Hecto Healthcare has been awarded a commendation from the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its contributions to the development of the health functional food industry and the improvement of public health.
The company announced on August 26 that it received the commendation as a contributor to the advancement of the health functional food industry during the 'K-Health Conference 2026,' which opened on August 25 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
Hosted by the Korea Health Functional Food Association, the conference aims to share key issues across the industry, including functional ingredients, regulations, exports, and distribution, while enhancing exchanges among government, industry, and academia.
Hecto Healthcare was recognized for its ongoing research and development (R&D) in various fields, including health functional foods, digital healthcare, and microbiome research. The company has been praised for its continuous research on probiotics and the development of functional ingredients based on scientific evidence, as well as its efforts to commercialize new functionalities.
Under the leadership of CEO Kim Seok-jin, the company has expanded its research base in probiotics and microbiomes. Kim, a graduate of Seoul National University’s dental school, has served as an adjunct professor in periodontology at Indiana University, where he researched microorganisms, infections, and immunity. He has also published works to promote probiotics and established the 'Good Bacteria Research Institute.'
Notably, Hecto Healthcare has established a research and technology collaboration with Professor Claudio De Simone, a world-renowned researcher in probiotics, and introduced the 'De Simone Formula' to South Korea. This ingredient has received individual recognition from the FDA for its potential to help regulate gut immunity and support gut health.
With over 15 years of accumulated expertise in microbiome research, Hecto Healthcare has developed a library of more than 3,000 proprietary strains. The company is also advancing the development of new functional ingredients through next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and functional evaluation systems.
Recently, its proprietary probiotic complex ingredient 'BN-202M' was approved by the FDA as an individual recognition health functional food ingredient (Recognition No. 2026-22) for its potential to aid in body fat reduction. BN-202M was developed by selecting strains with excellent fat and sugar absorption inhibition effects from over 300 candidate strains. According to the company, a 12-week human application study on overweight adults showed significant reductions in body fat mass, body fat percentage, and visceral fat area.
Kim Seok-jin, CEO of Hecto Healthcare, stated, "We will continue to present products and solutions that consumers can trust and strive to enhance the global competitiveness of the domestic health functional food industry."
Additionally, Hecto Healthcare has reported significant changes in the ratio of primary bile acids in feces and the gut microbiome community during human application tests of the De Simone Formula. The research results were published in the international journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics (AP&T).
The company announced on August 26 that it received the commendation as a contributor to the advancement of the health functional food industry during the 'K-Health Conference 2026,' which opened on August 25 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
Hosted by the Korea Health Functional Food Association, the conference aims to share key issues across the industry, including functional ingredients, regulations, exports, and distribution, while enhancing exchanges among government, industry, and academia.
Hecto Healthcare was recognized for its ongoing research and development (R&D) in various fields, including health functional foods, digital healthcare, and microbiome research. The company has been praised for its continuous research on probiotics and the development of functional ingredients based on scientific evidence, as well as its efforts to commercialize new functionalities.
Under the leadership of CEO Kim Seok-jin, the company has expanded its research base in probiotics and microbiomes. Kim, a graduate of Seoul National University’s dental school, has served as an adjunct professor in periodontology at Indiana University, where he researched microorganisms, infections, and immunity. He has also published works to promote probiotics and established the 'Good Bacteria Research Institute.'
Notably, Hecto Healthcare has established a research and technology collaboration with Professor Claudio De Simone, a world-renowned researcher in probiotics, and introduced the 'De Simone Formula' to South Korea. This ingredient has received individual recognition from the FDA for its potential to help regulate gut immunity and support gut health.
With over 15 years of accumulated expertise in microbiome research, Hecto Healthcare has developed a library of more than 3,000 proprietary strains. The company is also advancing the development of new functional ingredients through next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and functional evaluation systems.
Recently, its proprietary probiotic complex ingredient 'BN-202M' was approved by the FDA as an individual recognition health functional food ingredient (Recognition No. 2026-22) for its potential to aid in body fat reduction. BN-202M was developed by selecting strains with excellent fat and sugar absorption inhibition effects from over 300 candidate strains. According to the company, a 12-week human application study on overweight adults showed significant reductions in body fat mass, body fat percentage, and visceral fat area.
Kim Seok-jin, CEO of Hecto Healthcare, stated, "We will continue to present products and solutions that consumers can trust and strive to enhance the global competitiveness of the domestic health functional food industry."
Additionally, Hecto Healthcare has reported significant changes in the ratio of primary bile acids in feces and the gut microbiome community during human application tests of the De Simone Formula. The research results were published in the international journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics (AP&T).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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