Brain and heart boost: Newly-formed Phenolaeis develop’s “world's-first” Palm Fruit Bioactive Complex

07 Oct 2019 --- Mexican chemical products company Grupo AlEn and ECOM have joined forces to form a new company called Phenolaeis. The venture will bring to market the “world’s first” Palm Fruit Bioactive Complex (PFBc) – a multifunctional ingredient boasting heart and cognitive health, healthy aging and sports nutrition applications. The ingredient was developed in collaboration with two Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professors and will be presented at SupplySide West, taking place later this month, in Las Vegas, US.

According to Phenolaeis, the odds for success are stacked sky high for this sustainably produced, phytonutrient-rich ingredient that promotes metabolic health by supporting healthy gene expression with PFBc supplementation. Solvent-free PFBc is derived from the oil palm fruit using proprietary isolation technology.

“This water-soluble, non-GMO plant complex is composed of natural polyphenols, fibers, carbohydrates and protein. Its soluble fiber is a carrier of various bioactive components,” says Phenolaeis CEO Kevin L. Ohashi, Ph.D. “With two MIT professor founders, Phenolaeis was launched with the support of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. We’ve spent millions in research to look at the benefits of these natural, water-soluble and standardized materials.”

“We have 27 patents internationally filed and issued patents, covering everything from the manufacturing process to the composition of matter for antioxidant compounds and various methods of use. The result of our work is a clean complex as nature intended,” he adds.

According to the company, clinical data suggests that PFBc benefits healthy aging alongside heart and cognitive health.PFBc is available in powder and liquid forms for easy formulation. It is water-soluble and well suited for sports nutrition products, ready to eat powders, ground coffee, K-cups and coffee pods. At less than 10 cents per 250 mg dose, it is also affordably priced. PFBc is heat stable and has a two-year bulk shelf life.

Healthy aging
According to the company, clinical data suggests that PFBc benefits healthy aging alongside heart and cognitive health. Research indicates that PFBc activates a wide range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways. It has already been shown to promote cardiac function, support exercise recovery by maintaining a healthy non-inflammatory state, helping maintain heart rate variability, and supporting antioxidative stress reserves/capacity to aid the preservation of mental health.

“It is very unusual to have a cognitive health ingredient that also supports mood state, but that’s what we’re seeing,” notes Ohashi. “Our clinical and nonclinical data shows changes in Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) biomarkers with PFBc supplementation. BDNF is known to be associated with brain plasticity and cognitive function. Unlike some nutraceutical products where consumers may not feel the benefits, we have clinical data showing that PFBc promotes healthy mood states that consumers feel as measured by questionnaires.”

Heart and cognitive health
PFBc also supports heart and cognitive health by a unique mechanism of action. Peer-reviewed non-clinical research has shown that PFBc maintains a healthy state of gene expression or chemical switches in both the brain and heart that control the millions of chemical reactions occurring in these organs.

Phenolaeis is making large commitments to sustainability and the environment. “It’s one thing to be sustainably certified and to have good agricultural practices, but we’ve taken land severely damaged by livestock and resurrected it into oil palm plantations through an extensive reforestation program. Another 25 to 30 percent of our land is set aside for a wildlife preserve,” Ohashi explains.

“We control the ingredient from soil to final product. We own the plantations and our best-in-class milling facility, both of which are Rainforest Alliance certified. Earlier this year, we completed construction of a state-of-the-art PFBc isolation facility, the only PFBc facility in the world,” he adds.

Enhances flavor and mouthfeel
SupplySide West attendees will be able to try samples and taste firsthand how PFBc mellows acidic beverages’ bitter notes and rounds out the mouthfeel. “These fortuitous flavor-enhancing benefits are especially noticeable when PFBc is added to coffee, tart-tasting juices, cocoa, yogurt, chocolate, turmeric and bitter teas, or kombucha,” says Ohashi.

“You’re not just adding a flavor enhancer to smooth the taste. You’re adding even more health benefits to the beverage for a nice double effect. While the real benefits are the health benefits, the fact that you can taste the difference will confirm to consumers that it’s in there,” he adds.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou

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