Bioactive whey protein shows promise in enhancing flu vaccine response
A recent clinical study has highlighted the potential for a bioactive whey protein to support immune responses to influenza vaccinations.
Hamilton dairy biotech company Quantec has won the top award at the annual Natural Health Products NZ awards for the second year running.
The company, based at Waikato Innovation Park, won the Supreme Award and the Cawthron Institute Innovation Award at the awards night recently in Hamilton.
The awards recognise the success of NZ companies developing, manufacturing and exporting natural products, functional foods, complementary medicines, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals.
Quantec chief executive Raewyn McPhillips says the company “has experienced steady growth over the past nine years, with pronounced growth over the past 12 months in particular”. The award reflects hard work and the vision of the founders and board.
“We grow and succeed because we are determined to push boundaries and continually improve our science and consumer interactions. This means we don’t always take a well-worn path, and we’ve become used to continually finding solutions and adapting as we go. Earning the respect of our industry peers in this way assures us we are on the right trajectory,” says McPhillips.
Quantec innovation director Rod Claycomb said the innovation award recognised a challenging product development for the gut health and immune health sector in China.
“We worked with our key customer in China to identify a nutraceutical product concept never done before: the combination of an omega-3 oil with an aqueous milk protein powder.
“We drew on the expertise of seven other NZ companies also working in the natural products industry. Six months after our launch in China last year we’ve started our second manufacturing run.”
Set up in 2009, Quantec extracts high-value bioactives from natural ingredients to make ingredient formulations for use in human and animal products.
Tickets are now available for Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) Out the Gate, returning from 19-21 May 2026 at Te Pae, Christchurch.
Dairy Women's Network (DWN) is welcoming AgriHealth as a new partner.
Northland Field Days patron Ross Newlove remembers the inaugural field days he attended 40 years ago.
Southland farmer Murray Donald has been appointed as chair of Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation focused on reducing harm, injuries and fatalities in the agricultural sector.
National Lamb Day returns this Sunday, 15 February, with Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc calling on Kiwis to fire up their barbecues and celebrate the people and the product that put New Zealand on the world map.
When it comes to arranging the sound system at Northland Field Days, no one does it better than Colin Finlayson.