Latest / Barking Mad Podcast / Trends to Watch in 2025, Part 3: Biotic Ingredients & Gut Health

Transcript

Trends to Watch in 2025, Part 3: Biotic Ingredients & Gut Health · Barking Mad Podcast

0:19
Jordan Tyler: Happy New Year and welcome back to our top trends to watch in
0:23
2025, in which we're sharing expert insights and opinions about the most
0:29
influential trends happening today in the pet nutrition space and how pet parents
0:34
can stay informed and engaged as these trends evolve this year and beyond.
0:41
In today's episode, we're going microscopic.
0:44
Not quite honey, I shrunk the kids, but more Ms.
0:47
Frizzle style shrinkage as we go inside the body to learn all about the tiny
0:53
microorganisms in our gut and how they influence the overall health and wellness
0:58
of not just us, but our dogs and cats too.
1:02
Keeping this intro short because I'm really excited to get into this trench.
1:06
So without further ado, let's get into it.
1:09
Welcome to barking mad, a podcast by BSM partners.
1:14
I'm your host, Jordan Tyler.
1:18
So far for this week's mini series, we've talked a ton about sustainability,
1:23
and it's obvious that sustainable initiatives are huge in PET right now,
1:27
as well as in many other consumer goods categories like in human food, health
1:31
and beauty, and plenty of others.
1:34
But let's take that term, sustainability, and flip it on its head for a minute.
1:40
So far we've been thinking about sustainability in terms
1:43
of environmental impact.
1:45
But what about in terms of longevity?
1:47
Like how can we sustain our pets lifespans, but more importantly
1:52
their health spans, for longer?
1:55
Adding not only years to their lives, but vitality to their day to days.
2:01
This idea of the health span is picking up speed as we, for ourselves and
2:05
for our pets, increasingly seek ways to not only stay alive for longer,
2:10
but to stay healthier for longer.
2:14
There are a number of individual trends under this theme.
2:18
New focus on the health span, but we'll be focusing on one category today
2:22
that is evolving rapidly and promising widespread benefits across the body.
2:28
This is Biotic Ingredients.
2:32
Biotics are tiny microorganisms responsible for moderating bacteria in
2:36
our gut, feeding the good bacteria and staving off the bad, while also improving
2:41
the gut barrier to prevent things like a leaky gut, which has been associated
2:45
with a range of subsequent health issues.
2:48
You've probably heard the terms prebiotics and probiotics,
2:53
but what about postbiotics?
2:56
To get a better understanding of what each of these biotics does inside
3:00
of a pet's body, and in our own bodies, really, we spoke with Dr.
3:05
Mark Franklin.
3:06
Global technical lead of additives for the pet and lifestyle divisions of Cargill.
3:12
Mark Franklin: So, in, in simple terms, I just describe it as prebiotics
3:16
really serve as food for those live microorganisms that are in the gut, right?
3:21
They're typically fiber sources, carbohydrate sources, and are
3:24
preferentially used by the good guys, the good bugs in the gut.
3:28
So, you know, they would be consumed, those bugs in the gut
3:31
would produce metabolites as they consume these prebiotics.
3:35
Thanks.
3:36
Probiotics, on the other hand, of course, would be supplying those live bugs.
3:40
We want those live bugs in the gut.
3:41
We want them to eat the prebiotics in the gut and produce
3:45
metabolites and have an effect.
3:47
Postbiotics really kind of shortcuts all that.
3:51
And so, we do that fermentation outside of the animal.
3:56
Where we take a probiotic organism and we feed it and we have the
3:59
production of those metabolites.
4:01
Jordan Tyler: According to Dr.
4:02
Franklin, new products with a biotics claim launched between
4:06
2021 and 2023 were up by more than 300 percent on a three year basis.
4:13
And when you start to understand the widespread benefits a healthy
4:16
gut microbiome has on total health and wellness, it's easy to see why.
4:22
Mark Franklin: And that microbiome sort of has a master control, particularly
4:25
that gut microbiome has a master control.
4:27
How does that affect cognition, mood, skin, all those different
4:32
axes that we talk about, right?
4:34
Gut, brain, skin, even reproductive tract, right?
4:38
So, as we start to uncover some more of these things and look at
4:41
the synergies, I think there's a huge potential upside for us.
4:46
Jordan Tyler: We also spoke with Dr.
4:47
Steve Lerner, senior scientific and business advisor for NovoNessus, a global
4:52
biosolutions company formed through the recent merger of ingredient manufacturers
4:57
Christian Hansen and Novozymes.
5:00
As Dr.
5:01
Lerner pointed out, these bacteria have been around for longer than
5:06
just about anything here on Earth.
5:09
And with modern science, we're able to harness the power of
5:12
these microscopic organisms to benefit gut health across species.
5:18
including for our dogs and cats.
5:20
Steve Lerner: I'm very fond of saying that bacteria have been on Earth for about 3.
5:24
2 billion years, and they have co evolved with all higher life forms.
5:30
So we may believe that we carry them around with us.
5:34
Us 40 trillion of them, but they simply find us a very elegant transport system.
5:39
We keep them by and large in the dark with low oxygen, very well fed.
5:44
We share them with reckless abandon among ourselves.
5:47
And if you're an animal, you put them back out into the environment and they,
5:51
let's say a nutrient rich material.
5:56
That some of us with pets pick up from our yard, but you know how this is, right?
6:00
Jordan Tyler: That was maybe the greatest euphemism I've ever heard.
6:04
Now, according to Dr.
6:05
Lerner, novenesis owns the largest commercial bank of bacterial strains.
6:10
And it really is the strain that matters most when deciding which bacteria to
6:15
implement for specific biotic benefits.
6:19
Steve Lerner: The probiotic organisms available to us, by federal law,
6:25
everyone who puts them into a package must provide the genus and
6:30
species of those organisms only.
6:34
But in fact, It is strain of organism, which is an individual organism, and all
6:42
of its trillions and trillions of nearly identical clonal copies that's important.
6:47
So let me give you an analogy to illustrate this.
6:51
All dogs on planet Earth are canis lupus.
6:57
That's their genus and species.
6:59
Now, we give dogs a subspecies designation of familiaris, because, by and large,
7:05
we control the breeding of dogs.
7:07
When you consider the dogs, Canis lupus, and now you want, An
7:15
individual dog for a particular task.
7:20
Let's say this task is helping a team of rescuers in the Swiss Alps that are out
7:27
trying to find skiers that have gone down, perhaps buried in deep snow, and need
7:33
to be pulled out on a sled to be saved.
7:37
And they want to have a dog with them that can help them find those individuals.
7:43
Well, a choice might be a St.
7:45
Bernard.
7:46
A choice might be a Bernese Mountain Dog.
7:49
They're tall, double coat of hair, they love being in the cold, they're
7:54
usually very obedient, they're usually relatively stoic dogs, and maybe that
8:01
Canis lupus would be a good choice.
8:03
Or, another Canis lupus is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, or a Chihuahua.
8:10
They are the same exact genus and species as St.
8:14
Bernard's and Bernie's Mountain Dogs.
8:16
But you might immediately agree with me that some of the genetic
8:20
gifts conferred upon the St.
8:23
Bernard or Bernese Mountain Dog to make it better suited for the task at hand improve
8:32
its chances of success versus Cavalier, King Charles, Spaniels, and Chihuahuas.
8:38
The same exact scenario is true for Microbiological organisms, all Bacillus
8:46
subtilis organisms are the same genus and species by definition, but they vary
8:53
in their genetic gifts significantly.
8:57
Some are better at producing digestive enzymes.
9:00
Some are better at producing antimicrobial peptides.
9:03
Some are better at germinating out of spores.
9:06
They become active cells, whatever you can measure.
9:10
There's variation based on genetic gifts.
9:14
And we at NovoNessus have 90, 000 strains in our strain bank.
9:20
We identify individuals based on their genetic merit for a particular purpose.
9:26
We then test the expression of those genes, that's called phenotype,
9:31
in a various set of assays.
9:34
We call that high phenotype.
9:35
throughput screening to know on which sources of energy will they survive.
9:40
Will they survive going through an acidified gastrointestinal tract?
9:44
Will they act in a probiotic manner?
9:48
And then most importantly, will they play well with other organisms
9:51
that we might want to include?
9:53
Jordan Tyler: Now Arm Hammer, yes, your favorite baking soda brand,
9:58
also has a robust collection of probiotic strains, according to Dr.
10:02
Sangeeta Jalookar, microbiologist, immunologist, and senior technical service
10:08
manager for Arm Hammer Animal Nutrition.
10:11
Sangita Jalukar: We leverage our extensive research on strain selection.
10:14
So on the probiotic side, we have a rich library of about
10:18
80, 000 probiotic strains.
10:21
So we leverage our research on the strain availability, uh, growth
10:25
conditions in our manufacturing process, our proprietary yeast processing
10:30
technology to develop these biotics.
10:33
Our yeast derived pre and post biotics are supported by over 50 plus publications.
10:39
So we, um, have a rich data set showing the benefits of our pre and post biotics.
10:45
Jordan Tyler: It's also interesting to note what is motivating the growth
10:47
of biotic supplements for pets.
10:50
Marlena Hidley, Director of Marketing and Innovation for Arm Hammer
10:55
Specialty Products, mentioned much of the interest can be attributed
10:59
to a shift toward preventive
11:01
Marlena Hidlay: healthcare for pets.
11:03
Today's consumers are taking proactive measures to maintain
11:06
their pet's healthspan.
11:08
We like to use the word healthspan because they're truly looking to improve
11:11
the quality of life of their animal.
11:14
And we see consumers turning to food and treats to enhance the
11:17
nutritional value of their pet's diets.
11:20
We also see gut health claims really rising in popularity with pet parents.
11:25
A recent Nielsen data report showed that product sales with gut health
11:29
claims were up 213 percent year over year, which is tremendous.
11:34
But it's not surprising, given the latest FMCG Guru's report, which noted
11:39
that 56 percent of pet parents seek products that help aid digestive health.
11:44
So it is quite aligned with the market trends that we see.
11:47
And with the humanization of pets trend expanding, we do
11:51
see a clear focus on nutrition.
11:54
Sangita Jalukar: From a more technical perspective, I think one
11:57
of the reasons why the use of biotic ingredients is gaining popularity is
12:02
because of the general accepted theory and understanding that many health
12:08
challenges in pets originate in the gut.
12:10
So any gut imbalance can lead to food intolerances, allergies,
12:16
digestive health challenges.
12:18
Poor gut microbiome can lead to chronic conditions such as IBD or obesity also.
12:23
So, as the demand for pet foods with digestive health benefits continues
12:28
to rise, I think pet parents, pet food and supplement manufacturers
12:32
are seeing evidence based solutions to support animal wellness.
12:36
Pet parents, I think, use and have experienced the power of
12:40
biotic supplementation, and they want to extend that same benefit
12:44
to their furry companions.
12:46
And that makes sense because there is a 63 percent similarity in microbiota
12:52
between dogs and humans compared to 33 percent for pigs and mice.
12:56
So it is natural for pet parents to seek and extend that benefit from
13:04
a more healthier microbiome and biotics are known to provide that.
13:08
Jordan Tyler: Interestingly, Dr.
13:10
Lerner pointed out pet parents who purchase biotic supplements for
13:14
themselves are more likely to purchase them for their furry companions.
13:18
Steve Lerner: When you look at who among our pet parents is providing these type
13:26
of supplements to their fur babies, uh, we see a significantly greater
13:33
proportion of pet parents who themselves are taking probiotics and are perceiving
13:40
the benefit of taking it themselves, well, if it's good for them, then it's
13:45
unethical to not provide it to your pet.
13:48
Now, maybe unethical is a strong term, but you get my point.
13:52
So I believe we're going to see this continued positive trend.
13:56
I believe every individual, every day, should be on an effective probiotic.
14:02
That you, your family, your loved ones, your children, and all of the animals
14:07
in our care, every day, should be on something that positively impacts
14:13
the micro Organismal life in their bodies, their microbiota, and you
14:18
know I believe it's in probiotics.
14:21
Jordan Tyler: So there you have Dr.
14:22
Lerner's recommendation.
14:24
While health savvy consumers are picking up on these benefits and applying them
14:29
to their pets, education remains a key opportunity to help more pet parents
14:34
understand the benefits of biotics.
14:37
Marlena Hidlay: Well, I think there's certainly room to educate consumers on
14:40
the benefits of biotics for their pets.
14:42
Interestingly, a lot of these consumers are taking probiotics themselves or
14:48
familiar at least with pre and post biotics, but only 22 percent actually
14:53
recognize the health benefit of probiotics for their companion animals.
14:57
So really a true push for education becomes really important here.
15:03
Jordan Tyler: Emerging ingredients like biotics aren't the only thing that
15:06
could benefit from consumer education and companies are having to learn a
15:11
thing or two as well, particularly when it comes to the fourth trend
15:15
we'll be discussing as part of our Trends to Watch in 2025 series.
15:19
Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, though.
15:23
First, it's time to unshrink ourselves and wrap up the episode.
15:27
As evidenced through the topic experts we heard from today,
15:30
and coming back to what Dr.
15:32
Lerner said about bacteria being here for 3.
15:35
2 billion years, it seems we're starting to catch up to what these
15:39
microorganisms have known all along.
15:41
That a healthy gut microbiome is key to overall health and wellness.
15:47
And just as we can leverage biotic ingredients to improve our own
15:50
gut health, we're now discovering the benefits of biotics on our
15:54
furry family members as well.
15:56
Tomorrow, we'll explore our fourth trend of 2025.
16:01
Sustainable pet food and treat packaging.
16:04
You won't want to miss a lively discussion about how the pet industry is working
16:08
to reduce the environmental pawprint of its packaging, as well as a critical
16:13
analysis of our current recycling infrastructure, and a conversation
16:17
about the barriers currently standing between pet parents and more readily
16:22
recyclable pet food and treat bags.
16:25
Until then, thank you for tuning in to Barking Mad, a podcast by BSM Partners.
16:31
If you'd like to learn more about us, please visit our website at www.
16:36
bsmpartners.
16:38
net.
16:39
Don't forget to subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
16:43
And if you enjoyed today's episode, share it with a fellow
16:46
pet lover and leave us a review.
16:49
Lastly, be sure to stay tuned for more insights this week from our Trends
16:53
2025 miniseries, as well as future episodes on pet care innovation,
16:59
sustainability, and other hard hitting topics you won't want to miss.
17:04
We'd like to thank our dedicated team in support of this episode, Adamiette
17:08
Thomas, Neely Bowden, Kate Wright, and Dr.
17:12
Katie Miller.
17:13
A special thanks to Leanne Hackerty and Michael Johnson.
17:17
Happy New Year and see you next time.