The consumer industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by environmental sustainability, convenience, and aesthetics, and the growing importance of personalized nutrition, food safety and transparency, and digital food management technologies. In the last three years alone, there have been over 52,000 patents filed and granted in the consumer industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in consumer: microencapsulated proteins. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
30+ innovations will shape the consumer industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the consumer industry using innovation intensity models built on over 12,000 patents, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, microencapsulated proteins, plant-based cheese substitutes, and texturized vegetable proteins are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Beverage pods, edible oil non-spreads and recombinant steviol glycosides are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are anabolic muscle supplements and protein-fortified beverages, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the consumer industry
Microencapsulated proteins is a key innovation area in consumer
Microencapsulation is a process through which small particles or droplets are encapsulated in a coating. Microencapsulated proteins refer to proteins that have been encapsulated in a microcapsule or a multilayer microcapsule. The encapsulation can help to protect proteins from external factors such as oxidation, heat, and moisture, allowing for improved stability, and can also alter the release characteristics and bioavailability of the protein.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 65+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of microencapsulated proteins.
Key players in microencapsulated proteins – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to microencapsulated proteins
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Royal DSM | 47 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Anabio Technologies | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PepsiCo | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Washington H Soul Pattinson | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Consejo Superior Investigacion | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced BioNutrition | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mondelez International | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| COFCO | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Omya International | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Colarome | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Progel | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Zhejiang Medicine | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CKD Bio | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Teagasc | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| KB Biomed | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Merck | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alpina Productos Alimenticios | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Huddle | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NIZO food research | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solvotrin Therapeutics | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Chr. Hansen | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Firmenich International | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intervet | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Archer Daniels Midland | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ingredalia | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| International Flavors & Fragrances | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Spanish National Research Council | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mainelab | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| InnoBio | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NKD Pharma | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Uni-President China | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
DSM-Firmenich is one of the leading patent filers in microencapsulated proteins. Some other key patent filers in the space include Anabio Technologies, PepsiCo and Washington H Soul Pattinson. AnaBio Technologies has introduced microencapsulated probiotic strains, including widely recognized Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus types. These strains have the ability to endure temperature challenges linked to Ultra High Temperature (UHT) processing.
In terms of application diversity, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization leads the pack, with KB Biomed and Solvotrin Therapeutics in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, DSM-Firmenich holds the top position, followed by Washington H Soul Pattinson and Omya International.
As consumers become more health-conscious, there's a growing interest in functional foods that provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Microencapsulation can be used to incorporate proteins with specific functional properties (for example, probiotics and vitamins) into foods, making them more appealing to health-conscious consumers.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Consumer.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
