I’m interested in hearing from food scientists, R&D professionals, ingredient suppliers and product developers working on functional foods and beverages.

As food and nutrition become more closely connected with preventive wellness, product teams are exploring ingredients and formulations associated with areas such as gut health, metabolic health, immunity, healthy ageing and personalised nutrition.

However, moving from a promising concept to a commercially viable product can involve several challenges:

• Ingredient efficacy and stability

• Taste and texture

• Bioavailability

• Shelf life

• Regulatory requirements

• Cost-effective formulation

• Consumer understanding and acceptance

• Scaling from prototype to manufacturing

Which of these is currently the biggest barrier for your team—and what approaches are showing the most promise?

For transparency, I work with MarketsandMarkets and study emerging opportunities across food, beverages, nutrition and ingredients. I’m joining this discussion primarily to understand the priorities and practical challenges being experienced by professionals in the sector.