Abstract

Nutraceuticals refers to food products that have extra medicinal benefits in addition to their intrinsic nutritional value. Nutraceuticals include vitamins, herbal remedies, dietary supplements, sport drinks and medically formulated foods, and are known to play a pivotal role in preventative healthcare. The global nutraceutical industry has been developing rapidly over the past decade. The global market has grown from a value of USD 140 Billion in 2010 to USD 382 Billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 486 Billion by 2025. The rapid expansion of this sector is attributed to the shift in the healthcare habits from treatment to prevention. Therapists and patients are now thinking differently about health and disease and consequently adopt dietary alternative that can target risk factors and physiological pathways to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. In this context, Mauritius and its neighbouring islands of the Indian Ocean constitute a unique biodiversity hotspot offering a large variety of medicinal plants, spices and fruits that hold immense potential to be valorised into nutraceuticals. Furthermore, the tropical climate of the island is favourable for the cultivation of moringa, citronella, rosemary, basilic, lemon and aloe vera amongst others, which are proven sources of nutraceuticals. In line with the government vision to implement a nutraceutical industry in Mauritius, the present project aims at setting-up a state-of-the-art innovation cluster regrouping the key players of the nutraceutical value chain in Mauritius as well as bringing in complementary international expertise to boost the sector. The main collaborators of the Pole, namely the Centre for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research (CBBR) and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) from the University of Mauritius and more recently Axonova Pharma Ltd, have been important drivers to the development of nutraceutical research in Mauritius over the past decade. The Pole of Innovation in Nutraceuticals has the objectives to: • Create an innovative cluster fostering all major actors of the nutraceutical research in Mauritius coupled with international expertise; • Develop a local value chain for the nutraceutical industry; • Valorise the regional biodiversity; • Turn research findings on medicinal plants into marketable products for use worldwide; • Be the angular stone for the development of a nascent and sustainable nutraceutical industry.