Unibar enters US lutein market with UniGold ingredient

The $140 million US eye health market has a new entrant as Unibar Corp. introduces a self-affirmed GRAS free lutein ingredient.

The UniGold-branded ingredient is reportedly manufactured exclusively for Unibar through a strategic alliance with Synthite Industries, said to be one of the largest cultivators and manufacturers of marigold oleo resin in India.

Sevanti Mehta, Unibar president, told NutraIngredients-USA that the ingredient does contain some zeaxanthin. The ratio of UniGold lutein to zeaxanthin is 15-to-1.

The ingredient is available in 5% or 10% vegetarian beadlet and 20% vegetable oil suspension form, said the company.

The ingredient is manufactured in the US by Encap Technology using a patent-pending encapsulation process that is claimed to protect the lutein from the acidic conditions of the stomach. The encapsulation technology controls the release of the lutein in the small intestine.

Lutein and eye health

In 1994, Dr Johanna Seddon and her co-workers at Harvard University reported a link between the intake of carotenoid-rich food, particularly dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, and a significant reduction in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (JAMA, Vol. 272, pp. 1413-1420).

The macula is a yellow spot of about five millimeters diameter on the retina. As we age, levels of the pigments in the macula decrease naturally, thereby increasing the risk of AMD. The yellow color is due to the content of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which we derive from the diet.

Since the early work of Dr Seddon scores of studies have come out supporting the benefits, and elucidating the mechanisms involved.

Supplements

The nutrient has over ten years of history in the dietary supplement market. The US is by far the most developed market for eye health products, partly due to a greater acceptance of dietary supplements, and partly due to higher levels of awareness, according to data from Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan placed the US eye health ingredients market at $138m in 2008, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3 per cent from 2008 to 2015. The European market was valued at $43.4m in 2007 with a CAGR of 10.5 per cent from 2007 to 2014.

Numerous companies already offer lutein ingredients. Mehta added that supply would help different the Unibar ingredient inn the marketplace. "We offer an immediate and large supply, so there is no shortage of UniGold". Mehta added that the company's lutein is free lutein, while "most companies just have lutein esters".