Ingredients by Nature: Customers want an ORAC formula, not more ORAC ingredients
The CitruShield ORAC Citrus Flavonoid Formula – which contains citrus flavonoid extracts and whole fruit powders from lemon, lime, orange, tangerine and grapefruit – could be used as a standalone ingredient on an antioxidant platform or in multi-vitamin applications, IBN president Rob Brewster told NutraIngredients-USA.
It could also be custom manufactured to meet customer needs in terms of citrus variety preferences and specific ORAC values - from 5,000– 80,000 umole TE/gram - he said.
“I think awareness in the marketplace that citrus flavonoids have powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-allergy, anti-viral effects is growing dramatically."
He added: “Industry is very interested in an ORAC formula, not more ORAC ingredients. Our citrus flavonoid extract formulas are not your typical cranberry fruit powders or green tea extracts sold for their ORAC value. These ORAC ingredients are sold on a per 100g basis while ours is sold per gram.
“CitruShield needs to be marketed as a formula versus single ingredients.
“The interest [inCitruShield ] has been fantastic. We contacted customers during the development phase to gauge the market and most were very interested. Currently, the main interest comes from dietary supplement manufacturers. However, we have had a few food and drink applications come up.”
A formula vs single ingredients
He added: “Our CitruShield formulas are extremely powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory formulas. All of the citrus flavonoids used in the formulas have been tested against quercetin, the benchmark ingredient for these categories, for total ORACFN (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity for Food and Nutrition) and NF-kB inhibition [NFkB ‘turns on’ genes that produce inflammation]."
Many ORAC ingredients just tested for hydroxl and peroxyl radical protection, he claimed. “CitruShield is formulated using specific citrus flavonoid extracts to provide a well balanced, shield of protection against all five of the major radicals found in the body: peroxyl radicals, hydroxyl radicals, peroxynitrite, super oxide anion, and singlet oxygen.
“CitruShield targets each of the above with an umbrella approach. In addition to ORAC, each citrus extract added to the CitruShield formula is tested on a cell line culture for NF-kB inhibition.”
New manufacturing facility
Ingredients By Nature, which is opening a new manufacturing and distribution facility later this year, offered a wide variety of proprietary citrus flavonoid formulas, said Brewster.
“We can extract flavonoids found at less than 0.5% in citrus fruit to purity and offer this to our customers alone, or in combination with other citrus flavonoids and a variety of novel compounds.
“In addition, our partnership with Vesifact [Swiss drug delivery technology firm] and Source One Global Partners [Chicago-based ingredients supplier and formulator], allows us to expand our portfolio of formulas as well as increase absorption and bioavailability using technology specific to our citrus flavonoid extracts.”
The average American consumed about 2.5 servings of fruits and veg daily with the ORAC value of around 5,000 μmole TE/gram, well short of the nine servings - or around 20,000 μmole TE/gram ORAC value - required to maintain optimal health, said Brewster.
“There may be an average daily deficiency of 15,000 μmole TE/gram ORAC value. We feel that our CitruShield formula can conveniently fill some of this void.”
