Clasado has shared its perspective on how evolving consumer behaviours are setting the stage for enormous growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) prebiotic market.
Anticipated to enjoy a robust 15.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 2028, according to market intelligence firm Grand View Research, the APAC region is expected to be one of the most rapidly expanding markets for prebiotics. Clasado, developer of multi award-winning prebiotic ingredient Bimuno® GOS, believes that a proactive health audience exploring the connections between health and nutrition will power sustained market growth.
David Mharakurwa, Director of Sales APAC & EMEA, at Clasado Biosciences, explains why the market is ripe with tremendous potential:
“In many respects, the APAC market leads the way in rapidly adopting new health and nutrition trends. As the patterns and emerging trends we see in this market tend to follow in other global markets, we could view the Asia-Pacific region as a key indicator in where the market is heading. With the prebiotic market gaining significant momentum, brands and formulators can gain valuable insights from understanding what’s driving this change.
One of the most important shifts is changing consumer behaviour with regards to health and wellbeing. For consumers around the globe, and the APAC market is a prime example, there is an ongoing shift from reactivity to proactivity. This switch in thinking is driving real success for ‘everyday health and wellness’ nutraceuticals that are designed to keep the body operating at its best. This stands in stark contrast to the more ‘traditional’ role of health supplements, which tended to be as a solution to a given health problem. This is particularly valuable insight in rapidly expanding economies such as China, Indonesia and Thailand. Consumers are investing in their own wellbeing through supplements, which creates a great deal of commercial opportunity.
Health and nutrition are getting more closely linked, and today’s consumer is better informed and looking to boost their understanding of the relationship between diet and health – further powering the success of prebiotics in the APAC market. What we put into the body matters and with the gut microbiome being so central to health, it’s natural that consumer exploration leads to prebiotics. In turn, this is driving new growth potential for personalised nutrition, which we expect to accelerate through the coming year.
We are also expecting to see a number of existing categories, such as prebiotic gut health supplements and synbiotics, expand at a rapid rate as prebiotics become more central to the health audience, and more utilised by formulators.
As one of the most abundant emerging markets for prebiotics, we are also seeing a sizable shift in how formulators are selecting their prebiotic ingredients. In the prebiotic market’s infancy, formulators looked towards solutions that had been established for years – but now brands are looking elsewhere greaters specificity around feeding health-positive bacteria and thus, creating a more targeted impact. Galactooligosaccharides, for example, are becoming scaled and their cost-in-use more affordable for formulators, bringing an enormous range of benefits with them over the alternatives.
Our own ingredient, Bimuno GOS, is an example that stands out in meeting the needs of the health market. The most studied functional ingredient of its kind, it is supported by over 100 published studies, including more than 20 clinical trials in addition to 2 approved health claims by the FDA Philippines. Trust has never been more important, and consumers want to be assured that the products they choose have strong scientific backing and safety record. This is why an ingredient like Bimuno GOS shines. With our ingredient available through our partners in the region, such as CTC Group, the potential has never been clearer.”
