The consumer industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by convenience, health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and the growing importance of technologies such as 3D food printer, alternative proteins, and traceability enablers. In the last three years alone, there have been over 450,000 patents filed and granted in the consumer industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Consumer: Anabolic muscle supplements.

However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

40+ innovations will shape the consumer industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the consumer industry using innovation intensity models built on over 110,000 patents, there are 40+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, hydrogel dressings, dextrin-based compositions, and safety injection needles are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Wet wipes dispenser, carbon fibre sports equipment, and muscle regeneration supplements are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are shrimp cultivation and anabolic muscle supplements, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the consumer industry

Anabolic muscle supplements is a key innovation area in consumer

Anabolic training helps to develop of muscles from protein and nutrients. The process of anabolism, which includes the synthesis of intricate molecules, results in the development and differentiation of cells as well as an increase in body size.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of anabolic muscle supplements.

Key players in anabolic muscle supplements – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to anabolic muscle supplements

Company Total patents (2010 - 2021) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Nestle 155 Unlock company profile
Axcella Health 87 Unlock company profile
Danone 26 Unlock company profile
Fonterra Co-operative Group 22 Unlock company profile
Megmilk Snow Brand 19 Unlock company profile
Abbott Laboratories 19 Unlock company profile
Royal DSM 17 Unlock company profile
Raytheon Technologies 14 Unlock company profile
Natural Alternatives International 13 Unlock company profile
Pronutria Biosciences 13 Unlock company profile
L’Institut National Recherche Agronomique 10 Unlock company profile
Morinaga Milk Industry 10 Unlock company profile
TdeltaS 8 Unlock company profile
Colgate-Palmolive 8 Unlock company profile
AlzChem Trostberg 8 Unlock company profile
Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina UA 7 Unlock company profile
Vital Solutions 7 Unlock company profile
AlzChem 7 Unlock company profile
Nutrition Sciences 7 Unlock company profile
Ajinomoto 6 Unlock company profile
Cosucra Groupe Warcoing 5 Unlock company profile
Kao 5 Unlock company profile
Martin Bauer 5 Unlock company profile
Xiwang Foodstuffs 5 Unlock company profile
Flavitpure 5 Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Nestle is one of the leading patent filers in anabolic muscle supplements, along with Axcella Health, Danone, Fonterra Co-operative Group, and Megmilk Snow Brand. Recently, Danone introduced through online channels in China, a trio of healthy ageing nutritional supplements, designed to be consumed at three distinct times during the day. The product includes a probiotics fibre powder drink for gut and immune health.

In terms of application diversity, Abbott Laboratories leads the pack. Cosucra Groupe Warcoing and Xiwang Foodstuffs stand in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, L’Institut National Recherche Agronomique holds the top position, followed by Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina and Danone.

Anabolic muscle supplements play an important role in muscle development and are commonly used by athletes and other bodybuilders to increase muscle mass and strength. In addition, they help to increase the production of red blood cells. Leading organisations will introduce steroids that match the demands of consumers in the near future.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Consumer.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.