NutraCast: Trends, challenges and innovations in the evolving gummy market

"[The gummy market is] really on fire and it's continuing to grow, and we see it's going to keep going that way for the foreseeable future," said Vaughn DuBow, senior director of product portfolio marketing of health & wellness at ADM. "At least that's what the data is telling us now."

DuBow discussed the rapid growth of the gummy market, highlighting the market forecast, consumer preferences, sugar content concerns and opportunities for differentiation in the health and wellness industry. 

The discussion also highlighted the complexities involved in formulating gummy products, particularly when it comes to reducing sugar content and incorporating functional ingredients. DuBow said the biggest challenge for gummy manufacturers is formulating effective gummy supplements, which can often become a significant undertaking due to heat and liquid limitations.

"Not only do you, number one, have to find efficacious ingredients, but then you have to find efficacious ingredients that can withstand the medium that they're being placed in and all that's being done to them during manufacturing," he said. "But even beyond that, when you start adding in the demands such as sugar reduction, that formulation has to be modified further because you need to make up for that sugar that's lost. You need to give body and flavor and texture to that product.

“It's a constant battle of let's add this. And then if we add this, what do we have to take out? Or if we take this out, what do we have to add in in order to make it still taste like a perfect gummy?”

Looking ahead, DuBow paints an exciting picture of the evolving gummy supplement market and the potential for further innovation in the coming years, noting that he anticipates biotics to be the next ‘big thing’ when it comes to gummies. 

"But it's really going to be important finding biotics that remain stable and efficacious during high heat and high liquid applications," he said. "As the technology enhances and more and more people realize that you can put certain stable biotics into gummies, that's what's going to be the next big thing for sure."

To hear more on gummy innovations, including ADM’s new Tribiotic gummy concept, listen to the NutraCast.

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