The Research Hehind ApplePhenon

Live from SupplySide Global 2026, Nutritional Outlook’s Nicholas Jacobus speaks with Lixin Ding, chief scientific officer at BGG, about a new watermelon-tamarind-cayenne beverage concept built around ApplePhenon, the company’s clinically studied apple extract for weight management. In the conversation, Ding discusses the ingredient’s expanding research base, how it may help address muscle loss and body composition changes associated with GLP-1 use, and why market research into popular U.S. flavors drove the beverage’s formulation.

Transcript:

Nicholas Jacobus: BGG is showing a watermelon-tamarind-cayenne beverage built around an apple extract for weight management. Can you tell us more about the research behind ApplePhenon and reason behind the choice of flavor for the beverage?

Lixin Ding: Yeah, sure. ApplePhenon actually has been studied for many years. This is a very old product for us, but it’s its health benefits covers a wide range, from cardiovascular to skin health, respiratory, immunity, anti allergy. But recently, we focus this benefit on metabolic health. So we relaunched this product last year, and we have four studies addressing its clinical support on weight management, LDL cholesterol reduction, and glucose reduction. And I think this matches pretty well with current trend about GLP-1 campaign, because you know the weight loss, of course, that's a positive, but there's also other negative things of GLP-1 campaigns.

For example, the loss of muscle and also the body composition change. And I think as advancing can address several factors caused by these GLP companies. In terms of the application of the drink, we see that although there are many different types of application dosage domifications but we see that the beverage, especially the portable beverage, is a trend in the market with the purpose of nutrition and also the clinical backed activities, benefits, and as well as like you know hydration. So we studied the market trend in the U.S. around what is what is the most popular flavor in the market, and we found that the watermelon and what is called tamarind is one is on the top of the list. So that's why we chose the flavor.