Ingredient, Partnership, Association, Equipment, Expansion News & More

From health claims and distribution agreements to a program focused on the global search for innovation, the industry has been teeming with developments.

Functional ingredients manufacturer BENEO is pleased to announce that the standing committee on plant, animals, food and feed has agreed with the EU Commission in its meeting on April 12, 2016, to authorize a second 13.5 health claim for the company’s chicory root fibers.

The announcement comes just three months after the company received its first 13.5 health claim for its chicory inulin. The recent health claim confirms that inulin and oligofructose contribute to a better blood glucose management as they support a lower rise in blood glucose response. The wording for the claim may read “Consumption of food/drinks containing inulin/oligofructose instead of sugars induces a lower blood glucose rise after their consumption compared to sugar-containing foods/drinks" when BENEO`s chicory root fibers are used. The EU Commission will now continue with the publication of the health claim in the EU Official Journal, which is expected in less than six weeks. Consequently, the claim will be able to be used in the market soon.

In addition to the authorized 13.5 health claim, general health-related well-being claims under article 10.3 are also possible. Among others, these may include “lower and more balanced blood glucose rise." A 30 percent sugar reduction needs to be obtained by replacement with non-digestible carbohydrates according to the conditions of use. The authorization is based on several scientific studies all of which confirm that oligofructose and inulin have a significant part to play in the area of glycemic control.

Nutrition 21 LLC announced the presentation of new clinical study results supporting the bioavailability of Nitrosigine® bonded arginine silicate (ASI), titled, “A Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of the Duration of Effect of Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate and Arginine Hydrochloride in Healthy Adult Males." The study was presented on April 3, 2016, to scientists and other professionals at the acclaimed Experimental Biology 2016 annual meeting and the abstract will be published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal (FASEB).

The study demonstrated that Nitrosigine supplementation significantly increased plasma arginine levels at multiple time-points up to six hours, post-dose, while arginine hydrochloride (ArgHCl) supplementation did so for only one hour. The study also showed that Nitrosigine supplementation resulted in a more than 70 percent increase in plasma arginine levels compared to arginine HCl, and a lower standard deviation than that seen with arginine HCl, supporting Nitrosigine as a more bioavailable, long-lasting and less variable source of arginine.

NattoPharma is proud to announce that its complete line of MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 as MK-7 has received verification from the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit organization that offers North America’s only third-party verification and labeling for non-genetically modified organism (GMO) food and products.

“MenaQ7 has always been non-GMO, yet obtaining Non-GMO Project verification helps reinforce our commitment to our partners, who seek to offer the safest, healthiest finished products available," said Eric Anderson, senior vice president of global sales and marketing with NattoPharma.

“Consumers are actively seeking out non-GMO products, so having the Non-GMO Project verify our line in accordance with their standard provides our partners an added level of support they rightfully expect," Anderson continues. “Further, it perpetuates MenaQ7’s reputation as being the leading Vitamin K2 as MK-7 brand."

Cypress Systems Inc., a privately held California corporation—and manufacturer of SelenoExcell®, Chromium GTF Excell® and the NutraFeast® line of nutritional yeast products—signed a sales and marketing distribution agreement with functional ingredients distributor AIDP. Under the agreement, AIDP will market and sell the full line of branded ingredients, including SelenoExcell and Chromium GTF Excell to the functional foods and nutraceutical industries.

Cypress Systems’ SelenoExcell High Selenium Yeast is supported by a clinical trial agreement with the division of cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute and has been the sole intervention agent in a series of cancer prevention and health related trials. The addition of SelenoExcell and the other food forms of organically bound mineral products will further enhance AIDP’s position in providing functional food solutions to food, beverage and dietary supplement manufacturers.

“AIDP is constantly striving to develop partnerships with like-minded ingredient companies who are committed to supplying dietary ingredients backed by the highest standards in science, quality and customer service which we can offer to our customers," said Mark Thurston, president of AIDP. “As the mineral dietary market insists on higher quality standards for organically bound minerals, the unique range offered by Cypress will be a great addition to our branded mineral range. "

AIDP and Cypress will debut their new partnership at the upcoming Ingredient Marketplace event in Orlando, Florida, April 28-29, 2016. Both companies are exhibiting in the trade show. Cypress Systems will be at Booth E24, and AIDP at Booth J31.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, announced the addition of eight new companies to its membership roster.

“Our membership is the bedrock of our association and its continued growth has allowed CRN to take the lead to help build consensus on major industry-wide initiatives," said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN.

The companies joining as voting members are:

• JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp., one of Japan’s largest oil importers and distributors, is an ingredient supplier with a significant biotechnology division. The company continues to expand its ingredient product range worldwide. JX Nippon Oil & Energy plans to launch natural astaxanthin ingredients containing unique carotenoids in the United States later this year.

• Nature’s Way Brands manufactures, distributes, markets and multi-nationally sells high-quality consumer packaged goods, including dietary supplements, homeopathic drug products, topical applications and over-the-counter (OTC) monograph drug products. As one of the most technologically advanced manufacturers of natural products in the United States, Nature’s Way Brands continues to push the boundaries forward on quality research, testing and introducing new ingredients. The company offers more than 500 premium nutritional and natural products, including single herbs and herbal extracts, vitamins, minerals, homeopathic remedies and specialty products.

• Pharmore Ingredients Inc. is an industry leader in supplying high-quality ingredients to the dietary supplement and pet nutrition industries. The company is staffed by a team of industry experts with more than 90 years of combined experience. Pharmore Ingredients focuses on providing joint care products such as chondroitin, glucosamine, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and hyaluronic acid (HA), along with botanicals and B vitamins. In business since 2001, Pharmore Ingredients has a strong commitment to quality. This is demonstrated by repeated onsite GMP audits of manufacturing facilities and conducting third-party verification testing with emphasis on sourcing from independently certified manufacturers.

• Vit-Best Nutrition is a contract manufacturer and packager of tablets, capsules and powders. The company has more than 60 years of experience servicing many of the nation’s leading brands in the direct selling, food and drug and mass merchandise channels.

The newest associate members include:

• Genysis Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited contract laboratory providing specialized chemistry and microbiology testing services to the nutraceutical and food beverage industries since 2008. Genysis Labs’ mission is to professionally, effectively and ethically perform testing for its customers to produce accurate and precise results while offering exceptional customer service and support by meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Led by a management team of experts that have diverse backgrounds in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and bioanalytical research fields, Genysis Labs is constantly working on new technologies that offer cutting-edge solutions to increasing regulatory requirements and calls for full transparency of the supply chain.

• JP Tech Insurance Services is a retail insurance broker that specializes in casualty and professional liability risk solutions for life science, technology, healthcare and dietary supplement industries. JP Tech is a leading provider of risk management services and tools that protect its clients’ businesses with state-of-the-art coverages. Additionally, JP Tech provides comprehensive service and the highest level of expertise to its clients’ company culture and business.

• MBui Consulting LLC provides a wide range of regulatory, policy and intelligence services to clients in dietary supplements, conventional foods, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and prescription drugs and biologics. MBui Consulting’s experience covers the spectrum of regulatory activities from ingredient suitability reviews to labeling/advertising and claim substantiation, to product registration strategy and post-market compliance in many countries, to industry affairs and policy and intelligence issues.

• Ragold Inc., in business since 1976, helps foreign and domestic start-up companies, primarily in the food and dietary supplement industries, enter the U.S. market by providing support in the development of market strategies, sales account access and regulatory advice. The company provides all support functions necessary to be in business through connections, relationships and an in-house team with leading experts in the fields of regulatory, quality control (QC), broker management, trade show management, administration and sales.

CRN’s complete list of member companies is available on the association’s website.

Prinova, a leading supplier of high-quality ingredients, flavors and value-added nutrient fortification products, announced a new partnership with Lycored. Prinova will be the exclusive distributor of Lycored’s lycopene- and beta carotene-based natural colors in the United States and Canada.

“The clean-label trend continues to drive formulation in our industry," said Larry Davis, commercial director, food & beverage, Prinova. “Customers are removing synthetic and carmine-based colors from their labels, and we needed to find a naturally sourced, vertically integrated, trusted supplier partner that could meet this customer demand."

Thomas Adler, VP food division, Lycored said, “We are pleased to have a strong partner in Prinova—and the ability to combine our natural color line with their strong application capabilities and great relationships with key players—so that we can help meet this industry need in the U.S. and Canadian marketplace."

Davis added, “This partnership means we are now able to offer a total start-to-finish clean-label concept from an applications standpoint. Having a product portfolio that includes natural flavors, natural colors, natural sweeteners and a multitude of other naturally derived fine ingredients, we are in the perfect position to meet our customers’ product development needs."

Klöckner Pentaplast will highlight the company’s newest high-performing label films, Pentalabel® ClearFloat™ and Pentalabel LV PETG with Y460 Coating, at Label Summit Latin America, April 26-27, 2016, in Cartagena, Colombia.

The ClearFloat films, available from kp global sites in Europe and North America, meet the design for recycling guidelines as set by the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers, providing a higher yield of PET container recycling. The new family of films is engineered to offer high-performing shrink percentages for optimal design freedom and to impact the visual presentation of the product due to the films’ superior clarity. The ClearFloat technology is ideal for new or redesigned packaging, including those with highly contoured shapes. Applications include consumer packaged goods (CPGs) using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for beverage, dairy, food, health and beauty, home and garden, and household. In addition, the technology includes the capability of using ink adhesion that passes APR label protocol with gravure, flexographic, digital and rotary offset printing processes.

The extended Pentalabel film product line includes Pentalabel LV PETG films with Y460 coating, presenting high-resolution digital printing solutions for shrink sleeve packaging. This unique coating affords the durability to be converted into a seamed sleeve that can be applied either by hand or mechanically at high speeds. The coating’s clear overprint varnish (OPV) applied on top of the ink surface provides the proper slip characteristics that allow for high-speed application.

A propriety solvent achieves consistent welding of the polymer to itself using specified conditions. According to Jim Mullen, business unit manager, the new film is highly functional for a plethora of shrink sleeve applications for cylindrical and multi-contour containers. In addition, Y460 coated LV PETG film reduces haze versus other options currently available for digital printing, boasts a three-star rating from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and is a certified substrate for HP Indigo ws6000, ws6600, ws6800, ws4050/4500, ws2000, ws4000, ws4600 and ws20,000 series digital presses.

OmniActive Health Technologies Inc.’s Vijaya Juturu, Ph.D., FACN, senior manager of global scientific and clinical affairs, presented "Capsaicinoids Decrease Appetite Measures – An Open Label Study in Free Living Individuals" at San Diego’s Experimental Biology event in April.

"The data showed that Capsimax Capsicum Extract may be beneficial for decreasing measures of appetite, which can support weight management," stated Lynda Doyle, VP of global market, OmniActive Health Technologies. The study also demonstrated there was no statistically significant increase in heart rate or blood pressure with one-week supplementation. Authors concluded that future studies should examine the long-term effects of Capsimax supplementation on appetite, weight management and body composition using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PLT Health Solutions Inc. (PLT) announced the launch of the PLTNext Global Search for Innovation. The Global Search is designed to connect PLT with ingredient and technology innovators to assist in product development and commercialization. As part of the program, PLT is putting its track record of developing and launching successful branded ingredients into supplement, food and beverage markets to work for companies who meet the program's criteria and are selected for further collaboration.

The Global Search for Innovation allows selected companies and organizations to work with PLT's scientific, regulatory, intellectual property (IP), product development and sales experts to help advance the market-readiness of their concepts and create commercialization strategies that deliver market penetration and profitability. The program is open to university research programs, early-stage or regional companies and other ingredient/technology developers. The initial round of PLTNEXT is open until July 15, 2016.

Alfa Laval introduced a new LKH Prime pump to its range, an efficient, versatile and hygienic self-priming pump. It uses a combination of air-screw technology and advanced design to meet the most stringent requirements in a range of hygienic industries, including food, dairy, beverage and home-personal care. LKH Prime UltraPure versions are ideal for pharmaceutical applications.

Using optimized impeller and casing geometry, Alfa Laval’s LKH Prime excels in efficient operation, reduced energy consumption and CO₂ footprint. Engineered to meet the most stringent requirements of the hygienic industries, it is EHEDG certified and authorized to carry the 3-A symbol.

Characterized by reliability for improved operational productivity and designed for cleaning-in-place (CIP) duties containing entrained air, the LKH Prime can also pump product, potentially reducing the capital investment when designing process systems, whatever the industry.

The unit also reduces sound pressure levels by 80 percent when compared to pumps using traditional pump technologies for CIP/entrained air applications.

By sharing common parts with the Alfa Laval LKH pump range, Prime offers low cost of ownership and increased uptime, backed by Alfa Laval’s global service network.

Gericke, a Swiss family business headquartered in Regensdsorf/Zurich, announced the establishment of an affiliate company in the United States—Gericke USA Inc. The expansion will address growing customer needs in the United States and help the company better address demand for the company’s processing equipment. The U.S. headquarters for sales and engineering support is located in a 5,000 square foot office at 14 Worlds Fair Drive in Somerset, New Jersey.

Alberto Rodriguez heads up the U.S. operation as senior vice president, having served as one of the company’s principal distributors in the U.S. marketplace for the past 15 years.