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The radical world of antioxidants

From cereal packets to juice cartons, antioxidants are everywhere. In this special six part series NutraIngredients-USA looks at the market for the compounds, unlocks the regulations surrounding claims, examines how super vegetables are emerging from the shadow of super fruit, and hears from a world renowned expert why we need differentiation.

Cyanotech reports 66% rise in second quarter profits

Hawaii-based microalgae specialist Cyanotech has posted a 66% rise in second quarter net profits to $875,000 on sales up 56% to $5.99m in the three months to September 30.

POM launches bid to turn POMx into next big thing in functional ingredients

POM Wonderful has branched out into the ingredients supply market with plans to launch its POMx pomegranate polyphenols as a functional ingredient for other manufacturers to use on a global basis.

BioProcess Algae bids for slice of the action in algal nutraceuticals market

Another player in the algal technology sector has signaled its intention to enter the human nutrition market.

POM prepares for battle with Ocean Spray as FTC false advertising case drags on – and on…

It is now increasingly likely that a judgment in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) false advertising case against POM Wonderful will not be issued before POM squares up with rival Ocean Spray next month at a trial the cranberry juice giant has unsuccessfully been trying to delay until the FTC case is over.

Krill wars round two: Neptune patent is ‘invalid’ and ‘unenforceable’, says Enzymotec

Israeli nutritional lipids giant Enzymotec has weighed into the patent infringement row engulfing the krill oil industry with a statement from its boss declaring rival Neptune’s new US patent for marine phospholipids ‘invalid’ and ‘unenforceable’ and promising to explore all legal avenues to challenge it.

Nutrient powerhouse baobab attracts cereals big gun

Baobab – the African superfruit packing an unparalleled nutritional punch – is being tested by a major player in the cereals sector and is set to feature in a clutch of new launches later this year from granola to chocolate covered fruit snacks.

Ingredients by Nature: Customers want an ORAC formula, not more ORAC ingredients

Californian citrus flavonoids expert Ingredients by Nature (IBN) has launched a proprietary blend of whole citrus fruits and flavonoid extracts boasting “extraordinary ORAC values” for supplement manufacturers and food and drink manufacturers.

EuroPharma to launch probe into synthetic vs natural curcumin

EuroPharma is planning to launch a probe into commercially available curcumin supplements to establish whether products purporting to contain exclusively natural extracts in fact contain cheaper, synthetic raw materials.

Curcumin and Indian gooseberry to feature in new Alzheimer’s trials

Scientists at the forefront of research into Alzheimer’s disease are about to embark on two human studies examining the role curcumin and Indian gooseberry could play in tackling beta amyloid, the neural plaque associated with its progression.

Dormant antioxidant has ‘unparalleled’ benefits

A Beverly Hills-based biotech firm is planning to launch a series of supplements and functional foods containing ergothioneine, an antioxidant it claims has “unparalleled” benefits that has hidden its light under a bushel for almost 100 years.

Kemin launches water-extracted green tea powder

Kemin Health has launched a green tea powder for the dietary supplements market it says retains the composition and antioxidant profile of brewed green tea and provides an alternative to solvent-based extracts.

GOED/Neptune: Krill monograph will help firms detect genuine article

Another leading supplier has weighed into the debate over unscrupulous firms peddling ‘krill oil’ that contains “next to no phospholipids” but says the development of a monograph and better testing protocols might go some way to tackling the problem.

Neptune to almost quadruple krill oil capacity by 2014

Canadian krill oil firm Neptune Technologies & Bioressources aims to ratchet up production capacity from 130,000kg/year to almost 500,000kg by 2014 to meet growing demand.

Lawyer: FTC 'richly deserves to lose' battle vs POM Wonderful

A high-profile legal battle between Californian juice maker POM Wonderful and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will move into a new phase tomorrow at a hearing in Washington DC.

It’s about time, says acai expert as FTC cracks down on bogus weight loss claims

‘Frustrating’ and ‘intolerable’ attempts by fraudsters to hijack antioxidant powerhouse açai as a miracle weight loss ingredient are finally being tackled by the authorities, but only after causing huge damage to the reputation of one of the most exciting nutraceuticals on the market, experts have argued.

Regulation: inching beyond implied health claims

In the final instalment in this series about antioxidants, NutraIngredients scans the regulatory landscape to see how the science backing the nutrient is being translated into law.

Super veg look set to walk the antioxidant red carpet

“I'm strong to the finish when I eats me spinach,” said Popeye the sailor man, and he could have snatched Olive Oyl from the clutches of Bluto with even more ferocity if he had eaten his broccoli, tomatoes or onions according to an Australian/New Zealand project focused on super vegetables.

Gaining benefits from leaf and bean: Antioxidants in tea and coffee

In the fourth part of our series on antioxidants, NutraIngredients looks at coffee and tea – two products seen increasingly as functional beverages for their antioxidant content.

Differentiation holds the key to antioxidant success: Expert

In the third part of our series on antioxidants, NutraIngredients talks to Jeff Blumberg, professor of antioxidants at Tuft University, and finds out why we need differentiation in the antioxidant field.

Supply: Beta-carotene club and beyond

In the second part of our antioxidants special, NutraIngredients focuses on the carotenoids where the vitamin A converter, beta-carotene, is still lording it over lutein and lycopene and DSM and BASF’s synthetic versions continue to dominate that particular carotenoid’s supply.

Overview: The (seemingly) unstoppable antioxidant powerhouse

In the first instalment of this antioxidants special NutraIngredients scans a diverse global market that has barely been dented by the recession and continues to flourish amid consumer understanding that is often little more than surface deep.