Innovation \In`no*va"tion\, n. [L. innovatio; cf. F. innovation.] 1. The act of innovating; introduction of something new, in customs, rites, etc.

The word INNOVATION continues to grab headlines! Consumers are bombarded with advertising that pulls them into the magic of something new [wnet.org/archive/innovation]. "New" sells-"Dreams Made Real!" [agilent-tech.com]. Trade magazines feature companies that profit through innovation [innovating.com]. Suppliers use innovation [thetech.org] to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Introducing something new sounds so simple, but the truth of the matter is that most new products fail [Robert Cooper]. The ways of being creative are infinite [thinksmart.com], but designing a product that fits within a company's strategic framework and meets the hurdles as a viable business proposition usually sidesteps real discovery.

The nutraceuticals industry is changing the rules. Companies with the most innovative and best leaders are pushing the boundaries in developing new products that leverage health. As a result, organizations are changing, technology is evolving, regulations are being challenged, new categories are being created and new distribution channels are being developed. The business of selling new ideas or keeping old ideas fresh can be taxing. It takes passion to push ideas forward with enough enthusiasm and energy to bust down conventional barriers. Michael Lewis said it best in his most recent book [amazon.com] titled The New New Thing: "Progress does not march forward like an army on parade; it crawls on its belly like a guerrilla." It is a constant challenge to find ways to present ideas that will grab the attention of management teams focused on the business day to day. Don't wait on others to create that "special" enterprise discovery zone. Design your own. Collect a variety of tools to stimulate new ideas and improve the ability to link different pieces of an idea that ultimately can turn into making a product stronger and more valuable to the organization.

It is the goal of "Sparks of Innovation" to become one of those tools. It is designed to highlight and widen the scope on innovative happenings in the nutraceutical industry as well as offer encouragement to the passionate innovator. It is estimated that over 800 million web pages exist and this changes every second. There is so much information that it is virtually impossible to offer a complete and balanced viewpoint about any subject. Talking about innovation adds another dimension in that opinions of what classifies something as innovative can be poles apart. To en­hance the depth of information, the so-called "sparks" in this column are woven throughout the paragraphs in brackets that contain specific Internet addresses or key terms that can be plugged into your favorite Internet search engines. This is designed to speed up the navigation process through the quagmire of information available for any particular topic, such as this month's magazine topic, minerals.

The key is to send you in a new direction for creative matter that allows you to quickly build a virtual library on innovative happenings in the world of nutraceuticals [americannutra.com]. Only a handful of people provided input to this particular review on minerals, but I'd like to make this an interactive forum in the future, so e-mail me your "sparks" for the next edition, which will focus on "active cultures." Consider this as one massive virtual brainstorm where the participants are the most innovative individuals blurring the lines between food, supplements and pharmaceuticals. Ideas are free! It is what you do with them that counts...
Innovators designing mineral-based nutrition products [albionlabs.com] would love to see this headline blasted across newspapers and televisions [CNN.com]. Minerals [healthy.net] provide the raw materials from which silicon chips and lasers are made. As each idea has built on the previous breakthrough, the computer technology industry has exploded with new product ideas, pushing communication beyond any wildest expectation [the standard.com]. In a similar fashion, minerals [mineral.galleries.com/minerals.htm] are naturally occurring inorganic elements that play a part in hundreds of biochemical and physiological pathways [wiley.com] important for good health.

Dietary choices are critical as the body does not synthesize minerals, but nutrients are obtained from food, supplements, beverages and tap water [epa.gov] that may contain dissolved minerals. Can you name the "major" minerals found in the human body? Those that immediately popped into your head are a decent barometer reading of what the consumer knows [healthfocus.net], which as you know, dictates new product efforts [foodingredientsonline.com] and sometimes even technological breakthroughs [techreview.com].

The "major" minerals are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur [banffgondola.com], chloride, sodium and magnesium. Minerals required in smaller amounts are classified as 'trace' minerals [traceminerals.com] and include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, chromium and selenium. This does not cover all the minerals but is a good starting place from a nu­traceutical product perspective.

Many new product ideas are based on inadequate intake of specific minerals [nal.usda.gov] for a given segment of the healthy population [demographics.com]. For instance, most people consume far less than the recommended amount of calcium [nof.org]; therefore, calcium was most likely one of the first minerals that came to mind, given the highly visible public health campaigns [gotmilk.com]. In 1999, increased consumer awareness triggered the introduction of over 50 products enriched with calcium across many categories.

Similar approaches may be carried out with other minerals. For instance, many adults have a low dietary intake of chromium. When chromium is lacking, insulin action is impaired, affecting the control blood glucose concentrations. Given the increased incidence of diabetes [diabetes.org] and obesity, re­search centers are focusing on the specific mechanisms by which chromium can positively impact these debilitating health conditions [nutrition21.com].

Looking at specific innovations, research continues to uncover the role that selective minerals can play as potential therapeutic agents in a variety of health conditions. For instance, "Zicam" [zicam.com] is touted to be a revolutionary (another jazzy descriptor for innovative) cold remedy as it is reported to reduce the duration of the common cold [coldcure.com] by 85%. Zicam uses a patent-pending gel matrix to apply ionic zinc directly to the nasal cavity. Zinc [galvanizeit.org] is considered one of the most important nutrients for the immune system as it is necessary for healthy antibody, white blood cell, thymus gland and hormone function and is therefore vital in maintaining resistance to infection. According to the press release [geltech.com], the research suggests that ionic zinc fills the grooves on the rhinovirus, thereby blocking the virus' ability to bind with the cells lining the nasal cavity, preventing or interrupting the infection cycle. Now that is innovative.

So how do we know if we need to supplement our diets with minerals or back off on mineral supplementation? Enter another innovation-home testing kits. For $59.95, a lab technician can take a look at a small hair sample to check your mineral status [bodybalance.com], including detection of long term exposure to toxins. Although home testing kits have been around since the late 1970's for early pregnancy detection, the developments in noninvasive collection methods and testing technology as well as the growth in online retailing has pushed this market to over $2 billion.

Sales of at-home testing kits for medical conditions totaled $38.6 million in the food channel alone in 1997, up 21% versus 1996 [Information Re­sources Inc.]. Supermarkets, especially those with pharmacies, are adding more products for testing for diabetes, cholesterol, pregnancy and other medical conditions. Several large supermarket chains [safeway.com] are increasing their selection of testing kits, especially for diabetes. Although drug stores account for the majority of sales of at-home testing kits, grocery stores are approaching nearly 25% of all in-home testing kit sales.

To say there will be a mineral product explosion is an overstatement, given mineral product sales are but a fraction of total sales of other products purchased to impact health [nutritionbusiness.com]. However, the value of home testing technologies is adding a brand new dimension to the world of nu­traceuticals. Recent conferences [nnfa.org] have discussed the impact of drugs [rxlist.com/top200htm] on mineral depletion. Specifically, the effect of penicillin on calcium, magnesium and iron absorption is a major concern. If any of these prescribed medications are depleting body stores, self monitoring mineral status with home testing kits may offer a solution to minimize the potential deleterious effects. Whatever the approach, companies with the most innovative leaders will eventually figure out how to best collide these innovations to offer another approach to effectively compete in this crowded marketplace.

NW

Dondeena Bradley, Ph.D., is currently senior program manager in the Global Nutrition & Health Group at the Campbell Soup Company, Camden, NJ. Dr. Bradley's experience in the nutrition arena includes nutrition research and development at M&M/Mars and managing the commercial development of specialty fat ingredients at the Stepan Company. She can be reached via e-mail at dondeena_bradley@campbellsoup.com.