Turmeric time: New product launches

Published on: June 25, 2019

A look at a few new turmeric/curcumin products that launched in the past year.

Turmeric and curcumin products are now mainstream, with both dietary supplements and food/beverage products seeing market growth. Data provided by SPINS show that U.S. products with turmeric as a primary functional ingredient grew by 13% in the 52-week period ending March 24, 2019. Turmeric continues to be a market leader in the natural health channel. Market growth is also brisk in the specialty gourmet and multi-outlet channels, which each saw one-year gains of approximately 20%. SPINS data indicate that functional foods and beverages containing turmeric also saw double-digit growth, driven by ready-to-drink beverages that promote immune health.

As the turmeric market grows, brands are stepping up to meet consumer demand with an ever-diversifying array of products that extend well beyond standard capsule supplements. Here are just some of the innovative new turmeric/curcumin products that have launched in the last year.

Photo from Zyn Holistic Wellness

Turmeric Yogurt Hits the United Kingdom

Turmeric yogurt is now available to UK consumers. Family-owned dairy and retail brand Tims Dairy (Buckinghamshire, UK), now celebrating its 70^th year in business, introduced its The London Collection in 2019, which features products created around "exotic flavours and spices first shipped into the London docks from around the world.” One of the products in the line is a lactose-free mango-and-turmeric-flavored Greek-style yogurt. The London Collection also features rhubarb/rose and chocolate-orange marmalade flavors. Furthering the connection between dairy ingredients and innovative recipes, in October 2018, Tims Dairy partnered with food blogger and prominent social media influencer Mandy Miller Simmonds to promote its Greek-style yogurts as a base ingredient for curry.¹

The London Collection rolled out to British convenience stores in March 2019. Tims Dairy Managing Director Chris Timotheou said in an interview that the company’s goal was to provide consumers with a decadent and flavorful product that also offers health benefits. Tims Dairy observed an increase in the popularity of middle-eastern ingredients in the British market, prompting the company to create its mango-turmeric yogurt.²

References

Tims Dairy website. “Curry nights at home.” Tims Dairy. Published online October 2, 2018. Accessed at: https://www.timsdairy.co.uk/news-and-events/curry-nights-home/

Convenience Store website. “Tims Dairy launches London-themed yogurts.” Published online March 22, 2019. Accessed at: https://www.conveniencestore.co.uk/products/tims-dairy-launches-london-themed-yogurts/591620.article

Photo from Tims Dairy

Bonafide Launches Keto Broth with Turmeric and MCT Oil

Turmeric has long been a staple ingredient in keto dieters’ homemade recipes due to its purported anti-inflammatory properties, and now, brands are creating drinkable ketogenic broths that feature turmeric as a prominent ingredient. In March 2019, keto broth brand Bonafide Provisions (San Diego, CA) added a new bone broth to its existing line of ketogenic broths: a lemon, turmeric, and MCT oil bone broth in two versions (grass-fed butter and coconut oil).

Founder and clinical nutritionist Sharon Brown said in a Bonafide Provisions introductory video that the glycine present in bone broth promotes fat digestion and increases ketone concentration. Turmeric has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine as an indigestion remedy, and one 2018 prospective single-center evaluator-blinded randomized pilot study on 30 subjects found that turmeric may have a positive influence on gut microbiota.³ Thus, the combination of bone broth and turmeric seems ideally suited for keto dieters looking for a digestive aid.

Bonafide Provisions entered the RTD space in 2017 with its “Drinkable Veggies” product line. The brand will be an exhibitor at the 2020 Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA.

Reference
3. Peterson CT et al. “Effects of turmeric and curcumin dietary supplementation on human gut microbiota: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.” Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. Published online August 8, 2018.

Photo from Bonafide Provisions

RTD Beverage Space Welcomes Curcumin Option

Turmeric has already penetrated the growing ready-to-drink beverages market. In August 2018, Zyn Holistic Wellness (Milwaukee, WI) released its RTD mango lychee juice enriched with 200 mg of curcumin sourced from turmeric. The product also contains piperine to boost curcumin’s bioavailability. The Consumer Survey for Product Innovation program named Zyn the 2019 Product of the Year (healthy beverage category), with 40,000-plus U.S. consumers voting for the product.⁴

The Zyn Curcumin (from Turmeric) Holistic Wellness Beverages now come in four flavors: lemon ginger, mango lychee, pomegranate cranberry, and mixed berry. Says the company: “With over 200 mg of curcumin in every bottle and a perfect blend of low sugar, low calories, and refreshing flavors, drinking Zyn is a great way to get your daily recommended dose of time-tested curcumin and promote Holistic Wellness.” Each beverage contains only 2 g of sugar, 3 g of carbohydrates, and 10 calories/serving. It is made without high-fructose corn syrup and without artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, or preservatives.

Reference
4. Zyn website. “Zyn voted product of the year 2019.” Published online February 9, 2019. Accessed at: https://drinkzyn.com/blog/zyn-voted-product-of-the-year-2019/

Photo from Zyn Holistic Wellness

Curcumin Enters “Beauty from Within” Market

The nutricosmetics market gained a new entrant in April 2019 with the announcement that ingredient supplier Lipofoods SLU (Barcelona, Spain) and Sphera Encapsulation S.R.L. (Verona, Italy) were collaborating to create a new ingestible curcumin supplement (not pictured) designed as a skin health product. The supplement, called Curcushine, is a water-soluble product with a neutral taste profile and high bioavailability. Curcushine was unveiled at Vitafoods Europe 2019 in Geneva.

“Curcushine microcapsules [provide] antiaging benefits and [are] suitable for multiple nutraceutical applications,” Lipofoods Marketing Manager Isabel Gomez said in a press release. Lipofoods’ exhibitor booth at Vitafoods showcased a new gummy product that contains Curcushine.

Turmeric Products Set to Diversify

Data provided to Nutritional Outlook by Innova Market Insights indicate that turmeric/curcumin products are growing and diversifying. Innova statistics show that between 2014 and 2018, food and beverage launches for turmeric products grew by 11% per year. While most turmeric products launched fell within the seasonings or ready meals categories, there were statistically significant increases in the number of snack, hot drink, and sport-oriented turmeric products released.

As turmeric continues to grow in popularity, expect new opportunities for products of all formats. The next major opportunities for turmeric products will most likely arise in the nutricosmetics, RTD beverage, and immune-booster markets. Brands can capitalize on turmeric’s growing popularity with smart positioning and effective formulations.