Impact
Discovering Functional Ingredients that Support Consumers’ Mood, Energy, and Immune System
Objective
To identify effective functional ingredients that pair with existing product formulations and deliver key health and wellness benefits.
Approach
Scan the marketplace and scientific literature to understand the landscape of functional ingredients, assess ingredient efficacy, and determine synergistic ingredient pairings.
Impact
RTI International’s science-backed insights are helping food and beverage companies move quickly into the functional ingredient space, accelerating the innovation pipeline and bringing market-differentiating products to the shelf faster.
Consumers increasingly expect the food and beverages they consume to go beyond basic nutrition. They want products that deliver measurable health and wellness benefits that were once primarily associated with supplements or medications.
Heightened awareness of mental well-being, interest in natural and “clean-label” ingredients, and lifestyle shifts, including hybrid work, active aging, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) use, and wellness routines, are driving demand for functional foods. Consumers are prioritizing products that support mood and stress management, energy, hydration, sleep, cognition, skin health, and immune resilience.
The Challenge of Meeting Functional Wellness Demand
Food and beverage companies are looking for ingredient options that meet consumers’ growing interest in functional health and wellness benefits. Specifically, consumers want ingredients that:
- Appear in familiar, acceptable forms on ingredient labels
- Demonstrate proven benefits supported by scientific research
- Have a reliable supply chain, ensuring consistent, cost-effective sourcing
Needs may differ from company to company, but they all face a common challenge: how to know if an ingredient really works. At RTI, we partner with entities across the ecosystem to enable food and beverage companies to identify effective functional ingredients that deliver the health and wellness benefits consumers are seeking.
Researching Functional Ingredients for Product Innovation
RTI’s innovation experts identify functional ingredients most relevant to a client’s product strategy and target consumers by scanning the marketplace, patents, and literature to understand what is already in use; assessing the scientific merit of ingredient claims; and creating a broad landscape of options. For clients preparing near-term product launches, we then narrow the list based on regulatory status and supply chain strength.
Evaluating Functional Ingredient Efficacy
To assess the strength of efficacy claims for functional ingredients, our team evaluates published scientific evidence and conducts expert interviews. Evidence can range from human clinical studies to preclinical models to anecdotal findings.
The research is focused on discovering where the science is strong and where further studies are needed so product developers can make informed decisions about an ingredient’s potential impact on health and wellness.
Understanding How Functional Ingredients Work Individually and Together
Beyond efficacy, our experts examine how ingredients function at a mechanistic level and how they may work in combination. This helps clients understand potential synergies and the implications of introducing new functional ingredients into existing product formulations.
Translating Functional Food Research into Market Impact
RTI’s research insights have enabled clients to move quickly and confidently into the functional food space. Within six months of receiving our insights, a client in the beverage industry was able to launch a new line of three single-serve, ready-to-consume drinks, each featuring a unique combination of mood-enhancing ingredients.
Our efficacy work for another client served as a foundation for broader innovation planning, guiding evaluation of functional ingredient technologies across both established and emerging brands in the client’s portfolio.
From Disruption to Opportunity
RTI’s expertise can help food and beverage companies stay ahead of the functional ingredient trend by delivering:
- Prioritized ingredient lists tailored to regulatory, supply, and brand fit
- Evidence summaries highlighting the strength of science, consumer resonance, and current gaps
- Technology roadmaps that flag future-ready opportunities
- Formulation frameworks showing synergistic ingredient pairings
Learn more about RTI’s food innovation solutions and sign up for The Growth Brief Newsletter to get insights in your inbox.
