DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has announced plans to enter into a strategic partnership with China-based consumer health care company, By-Health, to focus on probiotic development.

The strategic collaboration is based on meeting the growing consumer demand for healthier and safer food products, by researching and developing probiotic dietary supplements with “new functions, new ingredients and new technologies”.

Together, the companies will research on intestinal microecology and the development of new probiotic dietary supplements and applications for use.

Anders Grøn, global vice president of human health at DuPont said: “At DuPont, we’re focused on improving people’s everyday lives, and China is an important consumer market.

“With our expertise within probiotics and microbiome science, we’re delighted to partner with one of the leading consumer health care companies in Asia Pacific to develop new probiotics-based products to satisfy consumers’ growing demand for natural health and wellness solutions.”

In September last year, By-Health moved into the global market with its acquisition of Life-Space Group, an Australian enterprise that produces and markets probiotic products for all life stages.

US-based DuPont offers a range of clinically documented strains under its DuPont Danisco portfolio to support the body’s immune system including healthy digestion. Earlier this month, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences launched a new range of enzymes designed to help maintain the quality of durum pasta “from pack to plate”.