Fruit extract blend promotes heart, diabetes health, says ENI

The Standardized Fruit Blend (SFB) contains extracts of apple, bilberry, chokeberry, cranberry, gojiberry, grape, mangosteen and pomegranate.

According to the firm, the new ingredient, which is an addition to its line of ProfileProven natural antioxidants, can be used to add “definable antioxidant”​ activity to dietary supplements as well as a variety of food and beverage applications such as smoothies and yogurts.

ORAC - Polyphenols​

ENI said its fruit blend has an ORAC value of 7,500 units per gram. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) system is a value commonly used to measure antioxidant capacity in a given composition.

The SFB blend is also standardized to 40 percent polyphenols.

Polyphenols – a class of antioxidants – are receiving extensive research due to their potent antioxidant activity, their ability to mop-up harmful free radicals, and the associated health benefits. Many have also been implicated in possible protection against diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, while some have been reported to potentially offer protection from Alzheimer's.

Benefits​

According to ENI, its fruit extract blend can be used in products marketed for cardiovascular health and reduced risk of diabetes. The company said the antioxidant content of the ingredient can also help slow the oxidation of other molecules and may play a significant role in slowing the aging process

The firm recommends a daily dosage of 400mg/day, which provides a daily intake of 3,000 ORAC value and 160mg fruit polyphenols.

The ingredient comes in powder form and is priced at around $70/kg.

Other antioxidant ingredients in ENI’s portfolio include its ORAC-15,000 natural grape extract and it ResVinol-25 blend of resveratrol and polyphenols.

Market​

Data from Leatherhead Food International (LFI) shows that the world functional antioxidants market is increasing year on year by around 3 percent, and was valued at $400m in 2004, and $438m in 2007. Europe, the US, and Japan account for 90 percent of this market.

Flavonoids and polyphenols hold an estimated 45 percent of this functional antioxidant market, equivalent to almost $200m.