Ayana Bio to develop plant cell-derived saffron to unlock weight loss potential

13 Feb 2024 --- To leverage saffron’s potential in weight management and mood health, Ayana Bio will develop plant cell-derived saffron together with South Korea-based Wooree Green Science. The use of saffron in health and wellness products is currently hindered by its exorbitant price and limited supply, further constrained by climate change. 

“The biggest thing holding the saffron market back has been cost. Saffron is probably the most expensive biomass on the planet, and using that to produce an extract that focuses on the bioactives is tough,” Frank Jaksch, the CEO of Ayana Bio, tells Nutrition Insight. 

“Anytime you have something costly like that, it will hold back innovation. But even with that problem in terms of the cost of the material, quite a bit of science has been developing on the material over the past few years.” 

He underscores that over the last ten years, the science on saffron has been developing well, covering a wide array of different health benefits, such as a potential for weight loss or weight control by reducing appetite and supporting mood and stress. “There have been preclinical and clinical studies that have been very promising.” 

The recently signed joint development agreement between Wooree Green Science and Ayana Bio covers plant cell-derived bioactives from saffron and lutein — from marigold — for the South Korean health and wellness market. 

Scientific support 
Jaksch highlights that published human trials support saffron’s use in enhancing satiety, weight loss or appetite suppression. 

“There have been additional follow-on studies that have supported that as well. Ultimately, there should be more of these studies to build a body of evidence as I don’t think relying on a single study is a good way to get behind a claim in promoting the benefits of something for consumers.” 

“The first studies were on weight, while most of the studies recently have been more toward mood and mental health, cognition and sleep,” he adds. “Most people report some feeling or sense of enhancement in terms of mood, in particular.”

Research on saffron’s weight loss benefits emerged in 2010 when companies looked for alternatives to ephedrine alkaloids, stimulant compounds found in Ephedra sinica, notes Jaksch. He highlights that in the early 2000s, the primary market share for dietary supplements was for weight loss. “That was largely attributed to the size of the ephedra weight loss market.” 

However, when the FDA banned the sale of these supplements in the US in 2004, “every company was trying to find a way to fill the void with something,” he stresses. 

While there were many problems and risks with ephedra consumption, Jaksch notes that the product was effective as a weight loss solution, “everything that followed afterward landed flat.” 

In a recent interview, Jaksch details the agreement with Wooree Green Science to develop plant cell-derived bioactives.As a result, the supplement weight loss category and supporting research “drifted away” around ten years after the ephedra ban. At the same time, he sees a growing interest in other areas as the total market for supplements keeps growing. 

Innova Market Insights data indicate that the global market for supplements experienced an average annual growth of 14% from 2018 to 2022, with the US and Europe as the leading markets. 

Weight management market 
While weight loss has become a less critical category in supplements, Jaksch expects increased interest in weight management supplements due to the growing use and popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications such as Ozempic. 

“Everybody is looking for some way to draft off what’s been happening with Ozempic. Are there natural ways to get weight loss? Do some of these supplements have activity for GLP-1? Whether you can control blood sugar and affect appetite and naturally do these things is all of a sudden all the rage again.” 

“I don’t think this GLP-1 or Ozempic effect is going to go away anytime soon,” underscores Jacksch. “The bottom line is that most people can’t afford to take Ozempic. You have supply issues regarding Ozempic. And you have a population of people that desperately need the drug, not for weight loss but for diabetes and other diseases.”

He expects that people who do not have access to such weight loss solutions will look for alternatives, where saffron can play a role. “We can help develop something that will work.” 

Overcoming supply constraints 
At the same time, saffron’s primary bottleneck for more clinical research on its weight management effects is the material’s availability and cost. This is one of the reasons why Ayana Bio is keen to develop plant cell-derived saffron — creating products that will deliver a real impact and can supply the market. 

“When a cost-effective supply of something surfaces, and there’s an interest in the category, the research usually explodes,” stresses Jaksch. “That’s one of the things we think is going to be very helpful here, having a cost-effective solution for saffron available for the market because we can bring a better solution with plant cells.” 

“Supply constraints cause problems in dietary supplements. If there’s a supply constraint, the market will find a way to fill the void, and they usually do that with fraud,” he cautions. 

Along with saffron supply constraints due to its availability and production costs worsened by climate change, Jaksch adds that there is competition against culinary supply. 

“If you want to make a health and wellness beneficial ingredient based on an extract of saffron, you’re competing for an already scarce supply with people using it for culinary purposes, which is the main reason it exists. You’re going to have a problem in terms of the supply of the material.” 

By Jolanda van Hal