Naturex Focuses on Heart Health with CocoActiv Solution

Records show that 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) annually, representing 31% of all deaths globally. With aging populations growing in most OECD countries, and earlier onset in emerging economies, CVD will continue its upward march. As consumers are looking for relevant preventive solutions, natural heart health is becoming a very promising market segment.

Frédérique Carre, Naturex Media Relations Manager, explained to NutritionInsight: “To achieve product leadership, industrials need to deliver the right products at the right time. The market is moving at a fast pace and keeping up with the rhythm is a challenging task.”

 

CocoActiv, a new look at CVD
Impaired endothelial function can be assessed by Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) and is recognized as one of the earliest risk factors in cardiovascular disorders. Improving FMD by 1% lowers risks of CVD by 8%.

 

Cocoa beans contain flavanols that, through their beneficial effect on the endothelium, improve blood vessel elasticity by 23%. Consequently, flavanols contribute to healthy blood flow, a reduction in hypertension and increased heart function. At Vitafoods 2016, Naturex will be showcasing CocoActiv, a ready-to-market cocoa-based solution that combines quality sourcing (in collaboration with Barry Callebaut group), scientific expertise and an authorised EFSA 13.5 health claim, namely “cocoa flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood flow.”

 

Dr Pascale Fança Berthon, PhD, Scientific Coordinator at Naturex will be presenting a talk on “High-flavanol cocoa extract: how can it be used to maintain cardiovascular health?” on May 10.

 

Integrated solutions that significantly reduce time to market
One of the key issues faced by the self-care market, is finding a quick and effective way to meet consumers demand.  At times, 9 to 18 months may elapse before a product is launched and industrials constantly strive to shorten this timeframe.  Naturex, as a natural solutions provider, will be demonstrating its ability to support its customers with tailor-made partnerships and various service opportunities.

 

Customers will be offered three consecutive levels of service, ranging from Virtual Springlab, to Concept, to Ready-to-market. The Virtual Springlab level includes trends analysis, product positioning, regulatory and formulability checks, reducing a product’s time to market to 12 months. The Concept level cuts time to market by another 3 months by creating a relevant marketing application concept. Customers who will opt for the Ready-to-Market level will see their time to market reduced to just 6 months. This level of services eliminates the need for industrial trials, adjustment of organoleptic properties, submission of health dossiers and packaging design, all of which will have been taken care of by Naturex. This new selling paradigm aims to bring game-changing opportunities to the supplements category.

 

Carre told NutritionInsight: “Designed especially for Naturex customers, these three levels of service provide significant time-to-market reduction.”
  
“By developing these integrated services, Naturex helps its customers gain a major competitive edge, facilitating their success in the global market place,” he concluded.

 

The company actively supports the global shift to natural by directly addressing key consumer expectations through an offer built on two main focus areas: My Natural Food and My Natural Self-care. Naturex’s portfolio includes colors, antioxidants, specialty fruits & vegetables, phytoactives, and numerous other plant-based natural ingredients, designed to help its customers create healthy, authentic and effective products.