From the more familiar GLP-1s for weight loss to lesser-known number and letter combinations like CJC-1295 to improve sleep – bioactive peptides, or short chain amino acids, are emerging as the latest trend in biohacking and functional foods.
Fueled by consumer demand for foods and beverages that not only nourish but also deliver targeted health solutions, the global bioactive peptide market is growing at a double digit pace, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.1%, according to Data Bridge Market Research, which predicts the segment will exceed $10 billion by 2034.
While many wellness influencers at the cutting edge of the trend are touting injectable peptides, many of which are unproven and not FDA-approved, interest is rising in food and beverage formats fortified with options that are Generally Recognized As Safe and easier to consume.
But tapping into this market potential isn’t straightforward, given the tools to discover and validate new peptides haven’t fundamentally changed in decades. As a result, identifying new functional ingredients has been a slow and expensive process that is largely dependent on trial and effort.
That may be changing, though, thanks in part to more than a decade of research and development by Nuritas, an Irish biotechnology company using AI to “decode nature’s hidden peptides to power the next generation of health solutions and the brands shaping it.”
In this episode of FoodNavigator-USA’s Soup-To-Nuts podcast, Nuritas CEO Nora Khaldi breaks down the surge in demand for peptide-powered products, the bottlenecks holding the industry back and how her team is using AI to unlock a new generation of functional ingredients.
The market potential for peptides
According to Khaldi, increased awareness and availability of GLP-1 agonists for weight management pulled back the curtain on peptides – but as excited as consumers are to try them for a wide range of benefits, many people also are confused about the basics.
“Because GLP-1 is a peptide, the awareness of how peptides are pretty efficacious” is rising, but not every knows they are the natural way our bodies communicate, she explained.
“When our cells communicate together, that is what peptides are doing. They are the major signaling molecule in the human body. They are messengers. They tell the body what to do and they’re very, very good at repair,” she said.
Peptides are everywhere, she added. “They are in our bodies, but they are also in our foods.”
Peptides naturally found in foods and broken down in the digestive system, however, may not be as efficient as those that are injected – which has created a “black market” of injectables. Many of these come from China and people use them with no understanding of where or how they are produced, which can make them “pretty dangerous,” Khaldi said.
Meeting the demand for peptide fortification in food
The gap between consumer demand for peptides and industry’s ability to produce them safely underscores the potential for peptides in functional nutrition. And that is where Nuritas comes in with its proprietary technology.
Nuritas began working with peptides about a decade ago – long before they were cool and when few people, even scientists, understood what they were, let alone what they could do.
“When I started working with peptides, I remember everyone was like, “Are you mad?” because peptides are not know to be stable, they are not know to be readily available. But I thought, ‘We can find them. Nature must have created peptides that are both efficacious and stable in everyday foods,” Khaldi said.
And so she set about creating a massive database and artificial intelligence to scan common foods for uncommon solutions in the form of peptides.
But finding the peptides that could deliver a desired benefit was just the beginning. Because these were to be used in supplements and foods, the company needed to extensively test them to prove their efficiency and safety.
What do consumers want from peptides?
The company further refined its focus to peptides that address pressing pain points for consumers, which led to its initial line up peptides targeting strength, sleep and anti-aging.
“What are consumers today looking for? They are looking for thinks like improving their strength. And the whole GLP-1 movement has had a massive focus on muscle decay, bone decay,” which are common struggles for all aging people – not just this on weight loss medications, Khaldi said.
The company’s PeptiStrong answers this demand. It signals to the skeletal muscle cells to optimize the way they are using peptide proteins, including producing more protein for muscles, reducing the breakdown of muscle and reducing inflammation to recover faster.
Consumers also want to sleep better to further support faster recovery. Nuritas’ PeptiSleep made from rice husk helps reduce cortisol levels, which improves sleep, Khaldi said, noting the impact of the ingredient can be tracked on wearables with an uptick in deep sleep and REM.
The company’s third ingredient, PeptiYouth, focuses on anti-aging benefits, like wrinkle reduction.
But these are just the start of what Nuritas can uncover. Khaldi sees significant need for peptides to support gut health and other areas.
Creating finished products with added benefits
Even with faster discovery, turning promising compounds into viable food and beverage ingredients requires addressing an entirely different set of challenges.
The first is proving efficacy – so the biological function. The second is ensuring the peptide can ben take orally – so in food or supplements rather than as an injectable. That means they need to resist the digestion system and hold up to cooking processes, especially high heats that are used for food and supplement safety. And of course, it must taste okay, Khaldi said.
Finally, the price needs to be low, given how tight margin are for packaged food and beverage companies, she added.
Next steps
Looking forward, Khaldi has an ambitious goal of annually launching two new ingredients with health benefits that are supported by clinicals and which can be integrated with wearables so consumers can see and measure the difference. These could range from replacing sodium and sugar to creating preservatives that protect products but don’t impact the gut microbiota.
She adds the company is focused on making these ingredients easy to work with, meaning they come in different formats and can be formulated into a range of products, including ice cream, pasta, chocolate bars and more.