Layn presents mood and stress relief tea extracts with high L-theanine purity at IFT First 2024

18 Jul 2024 --- Natural botanical extract innovator Layn Natural Ingredients demonstrated the capacity of its innovative tea extracts, purified to 98% L-theanine and supporting a calm mood and a healthy stress response, at IFT First trade show in Chicago, US, July 14–17. The company also showcased water-soluble functional extracts for beverages in cinnamon, ginger, green coffee bean, pomegranate and turmeric flavors.

Nutrition Insight caught up with James Roza, chief scientific officer at Layn Natural Ingredients, who tells us the prominent trends in functional beverages are hydration and electrolytes. Through samples, the company demonstrated concepts of potential functional beverages formulated with its plant extracts.

“Hydration is top of mind for a lot of different companies, because of the consumer interest. But beyond hydration, which I think dominates the market, we’re coming off of a pandemic, and right now, there are a lot of people who are still seeking to restore balance in their lives in terms of stress reduction,” says Roza.

“There are a lot of functional ingredients now that can be incorporated into food and beverages to help meet the needs of consumers who are looking for what they refer to as a kind of a wakeful relaxation, tampering with those excitatory compounds such as acetylcholine. The things that keep people jittery and off balance.” 

Bioactive beverages with a herbal kick
Roza observes growth in the category, including beverages and foods designed to reduce stress and promote sleep relaxation.

“People know electrolytes are minerals that are important for metabolic processes, and they’re usually found in high-quality waters or drinks such as Gatorade. But beyond that, when you start including ingredients such as theanine or ashwagandha, which are very functional and can help in these various categories, some education, marketing and sales needs to be incorporated with that,” he notes.

Layn Natural Ingredients sampled prototype beverages, including tea drinks formulated with its oolong, black, pu-erh and white tea extracts, as well as an energy drink made with its extracts of Panax ginseng, caffeine, turmeric and L-theanine from green tea.

The company also hosted a beer tasting on the third day of the show, where guests could sample its signature beer, made with monk fruit extract.Layn’s tea extracts are standardized to 98% l-theanine. 

On the second day of the show, Roza gave a presentation on polyphenols and plant-based bioactives for new beverage innovations. He discussed the advantages of tea extracts and other polyphenol-rich extracts for adding functional benefits to beverages. 

“What we have done is we have worked with companies in terms of doing research and development to see how we can incorporate these into food and beverages at an efficacious dosage,” Roza explains.

“If you don’t have it (functional ingredients) there in the right amount, the experience that the consumer will have will not be what’s referred to as experiential, where you take it and you feel something. Obviously, with caffeine, you’re going to feel something but with some of these other ingredients, there’s a certain dosage that needs to be included in the beverage in order for it to be effective.” 

L-theanine is a nonprotein amino acid derivative and is not typically found in a protein powder or protein shake. Plants produce this in low amounts. “We’ve been able to develop a green technology where we’ve been able to concentrate it from green tea,” says Roza. 

“For example, the amount that’s found in just a typical green tea leaf, which you would use to make a tea, is very small. It’s only 2–3%, so through water extraction and the green technology that we’ve developed, we’ve been able to concentrate it to levels of 40 and even 98%.”

Inflammatory responses
Layn Natural Ingredients is one of the world’s largest innovators of natural botanical extract ingredients and solutions. It is vertically integrated and offers a manufacturer-direct, transparent and scalable supply chain that takes the process from seeds and agronomy to extraction and formulation. 

Roza believes there are many opportunities for these extracts in sports recovery, for which the company’s polyphenols are suitable. Its polyphenolic extract from pomegranate has been shown to help support healthy inflammation. 

“Not all inflammation is bad. I know with COVID-19, we heard that a lot of the people met their demise because they have all this inflammation going on in the body, and eventually it led to their death,” Roza continues.

Layn sells polyphenols extracted from Rhodiola, a root herb that grows at high altitudes in China and Russia. The adaptogen has been shown to help the body adapt to different stresses.Hydration and electrolytes are top trends in functional beverages.  

“Rhodiola is an ingredient along with, for example, resveratrol, another ingredient that we extract from Japanese knotweed. These things help the body keep itself in balance and strengthen the immune system, so you know whether you’re exposed to pollution, or maybe your diet is inadequate, or you’re not getting a good night’s rest, or you’re under a lot of stress.” 

“These different polyphenols incorporated in the diet on a daily basis will help the body to adjust, so it can deal with those stressors, that maybe left unabated could contribute to joint dysfunction, insulin insensitivity, high blood pressure, things of that nature,” he explains.

Natural over synthesized
The company’s R&D operation includes extraction and global innovation centers worldwide to conduct research and provide formulation and application guidance. Layn is also the parent company of wholly owned subsidiary, HempRise, a US-based entity specializing in directly manufacturing and innovating CBD and hemp extract ingredients.

Roza points out the benefits of natural extracts over synthesized ones. “There are themes on the market that have been synthesized. If people are concerned about bioengineered ingredients, a lot of synthesized ingredients use modified enzymes that are genetically modified, he says. 

“Ours is from green tea. For example, our l-theanine that is 40% concentration from green tea is allowed in Europe. A synthesized form is not. And we’ve been able also to verify that our theanine is from a natural source through carbon dating.” 

Consuming between 200 and 400 mg a day produces the effect that reduces stress and promotes restful sleep. L-theanine also stimulates alpha waves, a frequency the brain produces when one first falls asleep. It helps the individual get to REM sleep easier and have a longer restful sleep.

Roza notes: “L-theanine is an amino acid derivative that comes from green tea, and that’s one of our key ingredients. When people take that in dosages of anywhere from about 100 to 200 mg, what it does is it inhibits some of these excitatory compounds that agitate people. What they find is that it brings down their stress levels.” 

“And it is experiential, similar to caffeine, where if you take 100 mg of caffeine, you should feel a little peppier. Same thing with l-theanine. It helps to maintain that balance in the body homeostasis so that people can be more focused. Their attention span is greater.” 

The company’s l-theanine is stable at a pH level between four and six and has a functionality that incorporates well with a lot of different food and beverage matrices.

By Inga de Jong with additional reporting by Missy Green, live from Chicago, US