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Functional Ingredients for Preventive Health and Active Ageing

Ingredients

INTRODUCTION

Nurasa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek, supports the commercialisation of sustainable nutrition ingredients, offering ingredient innovators access to go-to-market programme, regulatory support, formulation, and fermentation scale-up via its food-grade CDMO, ScaleUp Bio. 

Background

Active ageing is one of Nurasa’s key strategic themes, driven by growing demand across Asia, rising consumer willingness to pay, and clear nutrition gaps among older adults.

As the shift toward food as medicine accelerates, there is a need for preventive nutrition solutions that can seamlessly integrate into modern diets and daily eating habits. Today’s consumers are increasingly seeking functional ingredients in everyday foods that proactively support long-term health and well-being.

The goal of this challenge is to identify and validate science-backed ingredient innovations that demonstrate a clear product-market fit for active ageing by addressing specific health needs relevant to older adults aged 50 and above.


We are interested in solutions that are suitable for incorporation into food and beverage formulations and deliver targeted health benefits in great-tasting, consumer-friendly products, with a focus on:

  • Physical Vitality: Innovations that support energy levels, muscle retention, bone density, or cognitive performance (for example, proteins, peptides, or bioactive compounds)
  • Metabolic Health: Formulations that stabilise blood sugar, promote satiety, or improve fat metabolism (for example, low-sodium, low-sugar, or low-fat solutions)
  • Digestive Support: Ingredients that promote gut health and microbiome balance (for example, prebiotics, probiotics, or postbiotics)

We are particularly interested in ingredient startups leveraging enzymatic hydrolysis or microbial fermentation processes, including precision fermentation and biomass fermentation, to develop novel functional compounds.

We are not looking for:
  • B2C finished products (e.g. consumer brands)
  • Ingredients lacking scientific validation or regulatory alignment
  • Traditional herbal extracts without innovation (e.g.generic ginseng)

    • How might we deliver science-backed ingredient innovations that can be incorporated into food and beverage formulations to deliver targeted benefits for preventative health and active ageing?

    Requirements

    We are seeking to collaborate with innovators who can demonstrate a solution that meets the following criteria:

    Product Performance and Applicability: 
    • Be able to produce very consumer sensory-acceptable products
    • Be easily integrated into real food applications, with preference for ingredients applicable in powder or liquid formats
    • Cost in use should be reasonable – for a standard application, the change in total product cost should be less than 30%
    Scientific and Regulatory Readiness: 
    • Be science-backed, providing clear evidence of health benefits in active ageing or a clear impact on nutritional content to support claims
    • Be on track to attaining regulatory approval (if relevant, novel food, health claim and efficacy approval) within the next 12 months
    Sustainability and Innovation Potential (preferred): 
    • Offer a positive sustainability impact
    • Utilise fermentation processes as part of the product or production pipeline
    Technology Readiness and Collaboration: 
  • TRL7+ ingredient (startup or mature company with ingredient innovation) with a working prototype or ingredient that is ready for co-development
  • Open to co-development and iteration with corporate partners, and are able to commit required resources with the goal of developing a commercially viable application
  • Ideally include technical and business expertise to ensure well-rounded collaboration during the challenge.

    Nurasa Springboard Program

    The Program will be in two phases:
    Phase 1: Feasibility Validation:  three months from August to October 2025
  • Confirm that the science-backed ingredient has regulatory approval for food use or are on-track to attaining regulatory approval within the next 12 months
  • Share samples and potential applications for validation of feasibility in food or beverage prototype applications
  • Validate consumer acceptance
  • Validate potential market size and business opportunity, and offtake interest from Nurasa go-to-market channels and partners
    • Phase 2: Final Product - Commercialisation and Market Adoption:  6 - 12 months, starting January 2026
  • Confirm offtake and go-to-market route with Nurasa
  • Scale-up and produce at a food grade facility for commercialisation
  • Submit dossier for novel food approval, if relevant
  • Potentially identify development of applications within food applications with Asian heritage
    • Three to five startups will be selected for Phase 1; one or more startups (the winner of this challenge) will progress to Phase 2 unless our partners indicate interest to work with more than one ingredient innovator.
    To summarise the criteria for Phase 1:
  • Clear perceived value from consumers based on validated consumer need
  • Demonstrates clear functional benefits relevant to active ageing and supported by early validation
  • Can be easily applied in food, beverage, or supplement formats
  • Clear path to commercialisation within the next 6 to 12 months
  • Supported by a capable and collaborative team keen to co-develop with consumer packaged goods companies and corporate partners

    POC Partners

    Phase 2 will be supported by  Nurasa, ScaleUp Bio (if relevant), corporate and channel partners on our open innovation platform.

    Incentives

    Nurasa will bring direct access to the market through our channels and open innovation corporate partners.
    • The GTM channels include:
  • Foodservice (e.g. institutional catering)
  • CPG (in packaged food and beverage products for retail sale)
  • Ingredient Suppliers (incorporated into B2B formulations for distribution)
    • Nurasa Support::
  • Consumer and customer validation
  • Access to Nurasa’s ecosystem of potential customers and GTM partners to test market traction and offtake potential
  • Access to ScaleUp Bio (CDMO food grade facility) (100L-10,000L)
  • Regulatory support
  • Assistance with applications development
  • Use of the Nurasa Food Tech Innovation Centre facilities
    • Monetary and In-kind Incentives::
  • S$18,000  cash prize for the Challenge Winner
  • S$30,000  Nurasa Innovation Voucher for the Challenge Winner
  • S$10,000  Nurasa Innovation Voucher each for the two runners-up
  • Access to competition-exclusive and winner-exclusive rates for CDMO runs at ScaleUp Bio

    • Enterprise Singapore is augmenting this support with a S$20,000 Proof of Concept (POC) development grant for eligible startups/SMEs. Foreign startups/SMEs may be considered if developmental activities are based in Singapore and only if a Singapore office is incorporated. The POC Development grant could also be awarded to startups/SMEs incorporated in Singapore for projects with overseas pilot deployment potential.