New DolCas-Tenshi JV launches curcumin, sexual health ingredients

The curcumin ingredient, called Curcugen, utilizes a technology to boost the bioavailability of this notoriously hard to absorb ingredient by doing something the company describes as “optimizing the oleoresin base.”​ Taking this approach preserves more of the natural matrix of curcuminoids, said Dr Shavon Jackson-Michel, ND, director of medical and scientific affairs for DolCas-Tenshi. Jackson-Michel said the ingredient is manufactured Tenshi in India, who claims that a patent has been filed on the technology, which is branded as SELF D, as in ‘self dispersing.’

Full spectrum ingredient

According to the new joint venture company,  the base for the ingredient is a novel-source turmeric oleoresin, rather than the 95% standardized curcuminoid material common in the supplement industry. In addition to taking advantage of the complex natural characteristics of the oleoresin base, the SELF D platform technology is said to obviate the need to complement the curcuminoids with other, non-turmeric ingredients, or reconstitute it with displaced turmeric ingredients.

Approaching the formulation in this way preserves more of the original complex of curcuminoids, essential oils, and polar resins within the optimized oleoresin matrix. The claim is that these naturally occurring constituents help to overcome the absorption issues characteristic of unformulated curcumin. 

The dispersion characteristics of the formulation give it a higher surface area in the gut, according to the company, which, along with the full spectrum nature of the ingredient, is what it bases the absorption claims on.

“The key to the technology is getting the polarity just right so that you can take advantage of something that is normally fat soluble and give it this self dispersing property,”​ Jackson-Michel told NutraIngredients-USA.

Studies with commercial value

Jackson-Michel said the bioavailability claims are being verified via an 18-subject, double blind crossover study that is now underway. And future studies are on the board to support the marketing of the ingredient to consumers.  Turmeric/curcumin has a raft of research behind it already, she said, but much of it has been done by university researchers who were not necessarily looking to support the marketing of a dietary ingredient.

“A lot of studies on curcumin are done in diseased populations. We intend to do studies in healthy populations or borderline populations so that the data can be transferred and have commercial value for our customers,”​ she said.

Sexual health ingredient

In addition to the new curcumin ingredient, the new partnership is launching a men’s sexual health ingredient as well that will target men’s sexual stamina as opposed to erectile dysfunction. The new ingredient, called Fortiquin, is a blend of four herbs, mucuna, cynara, trigonella and ashwanghanda, combined with the amino acid L-arginine.

Shavon-Michel said research to back the effects of this ingredient is planned, too. While much of the research in the men’s sexual health field (or women's sexual health for that matter) tends to rely on potentially questionable data derived from questionnaires and such, Jackson-Michel said there are some validated methodologies that have been used by pharmaceutical companies in the realm that will be employed in her company’s planned research.

New joint venture company

The new partnership is a pairing of a company primarily devoted to the marketing of science-backed branded ingredients, DolCas Biotech LLC, and a company with a pharmaceutical background, Tenshi Kaizen Private Ltd. DolCas is based in Landing, NJ, while Tenshi is based in Bengaluru in southern India. The new company, formally named DolCas-Tenshi Bioceuticals (DTB), will focus exclusively on the research, development, and commercialization of novel nutraceutical lines for key global markets, including the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The two partners have equal interest and headquarters will be based in New Jersey.

The new ingredients and the new partnership will on display at the upcoming Vitafoods trade show in Geneva, Switzerland, at booth No. F 200.