Helaina to showcase effera lactoferrin ingredient at Natural Products Expo West 2025

Image courtesy of Helaina.

Helaina announced in a recent press release that the biotechnology company will be at Natural Products Expo West 2025 taking place March 4-7 in Anaheim, CA. The company will be exhibiting for the first time and will showcase their clinically studied human lactoferrin ingredient called effera.

According to the company, the ingredient is the first clinically studied lactoferrin supplement that is able to be compared to human milk lactoferrin. In the press release, Helaina mentions an ongoing ex vivo study that is looking into the potential immunomodulatory property effera may have. The study is investigating cytokine production of primary puerperal blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in healthy adults. Effera is being compared to native human lactoferrin to figure out how the two ingredients compare to one another in functionality, anti-inflammatory properties, as well as which of the two may be superior to the other.

Helaina published a study in Nutrients¹ last year which found that effera may be a better option than bovine lactoferrin. This was due to effera’s ability to survive the digestive process. The ingredient was able to keep its structural integrity and additionally releases peptides that are similar to the peptides found in native human milk. When compared to bovine lactoferrin, the animal lactoferrin isn’t as integral because it appears to break down at a faster rate.

Another study published in Journal of Toxicology², highlighted that participants who took bovine lactoferrin, created antibodies against a protein which showed an immunogenic response. Participants who took effera did not create antibodies which suggests that it may be tolerated better.

Additionally, the press release mentioned Eurofins results that showcased how effera “enables products to have 15X more lactoferrin, the key bioactive in colostrum, per dose than leading colostrum brands.” The lactoferrin ingredient also possibly allows products to have 7X more lactoferrin as a percentage of total protein consumption than other colostrum brand products.

References

1. Kim, B.J.; Kuhfeld, R.F.; Haas, J.L.; Anaya, Y.M.; Martinez, R.R.; Sah, B.N.P.; Breen, B.; Newsham, K.; Malinczak, C.-A.; Dallas, D.C. Digestive Profiles of Human Milk, Recombinant Human and Bovine Lactoferrin: Comparing the Retained Intact Protein and Peptide Release. Nutrients 2024, 16, 2360. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142360
2. Peterson RD, Guarneiri LL, Adams CG, et al. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial to Assess the Effects of Lactoferrin at Two Doses vs. Active Control on Immunological and Safety Parameters in Healthy Adults. International Journal of Toxicology. 2025;44(1):12-28. doi:10.1177/10915818241293723