Polyphenols and Flavonoids in Product Formulation

Consumers who start their day with a cup of coffee, cocoa or tea are all tapping into the natural health power of polyphenols. These natural compounds are found in a wide variety of plants and have myriad health benefits, from helping control inflammation to reducing free radical damage in the body. Found throughout the plant kingdom from onions and apples to grapes, blueberries and nuts, it is still uncertain how much polyphenol content the average American is consuming, in large part because there is still no complete database for these compounds.

From the 5-a-Day produce campaign to more recent labeling tactics touting polyphenol content on dark chocolate bars or green tea bags, there is growing general awareness about healthy natural compounds in plants. “Sources, such as berries, fruits and teas, are foods consumers are familiar with already and likely consume,” said Matt Phillips, president and COO, Cyvex Nutrition. “We think consumers understand polyphenols are good for you, just not necessarily how they are consuming them. The increasing popularity of green tea and the science related to its consumption continue to present opportunities for consumers to learn about polyphenols.”

Added Nathalie Richer, product manager, Diana Naturals, “Consumers are now aware of the link between a healthy diet and their health and well-being. Antioxidants are a well-known category of nutrients, due to the large functional food offerings and strong industry communications on their anti-aging effect, but the exact molecule name is still mainly part of the scientific field. However, the polyphenol term is more and more understood, as it is the most often-used range of antioxidant ingredients. Nutritional information on food packaging also helps consumers to identify coffee, tea, soy and other plants as good sources of polyphenols.”

However, there remains a long way to go. “Consumers know what antioxidants are, and have a good idea that they come from fruits and vegetables, but the average consumer does not know what a polyphenol is or where they can be found,” said Colleen Zammer, director of sales, FutureCeuticals.

Christian Artaria, marketing director, Indena S.p.A., agreed that consumers are more aware of the importance of a healthy diet in delivering nutritional compounds. “Consumers know very well the healthy properties of fruits and vegetables and their role in reducing the risk of certain diseases,” he said. “Consumers are also aware of the basic concepts related to food, such as the fact that the beneficial properties of olive oil and wine are linked to certain compounds, which are able to provide specific health benefits they may be seeking. What consumers probably have little awareness of is that the good properties associated with this specific diet are due to the presence of polyphenols.”

This poses several challenges to the marketers of products—whether dietary supplements or functional foods and beverages—enhanced with polyphenols for their health-enhancing properties. “The task for the health ingredient industry is to educate consumers a bit more about what polyphenols are and break it down some to a level of understanding without overload,” said Leslie Gallo, director of marketing and operations, Artemis International. “I don’t think we will ever get across that quercetin is a flavonol and proanthocyanidins are catechins, which are flavonoids, which are all polyphenols and so on.”

Understanding Polyphenols

Not only does understanding polyphenols pose a challenge to consumers, it can also be challenging to the industry. There are two basic classifications, flavonoids and non-flavonoids, but there are many types within each class, which can themselves be broken down again and again. Gallo noted the science linking different polyphenolic compounds to different health conditions is evolving. “Various studies have shown anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities attributed to polyphenols,” she said. “New studies are finding connections with polyphenols and cardiovascular health, weight management and even athletic performance. Most of the studies to date are more preliminary and explore the health benefits of polyphenols in vitro or using animal models. Nonetheless, due to promising results and an increasing understanding of bioavailability, there is evidence that polyphenol supplementation could positively impact a variety of health parameters.”

Some of the different polyphenol types and their health benefits include:

There are other classes of particular interest. For example, the proanthocyanidins are polymer chains of flavonoids that are found in grape seeds and skins, peanut skins and pine bark (notably as Pycnogenol®, from Horphag Research). Frank Schonlau, from Natural Health Science, the U.S. distributor of Pycnogenol, noted the company has invested heavily in research. “For Pycnogenol, our current research points to a potent anti-inflammatory activity, which translates to a broad variety of health issues,” he said. “Inflammation can essentially occur in every part of the body and represents more than pain and diminution of the quality of life; it is a destructive force to body tissues.”

Another hot research area has been the curcuminoids, polyphenols that exert a yellow color and are primarily found in the botanical turmeric. Lakshmi Prakash, Ph.D., Sabinsa Corp., said, “The healthy aging benefits of curcuminoids are well-known. Recent studies established the healthful role of curcuminoids in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and a metabolite of the curcuminoids in potentially increasing lifespan in animal models.”

Ingredient Delivery

Formulators have many options available when looking to develop polyphenol-rich products. Industry members note that both individual ingredients are useful for delivering specific health benefits, while combinations can bolster overall well-being. “There are some companies providing ‘mixed polyphenol’ formulas that, as consumer education and awareness grow, should do very well in the market,” said Ron Udell, president, Soft Gel Technologies Inc. “A traditional mindset among American consumers is ‘more is better’, and such polyphenol formulas address that mindset perfectly. Such formulas also provide a variety of polyphenols that differ in mechanism of action, so the consumer gets a wide variety of long-term health benefits by incorporating such a combination product into their daily health routines. That said, however, certain consumers who may have specific health concerns may want to take in optimal doses of a specific polyphenol; for example, bilberry for vision support.”

Rodger Jonas, PL Thomas, cited several individual ingredients that are in high demand from marketers, including pomegranate, apple extract, grape seed extract and blueberry. He added, however, “We have found that blends are used to make certain minimum use level claims, while not imparting too much of a given flavor. It does seem combinations of ingredients are a real growth area.”

Zammer agreed, noting the company’s blends are selling quite well. “These high antioxidant capacity blends contain a broad spectrum of active phytonutrients from a variety of sources,” she said. “As different compounds act differently in the body, having a broad spectrum approach resonates with manufacturers and consumers alike.” In addition to its VitaBerry and VitaVeggie blends, the company recently debuted a new offering, AnthoComplete, which provides a blend of anthocyanin-containing compounds.

When it comes to delivery, standard dietary supplements remain the primary go-to formulation, according to most suppliers. “Tablets and capsules continue to be the most popular forms for these items, as they are familiar to consumers, convenient and relatively inexpensive,” Zammer said. “More recently, we are seeing new delivery technology for beverages where functional ingredients can be stored in a beverage cap and delivered at time of consumption for maximum potency. This kind of delivery is ideal for polyphenols because once they are processed into a ready-to-drink beverage, they will begin to lose some potency.”

Such a delivery device helps bridge the gap between supplement form and functional beverages. “Dietary supplements are still the most popular delivery for these products, although the growth of use of polyphenol ingredients in functional beverages is really growing,” said Jeff Wuagneux, CEO and president, RFI. “Their water-solubility makes them perfect for use in beverages, and we sell many products for this use. We also have experience in developing beverage applications and have done a lot of work to figure out combinations of fruit juices and flavor systems that help mask their inherent bitter or astringent flavor, which is very helpful to customers who have never worked with these ingredients in the past.”

Jonas and Zammer both said they’ve seen more food and beverage customer requests in areas spanning bars, baked goods, dairy and even sauces. Artaria said Indena has seen the biggest growth in the area of functional foods, such as drinks, yogurts and bars. “The food area is more consumer friendly, and this trend is going toward more user-friendly forms of delivery, as witnessed by the big wave drink supplements have been experiencing in recent years,” he added.

Antioxidant-enhanced drinks that deliver polyphenols were also cited by Richer as a major growth category. “We’ve seen 35 percent of new product developments with superfruits, well-known for their polyphenol content, are beverages, then snacks and bakery,” she said. Given the growing interest in delivering polyphenols in more traditional food and beverage forms, the company has taken time to ensure efficacy in delivery. “We study the stability of our ingredients over heating processes, UV light and in the time in different matrices (i.e., powder, beverage, bakery) to help our customers in their formulation and make sure the final product will provide the right level of polyphenols to consumers,” she said.

Quality Goods

The question of efficacy is a critical one, as polyphenols are not the easiest of compounds to formulate with. “Polyphenols are antioxidants, which makes them sensitive to oxidation during processing,” Schonlau noted. “This is less of an issue if the material is formulated into capsules. However, beverages and confectionery items such as chewing gums involve heating, which may have an impact on bioactivity. Beverages typically require pasteurization and this is known to affect the activity of some polyphenols.”

Zammer agreed that it can be tricky to formulate with polyphenols, which the company addresses by freeze-drying its ingredients to retain nutrient levels. Another option is to use special delivery technologies such as microencapsulation. “These nutrients are sensitive to light, heat and oxygen, so technologies such as encapsulation can help to protect functional ingredients prior to processing,” she said. “However, keeping them dry and away from these elements is ideal, so sachets and such are good delivery technology.”

Indena also utilizes freeze-drying technology to retain high nutrient levels, and also retains control over its sourcing chain to ensure quality of its raw materials. The company also developed patented technology to ensure the nutrients can be utilized by the body. “One of the critical issues of polyphenols is their low bioavailability,” Artaria said. “With our Phytosome® technology, we have been able to obtain a three- to nine-fold increase of the availability depending on the specific phytonutrient. This technology remains a reference, especially when one has to deliver a small amount of the ingredient due to physical problems.”

Gallo noted Artemis also implemented quality control (QC) methods to oversee the full production of its polyphenol ingredients. “The process from cultivation to producing the extract is highly controlled, because a high-quality extract starts with good plant breeding,” she said. “Many of our berries are selected from specific cultivars that were bred to have a higher level of the valuable polyphenols. Along with superior raw material, this allows us to choose less harsh processing techniques when desired and improves cost and quality efficiencies throughout the process.”

Most suppliers also offer formulation and product development assistance for their customers. Wuagneux, for example, said, “RFI has a development team that can do all the formulating based on the type of product you want, the target audience, the desired claims and the target cost. We often get requests for full service, since we are well-known for our good science in antioxidant products, which are most often polyphenol-based products.”

Whether dietary supplements or functional foods, as long as products deliver the goods, consumers will continue to respond. “Dietary supplements probably continue to be the most common form for polyphenols; however, people really do love to eat and, as food technology continues to innovate and produce good-tasting functional foods and beverages, there will be more demand for these forms,” Udell said. “Again, availability of choice is important, as some consumers prefer taking supplements, others prefer attaining their nutrients from food, and many others combine both.”

Ultimately, the overall market for polyphenols is evolving and has a bright future. Phillips noted, “We do not think that consumers in general know how to respond when asked, ‘Do you know what polyphenols are?’ But we are optimists here at Cyvex and believe that one day many will be able to respond correctly.”

References on the next page...

References for "Powering Products with Polyphenols"

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