USA – DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has introduced new range of cultures specially designed for fermented plant-based products.

The new DuPont Danisco VEGE cultures are an addition to Danisco brand which delivers food and beverage innovation to address the health, wellness trends among consumers.

It features DuPont’s premium HOWARU probiotics which are specially designed for fermented plant-based products, driven by digestive health and wellness.

The new cultures were developed for a wide-ranging variety of plant-based raw materials, such as soy, peas, coconut, almond, nuts, oat, maize, rice, fruits and vegetables.

According to the company, the new cultures lines is part of the on-going strategy to invest and expand in probiotics, due to growing demand for digestive health and functional products.

Available in single-strain form, the new range is non-dairy, non-animal, non-allergen, non-GMO and suitable for vegan diets and according to DuPont, it can be integrated with existing cultures used in plant-based fermented food and beverage formulations.

“Digestive wellness is one of the top global trends for 2019. As consumers continue to make health and wellness part of their daily routines, they’re looking for benefit-focused options,” said Sonia Huppert, Global Product Leader, Plant-Based Products at DuPont.

“Digestive health is an area where consumers can feel the benefits immediately. Symptoms like bloating and irregularity are treated with diet changes and with new products.

“Innovations in fermentation and probiotics can truly deliver solutions in this area.”

DuPont Danisco VEGE joins DuPont’s digestive health range which includes new additions such as HOWARU Dophilus VG, which contains Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and HOWARU Bifido VG, which contains Bifidobacterium lactis HN019.

The HOWARU brand is a high activity, premium probiotic product with high performance, high stability and high functionality as its hallmark traits.

“We have the broadest portfolio for plant-based fermented foods and beverages and a deep passion to not only help deliver the food experience consumers desire, but also to bring the health benefits they’re continually seeking,” said Didier Carcano, Global Marketing Leader, Cultures, DuPont.

“We aim to continue investing in this area, growing our probiotics expansion efforts and working with our customers to create essential health solutions for growth opportunities across the globe.”

According to Innova Market Insights data, the use of probiotics increased by 9.5% in 2017, with dairy leading the category at 60%.