modulation is a key focus of scientific research. Whilst there were many outstanding applications, TargEDys’ satiety inducing technology with the identified mechanism of action of the Hafnia alvei HA4597 strain stood out in the probiotic product of the year category, offering an innovative and durable solution for overweight people.
Product of the Year: Sports Nutrition - Revvies Energy Strips, Revvies Energy Strips
According to our judges, Revvies Energy Strips has created a useful addition to the sports supplements category that provides an alternative fast, convenient and reliable way for dosing caffeine during sports performance.
Jacqui Nolan-neylan, co-founder of Revvies, says: "We are so happy and honoured to win such a prestigious award and incredibly thankful to you for your support. As a small company with limited funds, this kind of award will help us open big doors that have previously been shut. We are about to launch a crowdfunding raise and being able to open with this news is a game-changer in so many ways.
"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts we are incredibly grateful."
Specialty Awards
Editors Award for Functional Food Innovation - Heat-treated Bifidobacterium lactis (HT-BPL1) postbiotic, ADM
Our panel agreed that postbiotics are an exciting emerging class of ingredient which open up a world of opportunity for supplement, food and drink manufacturers to incorporate microbiome modulation into a broad range of applications.
Clinical trial of HT-BPL1 suggests it could reduce visceral fat reduction in overweight humans, making it particularly relevant during a global obesity epidemic
“We’re proud to be recognized by NutraIngredients for our continued innovation and advancements in microbiome solutions,” says Mark Lotsch, president, Health & Wellness, ADM. “As more consumers turn to functional foods and dietary supplements to support their health and wellbeing, we are well positioned to support our customers with science-backed solutions and innovative technologies to help them deliver consumer-preferred nutritional benefits across many different categories.”
Nutrition Research Project - Lactobacillus plantarum WJL, a Precibiomic strain promoting capacity for protein degradation to enhance juvenile growth and host nutrition, TargEDys
Our judges commended TargEDys’ efforts describing it as an excellent Nutrition Research project with good research set-up and clear application. This was coupled with a focus on the microbiome for better understanding of its impact on overall health.
Personalised Nutrition Initiative - Atlas Health food tracking app - APP Store, Atlas Biomed
Atlas Biomed was commended by our judges for harnessing AI, the microbiome and dietary data to create a rewarding personalised experience that pushes the preventative healthcare angle to great success.
Atlas Biomed CEO Sergey Musienko says: “We are truly honoured to receive this prestigious award. Thank you to the jury who voted to make us number one in this category. And of course, without the fantastic support and dedication from our team, this would not have been possible. It's a real recognition of the hard work that they put in," said Sergey Musienko, CEO of Atlas Biomed.
"Atlas Biomed is driven by science and we will continue to develop technologies, algorithms and results that help people take control of their health with actionable advice".
Start-up Award - KÄÄPÄ Biotech
The judges said KÄÄPÄ Biotech succeeds in combining innovative processing and high-standard quality assurance with consumer expectations that today’s society considers increasingly important from trusted companies: responsible and ecologic sourcing of raw materials, organic production and transparency of the supply chain.
Eric Puro, founder and CEO of KÄÄPÄ Biotech, says: "This award is a big win for the future of human health. We have been unlocking the secrets fungi hold for human biological improvement now for two and half years, and we continue to push forward. In 20 years we will look back and wonder what we did without functional fungi to support our health.
"Thank you to NutraIngredients for the visionary outlook to this industry’s future, and acknowledging our work in this remarkable way. We promise to continue pushing the boundaries and develop potent food supplements to make our time on this planet more enjoyable, sustainable, and connected."
NutraChampion - Sandra Einerhand, PhD
Sandra Einerhand is head of Einerhand Science & Innovation, a consultancy providing nutritional solutions to the food and dietary supplements industry.
With over 20 years of experience in research management and innovation in nutrition, gut and metabolic health, Einerhand Science & innovation won the Luxlife Food and Drink award in 2020 for best European Early Life Nutrition Consultancy.
Sandra also chairs the Nutrition Consultants Cooperative (NCC) and works as a fellow for Presans, a Paris-based service provider in high-end open innovation.
Before 2015, she worked for Danone Nutricia Research, Tate & Lyle Ingredients and Lipid Nutrition as Scientific Program Director and Nutrition & Health Director.
The judges were most impressed by the breadth, quality and dedication Sandra has shown in the pursuit of nutrition science and innovation of the highest quality.
The judges were left without a doubt that Sandra had built a list of impeccable credentials and experience, whose body of work strived to make a difference to people and the environment. Congratulations to Sandra.
To read the online awards brochure click here.