Probiota Americas, hosted by NutraIngredients in association with the International Probiotics Association, will take place at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver from June 8-10. The three-day conference will feature world-leading experts to present the latest scientific, technical, regulatory, business, and market insights.
AM: The state of the market
Day 1 kicks off early with a breakfast briefing hosted by IFF Health Sciences that will lift the lid on the translating microbiome innovation to real world performance.
Nick Gibson, product insights lead, Nielsen IQ will open the main session with an examination of what is driving market growth for probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics across Canada and the US. Peter McMath, chief growth officer, WPIC Marketing + Technologies will then take the stage to share insights on the Asian microbiome marketplace, exploring how Asian consumers discover and purchase probiotic, prebiotic, and microbiome supplements using marketplace data.
The conversation will then shift gears to a panel discussion of the regulatory landscape in Canada and the US, where efforts to modernize the regulation of natural health products/ dietary supplements are underway and the implications for companies in this space. The panel will feature George Paraskevakos, executive director, IPA, Robert Durkin, co-chair regulatory practice group, Amin Wasserman Gurnani, and Dr. Jon-Paul Powers, partner and scientific advisor, Gowling WLG.
We’ll then feature a presentation by Dr. Hsiao-Wen Huang, senior scientist, microbiome and functional innovation, R&D, at Synbio Tech, who will discuss the company’s work in the area of probiotics and muscle health, looking specifically at how muscle strength relates to resilience for healthspan.
Probiota Pioneers
Every year, NutraIngredients turns the spotlight on three innovative early-stage companies to showcase their solutions on stage. The 2026 Probiota Pioneers are ClostraBio, Holobiome, and Kioga.
PM: Environmental pollutant mitigation
The afternoon session will turn the spotlight on the potential for the microbiome and probiotics to mitigate environmental pollutants, and will feature the latest science supporting a role for microbiome modulators to decrease levels of PFAS, microplastics, and PCBs.
The session opens with Professor Stan Kubow from the School of Human Nutrition at McGill University discussing how gut microbes, probiotics, and bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs) act as mediators of environmental pollutant toxicity, with a focus on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Dr. Anna Lindell, VP Technology, Cambiotics will then share the company’s pioneering work around the remarkable capacity of human gut bacteria to bioaccumulate PFAS. Alan Johnstone, director, Nutrilution and Dr Chitong Rao, chief scientist, BluePha will then present data on a specific Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain that can accumulate microplastics and reduce inflammation. Prof. Kubow, Dr. Lindell, and Dr. Rao will then join a panel discussion to further explore the potential of this exciting field of research.
Before attendees head into the networking break, Dr Hariom Yadav from the USF Center for Microbiome will discuss the metabolic health opportunity with a focus on Akkermansia muciniphila.
Companion Animals
The final session for Day 1 will focus on our furry friends. Probiotics have been a mainstay in the pet supplements market for years, but are we seeing growth for other microbiome modulators like prebiotics, postbiotics, and phages? This session will explore the science, the market, and the quality standards needed for success in the companion animal space.
Ronaldo Avella Lavado, business development, operations and regulatory affairs manager, Paul Dick & Associates, opens with an overview of the market opportunities and regulatory landscape for companion animal biotics in the Americas, and will be followed by Dr Martha Cline, senior manager veterinary technical communications at Nestlé Purina Petcare, who will share the lessons from the research and development of Enterococcus lactis SF68.
Day 1 draw to a close with a panel discussion on companion animal health that will feature Dr Jake Burlet, CEO, Canbiocin, Ahna Brutlag, VP, veterinary services and senior veterinary toxicologist, SafetyCall International, Dr Lindsay Sumners, director, CD&D health and wellness, pet and animal wellbeing, ADM, Dr Jordon Gruber, director of pet health and nutrition, IFF Health Sciences.
Probiota Americas
Key themes to be explored on Day 2 and 3 include: Longevity and healthspan, Phages and the virome, Vegetable Fermentation for our changing world, Weight management, Prebiotics, Women’s health, Innovation in action, and our closing Future Focus panel
For more information and to register, please click HERE.
