Nutraceutical market achieves remarkable growth in India, observes workshop

Kochi, Jun 16 (PTI) A workshop on natural biopolymers has observed that the demand for nutraceutical products has increased in recent years, resulting in a remarkable growth of the sector with a compound annual growth of 20 per cent over the past three years.

This trend is driven by increasing health awareness among the public and a growing emphasis on preventive healthcare. Projections indicate that the nutraceutical market in India will expand from an estimated USD 4 billion to an impressive USD 18 billion by the end of 2025, according to experts, an official release said here on Friday.

The workshop was organised by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) under the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Policy at the institute.

Experts also viewed the increasing demand for nutraceutical products as an indication of the need to utilise untapped natural resources.

While delivering the inaugural address, CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan stressed the urgent need to explore marine organisms to unearth novel bioactive compounds capable of addressing unmet medical needs and propelling the frontiers of healthcare.

"CMFRI's nutraceutical products from the seaweeds to treat various lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity, arthritis, hypertension, thyroid, etc have received an overwhelming response from the public. The institute will continue to explore the medicinal prospects of such marine organisms," he said, adding that efforts are required to tap the immense potential of natural resources like marine organisms for the development of innovative pharmaceutical products.

Dr Krupesha Sharma S R, Head of the Marine Biotechnology, Fish Nutrition, and Health Division of CMFRI, presided over the meeting.

The workshop was aimed at sharing the latest information and technologies related to the isolation, characterisation and development of natural biopolymers with pharmaceutical applications, said Dr Kajal Chakraborty, Principal Scientist and coordinator of the workshop.

According to him, the development of value-added products from marine organisms such as seaweeds not only provide health benefits to consumers but also create opportunities for the downstream value chain.

Natural biopolymers such as proteins, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids hold great promise in the field of medicine, he added.

Scientists, researchers, and faculties from various institutes and universities attended the workshop, which set the stage for formulating strategies for further research in the field. PTI TGB TGB SS