Soy boosts curcumin bioavailability, says Indena

Italian herbal extracts supplier Indena says soy phosphatidylcholine can boost the bioavailability of curcumin, a typically stubborn nutrient that studies have linked to bone health and inflammation benefits.

Indena said curcumin typically was poorly available in both oil and water, but blending it with soy phosphatidylcholine allowed it to, “interact via hydrogen bondings and polar interactions with the complementary group, like the polar heads of phospholipids.”

“Thus, phosphatidylcholine has a highly polarized head, with the negative charge of a phosphate group and the positive charge of the choline ammonium group, and can complex a variety of poorly soluble phenolics, including curcumin.”

Indena said more than 3000 pre-clinical trials had been conducted on curcumin and was highlighting three 2009 studies and two 2007 studies demonstrating osteoarthritis and inflammation benefits in promotional literature for its curcumin version called Meriva.

Raw curcumin extracts typically sell for about €100 per kilogram with blended and customised extracts costing significantly more than that.

Curcumin was among a host of herbs claiming joint health benefits to be delivered negative article 13.1 opinions by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in February.

It is believed claims dossiers for some of these herbs are being resubmitted under the proprietary and emerging science article 13.5 route.