Suntheanine Ingredient100-Percent Pure

Suntheanine Ingredient100-Percent Pure

MINNEAPOLISSuntheanine L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, is pureL-theanine, according to Taiyo International Inc. (www.taiyokagaku.com),manufacturers of the ingredient; it was the only L-theanine product of sixtested that was found to contain pure L-theanine.

Researchers from Iowa State University tested six purportedlypure L-theanine products and found all productsother than Suntheaninecontainednearly equal mixtures of D- and L-theanine, and not pure L-theanine. L-theaninehas been shown to improve sleep quality and foster mental calmness, according tothe company.

Our analyses reveal that several theanine ingredientsmarketed for use in dietary supplements are not what they claim to be, saidDaniel Armstrong, Ph.D., one of the studys authors. Theanine extractedfrom tea is present predominantly in the L-form. Five of the six theanineingredients we tested were racemates, suggesting they were chemicallysynthesized. Only Suntheanine, which is produced via an enzymatic process,appeared to be essentially pure L-theanine.

The study was developed and orchestrated by IMAGINutrition inLaguna Niguel, Calif., on Taiyos behalf and is published in the Feb. 15 issueof Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (18, 3:251-6, 2004) (www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/4849).