Brain boom: 3 ingredients boosting cognitive health

One of the key functional food trends is brain health. The market for food and drink with brain health benefits is booming. Already seeing significant success, it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.38% from 2029, according to market research firm Research and Markets. What ingredients are being used to provide consumers with cognitive health benefits? Consumers are overwhelmingly focused on getting better sleep . In fact, it is one of their foremost health goals. Magnesium is one of the key ingredients for improving sleep. Many studies have found that the mineral improves sleep quality. Ingredients company Threotech produces a magnesium ingredient with the goal of boosting cognitive health, through the mechanism of improving sleep. By improving sleep quality, explains Laurentia Bliss, business director at Threotech, magnesium can improve the body’s ability to handle stress, as well as prevent mood disruption caused by sleep deprivation. Brain fog will disperse, and consumers will be able to multitask. Their mood will generally be better. Threotech’s magnesium product is formulated to get into the brain particularly effectively. According to Bliss, it has a high absorption and a high bioavailability. It can be incorporated into functional bars, beverages, soft chews and gummies. “It’s really easy to formulate with,” says Bliss. “It has a neutral taste, and it’s water soluble.” Threotech only has approval to use it as a food ingredient in the US. In the EU, it can currently be used only as a dietary supplement, and the company is awaiting approval on its use in food. L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea, especially green tea. It can provide a range of functional benefits, including providing better sleep and improving focus. Ingredients company Prinova, which focuses on functional ingredients, produces L-theanine from a green tea extract. Traditionally, cognitive health has focused on energy, explains Michael Robbins, technical sales associate for nutrition at Prinova. “A lot of the products on the market are very stimulation-heavy.” By contrast, L-theanine aims to enhance focus. It “works synergistically with caffeine” so that consumers can avoid the crash often associated with it, and instead focus for longer periods of time. The ingredient also aims to improve memory. A plant-based ingredient, it can be used in beverages. According to Prinova, it is colourless in beverage applications and has good solubility. Consumers are interested in functionality in beverage in particular, explains Robbins. Consumers are busy and want something convenient, which can contain a lot of functional benefits. Beverages can do this more effectively than food. Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is a key omega-3 fatty acid. It plays a key role in the maintenance of normal brain function, and its inclusion in the diet improves learning ability. Friesland Campina Ingredients, the ingredients arm of the dairy major, believes that DHA is able to boost cognitive health for a range of age groups. “For the kids, it’s about supporting cognitive development and making sure the brain is not overwhelmed and everything is developing as it should,” explains Nadia Ustinova, global innovation marketing manager for Friesland Campina Ingredients. “For adults and older people, it’s more about maintenance and support.” A large portion of the world’s population does not get enough DHA, says Ustinova, due to a distaste for aspects such as the odour. Friesland Campina Ingredients provides DHA for application in a variety of products, including milk drinks and yoghurts. Using it in food products can assuage consumer distaste for the ingredient in capsule form. The odour, for example, is not present when it is used in food.