Axiom Foods teams with NNB Nutrition to target growing 'Protein+' functional foods market

Axiom Foods and NNB Nutrition have formed a strategic partnership aimed at helping food and beverage brands develop plant-based products that combine protein with additional health benefits, targeting the fast-growing "Protein+" category across Asia and North America.

• Axiom Foods and NNB Nutrition partnered to combine plant proteins with functional ingredients for food and beverage brands in Asia and North America.
• The collaboration focused on helping manufacturers develop "Protein+" products targeting healthy aging, cognition, hydration, metabolic health and active nutrition applications.
• The companies showcased the partnership at IFT First 2026 in Chicago while highlighting ingredient portfolios designed to improve formulation and taste.

The partnership brings together Axiom's portfolio of plant proteins and dairy alternatives with NNB Nutrition's functional ingredients, enabling manufacturers to formulate products that deliver protein alongside benefits such as cognitive support, hydration, healthy aging, mood and metabolic health.

According to the companies, the global functional food ingredients market is currently valued at US$437.6 billion and is projected to reach US$983.2 billion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10.7%.

The companies said the collaboration responds to growing demand for products that combine high-quality plant protein with additional functional ingredients rather than focusing on protein content alone.

Target applications include plant-based dairy alternatives, sugar-free beverages, ready-to-drink products, protein powders, stick packs and active nutrition products.

The companies also pointed to rising interest in protein supplementation among consumers using GLP-1 medications. They cited estimates that around 15 million adults in the United States, or 12% of the population, are using the drugs, with reduced food intake increasing the importance of nutrient-dense foods and protein supplementation.

"The percentage of food and beverage launches with a high protein or added protein claim has doubled over the past 10 years," said David Janow, Founder & CEO of Axiom Foods. "The 'protein +' trend is one of the biggest evolutions in functional food over the past few years. Research from Mintel and Innova suggest protein has become the 'gateway nutrient.' Rather than simply adding protein, brands are using protein as the foundation and then layering on additional benefits, hence the great significance of this partnership with NNB."

Kylin Liao, Founder and President of NNB Nutrition, said consumers were already familiar with the benefits of higher protein intake, creating an opportunity to expand products with additional functional ingredients.

"Consumers already understand the need for more protein in their diet and the demand for plant proteins is high and growing as a result of the price and lack of availability of whey," Liao said. "The opportunity now is to use protein as a vehicle to add targeted, science-based functional ingredients. Axiom gives us beverage and protein vehicles. NNB brings the additional functional benefits, flavor support and formulation strategy to help brands build products consumers will use daily."

The companies also highlighted taste as a longstanding challenge in plant-based and functional nutrition. Plant proteins can introduce earthy or grainy flavors, while many functional ingredients contribute bitterness or lingering aftertastes.

As an example of how the partnership could address those issues, they pointed to combining Axiom's neutral-flavored plant proteins and oat or rice dairy alternatives with NNB's SweetVantage and SweetVantage+ sweetening systems. According to NNB, SweetVantage uses patented stevia Reb M9 and has demonstrated improved performance over other natural sweeteners in electronic tongue and sensory testing, while SweetVantage+ incorporates brazzein, a naturally sweet protein designed to mask bitterness while delivering sweetness comparable to artificial sweeteners in sensory evaluations.

Axiom's ingredient portfolio includes rice, pea, fava bean, chickpea and pumpkin proteins, along with whole-grain oat and rice dairy alternatives. Its products include Oryzatein CLEAR rice protein, Oryzatein 2.0 brown rice protein, VegOtein CLEAR pea protein, VegOtein TX texturized pea protein, VegOtein N neutral pea protein, VegOtein F fava bean protein, VegOtein CP chickpea protein, VegOtein B bean protein, AvenOlait oat dairy alternative and Oryz-O-Lait rice dairy alternative.

NNB Nutrition's beverage ingredient portfolio includes HydroPrime for hydration, MitoBurn for metabolic health, MitoPrime for brain health and longevity, SalidroPure for mood and endurance, GeniusPure Alpha-GPC for cognitive performance, DL 185 for protein effectiveness, Pürest Creatine and its SweetVantage natural sweetening technologies.

The companies showcased the partnership at IFT First 2026, held in Chicago from July 12-15.