Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2015
Indena refines Boswellia bioavailability; shifts compound focus
Indena marketing director Christian Artaria told us its delivery system and focus on the whole boswellic acids bouquet present in the gum resin of Boswellia serrata was opening new doors for the extract.
“We ran out of pamphlets at Vitafoods Europe last week,” Artaria said. “Our research indicates other compounds in the extract are potent in comparison to the most famous molecules – KBA and AKBA – so we are very excited by this. The science is very solid – it reminds me of curcumin 6-7 years ago.”
Indena scientists have questioned the pre-eminence given to compounds like 11-keto-β boswellic (KBA) and acetyl-keto-beta (AKBA), saying beta-boswellic acids like triterpenoid may have more impact in inflammatory response.
“The activity of the triterpenoid fraction can not be traced to a single constituent or a single mechanism. But β-BA plays a major role.”
Indena’s branded offering is called Casperome, and the Milan-based firm says its data shows its Phytosome lecithin delivery system has produced higher absorption at plasma and tissue level of a range of boswellic acids in a gold standard trial compared to an “unformulated extract”.
In the study healthy volunteers consumed 500 mg of the extract per day in a single dose. Results of the trial were presented by Indena scientitis at the Pharma-Nutrition Conference held on April 13-15 in Philadelphia.
Artaria said a manuscript of the study conducted by Indena scientists was being prepared, with publication in a high-impact journal expected by year’s end.
Boswellia serrata is also known as frankincense and studies have shown it to have anti-inflammatory properties and potential to relieve arthritis symptoms.
The extract has a long history of use as an anti-inflammatory in Ayurvedic complementary medicine in India and other parts of the world.
The biggest player in the Boswellia space, Sabinsa, has a branded version called PolyBos that has been targeted at multiple formats including herbal teas, dietary supplement beverages, health drinks, with sports nutrition a favoured sector.
