Lipid assets

Katinka Abbenbroek's description of Lipid Nutrition - "young and focused" - could just as easily apply to its new boss. Propelled into the hot seat of one of the most exciting ingredients businesses around - just seven years after walking through the front door - Abbenbroek is on a mission to double the size of the outfit within three years.

The battle plan is simple, she says: don't spread yourself too thinly, just focus on what you do best.

"We are focused purely on healthy lipids with platforms in weight management, heart health and infant nutrition. We're dedicated to bringing innovative products with scientifically proven health benefits to the market."

Cynics will observe that there is nothing particularly revolutionary about the last phrase - indeed, few functional food ingredients firms will get far if they don't talk about supporting their claims with sound science. Lipid Nutrition differs in that it puts its money where its mouth is: "We spend 25% of our turnover on R&D. That's more than some pharmaceutical companies spend."

Equal effort is, therefore, devoted to protecting intellectual property, she says. "We have to protect what we do because we invest millions in R&D. We have 10 totally new products in the pipeline right now - all in different stages of development. Some will be launched next year, others will not be launched for seven years, but at least two will be launched in the next three years."

Abbenbroek, who studied biotechnology and business management before moving up the ranks at Unilever and Lipid Nutrition, has held positions in R&D, marketing and sales and is therefore acutely aware of the importance of getting the communications right to the end consumer.

"One of our most exciting ingredients is Safflorin [isomerised safflower oil], which reduces the symptoms of colds and flu and the time you suffer from them. Get the marketing right and it could have a great deal of potential, although we need creative marketing to ensure we're not straying into pharmaceutical territory.

"Look at how successful pre and probiotics have been through talking about boosting the body's natural defences."

Weight management ingredient Clarinol CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) also has huge promise - if the regulators get their act together, she adds.

"Legally, CLA is in a bit of a grey area (IHN Sept/Oct 2006, p4), there is no clear answer on whether it should be considered as a novel food. We've got all the toxicology data, so we're comfortable with our research. The problem is that when you go through the Novel Food Regulation, you have 27 Member States that can ask questions and each one wants to be the clever one. It's frustrating, as this is a potentially very exciting food ingredient. Studies show that you can lose 2kg of fat around your stomach when taking Clarinol without doing anything at all! If you can add it to a one-shot drink, a snack bar or meal replacement, that would be a perfect vehicle. Europeans would definitely prefer to do that than take supplements."

PinnoThin, Lipid Nutrition's other key weight management ingredient, is an appetite suppressant which works 30 minutes after you eat it by influencing hormones that regulate appetite, she adds.

"The mechanism is well understood and we have significant clinical data and independent research backing it. It helps you control your consumption at subsequent meals, so it tackles that cycle of frustration that people get into when they are trying to lose weight. PinnoThin's effects are also immediate - whereas with CLA, you'll see optimal results in three months so, ideally, you would use both as they have a very different mechanism."

She adds: "We did a lot of consumer research to explore three possible marketing approaches for PinnoThin. The branding: 'PinnoThin inside'; the action: 'reduce your appetite'; and the result: 'reduce your calorie intake and lose weight'. The strongest message was the action: 'reduce your appetite'."

Lipid Nutrition also has a key point of difference in omega-3s, she says: "Marinol is the only omega-3 with concentrated EPA and DHA and the concentration is done with natural enzymes."

So what does the future hold?

There will be further consolidation in the ingredients market, a process likely to be accelerated by the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, which should ensure that only serious companies remain in the game, she predicts. "This has to be a good thing. Some of the claims are nonsense. I can tell you now - you will not lose 10 pounds in 10 days just by taking a supplement!"