Dr Craig Rose, Founder and MD of Seaweed & Co., was invited to talk on BBC World News about seaweed as a future food. The interview came about following Dr Rose’s talk at the London based trade show Food Matters Live in a seminar on innovative ingredients.

The feature talked about our GeeSeaNutra® smoked organic seaweed and the unique attributes that makes it a versatile ingredient, not only for food applications, but also and especially for superfoods blends and nutritional powder mixes, and it was watched by over 95 million people. The sustainability of seaweed, and its potential to meet key market challenges, such as mineral deficiencies, obesity and diabetes, makes it an innovative food supplement alternative.

Watch the full feature here or visit our dedicated GeeSeaNutra® page for more information. Contact us to receive a sample and to learn about our other grades, including the new odourless, tasteless and water soluble micro-encapsulated powder.

In order to have a K2 finished product that can distinguish itself from its competitors, it should be chosen a pure and stable MK7 ingredient, to minimize the cross reactions with other ingredients/excipients included in the formulation during the whole shelf stability of the product.

In a scenario where different qualities of MK7 active ingredients coexist, stability, isomeric purity and impurities profile of MK7 branded products still remain an open question.

Please ensure that your finished product is a blockbuster in your market, knowing which quality of MK7 you are offering to your customers.

Gnosis has always offered a free-of-charge and confidential analytical service to test the quality profile of K2 products with:

1. Evaluation of the Purity Profile (all-trans, impurities)
2. Stability in the formulation
3. USP/TGA Compliance

Silvia Pisoni, Marketing Manager of Gnosis, says: “We can do it because we have a tangible expertise on K2 production, obtained after having spent several years developing a proprietary process based on the fermentation of the Bacillus subtilis natto, culminated in the grant of a patent where the entire process is deeply described.

We have more than 10 years of experience in vitamin K2 production and we sell MK7 without intermediaries and brokers. The strictest and qualified rules are applied during the production to guarantee the highest quality and purity levels of our vitaMK7^®, with a liable reproducibility, obtained in our GMP manufacturing plant. We constantly apply the most effective analytical conditions to characterize the profiles of each of our lots and we can do this for you, like no other in the market.

We are confident that this service helps to shed light on the real quality of the raw materials that are present on the market and will help players to choose the best quality of MK7.

The American market has started to launch the first dietary supplements with Mythocondro®, the unique 100% vegan chondroitin sulfate similar to human synovial fluid, manufactured by Gnosis.

Mythocondro® is the first Non-Animal Chondroitin Sulfate (CS) product on the market obtained through the exclusive natural fermentative production process developed by Gnosis. The result of this innovative approach is a 100% vegan product, suitable for vegetarians and free from restrictions of use related to religious and supply issues.

Mythocondro® radically and definitely solves the long-standing, undisputed problems of poor quality and potential safety issues of animal-derived CS. Its natural origin not only makes the product suitable for everyone, but also guarantees a reliable and reproducible source of CS, highly pure (99% by HPLC) with demonstrated great bioavailability, efficacy and safety.

New human clinical trial data presented at the Society for Neuroscience on Wednesday, November 15 shows supplementation with patented Neumentix™ Phenolic Complex K110-42 supports sustained attention and focus in young, healthy individuals.

The new study used CNS Vital Signs test to evaluate the effects of Neumentix supplementation on cognitive performance compared to placebo. The CNS test uses a series of computerized neurocognitive tests to assess brain function. Results showed significant improvement in sustained attention after 30 days which lasted through the 90-day study. These results indicate long-term supplementation with Neumentix can improve focus over time.

Neumentix is a water-extracted natural dietary ingredient that was selectively bred to be high in polyphenols and targeted to support cognitive and physical performance. Previous research suggests key polyphenols in Neumentix support working memory function in the brain through at least four potential mechanisms of action. Polyphenols in Neumentix are suggested to support cognition by reducing oxidative stress, increasing acetylcholine, supporting the growth of new neurons and protecting existing cells.

“Neumentix stands out in the growing brain health market with its sustained, non-stimulant benefits for concentration and focus with continued use,” said Kim Colletti, Global Cognition Product Manager at Kemin Human Nutrition and Health. “Young consumers are looking for long-term cognitive enhancement that will help them stay productive without crashing.”

According to Research and Markets, the brain health supplement market is expected to reach $11.6 billion by 2024.

With an official notification [2017, No. 8] issued on October 20^th 2017 by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the PRC (former Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China), Quatrefolic® has been publicly authorized as Food Nutritional Fortification Substance with a specific monograph that describes its quality (physical, chemical and microbiological) requirements.

After the first positive assessment made by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk assessment (CFSA) on early 2016, the use of Quatrefolic® as Food Nutritional Fortification Substance now enters in force in China.

The published monograph defines dosage and intended use of Quatrefolic®, the 5-MTHF glucosamine salt, as a new active ingredient, introducing this innovative folate instead of the already known folic acid.

Here below the officially publication:

http://www.nhfpc.gov.cn/sps/s7890/201710/c4cc46c01005445f88ad169c8e820aee.shtml

Quatrefolic® is the metabolically active folate that is not affected by the common impairments of folate metabolism since it does not require the complex absorption, metabolic and enzymatic steps that are required by folic acid. Contrary to folic acid, Quatrefolic® – being the metabolically active form of folate – is not influenced by the polymorphism of the MTHFR (methyltetrahydrofolate reductase) enzyme, a genetic defect with a high incidence in Chinese population.

In these part of the population folic acid is not effectively converted to the biologically active form 5-MTHF (methylfolate) due to the reduced enzymatic activity. Therefore, the beneficial effect of folic acid supplementation is not guaranteed in the folate deficiency related status of people, like Chinese.

http://www.quatrefolic.com/quatrefolic_vs_folic.php

FOCUS ON CHINESE INCIDENCE OF MTHFR POLYMORPHISM

In the recent years, a wide numbers of clinical studies have investigated the incidence of this polymorphism in China.  Of particular relevance, the very recent meta-analysis published in 2016 by Wang et al. where sixty-six studies were identified with a total of 92277 study participants, in 23 provinces in Mainland China.

The meta-analysis revealed that the frequencies of the MTHFR C677T allele and the 677TT genotype increased from lower values (5% and 17%, respectively) in Guangxi, to intermediate values (12% and 32%, respectively) in Anhui, to higher values (39% and 62%, respectively) in Shandong.

The frequency of the 1298C allele was found to be the lowest in northern China [18% (17%-19%)], intermediate in central China [18% (17%-19%)], and highest in southern China [28% (24%-31%)]. The mean frequency of the 1298C allele was 20% (18%-22%).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4835080/

Verdure Sciences celebrated its 20-year Anniversary and unveiled details of on a new corporate campus during the Supply Side West show in Las Vegas, NV in true style with champagne and cake at the booth. As an independent and privately-owned company, twenty years is quite a milestone. Verdure Sciences has evolved over the years along with the natural products industry. Founder and CEO, Ajay Patel, began the business as GENI Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana shortly after graduating from Purdue University with a chemical engineering degree. In 1997, Patel saw an opportunity to sell Garcinia, with his familiarity knowing that the botanical was native to his homeland, India. Patel’s reflections upon initial sales coincides with frustrating accounts of botanical extract color as a prime quality indicator, many times superseding chemical analysis. These early frustrations helped outline Patel’s vision to deliver high quality botanical extracts based on chemical identity and traceable initiatives, balanced with innovation and conservative management principles. Although GMP’s were under DSHEA, specific guidelines were not finalized for over a decade. Patel, stayed true to his vision and worked with industry associations to ensure quality standards and efficacy became leading requirements.

In early 2002, the next chapter of branding and clinical initiatives began, the first of which was on the efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata, branded as WokVelÒ(Phytomedicine. 2003. 10: 3-7). Feedback and acknowledgement regarding the integrity and appreciation of the investment into human clinicals, encouraged Patel to proceed with further investments and to rename the company in 2005 to Verdure Sciences Inc. At this same time Verdure began to license and develop intellectual property, resulting in PomellaÒ Pomegranate Extract.

Over the next decade, Verdure launched numerous branded ingredients, including well-known ingredients such as LongvidaÒ Optimized Curcumin, BacognizeÒ, TinofendÒ, and CalzboneÒ along with VBATSÔ, Verdure’s Botanical Active Testing System.

Next year, Verdure will be in a new 7-acre corporate campus including office, laboratory, product development, greenhouse, and warehouse spaces. The campus will encourage healthy living with a wellness building and outdoor walking trail surrounded by native fauna and flora.

“Verdure’s continuous investments in both clinical initiatives and back end integration, provides our customers with both market substantiation and trusted traceability, ultimately benefiting the consumer. Our founding beliefs remain our top priority today and I believe because of that – our company remains viable, strong, growing, and abig thank you to all valued customers and strategic partners, but especially to those who have had faith in Verdure Sciences from the very beginning.” states Patel.

Verdure Sciences announces that its Pomella® Pomegranate Extract obtained self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (self-GRAS) status following an extensive and comprehensive evaluation by an independent panel of experts.

The self-affirmed GRAS status is yet another indication of our commitment to continuously improve our scientific initiatives on our branded ingredients, the foundation of which lies in safety and efficacy. Furthermore, the GRAS status will allow us to continue to diversify our positioning.

Backed by human clinical substantiation, safety, and efficacy, Pomella® Extract is available in a variety of grades from Verdure Sciences. These grades include Pomella FG (food grade) and Pomella Organic. All varieties of Pomella have received self-GRAS status, an outstanding accomplishment by the whole team.

“This new self-GRAS status marks a milestone for the Pomella® brand,” says Sonya Cropper, VP of Marketing and Innovation for Verdure Sciences. “The Pomella® portfolio continues to set industry standards for pomegranate and, in particular, punicalagin research, which we believe will support its success worldwide in a variety of applications and deliverables.”

“We are extremely honored to have Pomella® in the ranks of those whom have also undergone the rigorous process to obtain self-GRAS status,” says Kristen Marshall, Marketing Coordinator at Verdure Sciences. “Not only is this an incredible achievement, but this is also a stepping stone towards further backing the scientific rigor of our patented and proprietary pomegranate extract. Further, the potential implications of this new status are very exciting to be a part of.” †

 † These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

About Pomella®:

Patented Pomella® Pomegranate Extract is a standardized breakthrough formula of the primary antioxidants of the pomegranate fruit, punicalagins. It was developed by Verdure Sciences® in collaboration with researchers to deliver and efficacious punicalagins and metabolites. Pomella® (US Patents 7638640, 7897791, 7919636, EP Patent 1734949) is a registered trademark of Verdure Sciences®, Inc.

Probiotic foods and beverages need to be refrigerated. It wasn’t long ago that this was the case, and most consumers grabbed their healthy bacteria in the dairy aisle—often in the form of yogurt or even kefir. But why were probiotics tied so closely to the refrigerated category? Well, most probiotic strains are fragile, living organisms—meaning they require refrigeration to survive, and to avoid early germination (such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium). These strains were some of the first to be fortified into foods and beverages, with dairy applications being the most efficient. And because refrigerated probiotic strains were the most commonly used, the association began.

But that was in the past; Thanks to innovation in probiotic technology, new genera of these healthy bacteria mean temperature-stable options are available. Scientists have discovered that spore-forming strains of probiotics, such as bacillus coagulans, can survive in most applications without the need for refrigeration, by staying dormant until they reach the digestive tract. Some strains can even withstand extreme cold and hot temperatures, rigorous manufacturing conditions and out-survive many of even the most popular refrigerated varieties.

In addition to their survivability, certain strains in the category, like GanedenBC³⁰® (Bacillus coagulans, GBI-30, 6086), have been shown to have a variety of health benefits to the end user—from supporting the digestive and immune system to enhancing protein utilization. It was even demonstrated that the strain survives 10X more effectively than yogurt cultures. Because of this, probiotic foods and beverages are found in almost every aisle of the grocery store—from tea and coffee to breads and ice cream.

Gone are the days when probiotic foods and beverages require refrigeration!

Today, consumers are offering their families probiotics via cereal, protein bars, juices, frozen burritos and hundreds of other SKUs. This innovation in the marketplace is thanks to probiotics like GanedenBC³⁰ and their unique spore-forming structure. The strain is gaining popularity for use in the food and beverage space because of its ability to survive extreme temperatures and manufacturing processes and provide multiple health benefits.

GanedenBC³⁰’s spore can be equated to a plant seed—it is dormant and won’t grow until there is the right temperature, moisture and environment. For GanedenBC³⁰, the ideal environment is within the intestines. Its spore structure protects it from environmental challenges like, pressure, low pH, high heat and freezing temperatures until it reaches that environment. Unlike GanedenBC³⁰, strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium cannot form these protective spores and therefore are nearly impossible to formulate into products outside of the cold case.

A Probiotic That Survives!

GanedenBC³⁰ survives as well as, if not better, than refrigerated varieties. The probiotic strain also is supported by over 25 peer-reviewed, published clinical studies and has been shown to survive gastric transit 10X more effectively than yogurt cultures. Additionally, it’s kosher, halal, organic compliant, Non-GMO Project verified, and allergen-free, allowing manufacturers to provide consumers with products that were never available before–every-day foods and beverages, including organic and vegan, containing a safe and effective probiotic. Innovation in probiotic technology means that you no longer must refrigerate certain strains of these healthy bacteria. Formulating with GanedenBC³⁰ allows manufacturers to deliver probiotics in a wide range of foods and beverages at a variety of temperatures, while resting assured that the bacteria will reach the intestine alive to do their work and provide health benefits to consumers. Contact Ganeden to find out more.

Kemin Industries and Valensa International announced a partnership to jointly supply and market BetaVia™ ingredients, immune-supporting beta-glucans sourced from a proprietary strain of algae (Euglena gracilis), in the U.S. dietary supplement and functional foods and beverages markets.

The new microalgae ingredients will be launched Wednesday, September 27 at the SupplySide West tradeshow in Las Vegas and will be marketed under the brand names, BetaVia Complete (whole cell Euglena gracilis) and BetaVia Pure (Paramylon/Linear beta-1,3-glucan). The pro-immunity ingredients will be offered as stand-alone ingredients and as part of Valensa’s proprietary synergistic combinations.

“We are enthusiastic about the launch of our BetaVia ingredients. Kemin’s expansion into immune health highlights our continued initiative to become the supplier of choice for science-backed, high-quality dietary ingredients across platforms,” said Anita Norian, President of Kemin Human Nutrition and Health. “Partnering with Valensa, a leader in the microalgae space, will help propel this ingredient forward in the U.S. market.”

The BetaVia product line offers a new, patented standard in immune support using Euglena gracilismicroalgae. BetaVia ingredients are naturally-sourced, GMO- and gluten-free for functional applications. Both in vitro and animal studies show that algae-sourced BetaVia ingredients can prime key immune cells to strengthen the body’s immune defenses.

“Valensa and its affiliate Parry Nutraceuticals are market leaders in microalgae-based supplements with well-established ingredient brands in over 30 countries,” said Umasudhan C.P., CEO of Valensa. “The relationship with Kemin allows us to introduce novel immunity supplement formulations made stronger by BetaVia, to our omni-channel customer base in the U.S. and internationally.”

This partnership creates a two-armed sales approach to the U.S. dietary supplement and functional foods and beverages markets. The Kemin sales team will service the functional food and beverage customers while Valensa’s sales team will service customers producing dietary supplements.
“We believe in a ‘partner and grow’ model that helps both companies leverage our mutual strengths to quickly penetrate the market and achieve sustainable growth. We take pride in partnering with Kemin, a company which has a strong reputation and credibility in the marketplace, and has shared values to help our customers create differentiated and effective dietary supplements that enhance health,” continued Umasudhan.

BetaVia ingredients will enhance Valensa’s patent-protected and clinically-supported Immunum® dietary supplements, which are available in bulk powder blends. Valensa’s patented BetaVia formulations for consumers include: Immunum Pro, containing BetaVia and proprietary spirulina extract for dual-action adaptive and innate immunity; Travel Armor™, containing BetaVia with fast-acting antioxidant protection for the frequent traveler; and Immunum Active, which delivers BetaVia with Zanthin® Natural Astaxanthin for recovery, stress support and year-round, balanced immune support.

With this launch, Kemin adds to its catalog of ingredients for functional foods and beverages, building on its industry leadership in vision and cognition health.

Immunity is a top health concern for consumers, and in response to that demand international ingredient supplier, Ganeden, recently developed a new immune-health solution called Staimune™. Now, the company is announcing additional studies confirming the immune benefits of the novel ingredient—which is gaining interest for formulation in a variety of food and beverage categories.

Staimune became available earlier this summer, and was developed using the inactivated cells of Ganeden’s patented and shelf-stable probiotic strain, GanedenBC^30® (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086). Numerous previous studies of the strain showed its impressive immune-supporting benefits, which prompted the company’s science team to delve further into the bacteria’s relationship to immunity. Research demonstrated that even when inactivated, the cells of GanedenBC³⁰ continued to confer immune health benefits, leading to the introduction of Staimune.

In the newest 2017 study, which was published in the Journal of Inflammation Research, previous lab studies were repeated to demonstrate that the immune effects of the cells were maintained, even when inactivated through a commercial production process (Jensen et al. Journal of Inflammation Research, 2017; 10: 107-117). The results show that the inactivated bacterial cells had similar immune activation and anti-inflammatory effects as live cells.

“This study, which is Ganeden’s 27^th to be published, validates what the science team had previously discovered—that Staimune does an exceptional job supporting immune health regardless of the inactivation process,” said Dr. David Keller, vice president of scientific operations for Ganeden. “Science is a driving factor behind all Ganeden offerings, and the extensive and ongoing research being conducted on Staimune gives manufacturers confirmation that the new ingredient will deliver the immune benefits consumers want.”

Ganeden also recently completed a human trial, with initial findings demonstrating that Staimune supports a heathy immune system response to different stressors. Details of the trial will be released at a later date.

Staimune offers functional immune health benefits when fortified into any food or beverage category, with the biggest opportunities in shelf-stable beverages and high-water-activity products, where there are formulation challenges for live probiotics. The ingredient is FDA GRAS for usage in children and adults, and Ganeden has notified the FDA of self-affirmed GRAS for infant formula. It is also non-GMO, organic compliant and kosher, making it extremely accessible for use in a vast amount of applications, at cost-effective inclusion rates that don’t alter texture or flavor.