Science Shorts: Nestle FITS & KIDS study, APAC cultivated meat, 3D-printed salmon and more feature in our round-up

FIT-ter KIDS: Fortified products key to addressing APAC micronutrient gaps – Nestle at Growth Asia Summit​

New Nestle data has revealed the major micronutrient gaps faced by many toddlers and school-age children in the Asia Pacific region, as well as the important role that fortified foods and beverages can play in addressing these needs.

Nestle may be best known for multinational brands such as Nescafe and Milo, but in the firm also has deep roots in nutritional research and development for consumers across various age groups.

One of the firm’s largest studies revolving around children is the Nestle FITS & KIDS study, covering nine countries and over 80,000 children from infant to school age.

Lessons learned: How can APAC cultivated meat sector avoid past alt protein ‘pitfalls’?​

The cultivated meat industry in APAC needs to focus on localisation and realistic pricing strategies to avoid repeating past alternative protein ‘pitfalls’, says pioneer Aleph Farms.Cultivated meat is one of the most advanced alternative protein production techniques being researched in the food industry today, and is expected to take roughly another decade before really coming into its own as an alternative to meat.

Start-up up hails 3D food printing 'the tech of the future' after ‘world first’ salmon filet launch​

Austrian food-tech startup Revo Foods has unveiled what it claims is the first 3D printed product available in a supermarket worldwide.

The company’s 3D printed vegan salmon filet will be available in REWE supermarket in Vienna from this week.

The Vienna-based start-up already makes plant-based seafood such as smoked salmon, and salmon and tuna spreads. Its first whole-cut vegan salmon filet is made from algae, pea protein and mycoprotein from Swedish company Mycorena.

Lactoferrin for sports: TurtleTree to commercialise precision fermentation ingredient in Singapore, US​

Singapore-headquartered TurtleTree is targeting sports nutrition success with its lactoferrin ingredient, with commercialisation in the US and Singapore expected this year and next year respectively.

The biotech firm specialises in scaling up the production of lactoferrin, a scarce protein found in dairy, via precision fermentation. Past studies​ show that the concentration of lactoferrin could vary from 2-5 mg/ml in the colostrum to 0.1-0.3 mg/ml in mature bovine milk.

Women’s woes: Targeted supplementation for different life stages crucial to tackle unmet needs – Growth Asia Summit​

The unique health and nutritional needs of women throughout their life span, which remain a significant gap to fill, could be addressed with science-backed ingredients and targeted supplementation.

Female-specific diseases are numerous and widespread, yet there are still many unmet needs, said Dr Monica Olivares, RD&A Director of Women & Infant’s Health at Kerry Ingredients.