Dolcas and Olene unveil “formidable” ginger root extract targeting gut health

08 Dec 2020 --- Dolcas Biotech and Olene have created a patented, highly concentrated ginger root extract branded Ginfort.

The bioactive ingredient carries an approved digestive health claim and is awaiting clinical trial results for its benefits for a range of other health issues. 

“Ginfort is a highly concentrated ginger extract, standardized to 26 percent gingeroids – inclusive of both gingerols and shogaols,” KG Rao, DolCas’ president and CEO, tells NutritionInsight. 

“Ginger can be a volatile ingredient. With the application of high heat, bad storage conditions and harsh chemical reactions, it easily degrades to lesser-active paradols. Our product is very stable and has a shelf life of more than two years.”

The ingredient’s formulation allows for a wide range of industry purposes, says Rao.  

“Ginfort is CO2-extracted from the rhizome to produce a very concentrated oleoresin intermediate, avoiding the use of solvents. From there, the patented application of a blend of food-grade inactives helps the highly concentrated, but otherwise viscous oleoresin base to be free-flowing for ease of encapsulation and other manufacturing applications.”

Upcoming clinical trials will determine Ginfort’s potential as a remedy for dyspepsia. Extraction processes  
The collaboration created a new extraction process for the ingredient, touted as an answer to  three key obstacles nutraceutical manufacturers often face in developing a new ingredient. 

These are achieving low-dose actives, providing high clinical effectiveness and maintaining stability. 

“The unique extraction process for Ginfort optimizes the functionality and potency of the oleoresin and other actives in ginger, bringing the millennia-long medicinal uses of ginger to the forefront of science and market development,” concludes Rao. 

Targeting the gut 
Dolcas says it decided to release Ginfort during the winter period of “tumultuous 2020” as a solution to digestive health problems.

Gingerol is the most predominant bioactive compound of ginger and is responsible for its characteristic pungent flavor, and the 6-gingerol form is the most prominent gingeroid. 

Gingerol is acclaimed for its spasmolytic activity on the gut wall and its capacity to normalize gut motility. The phenolic compound is noted for its anti-inflammatory and protective role over gastrointestinal membranes and other tissue types. 

For these reasons, ginger has been highly prized in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic traditions as a powerful medicinal, especially as a prominent reliever of stomach distress.

Dolcas expects Ginfort’s potency to enhance these properties. In the coming months, a clinical trial will determine its potential role in treating dyspepsia. 

“This upcoming study on digestive health will be among many study trials to be performed on Ginfort, as the clinical possibilities are endless,” says Rao.Dolcas hopes the highly concentrated ginger root extract will prove to have significant medicinal benefits. 

“Ginfort is not a soluble ingredient, but its solubility is enhanced over traditional formulations. To that end, it is suspected that Ginfort will have powerful systemic anti-inflammatory benefits that the literature suggests can be blunted by low bioavailability.”

“This is a posited application that will need further product-specific study – but it is highly plausible. This is also quite possible considering the very high concentration provided for Ginfort in such a low dosage requirement,” he asserts. 

NPD using Ginfort
While the ingredient is still in its early stages, Dolcas has various product applications in the works, including combining Ginfort with some of its existing products. 

“Ginfort would nicely complement other well-known pain or inflammation-modulating actives, like curcumin, for instance,” says Rao. 

“We will be suggesting Ginfort as a nice complimentary ingredient to our 39 times enhanced bioavailability and 50 percent curcuminoids concentrated extract, Curcugen, in the future.” 

Dolcas released Curcugen earlier this year. 

“We’re also working on some prototypes for Ginfort in lozenges and other candy types that might be highly conducive to reducing pregnancy-related nausea, but again – this is another therapeutic aim for us to evaluate in time specifically.”

By Louis Gore-Langton