Vitatene says Gday to Aussie supplements market
Australia and New Zealand as supplements, a move which will open up
further horizons for the Spanish company.
Both Betanat, a beta-carotene ingredient, and lycopene based Lyconat, have been entered into the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The Spanish company has been pushing hard to open up new markets for lycopene and this latest move is a clear sign of successful expansion. To get the ingredients ARTG registered they have to meet a set of strict criteria, regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which covers pharmaceutical and supplements. Such approval means they can be marketed as a "therapeutic good." Luisa Volpati, sales manager of Vitatene, told NutraIngredients.com that the approval was a further laurel for the ingredients safety and potential, as to gain permission they had to be backed up with a wealth of technical information and scientific studies. She said: "This registration is opening interesting opportunities in their market in the dietary supplements field. We can give to this market an interesting alternative to the synthetic product. "Australian regulatory approval was a natural progression in our plans for participating in the global marketplace." Australian company APP will be in charge of distribution of the products in both Australia and New Zealand. In Europe Vitatene is in the midst of expanding lycopene as an ingredient into more fortified foods by asking for novel permission to use it in a cold water dispersible form (CWD). This form means it can be added to water based foods. Last year the firm successfully saw the ingredient granted novel food permission for use in oil suspension form, which was seen as an important first step towards broadening out market horizons. This form of dispersal means the ingredient can be added to oil based foods like butter. Both Betanat and Lyconat are produced by cultivation of Blakeslea trispora. These carotene products are notably free of heavy metals, pesticide residues and other impurities, Vitatene said. They are both natural colorants that can be used as food additives. For dietary supplement applications, the ingredients are powerful antioxidants. Lycopene, a xanthophyll, has been connected with multiple health benefits, most notably for prostate and lung tissues. Beta-carotene is most frequently used in dietary supplements and foods as an alternative to retinol compounds for vitamin A, the firm said.
