Waitaki brings bone health to liquid supplements
New Zealand-based Waitaki has marketed MCH-Cal to supplement makers in the US for a number of years, and launched it in Europe in 2006.
Made from whole cattle bone (grass-fed and BSE-free), the ingredient is a microcrystalline hydroxyapatite that contains a minimum of 22 per cent bone protein, including 20 per cent type I collagen and growth factors, minimum 24 per cent calcium and 10 per cent phosphorous. It also contains a range of trace minerals and glycosaminoglycans.
The gentle production process is said to keep all these elements intact. Now, the company has now found a way to make the ingredient suitable for use in liquid supplements, using a special milling process to grind it down to very fine particles. It has achieved a particle size distribution of 100 per cent <150 micron and 65 per cent <75 micron.
The company says this size means a suspension in water is formed immediately, and there is no gritty mouthfeel.
Seniors are especially susceptible to bone degeneration, and the possibility of using MCH-Cal in a liquid format could help those who have trouble swallowing pills to boost their calcium intake.
Craig McIntosh, CEO of Waitaki Biosciences, said: “Not only are liquid supplements easier to swallow than solid forms, such as pills, capsules and powders, they are also absorbed more quickly and directly by the body.”
Some studies have indicated that whole bone MCHA can help prevent loss of bone mineral density than the equivalent dose of calcium carbonate or calcium gluconate; this result does not apply to bone meal products as there the protein tends to be absent or destroyed during harsh treatment.
The growth factors in the protein fraction are also said to deliver “significant bone building properties”.
