The Danish company has partnered with German healthcare firm vitOrgan to launch NeyBiotics, a new range powered by its metabolite-rich fermented oat ingredient ReFerm, from Oct. 1.
The move marks the first B2B international expansion for ReFerm, which has been available in Sweden and Denmark for more than 20 years amassing a direct-to-consumer base of 14,000 users alongside a growing body of clinical research.
“The German market is already big, with a lot of products already on the market so its great to see there is interest in something new,” said Caroline Lilja Olsson, CEO of Nordic Rebalance.
Two decades of consumer demand
She noted the company’s B2B and D2C approach has given it a unique advantage when it comes to proof of interest.
“Unusually for a postbiotics company, we didn’t stop at research, we took ReFerm all the way to more than 14,000 consumers ourselves before we ever offered it to a partner,” she said.
Emma Gustafsson, the firm’s head of marketing, said interest in their ingredient comes down to its clinical backing, proven consumer interest, and the communication opportunities that come with a whole-food based ingredient with gut health connotations wrapped-in.
“With no legal health claims available at least we have that immediate recognition and perception among consumers that both fermentation and oats are strongly associated with gut health,” she said.
The product comes in capsules or sachets, with the capsules providing a lower daily dose to be taken as a preventative measure or for light symptoms and powder sachets to be mixed with water which provide a stronger dose for those suffering severe GI symptoms.
Gustafsson argued the dosing versatility of the ingredient is highly appealing to formulators, especially with the growing understanding that gut health interventions require a tailored approach.
“There’s huge versatility when it comes to the amount you can take,” she said. “Each person’s gut health is so individual that one capsule a day might suit one consumer while a scoop a day might be ideal for another.”
Jürgen Leist, managing director of vitOrgan Arzneimittel GmbH, said the company chose ReFerm to power its new range as it wanted to diversify in a repetitive market.
“Gut health is one of the biggest, most universal health topics there is, yet the category has looked much the same for years. We’ve selected ReFerm as a scientific and product-development platform with real potential to support our future innovation and growth. For us, this is a strategic launch, not simply a new product,”
OatBiotics brand launched
The Danish firm has additionally developed a new consumer-facing brand, OatBiotics, launching in Sweden with targeted formulations focused on three key areas of concern for their consumers: gut barrier, stress and menopause.
“We are building on the same research and the same ingredient, while making it easier for people to find the right support for different situations in life where the gut may be affected,” explained Olsson.
Oabiotics Gut Barrier is the former ReFerm capsule product in a new design, with the formulation unchanged. The two new products, OatBiotics Stress and OatBiotics Menopause, have the same ReFerm foundation, complemented by selected vitamins, minerals and plant extracts.
Stress combines ReFerm with vitamin B5, B6, B12, zinc and Bacopa monnieri while OatBiotics Menopause combines ReFerm with vitamin B6, B12 and red clover extract.
While OatBiotics is Nordic Rebalance’ consumer concept, ReFerm is still offered as a branded B2B ingredient to health and nutrition companies developing differentiated gut-health products.
Consortium of postbiotic molecules
The intestinal barrier plays a pivotal role in health, inflammation and cancer, as confirmed by a paper in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
“Why? Because If molecules can get through the holes in the intestinal walls this causes inflammation, and chronic inflammation is the scourge of the developed world,” Dr. Hans Israelsen, the firm’s founder and head of R&D previously told NI.
ReFerm is developed using Nordic Rebalance’ proprietary, patent-pending production technology to ferment Swedish oats with Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 9843 to create a complex, food-based consortium of postbiotic molecules which is clinically proven to support the gut barrier.
The first clinical studies on the product were conducted in patients with ulcerative colitis with results indicating the supplement was able to reduce symptoms at a statistically and clinically significant level in patients with a flare-up.
Further studies indicated it has a beneficial effect on the colonic mucosal barrier in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
It has further shown promise in treating alcohol-induced liver fibrosis by strengthening the gut barrier, reducing inflammation and lowering bacterial translocation.
Gustafsson added: “We believe that the probiotic market has peaked and that postbiotics are the new frontier, and that brands are looking to diversify within the gut-health market.”
