A Comprehensive Review of Patent Trends in Personalized Nutrition Using Medicinal Plants Across Asia

The personalized food industry aims to maintain health and prevent disease through nutritional solutions optimized for individuals' health status and lifestyle. As interest in personalized nutrition grows globally, Asia represents a strategically important hub where traditional medicinal plant knowledge is being translated into natural product-based personalized food innovations. This study analyzed patent filing trends in Asia to examine the development and growth stages of personalized food technologies. Patent databases were searched to identify patents related to natural product-based personalized foods filed in Asia. Of 761 patents identified, 368 were extracted as relevant valid data and categorized by technology field and applicant country. Patent applications began increasing in the mid-2000s, with a marked acceleration since 2015, indicating that the technology is in an early growth stage. Korea (43%) and China (31%) led filing activity. Dietary analysis patents accounted for 79% of valid patents, while food composition patents comprised 21%. This growth is driven by advances in personalized diet information utilizing biometrics and artificial intelligence-based health care technologies. Personalized food technology is currently in a growth phase and is expected to continue expanding.