ADM and the Asahi Group sign postbiotic distribution agreement

ADM has signed an exclusive agreement with the Japanese Asahi Group Foods Corporation for the distribution of its lactic acid-based postbiotic, Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305.

Through this agreement, Asahi will be solely responsible for the marketing and distribution of the postbiotic across the world.

Backed by eight human clinical trials^1-8, and capable of targeting stress, mood and sleep support, the introduction of the postbiotic to ADM's portfolio comes as products targeting mood/relaxation support grew at a double-digit CAGR of 13% from 2018-2023, with a category growth of nearly 34%.⁹

"Stress, mood and sleep are among the fastest-growing wellness segments, and – as the cornerstone to physical and emotional health – they are also some of the most disruptive factors to everyday life and overall well-being if not properly supported," said Mark Lotsch, ADM's President of Global Health & Wellness.

"Our agreement with pioneering Asahi Group to bring science-backed L. gasseri CP2305 postbiotic into our robust health and wellness solutions library is a critical step in advancing new product development to support consumers’ quality of life around the world."

"The addition of L. gasseri CP2305 builds upon our postbiotics suite, reinforcing our leadership and dedication to delivering resilient ingredients with strong results for various areas of health and well-being," said Lotsch. "With these science-backed ingredients, we're looking forward to helping usher in what's next in functional foods to support the evolving wellness goals of consumers across regions."

L. gasseri CP2305 is owned by the Asahi Group and was discovered through many years of research on Calpis-derived lactic acid bacteria.

The agreement enables Asahi Group to strengthen its business in the area of lactic acid bacteria materials and meet increasing demand for diverse functional food products through ADM's large global network and R&D centres.

Asahi Group will continue to use the ingredient in supplements and beverages sold in Japan. Beginning in March, ADM will expand L. gasseri CP2305 distribution to food manufacturers in North America, Europe and Asia.

"Asahi is committed to solving global food and health challenges, especially those contributing to mental and physical well-being for consumers. We're excited to enter a supply agreement with ADM for Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305, leveraging their expertise in microbiology and global scale to effectively expand the reach of this innovative solution," said Kazuhiro Hayashi, Corporate Officer, Senior General Manager of Asahi Group Foods.

L. gasseri CP2305 offers a new avenue for innovation in the health and wellness space, addressing the rising need for stress management and sleep quality solutions. It is a postbiotic with clinically documented evidence showing support for physiological functions that the gut-brain axis can influence.

Results from eight gold-standard, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials suggest that supplementing one's diet with L. gasseri CP2305 may support emotional well-being and reduced stress, better sleep efficiency, reduced time to fall asleep/reduced sleep latency, healthier overall sleep quality, and improved total duration of sleep.

As a postbiotic, L. gasseri CP2305 can withstand numerous formulation environments, including tough conditions like high-heat or high-water content commonly associated with functional foods and on-trend dosage formats such as gummies.

In spring 2024, ADM published a study on probiotic Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 (ES1)* and postbiotic Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 (HT-ES1) in Gut Microbes, showing they may support overall gut and digestive health10. ADM also delivers unique support for aspects of metabolic health with BPL1™** (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145) probiotic and postbiotic11.

Learn more about ADM’s microbiome capabilities here.