Lactocore and Ingredia Collaborate on Innovative Functional Food Ingredients Relieving Mood Disorders in Humans and Animals

The primary objective of this cooperation is to create a new functional food product for humans, pets, and farm animals. The product is aimed at improving mood disorders and based on dairy proteins. Scientists from both companies will explore the potential of dietary supplements enriched with Lactocore's proprietary milk peptide hydrolysate.

‘Peptides have vast and diverse physiological effects in humans and animals. At Lactocore, our primary research thrust is medications. Our pipeline of milk-derived peptide drug candidates demonstrate efficacy and safety against a range of metabolic and mental ailments. This long-term partnership with Ingredia, an industry leader in the European segment of functional ingredients, marks a significant expansion in our research domain. We're thrilled that besides our drug-centric approach, we can now venture into other collaborative product developments,’ remarked Anton Malyshev, PhD in Physiology and the CEO and Co-founder of Lactocore Group.

The research collaboration will begin in January and will last several months. Cow milk will be hydrolyzed using Lactocore's technology enhanced with Ingredia's know-how. The challenge lies in pinpointing the specific peptide family with desired activity in the hydrolysate through mass spectrometry. This ensures that the hydrolysate's effects align with those of isolated peptides. Then animal tests will be conducted. Ultimately, Ingredia and Lactocore aim to develop a functional product, with proof of efficacy through clinical trials.

 ‘According to the WHO, one in eight people worldwide suffered from a mental disorder in 2019 (12.5% of the population), with anxiety and depressive disorders being the most widespread. Thus, mental health, and notably depressive disorders, became a top public health priority. These pathologies, which can have severe repercussions on social and professional activities, are mainly treated with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (antidepressants, anxiolytics, etc.). However, these drugs have significant side-effects and limited efficacy. Indeed, only 60% of patients with depression respond to conventional antidepressant treatments (Rush and al., 2006). This underlines the need to explore other management strategies that could be proposed as an alternative or complement to the treatments used. The introduction of a patented original peptide mix sourced from natural milk offers a promising solution for clinically effective next-generation functional food products’, said Joanna Moro, PhD in nutrition science and clinical trials specialist for Ingredia.

Peptides are naturally occurring potent physiological regulators. In our bodies, they decompose into amino acids that are easy to absorb. Peptides exert nuanced effects by selectively binding to specific receptors or target proteins. Their natural origin ensures their safety, devoid of side effects, while effectiveness is based on precise interaction with the body.

Lactocore Group specializes in researching milk peptides that target conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, and diabetes. Future collaborations between Lactocore Group and Ingredia are to be centered on developing ingredients for functional foods improving metabolic conditions.

About Lactocore Group

Lactocore Group is a US based international biotech startup focused on pioneering research with milk peptides. The mission of the team is to create safe and effective milk-peptide-based treatments for common health issues, such as stress, anxiety, obesity, and diabetes, affecting both people and pets. Utilizing proprietary computational tools, Lactocore Group has discovered a range of promising milk-derived peptides, two of which have already demonstrated proof-of-concept in late-stage preclinical studies. As of today, the Lactocore Group has filed four patent applications related to peptide therapeutic agents, with the most recent one submitted in 2023.

About Ingredia

Dairy explorers since 1949, Ingredia Dairy Experts is a French dairy company which develops and manufactures innovative ingredients: functional & nutritional milk proteins, dairy powders and natural bioactive ingredients – for the worldwide Health, Nutrition and Food industries. Through strong links with its customers, Ingredia is constantly innovating for the products of tomorrow. Oriented in a sustainable production, Ingredia works to feed and protect better. Since May 2023, Ingredia joined now the international community of B Corp companies.