Protein, vitamins, and minerals are the functional ingredients that form a major part of the dietary supplements and functional food products. Rising concerns regarding personal health due to increasing lifestyle-related diseases and growing health awareness among consumers (gradual shift from traditional foods to nutritious meals) are the major factors driving the growth of these ingredients. Further, the aging population with increasing health issues is focusing on having a healthy diet rather than normal ones, resulting in the growth of demand for protein-based food products.

Consumers are looking for products that aid in improving and maintaining cognitive health, digestive health, immunity, cardiovascular health, and weight management. Protein is associated with preventing chronic diseases, addressing obesity-related issues, and helping in building muscle mass. Demand for plant-based protein obtained from sources such as almond, pea, rice, oats, and soy is on the rise as consumers are shifting from meat-based protein toward plant-based protein, leading to increased proliferation of protein-enriched products across many food & beverage categories such as nutritional bars, shakes, yogurt, health foods, and ready-to-drink beverages. There is a huge potential for dairy proteins as they are known to possess a wide range of functional properties, including thickening & emulsification, gelling, foaming, heat stabilization, and color development. Their high nutritive value and versatile, functional properties enable their usage in dairy desserts, nutritional beverages, ice cream, yogurt, spreads, confectionery, and baked goods.

Market studies on protein, vitamin, and minerals include plant-based protein, functional food ingredients, nutraceutical ingredients, vitamins, vitamin & mineral premixes, and dietary supplements. Vitamins and minerals have experienced substantial growth in recent years, marked by an increase in the deficiency of these nutrients, especially in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Africa. Deficiency of vitamin D is prevalent among Americans. Thus, fortification of food products with vitamins and minerals is rapidly gaining traction as consumers in developing as well as developed regions are preferring products such as functional beverages, dietary supplements, and fortified processed foods, which offer additional health benefits. Some of the products that are gaining popularity among consumers include fortified water, fortified beverages, infant formulas, milk drinks, and confectionery products.

Consumers are continually changing the way they consume vitamins and minerals; they are not seeking a specific supplement with a strong focus on clean-label formulas. Further, the application of vitamins in personal care products is increasing due to their multiple benefits such as improving skin health through collagen synthesis, prevention of hair breakage, and imparting anti-oxidizing and anti-inflammatory effects. Commonly used vitamins in personal care products include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin B3. The increasing consumer focus on maintaining a healthy appearance, skin with retarded signs of aging, and nourished hair has led manufacturers to offer vitamin-enriched shampoos, creams, and oils. This has also pushed vitamin manufacturers to expand their product line and offer customer-centric vitamin products to address the concern for achieving higher stability in the end product.

Protein, vitamins, and minerals are the functional ingredients that form a major part of the dietary supplements and functional food products. Rising concerns regarding personal health due to increasing lifestyle-related disease ....see more