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Building brighter futures: dsm-firmenich introduces breakthrough dry vitamin A form to support early life nutrition

Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Heerlen (Netherlands), [November 5, 2024]

dsm-firmenich, innovators in health, nutrition, and beauty, today announced the launch of Dry Vit A Palmitate for Early Life Nutrition – a breakthrough clean-label solution designed to enhance the nutritional value of infant formulas without the stability issues associated with traditional vitamin A ingredients.

Vitamin A is essential for the development and maintenance of healthy vision in infants, and its deficiency is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness affecting up to 30% of children under 5 globally.^{1 2}  Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is particularly prevalent in developing countries, yet supplementation for infants remains uncommon—despite the vitamin's essential role in immune function, cell growth and differentiation, and skin health.³ Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant feeding, but infant formulas offer a safe alternative way of providing essential nutrition for early life when breastfeeding is not possible. While the importance of vitamin A in infant nutrition is well recognized, so too are the challenges involved in its processing and storage for infant premixes.

As the most unstable vitamin molecule, traditional forms of vitamin A often degrade during processing and over time, potentially compromising the nutritional efficacy of infant nutrition solutions. dsm-firmenich's new dry vitamin A form addresses these challenges with its enhanced stability and clean-label formulation. Designed to withstand the rigors of production while maintaining nutritional potency, this solution is suitable for dry and wet blending applications in infant and early life nutrition premixes. It also boasts a small particle size, with at least 85% of particles passing through sieve No. 60 (250μm)—perfectly suited for infant formula fortification.

With 67% of parents feeling concerned about additives in infant nutrition products⁴, there is a growing need for clean-label solutions that contain minimal artificial ingredients. Stabilized with mixed tocopherols only, Dry Vit A Palmitate for Early Life Nutrition is free from synthetic antioxidants, added silica, and other flow agents. It is also vegan, allergen free, GMO free, sugar free, Halal and Kosher.

James Young, Vice President Early Life Nutrition at dsm-firmenich, explained: "At dsm-firmenich, we’re committed to giving all infants the best start in life. Our new Dry Vit A Palmitate for Early Life Nutrition represents a significant step forward in infant nutrition technology to support optimal nutrient delivery, potentially benefiting millions of formula-fed infants globally. Parents deserve the peace of mind of knowing that what they are offering their babies not only provides the nutrition that they need to thrive, but also the reassurance that the ingredients are high quality and trustworthy. This latest addition to our portfolio has been carefully created with a minimum of essential functional ingredients to deliver a solution that's exceptionally stable and offers a clean-label formulation. We're not only answering today’s demands, but also anticipating the needs of tomorrow to ensure that parents all over the world feel confident in their choices to create healthier, happier futures for their children."

dsm-firmenich's new Dry Vit A Palmitate for Early Life Nutrition is now available worldwide.

For more information about this solution and how dsm-firmenich is elevating infant nutrition, please visit our web page.

[1] World Health Organization, "Vitamin A Supplementation in Infants and Children 6-59 Months of Age," 2011.

[2] Wirth JP, Petry N, Tanumihardjo SA, Rogers LM, McLean E, Greig A, Garrett GS, Klemm RD, Rohner F. Vitamin A Supplementation Programs and Country-Level Evidence of Vitamin A Deficiency. Nutrients. 2017 Feb 24;9(3):190. doi: 10.3390/nu9030190. PMID: 28245571; PMCID: PMC5372853.

[3] Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Micronutrients. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222310/ doi: 10.17226/10026

[4] FMCG GURUS, "Early Life Nutrition: Challenges & Recommendations," May 2023.

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