Liquid gold? IFF Health launches curcumin & boswellia combination product

20 Sep 2019 --- Building on the reported success of its NovaSOL Curcumin ingredient, IFF Health (formerly known as Frutarom Health) has launched a new formulation of solubilized curcumin and Boswellia serrata extract. The new ingredient delivers clinically-tested high bioavailability at low, easy-to-digest doses. IFF aims to tap into the lucrative food, beverage and supplement markets once more with the new combination product, as consumers increasingly demand natural and bioavailable products.

“Considering the success of curcumin as a health ingredient, the market is ready for the next generation. Our improved formulas allow our customers to make a differentiated selection in the market and upgrade their own product preferences,” Wouter Haazen, Product Manager of IFF Health, tells NutritionInsight.

Driving interest in curcumin is a rapidly growing consumer awareness of its multiple health benefits. Joint health claims are the fastest growing in food and beverage launches tracked with curcumin as an ingredient, with a CAGR of 82 percent. Sports recovery and immune health claims are also growing quickly, with +51 percent and +48 percent CAGRs (2013-2017) respectively, according to Innova Market Research data.

Curcumin is difficult to study because of its low bioavailability.Haazen adds that curcumin and boswellia extracts may have beneficial properties also related to brain and gastro-intestinal health.

The company’s previous offering, NovaSOL Curcumin, is a liquid formula of solubilized turmeric that is said to be 185 times more bioavailable than standard curcumin extract. It reportedly became one of the “most demanded” curcumin ingredients in Europe. Developed by the German company, Aquanova AG, NovaSOL Curcumin has been marketed predominantly in Europe by IFF Health (formerly known as Frutarom) since 2013.

The bioavailability of the product was a key driver of its success, and the company ensured that the new solution could offer the same benefits.

“Curcumin and boswellia are known for their limited bioavailability. As there is a limitation on the serving size and dose that can be used in a commercial products, materials with increased bioavailability can provide more assurances on bioactivity of the compounds at a low dose,” explains Haazen. 

The formulation is both water- and lipid-soluble, and highly stable enabling it to be readily adapted into food and beverage applications. In addition, the concentrated golden liquid can be delivered is small and easily digested dosages, says the company. 

Speaking to NutritionInsight in an exclusive interview, the company’s President of Natural Solutions, Yoni Glickman – at the time of recording – highlighted how the demand for natural, sustainable and integrated solutions, as well as growing calls for expressing bioavailability are all key drivers for today’s health and nutrition products. 

Natural ingredients were also one of the key drivers of the mammoth US$7.1 billion acquisition of Frutarom by IFF in May 2018.

A winning combination
“The combination with Boswellia serrata as a synergetic ingredient significantly advances the beneficial properties of this formula,” he explains. He notes that the diverse mechanisms of action of curcumin and boswellia have been found to naturally complement one another in targeting biological effects linked to inflammation. 

Due to the patented micellation process, the NovaSOL delivery system provides significant opportunities to optimize curcumin and boswellia’s synergetic properties to maximum effect. Driving interest in curcumin is a rapidly growing consumer awareness of its multiple health benefits.

Naturally limited bioavailability
Curcumin and Boswellia serrata are both difficult to study and develop due to their unstable and poor bioavailability properties, the company notes. Nevertheless, research led by Jürgen Meins, published in Nutrition, provided eyebrow-raising results. Their in-vivo study demonstrated that liquid micellar curcumin, combined with boswellia increased bioavailability of both compounds. The combination was also associated with increased biological activity as compared to the usage of the individual compounds or to activity of a native mix of the herbs. 

Results showed that after exposure to NovaSOL curcumin combined with Boswellia serrata, there were substantial reductions in serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, C-reactive proteins and lipid peroxidation biomarkers.

The enhanced bioavailability of NovaSOL Curcumin has already been established in a human clinical trial; there was an increase in bioavailability of up to 185-fold when compared to standard extracts — the most significant increase recorded to date. It has become one of the most demanded curcumin ingredients in Europe and currently appears in more than 50 products. 

NovaSOL Curcumin/Boswellia will be unveiled at Vitafoods Asia in Singapore 25-26 September 2019.

Curcumin’s health benefits
Besides acting as an herbal supplement, curcumin is also used as a cosmetic ingredient, food flavoring and food coloring. Both curcumin and extracts of Boswellia serrata have been developed and clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, with research indicating a slight improvement in pain reduction.

Overall, the supplements industry has witnessed a rise in demand for herbal offerings and they have emerged as a staple on the supplements aisle. More recently, within the health-driven food and beverage space, they are being touted as combatting physical, chemical and biological stressors, in addition to elevating cognitive functions, mood and energy levels. 

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Laxmi Haigh