LAS VEGAS, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SupplySide Global, along with Flagship Sponsor KSM-66 Ashwagandha & SRI-81 Shatavari, today announced the winners of the sixth annual Ingredient Idol competition, celebrating breakthrough innovations across the Supplements and Food & Beverage categories. Winners were revealed following a high-energy, live pitch competition on the Innovation Stage, where finalists presented in front of an enthusiastic audience and a panel of industry expert judges.
This year's competition shined a spotlight on popular innovations in nutrition, spanning longevity, biotics, adaptogens, GLP-1 innovation and brain health, all top of mind and readily requested in supplement and food & beverage products.
2026 Ingredient Idol Winners
Supplement Categories:
- Longevity: Kinexa, Joint Longevity Complex, PLT Health Solutions, a combination of standardized botanical extracts from turmeric, Indian frankincense, and Haritaki.
- Biotics: effera, (Helaina), a fermentation-derived bioidentical human lactoferrin.
- Adaptogens: Xeya Modern Shatavari, a standardized shatavari, root extract containing 15% shatavarins that functions as a hormonal adaptogen.
Food & Beverage Categories:
- GLP-1 Innovation: Enhanced Casein by Formo Foods, an animal-free protein made through precision fermentation.
- Brain Health: ExoBDNF by SunWay Biotech Co. Ltd., a next-generation probiotic designed to support gut, sleep, mood, and cognitive health.
"Thank you to the judges and everyone who attended. We are all in this industry together and what we are doing now is to fight for ourselves, our kids and our future," said Carol Tsou, Associate Director and Head of NPD, SunWay Biotech Co. Ltd.
A Closer Look at the Competition
Finalists were selected by the editorial teams of SupplySide Supplement Journal and SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, with three finalists chosen per category, except for GLP-1 Innovation, which had five finalists. Each finalist delivered a three-minute pitch, followed by three minutes of live Q&A with the judging panel. To qualify, ingredients must have launched no earlier than January 1, 2025, ensuring the competition showcased only the newest innovations in the market.
Meet the Judges
This year's panel brought deep industry expertise across both categories:
- Supplement Judges: David Foreman, Douglas Lynch, Diana Morgan
- Food & Beverage Judges: Victoria Dang, Scott Dicker, Sam Kressler
“The competition was fierce this year and it was great seeing so much innovation in the hottest categories in the supplement industry,” added Devon Gholam, Editor, SupplySide Supplement Journal.
Program Highlights
The full list of Ingredient Idol Supplement finalists included:
Adaptogens:
- Ashwa.30 Next Gen Ashwagandha (Natural Remedies)
- BloomSAS Salidroside (Bloomage Biotechnology)
- Xeya Modern Shatavari (NXT USA and Laila Nutra)
Biotics:
- Ascomya PK88 (Biohm Technologies)
- CLB101 (Maypro)
- effera (Helaina)
Longevity:
- BluNADBooster (NXT USA)
- Kinexa Joint Longevity Complex (PLT Health Solutions)
- SEPIBRIGHT (Seppic)
The full list of Ingredient Idol Food & Beverage finalists included:
GLP-1 Innovation:
- SelectSIEVE HopE by ROELMI HPC
- Naticol Tripeptide by Weishardt International
- SolvPro Yeast-Based Protein Systems by Osage Food
- Trpti by Saanroo
- Enhanced Casein by Formo Foods
Brain Health:
- PROtelyze Bio-Brain by Hilmar
- Immulink MBG Lion's Mane by Super Beta Glucan Inc.
- ExoBDNF by SunWay Biotech Co. Ltd.
What is Next
Each category winner receives a trophy and feature coverage in SupplySide Supplement Journal or SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal. Ingredient Idol will return next year as part of SupplySide Global's ongoing commitment to celebrating the ingredients shaping the future of nutrition.
For more highlights from this year's show, visit www.SupplySideGlobal.com.
About SupplySide Global
SupplySide Global, organized by Informa Markets Health & Nutrition, is the premier business-to-business trade show where supplement, food, and beverage industry professionals make powerful connections. Consumer product decision makers, suppliers and manufacturers develop partnerships that bring innovative products to life and to market. The supply chain connects at this global exhibition where ingredient and technology companies debut the latest breakthroughs, nutrition scientists find solutions to formulation challenges, and consumer brands source ideas and ingredients that accelerate product development and business growth. A must-attend event, SupplySide Global is more than a trade show, it is the catalyst for nutrition innovation. The SupplySide Portfolio also includes SupplySide Connect events in Utah and Madison, both launching in 2027, and New Jersey, which will return in 2028, along with publications SupplySide Supplement Journal and SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal.
Media Contact:
SupplySide PR
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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