Trends at Vitafoods Europe 2026: our team’s impressions from Barcelona
This year, our team traveled to Barcelona with one question in mind: is the market confirming what we have been doing for decades at Bordas? After three days at Fira Gran Via, the answer was a resounding yes.
Vitafoods Europe 2026 brought together more than 1,600 exhibitors and nearly 30,000 professionals from around the world. It is an event that no longer simply reflects the pulse of the European nutraceutical industry, but also points to the direction in which the global market is moving.
For Bordas, with more than a century of experience manufacturing citrus flavonoids from Seville, events like this are much more than a showcase. They are an opportunity to actively listen to the market. And what we heard at this edition was strongly aligned with our roadmap.
The major functional ingredient trends that defined Vitafoods 2026
The market spoke clearly. Conversations at booths, conferences and networking areas converged around six major areas:
- microbiota and digestive health,
- natural sweeteners and taste optimization,
- antioxidant positioning and healthy aging,
- cardiovascular health,
- clean label and multifunctional ingredients.
All of them, without exception, have a direct connection to our citrus flavonoid platform.
Microbiota and digestive wellness is the most active category in the market
Digestive health remains one of the most dynamic categories in the European nutraceutical sector. Brands, CDMOs and ingredient distributors are looking for active ingredients capable of supporting microbiota balance with solid scientific backing and a clean label profile.
In this context, the prebiotic positioning of part of our platform generated significant interest. NAROMINE®, CITRIFLAV®, NAROXIN® and CITRONEO® led to highly productive conversations with companies that were not only looking for intestinal efficacy, but also for an ingredient capable of adding further functionality to their formulations. Here, multifunctionality is not a bonus. It is a requirement.
Natural sweeteners and taste optimization are a major formulation challenge
For anyone formulating gummies, stick packs, beverages or supplements with a high active ingredient load, taste is one of the biggest challenges. The bitterness of many functional ingredients remains a real barrier for the end consumer.
CITRONEO® and NAROMINE® were two of the ingredients that generated the most interest in this category, precisely because they offer key solutions: bitterness masking, taste modulation, sugar reduction potential and high compatibility with functional formulations.
This area was especially relevant for flavor and fragrance companies, as well as CDMOs working with complex formulations. Promising conversations were opened.
Natural antioxidant ingredients and healthy aging with a scientific foundation
Interest in antioxidant ingredients linked to wellness, immunity and healthy aging remained constant throughout the three days. European consumers are looking for preventive, natural solutions, while formulators are looking for active ingredients that can support that promise with science behind them.
CITRIFLAV® and NAROXIN® were very well received precisely because their natural citrus-derived origin, multifunctional profile and track record as natural anti-inflammatory ingredients with accumulated evidence place them in a very strong position within this trend.
Cardiovascular health and circulation is a consolidated category where Bordas has a lot to say
Cardiovascular health is not an emerging trend. It is a mature and demanding category, especially in the European nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets. And this is precisely where our position is strongest.
Our Diosmin, Hesperidin and PMFF solutions attracted the attention of companies focused on vascular health, circulatory support and pharmaceutical-grade formulations. The fact that Bordas is a European leader in the production of citrus-derived Diosmin was not something that needed much explanation. The market knows it, and that carries weight.
Citrus flavonoids at Vitafoods 2026: what we saw, what we heard and what confirms our roadmap
The market is demanding greater traceability in standardized citrus extracts
One of the most cross-cutting trends at the event was the growing demand for clean label ingredients of natural origin. This is no longer just a differentiating sales argument. In many categories, it is becoming an entry requirement.
Our positioning as specialists in citrus-derived flavonoids, with vertically integrated production and more than a century of manufacturing experience, was received very positively thanks to our ability to adapt to any requirement. The market wants to know exactly where the ingredients it formulates with come from, how they have been processed and what guarantees stand behind them. We can answer those questions with complete transparency.
Where is demand for citrus flavonoids heading in the European market in 2026?
The pattern was consistent from beginning to end: the market wants more nature, more science and more versatility in a single ingredient. And nutraceutical citrus extracts respond to all three demands at once. This is not a passing trend. It is the consolidation of an ingredient profile that has been gaining ground for years and that, at this edition of Vitafoods, received recognition that was highly encouraging for us at Bordas.
More than a century as manufacturers, and Vitafoods confirms that we are moving in the right direction
What we learned at the event and how we apply it to our processes
Each edition of Vitafoods is, for Bordas, an opportunity to assess whether what we do responds to what the market needs. In 2026, the answer was affirmative across every front: microbiota, sensory optimization, antioxidants, cardiovascular health, clean label and multifunctional ingredients.
Every conversation we had will return to our laboratories and production plant in the form of questions, improvements and new lines of work.
Once again, we leave this event very grateful, as it gave us the opportunity to generate valuable contacts and multiple opportunities for collaboration with companies across the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and flavor and fragrance sectors.
